Okay, I know, I know. This trilogy is OLD NEWS, and it’s taken me for-freaking-ever to start reading it. I’m a terrible bookworm, but you know what? There’s got to someone else out there who has been totally hesitant about reading yet another dystopian novel. Is it just a knock-off of the Hunger Games? Divergent? Is it really worth reading? I had all the same questions. I admit I was even a bit turned off by the fact that there was praise from MTV claiming the book was like The Hunger Games. I honestly was just like, ugh … I started to sit the book down, but then I saw the author was from where I currently live: Utah. The covers are beautiful (which, I encourage you all to NEVER judge a book by its cover), and I thought eh, why not? So I bought the book and I didn’t read it for months. Finally, I read it. And I am so pissed off.
I mean, WHY DIDN’T I READ IT SOONER? Yes, it’s that good. I am currently finishing up the second book as I type this review. So, if you’re like me and are hesitant to read another dystopian novel, even though you love the genre, because you’re afraid it’s going to be overly cheesy and dramatic – DON’T BE. Pick up Matched and read it now! I demand it! Okay, I can’t demand anything, because I’m not the ruler of the world (yet), but please give this book a chance.
Yes, it has the cheesy love triangle that almost all love stories do, but let’s be honest. We love our love triangles. This book allows us to enter the future, where our lives are much different. There is no disease, no wars, no crazy politics. Sounds great, right? Except this world also has no books, music, movies, or anything creative whatsoever except for ones picked out by its government (or as it’s called the Society). Your life is so completely structured. So much so that everything is perfect, and there isn’t room for any chaos. We enter this world from Cassia’ s point-of-view, who is a sweet, simple teenager about to enter her Matching Ceremony. Because, even that – the person who you spend your life with – is decided for you. Everything is decided for you here, who you marry, what you eat, the job you may have, and … even when you die. Everyone is euthanized at a certain age, because after said age their body will only decline.
But something happens during the Matching. When Cassia is alone, she sees an image of a boy – not her match – on her port screen, claiming that she has been matched with said boy. She knows him. Not well, but enough. And this, my friends, is how our journey (and love triangle) begins. Is she in love with this boy? Was he meant to be her Match? Or is the cute, adorable Xander who so lovingly supports Cassia the Match she is meant to be with?
This is a really great book that says a lot about our nature as human beings – about the power of creating and making choices.
This is completely, hands down a 5 out of 5 stars! Check it out!
Also, my review for book two in the trilogy, Crossed, will be posted soon! Be sure to subscribe for updates!
Serendipity Minds 