Matched (Matched Book #1) by Ally Condie | An Interesting Concept With A Painful Execution

In the Society, officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die.

Cassia has always trusted their choices. It’s hardly any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one…until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path no one else has ever dared follow—between perfection and passion.

Matched is a story for right now and storytelling with the resonance of a classic.

Discussion:

                                                                                  ⭐⭐

Resigning all control over one's life is terrifying, to say the least; however, for Cassia Reyes and her community, this is reality. Seventeen-year-old Cassia's future family, life purpose, and her death are already predetermined by her government. For the majority of her life, she accepted marrying her best friend Xander Carrows until she receives her microcard on Match Day, only to see Ky Markham's name instead. In this novel, Cassia rebels against longstanding rules, develops a forbidden relationship, and becomes further aware of herself and her world.

Before reading this novel in high school, I expected a nail-biting coming-of-age story to accompany the other dystopia worlds resting on my shelf. However, with a beginning so tiresome, flat and frustrating characters, and a well-executed and action-packed ending to suffice readers' hunger for more, it was an alright read. Cassia, herself, was especially frustrating in the beginning. 

Besides the above, Condie is a talented writer, weaving the story in such an intricated manner that the world came to life. Further, the story itself is thought-provoking and original -- if only the characters could save themselves. This then begs the question if I will ever read the sequel or the remaining books in this trilogy. Due to mixed reviews from multiple friends and people from the internet, I don't have much interest in continuing at this time; however, I can be swayed with a well-presented argument if one were to duel my current views.

How many dystopian or paranormal novels did your bank account succumb to in 2000s and 2010s? Did you read Crossed or any other of the big name novels/trilogies? If you read any of Condie's books, how would you rank them? And, how close are we, in the real-world, to getting microchipped? Chat with me in the comments below or via my social medias.

Love,

newbookcats

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