Review - Matched by Ally Condie

Title: Matched
matched #1
Author: Ally Condie
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Publish Date: November 30, 2010
Hardcover, 366 pages

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Cassia is what every girl wants to be by society - good. She follows the rules, she is excited for her future, she is good at what she does. She is in love with life. She has dreams. She just wants to live a good, happy life. So when her Matching Banquet comes around, she cannot wait. It is the moment all teenagers wait for. To see who she will spend the rest of her life with. She is lucky to be matched to Xander, he friend since she was younger. Most matches do not know their people. Cassia finds Xander handsome and good as well. She feels so lucky. Until fate steps in and shows her another face on her screen. One she doesn't know. It confuses her and makes her start to question everything. Especially when she meets this mysterious man. He is kind too. But he has knowledge. And knowledge is power. Ky and Cassia are paired together in an outdoor retreat class and soon become fast, secret friends. But the more Cassia gets to know Ky and waht he knows, the more she wonders if being good means following society or her own heart.

I loved this book because it talks about following your inner feelings rather than doing what everyone else is doing. Listening to our own inner dialog can be extremely difficult. Cassia is a strong and bright character, which I like too. When she really starts paying attention, she sees things that are supposed to be not seen and instead of forgetting them, she starts to wonder. Without making rash judgments, she learns what she feels and how she views the world. Even, at times, against the own advice of her close friends. In a society, that on the outside seems to want the best for each person, turns out that the best for each person also benefits the society - and maybe more for the Society than the person. To follow society or follow your heart . . .

I am really excited to read the next installment. What Cassia does and who she ends up with, will be interesting.

Check out the next in the series - Crossed!
The hotly awaited second book in the dystopian Matched trilogy

In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.