In a perfect world, there would be no disease, no hunger, no poverty. Everyone would have a job that was suited perfectly for his or her skills and personality. All would live a full life until the age of 80. Families would love and support each other. Everyone would feel safe. Cassia Reyes lives in such a world. Life for her is perfect. But something goes wrong when she is matched, her future spouse is chosen for her, and for the first time she has to make a choice; a choice that opens her mind to the possibility of choice and error. When one choice leads to another, Cassia realizes that maybe her world isn’t as perfect as she and the Officials in the Society try to make it seem. And while at first she believes her choices only impact her, she soon sees that the people she loves the most will also be affected by her choices.
Utah author Ally Condie has created a romance with depth that is hard to put down. It would be a great companion to The Giver by Lois Lowry or Anthem by Ayn Rand. This romance does not have a happy ending, and will make you want to know more.
Review by Rosanne Markham, West Lake Jr. High School Media Center
Rating: ★★★★½
Matched
Ally Condie
Dutton / Penguin
384 p.
ISBN: 9780525423645
Release Date: November 30, 2010
Cassia Reyes lives in the perfect society, everything she has ever wanted is right there for her to take, until she sees something she shouldn’t have. Cassia attends her Match Banquet the night of her 17th birthday, and from there the story takes a running leap. I honestly loved this book. I found the characters to be very likeable, and well though out. This book reminded me a lot of the Hunger Games, in that it has a distopian society. Ms. Condie does a great job of creating likeable characters in an environment that could really be. I would recommend this book to anyone.
If you read the blurb for this book then you don’t need to bother reading the actual thing. A perfect example of why I don’t read previews entirely. I don’t like plot summaries or spoilers unless they are billed as such.
That being said,the book was terrific. But it is simply a set up for the second in the series. The ending is not satisfying. I need to get my hands on the second book ASAP because I don’t feel like this book is complete.
This is a milder version of THE GIVER.