Book Review of Matched, By Ally Condie

Author: Ally Condie

Release Date: November 2010

Publisher: Dutton Juvanille

4 Stars - Really liked this book, would recommend

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.

I have been engrossed with the action packed Jim Butcher lately, so grabbing this book was like changing a switch in my head.  I was going back and forth between a brutal war and hidden war.  Matched is not for someone looking for an action packed book  Matched is a beautifully written story about love and the choices we make.
I am a huge YA dystopian fiction addict. Some of my favorite authors include Suzanne Collins, Scott Westerfeld, and Carrie Ryan.  I now can add a new author to that category!  Her words flow like poetry throughout the book.  Her descriptions and thoughts are mesmerizing.  I was afraid this would just be another teen love triangle, but it is so much more then that.  Condie has created a genuine new, strong, heroine in Cassia.  She has to choose between a life that is easy and handed to her, and I life of unknowns.  It takes courage for someone to step outside the box and try for a life that is not easy.
The premise of "The Society", a government in complete control of your life, deciding how much you can eat, exercise, and when you die, scares the crap out of me.  Life is about the choices we make, and it defines us as a culture and human beings.  This book is a scary realization of what would happen and how life would be without those choices that we all take for granted everyday.  Some people may read this and see a love story, but I see a story of a future world of rebellion and tragedy.  My only problem with this story was the lack of back story.  There were no real hints to how the world ended up like this.  I believe a lot will be revealed later in the series, and I can't wait to find out.

synopsis and photo courtesy of Goodreads