Matched

This is going to be a short review as I don't really have too much to say. I hated this book, I fell asleep trying to read it twice and even then found myself cleaning the house instead of picking up this book. I finally just made myself finish, hoping it got better... nope. Still, boring and very slow. I will not be continuing this series nor will I ever read something by Ally again, I don't like her writing style either.

Oh Matched....

Matched took a very long time to start but once the story really got going, I didn't want to put the book down.

The Society controls everything. From what they eat, wear, and what leisure activities they are allowed to pick from to who and when they marry, when and how they die, and how they live. The list goes on and on. And somehow the Society has managed to brainwash everyone into thinking that this is all for their own good. It's disgusting and frustrated me throughout the entire book. If I had to compare it to any fictional world, it would probably be to what it must have been like to live in the Capitol in The Hunger Games.

For the first one-hundred pages or so, the narrative was at times disjointed and hard to follow, but thankfully that changed. Honestly, I mostly kept reading because I was waiting for the book to get better. I had heard it was great so I was expecting to devour it in two days or less. My mistake. The first half wasn't awful but it felt like nothing was really happening. But... once we got to around page two-hundred, things started to get better until finally, I really didn't want to put the book down. The second half is what I expected most of the book to be like: gripping.

Cassia pretty much annoyed and frustrated me for the first half of the book. But that's mostly because she could only think about the same three things over and over again. Thank goodness for chapter twenty-one! Finally, Cassia admits to herself who she actually loves and the love story really starts to move along.

Xander pleasantly surprised me. In the beginning it seemed like he would be the type of friend who the girl only likes because he's all she's ever known. And those type of guys tend to be really annoying. A good example of what I mean by this is Jason from The Hourglass Door. He was the guy the girl always want but turned out to be a dud. Thankfully, Xander wasn't like that. I actually really like him but not as Cassia's Match.

I'm not quite sure what I like about Ky. He's not like the typical love interest you usually find in these type of stories. You don't know about his past, but he's not mysterious like Four from Divergent or Wolf from Scarlet. He doesn't have that safe but dark feel to him, which was unexpected. Nevertheless, I really do like Ky. He's a real person in a story full of brainwashed characters.

Even with all of my complaints, I do want to find out what happens to Cassia, Ky and Xander, so I will be reading the second book. Thank goodness the second half redeemed itself, but I was very disappointed that it took so long for the story to get moving.

Despite my complaints, I'm glad I read Matched and will be reading the rest of the series.

I read a review that said that there are stories that require that you suspend any and all disbelief, or you'll find that you're constantly asking yourself how this type of world came into fruition, considering the rebellious nature so inherent in human nature. Matched is definitely one of those stories.

In Matched, everything is so absolutely micromanaged by the Society that choice has almost been completely eliminated. Literally every choice you make is from a list of pre-approved options, and the Society has determined the probability of the choice you will make, and has made adjustments accordingly. Even mundane things, like what clothes to wear or what to eat, have been chosen by the Society. Apparently, as a result, people are generally happy and healthy, leading longer and more fulfilled lives. For Cassia, the perfect life is worth this lack of autonomy. Until she is shown a different choice, and has it taken away. Then she can't seem to find the ideals set up by the Society to be so ideal.

I really liked watching Cassia's struggle with becoming an independent thinker. Having grown up to believe in the absolute rightness of the Society's laws, seeing her struggle to do something as small as read an unapproved poem was fascinating. What bothered me was that it took a rebellious act by both her grandfather (who was on his death bed, and had nothing to lose) and then her father (who as an Official, was able to shrug off the minor citation) before she was able to come to terms with the possible corruption behind the Society. I would have liked to see her come to this conclusion on her own, instead of having her feelings validated by important figures around her. And I really disliked that the Society may have played a role in manipulating her into action.

The most frustrating part of Cassia's independent thinking was the lack of rebellious action. She had plenty of opportunities, but chose to play it safe every time! I think in part, I need to blame this on Condie's writing: there is no urgency to it, no passion, no suspense. Even the very minor acts of rebellion that we do get to bear witness to are probabilities considered by the Society, who deemed them almost inevitable and therefore considered them learning experiences. My frustration only built as we learned that certain acts of rebellion were part of a larger plan by the Society, who had accounted for the probabilities, and adjusted accordingly - it made it hard to see Cassia as anything but a puppet, being pulled by the Society's strings in whichever direction they wanted her to move.

