Book Thoughts: Reached

Title: Reached
Author: Ally Condie
Series: Matched #3

*Possible spoilers for books 1 and 2*

I had high hopes for this, having loved the first two Matched books, and I was not disappointed. Reached is told in alternating perspectives between all three of the leads: Cassia, Xander, and Ky. There were times when I got confused as to who was narrating, but I think it was good to see the story from all three perspectives.

And what a story it was. Oh, man. I cried.

The story continues to explore the nature of choice and freedom, hitting the characters with some really tough choices about who to love and who to save and how to use their skills for good. The romance played out beautifully, and so did the other kinds of love: familial, platonic, and a general love for humanity. As Cassia, Ky, and Xander struggle to navigate love, loss, disease, and loyalty, the Society may be changing from its very foundations.

Also, wow I love the way this trilogy deals with a change of leadership in a dystopian society. I don't want to say too much because spoilers, but the interplay between the Rising and the Society is brilliant and makes the dystopian-psychology nut in me freak the heck out.

As I mentioned earlier, some of the narrative-switching got a little difficult to follow, but on the whole I think this was a beautiful conclusion to a beautiful trilogy: the story kept moving and wrapped up well, and I was sad to let the characters go. (Also I cried. That's a thing that happened.)

Having read all three books now, I can safely say that this series is a good one through and through.

Book Thoughts: Crossed

Title: Crossed
Author: Ally Condie
Series: Matched #2

***Beware spoilers for Matched!***

I read this one over the summer, and while I didn't love it quite as much as I loved Matched, it was still great. (Also, I still think the covers for this series are freaking gorgeous, but that's me.)

It was fascinating discovering life outside the society along with Cassia. I continue to enjoy discovering the details of the world that Ally Condie has created (I'm a bit of a world-building geek). There's so much here that just leaves you wondering what's going to happen next.

I wish we'd gotten to see more of Xander. I was a little wary of the whole alternating-perspectives-between-Cassia-and-Ky thing, because so many authors don't distinguish very well between character voices and I get confused, but I shouldn't have worried: they're two very different characters. I almost enjoyed Ky's voice more by the end.

I still thoroughly love the characters and the world and I can't wait to get my hands on Reached to find out how it all ends!

Book Thoughts: Matched

Title: Matched
Author: Ally Condie
Series: Matched #1

I don't even know where to start. Matched was such an utterly amazing book that I really have no idea where to begin. So I suppose I'll begin by saying that I absolutely adore this cover. It is so gorgeous. Also, it shimmers. Love love love.

And the story! It's set up within a typical dystopian frame - "perfect" society, someone rebels. (I'm totally not trashing this frame, by the way - it's just part of the genre.) But it feels like it has so much more to it than that! The Society is so intricate, so well-developed. It just kind of makes you shiver with how these are all realistic people acting so...machine, but still with their human characteristics. I'll stop now before I go off into my whole spiel about how much I love dystopian fiction, but suffice it to say that the Society in Matched is one of the best.

The background is perfect: just add characters. Honestly, I feel like the characters could have been boring as all get-out and the book would still have been semi-readable because the backdrop is so good, but Ally Condie did so much better. Cassia is one of the most real protagonists I've encountered, especially with this kind of set-up. And Xander and Ky....oh, man. I love Xander and all, but Ky is so....ahh. I would not want to have to choose. Poor Cassia.

Okay, I recognize that I'm rambling. I shall attempt to stop that. Basically, Cassia gets Matched to Xander, so the two of them will be married...but then, for just a moment, Cassia sees Ky's face on her Matching screen. Cue forbidden love and all sorts of intrigue.

The plot sounds kind of basic, but the execution...I could read pages and pages of absolute nothing, as long as it was written as beautifully as this book. I love love love Ally Condie's writing. And when paired with an awesome dystopian society (er, Society) and some amaaazing characters...well, you're in for a novel you don't want to miss. My only complaint was that I wanted to see more development of the minor characters, but really, I felt like even they were well-rounded.

Long story short, I love this book. Definitely, definitely read it.