Review Detail

Matched and Crossed are definitely character driven books, rather than plot. Usually I tend not to like character driven book but I have found much enjoyment when reading Condie's books. I finished the first eager to read the second, I loved the world(and yes. I realize it is similar to that of The Giver, but it did not keep me from enjoying the author's interpretation of such a world or the characters and story she paired it with.

The best part about Crossed was the character development. At the end of Matched, the readers were left thinking they knew the characters, but when Crossed began I realized that I had only scratched the surface of the characters, their personalities, backgrounds and beliefs. Throughout Crossed Ally Condie revealed more and more of the intricacies of the characters we followed.

I also enjoyed meeting the new characters and immediately grew to love them as much as the older ones. Eli was adorable and fun, Vick was heart breaking, and Indie was mysterious and calculating(she reminded me of how Foxface from The Hunger Games would have been in that situation).

The main thing lacking, as I mentioned before, was in plot. This was obviously an in between book. It focused on the characters transition and journey out of the Society and into the Rising. I look forward to the third installment, where there will hopefully be more action.”