Matched: Crossed (#2)

I really wanted to love Crossed, but it just didn’t happen that way. I still enjoyed it overall, but it certainly wasn’t my favorite. So, let’s do this thing list-style.

Dislikes:
1. Cassia and Ky’s relationship. Somehow it just didn’t seem real. It was almost like more of a learning experience than real love.
2. Even though most of the story was spent as a journey, it often felt like it wasn’t really going anywhere.
3. It seemed as if Cassia had taken a step back in her growth since Matched despite all the risks she took.
4. We didn’t actually learn that much more about the Society or the world’s past.

Likes:
1. Xander. Crossed completely solidified my stance as Team Xander! I really admired him for not completely giving up on Cassia and trying to win her affection in a respectable way.
2. Though it seemed Cassia had taken a step back in growth through most of the book, she took leaps and bounds just in the last chapter or so, in my opinion.
3. The duel narratives. Sometimes this bores me, but I really enjoyed hearing the story from both Cassia and Ky.

The Nutshell: Though I didn’t enjoy Crossed as much as Matched, I’ll still be finishing the series when the next one comes out. The duel narratives add a new dimension to the series and I found it quite enjoyable. Also, Team Xander. Just sayn’.

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.”