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Title: Matched
Author: Ally Condie
Genre: YA Dystopian Romance (#1 in trilogy)
Thingummies: 3
Synopsis: Cassia lives in a world where probabilities map out your entire life for you, from what work you do to when you die to who you will marry. She's ecstatic when her official mate, or Match, turns out to be her best friend. But when, just for a second, the screen flashes another boy's face, she finds her certainty in the wisdom of the Officials' choices eroding. Will she stay with Xander and all he represents--security, comfort, conformity--or will she break all the rules in pursuit of the mysterious Ky?
Thoughts: There's no new ground broken here--dystopian romance has long been a staple of YA fiction. A seemingly perfect Society that rigorously controls its citizens for their own alleged good turns out to be callous and more concerned with appearances than its citizens' happiness? Shocking! The best friend is less alluring than the wounded, mysterious outcast? Gasp!
It's a well-executed bit of charming fluff, though. I think I may be getting a little old for these, but I suspect I would have adored it in high school. The pacing moves smoothly along, the examples of the Society's ruthlessness start very small and build chillingly, and the romance works quite well. Cassia isn't playing games and she isn't horribly selfish (cough cough Bella Swan), and both boys are genuinely good people who aren't happy about finding themselves in a love triangle, but handle it with maturity and sorrow. The book actually is a reasonable role model for dithering over two guys without being too unethical about it. And the fact that, in most places, you're being constantly monitored gives an actual excuse for people keeping secrets from each other. This genre can very easily fall into people taking turns being stupid, and the author generally steers clear of that.
Whether the author can sustain this for another two books remains to be seen. But if you're looking for a fix of teenagers falling in love and discovering that their safe world is actually kinda evil, this is an excellent choice.
Author: Ally Condie
Genre: YA Dystopian Romance (#1 in trilogy)
Thingummies: 3
Synopsis: Cassia lives in a world where probabilities map out your entire life for you, from what work you do to when you die to who you will marry. She's ecstatic when her official mate, or Match, turns out to be her best friend. But when, just for a second, the screen flashes another boy's face, she finds her certainty in the wisdom of the Officials' choices eroding. Will she stay with Xander and all he represents--security, comfort, conformity--or will she break all the rules in pursuit of the mysterious Ky?
Thoughts: There's no new ground broken here--dystopian romance has long been a staple of YA fiction. A seemingly perfect Society that rigorously controls its citizens for their own alleged good turns out to be callous and more concerned with appearances than its citizens' happiness? Shocking! The best friend is less alluring than the wounded, mysterious outcast? Gasp!
It's a well-executed bit of charming fluff, though. I think I may be getting a little old for these, but I suspect I would have adored it in high school. The pacing moves smoothly along, the examples of the Society's ruthlessness start very small and build chillingly, and the romance works quite well. Cassia isn't playing games and she isn't horribly selfish (cough cough Bella Swan), and both boys are genuinely good people who aren't happy about finding themselves in a love triangle, but handle it with maturity and sorrow. The book actually is a reasonable role model for dithering over two guys without being too unethical about it. And the fact that, in most places, you're being constantly monitored gives an actual excuse for people keeping secrets from each other. This genre can very easily fall into people taking turns being stupid, and the author generally steers clear of that.
Whether the author can sustain this for another two books remains to be seen. But if you're looking for a fix of teenagers falling in love and discovering that their safe world is actually kinda evil, this is an excellent choice.