Then there's the Society, which is mentioned so often, you would expect to know most of its history by Matched's conclusion. But there is so much about the Society, and the world which Cassia lives in, that we know absolutely nothing about. What lead to the creation of the Society? What year is the story taking place in? Who are the people on the outskirts? And were they banished there, or have they chosen to stay there in defiance? What's the structure of the Society? Do they have one leader, or is it more of a group? Why is there a war, and why wasn't it more prevalent throughout the book? Too many unanswered questions.

My biggest disappointment, shockingly (note the sarcasm), has to be with the oh-so-typical love-triangle romance. First, the two love interests are the same old tired cliches - a sweet and loyal best friend type and a dark, brooding and mysterious type. Second, and Cassia even mentions this (repeatedly), she didn't notice Ky, at all, until his face showed up on her matching screen. She admits at one point that while they do know each other, she wouldn't even call themselves friends. So why the instant attraction once she finds out they might have been Matched? And third (and I think, most important), Cassia has no reason to love Ky. As the book progresses, we see little-to-none of his personality. What we get instead are little pieces of his past, which help us understand why he keeps people at a distance. Cassia even asks herself if loving someone's story means you love the person. I had a very hard time believing that Cassia actually had feelings for Ky. I figure she loves the idea of him, of someone who would break the rules with her (or for her), then for who he is as a person.

All that being said, I did enjoy reading Matched; it was really only when I put the book down and thought on it that I found myself questioning why I was enjoying the story. I loved the effortless dynamic between Cassia and her family, and I truly believed in her friendship with Xander - they had a comfortableness with each other that only the best of friends understand. I loved the idea of the Society, I just wish more history had been given. I also loved the idea behind Matched, of rebelling against "the man" and standing up for what you believe in. Unfortunately I feel like Matched did it behind authority's back, when it should have been doing it to its face.

This book was... a huge disappointment for me. I was really hyped about it cause of the summary and the cover. It sounds a LOT better than it is. The whole pace of the book was really slow. Nothing exciting happened. A lot of the parts sounded stolen from the Hunger games. (The train in the begining, the different *even though it wasn't called this* districts.) I think if somebody else wrote this, the book would have been a lot better.

I know. Sorta harsh. I usually don't write bad reviews, but the book wasn't that good.

Reader reviewed by Idris

It is a difficult book to review, but I'll try.

Cassia
lives in a perfect world, where the Society makes decisions for her. What she eats,
where she works, where she lives, and who gets married or not. The story begins
when they select her perfect match. In this case, is her best friend Xander.
But there is a little mistake, and Cassia sees a picture of another boy,
instead of Xanders picture. And is when cassia starts wondering if the Society
is making the correct decisions.

She lives
in a world
without freedom. She
can not take any decision.
She lives in
a society completely
different from ours, one that imposes fear
and respect. From the very first moment, I liked what
the story was about. Specially the way how cassia started changing her oppinion
about the Society.

This book
is dense, slow, so the readers that are looking for a story
with more action and more romance, may be a little dissapointed. The
author gives much
emphasis on how is the Society
where they live, how it works, but
never gets to explain
how it arises, or why are they
like this. There are only a few mentions about the past.

I liked
it. I think this book could be considered as
an introduction to the world they live, and
I think if the
author decides, she can bring us a second
book with more action, more romance and more
development.

I give it three stars: I like it.

Reader reviewed by Lia

Matched starts out with Cassia, who is about to get "matched" with the person she will spend the rest of the life. To her surprise, she's "matched" with her best friend Xander. She is given a disk which contains all of Xander's information, but when she is viewing it another face pops up on the screen, making her question everything the Society does.

The writing was excellent; it was smooth and flowed well. While the premise of this book was new and exciting, I just thought the book was slow at times. I wish there was more action and adventure. While the plot was slow, I kept reading because the idea and writing intriuged me. This was an interesting read that is worth reading.