Book Review of "Matched" by Ally Condie (contains Spoilers)

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RATING: 4 out of 5 stars

BOOK BLURB:

Book 1 in the Matched Trilogy.

In the Society, the Officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die.

Cassia has always trusted their choices. It's barely any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one ... until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path no one else has ever dared follow -- between perfection and passion.

Matched is a story for right now and storytelling with the resonance of a classic.

BOOK REVIEW:

NOTE: This review contains spoilers. DO NOT CONTINUE if you haven't read the book.

I picked this book up because I read a review in Entertainment Weekly. Being a huge fan of dystopic fiction, I looked forward to reading it.

I wasn't disappointed. I loved the story and only wish the second book were already out. I liked the slow way Cassia grew to distrust the Society, but as I really liked Xander, I was a bit miffed to see her so ready to cast him aside. At the end of the book, I still like him a lot. If only the story ended where Xander and Ky ended up together! I can already see the fan fiction that pairing would create.

I was a bit puzzled by the sudden shift in the last chapter. While it was obvious Cassia's work assignment stemmed from her parents' wish to help her find Ky, I would have liked more information on how she might better do that at a labor camp instead of in her own home. Also, while there was some indication early on of her father's own rebellious spirit, his sudden understanding of her plight when she hadn't confided in him (as well as her mother's sudden support despite the same) seemed a little too convenient. It almost read as though the author was trying to finish up the book so she could start the next.

That said, I still enjoyed the story very much. It's been a while since a book has gripped me so intensely, I couldn't put it down. I'm eagerly awaiting the next in the series.