Review: Matched by Ally Condie

Matched by Ally Condie  5/5 Stars

***Spoilers***

So I'd been hearing about this book for a while (good and bad reviews) I wasn't sure I'd like it, I love dystopia but it sounded a bit to close to chic-lit for my taste, but i saw the cover in the bookshop and i couldn't resist. when i got around to reading it I loved it! I knew it would be a new favorite from the first chapter and I wish my TBR pile wasn't so high or I would of bought the next book to read straight away, as it is I have to wait a while before I can get next one.

In my opinion this book is up there with the hunger games, I'm a huge fan of dystopia and the oppressive government premises and this book hit the spot. It had every thing you could ask from a dystopian novel oppressed citizens, a loved triangle, a girl with rebellious thoughts and talk of an on going war in the outer provinces. I was hooked. I totally fell it to this book, the characters were well developed and layered. I loved watching the them change throughout the novel as the writer reveal more of them, I became aware of the realistic depth they had, how familiar they were in there thoughts and actions - they could have been real people from down the street. I particularly liked the protagonist Cassia she was real, honest and raw. I tend to find that some authors can write their characters as overly moral or overly intelligent in an attempt to make them stand apart in the readers mind however Cassia was what she was and made no apologies for it, that made her special and original. As far as characters go I'm pretty fond of her and could really relate to her.

I also loved the fact that Ky and Cassia's relationship was built by getting to know each other instead of the author just glossing over a loved that appeared out of thin air. Ally Condie actually wrote a connection between the characters, a shared secret - the poem - that brings them together instead of boy meets girl and they fall in love because that's how the story goes. The inclusion of the Dylan Thomas poem was genius I had never heard the poem before and when Cassia read it for the first I felt as though I was feeling the same emotions she was, the poem gives an uplifting note to the book a light in the darkness I suppose, the book has a slightly depressing feel in the beginning when Cassia is weak and trodden down by society the poem gives her and the reader hope.
I would recommend this book to dystopia, YA and romance fan.


Dystopia challenge read count: 4 <3