Matched by Ally Condie

Title: Matched
Author: Ally Condie
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Publishing Date: November 30th 2010
Pages: 366
Genre: YA Dystopian Romance
Series: Matched #1
Source: Audiobook

Goodreads Summary:
Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

Review:

The cover to this book is what really drew me in. From the synopsis I could tell it was a dystopian and I love dystopians. I decided to give it a try. I thought the book was very thought provoking and creative mixed with a good love story.

Cassia has lived in a society that she has understood and was happy with for many years. On the night of her matching ceremony everything changed. The nervousness she felt before the ceremony quickly faded when she discovered her match was her best friend, Xander. She has grown up with him and already loved him; she knew that she would be happy with him as her lifelong match. Cassia is given a microchip that has all of her match’s info listed, so she can begin to court her match. She expects to see Xander’s face but Ky’s face briefly appears instead, only for a moment, but that moment changes everything. Cassia starts to question everything. Cassia starts to spend time with Ky and learns more about the society she lives in, discovers things that didn’t know she was missing, and falls in love.

This story is filled with so many wrongs and so many evils but they wrapped in a pretty little package. The society really didn’t see the evils they were living in. They were blinded. Some of the society’s ideas seem to make sense on the outside but in reality they were just being controlled to the point where everything good and natural was stripped away. It took Cassia falling in love to realize the evil she lived with everyday.

I liked Cassia, she started out very brain washed and oblivious. She has never really had to make any decisions and never had a reason to question the rules or to break them. When it came time for her accept ignorance, she decided to question instead. I also like Xander and Ky. I really hate when I like both ends of the love triangle, it makes it so much hard to accept the outcome, no matter what it is. Xander is good, he is comfort, sweet, and loving. Cassia would have a wonderful save life with Xander and could be very happy. Ky is dangerous, a rule breaker, known as a trouble maker, he’s also smart, sweet, and dreamy.

The plot kept me interested but the romance is what really kept the story going. The feelings Cassia has at first is intrigue, curiosity, then to friendship, then love. It’s not an insta-love which is nice to see. I enjoyed watching their feelings grow and develop as Cassia’s eyes were opened to a brand new year. The pacing was great, the writing was wonderful, and the world was intricately built to create a very sweet yet exciting love story.

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