Matched by Ally Condie

Book: Matched by Ally Condie

Acquired: Border's Books before it closed

Retail Price: $17.99

Sale Price: $14.50

Number of Pages: 366

Synopsis: In the society officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die. Cassia has always trusted their choices. It's hardly  any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one...until she see another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path no one else has ever dared follow-between perfection and passion.
Matched is a story for right now and storytelling with the resonance of a classic.

Stars: ★★★★

Review: During the year some turns seventeen they are called to be matched to their mate. Seems odd considering today you can marry pretty much anybody, you just need to be in love. In the world of Matched, it's a futuristic version of Earth, or so it seems. Everything is regulated in a person's life. School, eating, exercising. They match you with a person based on genetics and statistics. Esentially someone you can get along with and still have the ideal children that could be practically engineered.

Cassia, our main character, is introduced on the night of her Matching Banquet. She's excited and nervous just like the rest of the kids. Her best friend, Xander, and she are on the air train talking about the night to come. From the beginning you are given an example as to how different life is. You find that beloved items heir loomed through families are very rare and are referred to as artifacts. Only one is allowed per person. You find that the lavish banquet is a big deal and extremely rare for everyone to be able to enjoy. The description of the banquet is wonderful. You find that Cassia is a very caring and loving individual. She want's to bring food home for her brother and is upset he couldn't go since he was to young. You find Xander is a very strong minded friend. He cares deeply about Cassia. There are limitations to their contact since they never know who they will be matched with as they get older. As the matching process proceeds it is the strangest feeling you get. It's like you get nervous with each individual. When it's Cassia's turn to go and Xander pops onto the screen there is the big moment of wonderment. It's rare for people from the same borough to be matched since they compare individuals across all cities. It's truly a magical scene.

The writing in the book is truly  amazing. It gets your feelings very much involved. As you can see the banquet scene is one that has stuck with me. It uses all the sense in this one spot. Smells, tastes, vision, touch, sounds. Everything is tied into this one big moment for the character and you can feel how big it is for her. It's almost as if it's starting at a different moment on the plot line; rather then starting at the beginning of the story it starts some where on the upward tensity, building to the climax.

Cassia, Xander and Ky are all such strong characters. You can see them and feel for them. They each have such different personalities and relationships and that is a big part of what make the book special. Xander is that friend, who has always loved Cassia, he's humble and would just about anything for her, even break the rules. Ky is an outsider in disguise. He's complex and a devoted worker. He loves Cassia  because she dares to dream and she is different because it's natural for her to question authority even if she doesn't act on it all the time. Cassia is the loyal daughter and friend. She's keeps peoples secrets on top of her own, however that's what becomes so problematic for her. Everyone is telling her their secrets, hoping that she wont divulge the information that could ruin life as they know it, but when it comes to her secrets she can't bare to burden anyone else.

I really enjoyed this book. I can't wait to continue to read the series and find what else is in store for
Cassia and if she will find Ky. It truly depicts what people would put on the line for the ones they love. It's magical and different. I think it's a must read for everyone!