"Matched" by Allie Condie REVIEW

I give MATCHED 5 STARS!

In the Society, Officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die.
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Cassia has always trusted their choices. It’s hardly 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.

My Matched by Allie Condie Review

First thing first, this book has become one of my utmost favorites.  I’ve been dying for a long time to read it. Probably because of the cover, who wouldn’t like that beautiful cover? I don’t know which I love the most, the green dress or the glass ball concept! Did you guys catch onto the glass ball concept? Well, I’ll explain it after my review.

The World:

Let me begin with the whole world of Matched. It’s just plain out scary, but so intriguing. The how everything is so controlled, that makes me think about today’s society, wondering if that is where we are heading. It does seem probable. Just think on it. That’s probably why this book is so alluring in its way, maybe for us to find a way to survive this type of “future”.

Anyways, the whole matching thing doesn’t seem so much as a bad idea, you know? Then you get to thinking on how you have no choice in ANYTHING when it came to being Matched. It’s nothing like that whole eHarmony or whatever, that you can control, but with this, you’re absolutely STUCK with this person for the rest of your life.

Then it goes on how Cassia’s grandfather is close to his death, and he’s not even near to dying. The government controls when they die, for crying out loud. I cried when they had him to die.

However, Cassia’s grandfather gave Cassia a compact, which she took to her Matched banquet. Inside that compact, there’s a hidden poem, that is not part of the Hundred Poems that the Society allowed to pass into this “new” controlled world. It goes like this Hundred Songs, Hundred Books, Hundred Poems, and Hundred etc. from our NOW world. If ANYONE had anything outside of those Hundred, that probably means death for whoever. If you ask me, this is probably where Cassia starts her rebellion, because of that beautiful poem, that spoke rebellion and freedom.

So the world of Matched had me by my wits end and didn’t let me go at all.

The Characters

Cassia Reyes is no weakling of this story. She’s probably the strongest, in my opinion. Her personality is original and addictive. She’s probably a girl that would be in our time, sitting in class, looking out the window, and would be plotting a way to break out of school and onto an adventure. Her mind always works, calculating, and investigating. Something that her and I have in common. When she starts to doubt the Society, she starts to DOUBT them. The Society’s supposedly faultless government, in Cassia’s eyes, all she sees is faults and error. When I got to know Cassia through this book, I fell in love with her personality. She’s strong, but don’t appear like it. She’s smart, and she lets people know it. Then when she loves someone, she loves them with her whole heart and soul. A character that is so endearing and loveable.

Ky Markham is a yummy specimen. He’s kind of an addictive boy character, that I would love to lay a smooch on. His entire existence speaks rebellion, free will, kind, caring, love, and a person who has morals. Who wouldn’t love someone like that, in this type of world? He attracted me soon as he appeared, probably because of his name as well. Ky? Come on, that’s a sexy name! Anyways, Ky is who this story needed, someone to heighten the plot and give Cassia reason to find the Society wrong. Didn’t get much on his character backstory, other than how he was raised in the Outlands and had a hard life. Then when a rebellion broke out and the Society had to step in, he was taken away from his parents and gave to his aunt and uncle, who had just lost a son. Ky explains this story as a massacre, the Society murdered in cold blood. He tells his story to Cassia through sneaked drawings of his past, telling her almost everything about himself. Making them fall for each other deeper.

Xander Carrow I like his character, may even love. But he doesn’t have my heart like Ky  does. If Xander was in my town, I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on him. He’s a sweet guy, perfect best friend for Cassia. However, I do not think he’s a good Match for Cassia. Yes, he’s Cassia’s Match, she’s “supposed” to marry him. Anyways, he’s a good element to this story, but I really don’t see much of a love connection between him and Cassia. Probably because of Ky I don’t see it. I do indeed like Xander, he’s an exceptional character, very helpful, and caring.

All other supporting characters, like Cassia’s mom, dad, Bram (her brother), grandfather, the Markhams, and the friends of these people, are all-realistic and compliment to this story. They are true and good characters, every one of them. I feel like I could wrap my arms around them and give them a big hug.

The love triangle between Cassia, Ky, and Xander. Cassia is Matched to Xander, but she falls in love with Ky. I think this triangle isn’t much of a triangle, pretty much a forced one. It’s an interesting twists on the triangle concept. However, I really don’t consider it a triangle. Which makes me happy, TEAM KY!

The PLOT

From the Matched banquet, where Cassia learns that she’s Matched with her best friend Xander, everything is a giant roller-coaster ride. It goes onto how her grandfather is at the end of his life, Society planned for his death to be a few days after her Matched banquet. Which is his eighth birthday. As I said, I cried when he died. I think it pretty much catapulted Cassia into the act of rebellion, because she didn’t see the right in it at all. He gives her a compact with the poem in it, and it makes her realize things. Cassia’s father was in charge of her grandfather’s DNA, so that he may be cloned in the future, but he loses it at his father’s request to lose it.

Then one night, Cassia decides to look at her disk she got at the banquet, that contained all information on Xander, which she didn’t really need, she already knew her best friend. But when she puts the card in, someone else’s face pops up. Ky Markham. This makes her intrigued in Ky, even if it was a glitch.

This whole plot is so good and well paced. You get to know the characters and world in great timing. There isn’t any instant love—which I have no problem with, actually, you get to fall in love with Cassia and Ky along with how they fall in love. It’s a sweet, innocent romance between them. And the tension between the Society and their forbidden romance, you’re on the edge of your seat through the entire book! No matter how calm and non-eventful, you’re ready for the plunge!

Anyways, before I give the whole story away. GO READ IT! This story is amazing! The writing is lovely, the characters are loveable, and the plot is to die for! If you loved Twilight and the Hunger Game, aside from the vampire stuff, you’ll love MATCHED! Even if you didn’t love Twilight and the Hunger Games, you will love this! Because it’s so different and unpredictable!

Oh, and for the glass ball concept. I LOVE reading into the meaning of a book cover. The glass ball in the confined walls of the Society and Cassia is stuck within it's walls alongside being forced to be Matched with someone else other than the person she really loves.

What are you waiting for? GO BUY AND READ THIS BOOK!

With lots of love, GOD BLESS