Truth Be Told |
| Matched by Ally Condie: Review Posted: 25 Apr 2011 10:08 PM PDT  MatchedWritten by: Ally Condie Published in: November 2010 Published by: Dutton 366 Pages Format: ARC Source: Won a Giveaway on Reading TeenSeries: Matched Trilogy Synopsis 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. My Review Matched is a brilliantly written dystopian that reminds me of a love that makes you want to risk it all. Throughout the entire novel you can't help but get drawn into this shocking, yet completely believable, world. This book brought back sweet memories of reading The Giver back in middle school. Ally Condie did a great job at creating a whole new world. Her descriptions create intense mental images. It was easy to imagine the setting of this book. The author gave great descriptions of the over-the-top government without having it come across as "info dump". There were also specific quotes that gave a mental image while also providing information about the society itself. There was one line where the main character was describing the cotton-like flowers of a tree, yet the trees were being burned because they served no purpose. The whole book is like this, offering back story without overwhelming you. It is quite obvious in dystopias that a major plot point has to be character growth. A dystopian usually involves the realization that the society is not what it seems. Matched fully met the expectations. The characters where well rounded, and even the supporting characters experienced forms of growth. Kai learned to trust someone and to not accept what was happening around him. Cassia learns to not follow blindly and to always question what is happening around her. This book has small philosophical issues as well. I liked that Ally Condie interweaved moral type of issues into this book. How far is too far when it comes to government control? When it comes to prolonging life, should all that is necessary be done or should we follow the course that nature has intended for us. The actual conflict in the story drew me in completely. Each chapter ended in such a way that I couldn't help but continue reading. There were twists and surprises that intrigued me and kept me on my toes, but it wasn't overwhelming either.  Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I am beyond excited to read book two, Crossed. This is a very interesting trilogy that will be sure to inspire a variety of readers. Five lanterns from Truth Be Told. Purchase Links: or add it on
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment