Friday 18 January 2013

Matched by Ally Condie

Paperback, 366 pages
Published December 1st 2010 by Razorbill (first published November 30th 2010)
ISBN 0141333052 (ISBN13: 9780141333052)

Blurb: "On her seventeenth birthday, Cassia meets her match. The Society dictates that he is her perfect partner for life, except he's not.

In Cassia's society, Officials decide who people love.
How many children they have.
Where they work.
When they die.

But, as Cassia finds herself falling in love with another boy,
she is determined to make some choices of her own.

And that's when her whole world
begins to unravel..."

Goodreads has really mixed reviews for this book so I wasn't sure if I would like it or not but I really enjoyed it, it's such a good book! It's one of those stories that really draws you in. I really like the writing style and the characters are interesting. I particularly liked the relationship between Cassia and her grandfather.

This is kind of a Nineteen Eighty-Four for young adults. Obviously, George Orwell's books are in another league to this but nevertheless the story poses questions about society and how you think you would act in those circumstances.

Some reviewers had a problem with the questions about the Society that are left unanswered, but I think that adds to the environment that the author wanted to create. It's all about information control, if the characters knew everything and could become more involved than it would be more of a democracy. In the Society, information is closely guarded and no-one is allowed to speak about their jobs to people in different areas so that no one person has the knowledge to complete a whole process, like growing food. It makes people reliant on the system. Anyway, rant over, I just think that the book is really cleverly planned and doesn't deserve the criticism it has received from some. The fact that the Society seems so perfect at first glance is what makes it more worrying the further you read as you notice more and more that isn't quite adding up.

On a lighter note, I really liked Cassia's relationship with both Xander and Ky, and I can understand why she is torn. I also love that the written word is such a liberating part of the story (you'll have to read it to find out what I mean).

I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series and finding out what happens next. I'd give this book 8.5 out of 10.

2 comments:

  1. I would still like to read this series. I have seen that there has been a lot of frustration about the society not being revealed. Without reading it, I can say how I would feel, but it does seem like it would be revealed by the end of the trilogy. Oh well. Thanks for your great review.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I thought that for the first book, there was enough information to understand the set-up of the Society and to start to draw you in. Having just finished the second book, you do learn more about the Society and also about those who chose not to join it. I definitely recommend you read it!

    ReplyDelete

Let me know what you think :)