Review: Matched

Title: Matched
Author: Ally Condie
Date Released: November 30th, 2010
Pages: 336
Rating: 5 out of 5

Description:
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.

Review:
Have you ever read a book that just keeps you thinking about it after you read it?  Well, Matched is one of those books, and I just can't seem to get it out of my head.  Just imagine: a world controlled by manipulative Officials, where everything is perfect... Or is it?  The Officials keep you healthy and strong, but you have to follow rules and regulations, like the portion size of your food, how long you can exercise, and even who you can marry.  For Cassia, everything was perfect.  She was matched with her best friend, Xander, on her birthday.  She has a loving family.  She's very good at her work, which is sorting.  She lives a comfortable life.  Everything's perfect, until the Officials slip up and she sees another face in her microcard that gives her information about her match.  And that person is Ky.  And when she starts falling for him, everything turns upside down.

I thought that this was a wonderful book.  I enjoyed every bit of it and absolutely devoured it.  Basically, I loved it :)  That's probably what every other person has said about Matched, but I understand because it's different from other books that I've read.  The way that Condie writes also fits the way that the story is told, if you know what I mean.  You can't really imagine this book being told in any other way.  Everything in the plot sort of builds up too and makes sense when the revelations unfold. 

Cassia, to me, was a great protagonist.  She was a strong character who was brave enough to stand up for herself and do the unthinkable, probably something that is rarely done in such a perfect society.  Xander and Ky were both really great characters as well, but there's something about Ky that makes me like him more.  Maybe it's because Cassia and him fall in love, so there's something about him that has a more likeable quality?  I'm not totally sure yet...  I think that my favorite character has got to be Cassia's grandfather.  He's kind of the reason why Cassia goes through all of this and is like the inspiration behind why she sort of rebels against the Officials. 

I loved the whole setting and everything!  Condie creates this world that seems so beautiful, but for some reason, it's just ugly at the same time because the Society just shows how everything is organized and strict.  Everyone is classified.  The whole idea of not being able to choose who you want to marry and everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, is set for you, really makes you think, if you want a perfect society, does it have to be this way?  It seems like the perfect way because then you never get sick, you get to live a long life, and be the healthiest person you could ever be... But is it all really worth it?  Maybe 80 years seems like a long time, but why can't you just live longer if you had to go through all of this to just die at the age of 80?

This was a great read and I'm so glad that I was able to get it!  It was fantastic and I'm pretty sure that anyone else would like to read it and enjoy it.  Sorry if I put a lot of questions in here, but it just shows that this book really makes you think about it, even after you've been done with it for about a day.  Anyways, I can't believe that now, I have to wait a whole year for the next book, Crossed.  I really want it now!!!

Cover Review:
This cover is beautiful!  I love its simplicity and the girl in the bubble explains sooo much about this book.  I also read in an interview with Ally Condie that the color green was supposed to mean something, I think it was rebirth?  I'm not 100% sure, but it was something like that. 

Cleo :)

*Description from Goodreads.com
**Review copy purchased.