Matched by Ally Condie

I recently had the pleasure of reading Matched by Ally Condie.  It is the first in an epic YA trilogy that will suck in fans of Hunger Games and Twilight !  It is a quick read that sucks you in the moment you begin and doesn't let you set it down until it's completely finished.. Then you are left hungering for more.. MORE!!

Matched is set in the not so distant future where Society has eradicated all choice.  Everything is planned for you- your job, your free time, even your spouse.  In this new society, meals are bland and made specifically for each person's nutritional needs while taste is no longer important.  You are sorted into the job that you will do for the rest of your life, no more trying to decide what you want to be when you grow up! It's all done for you!  Even your death is planned for you.  No more wondering when you'll die- society has done away with all diseases and crime. You know have your final death ceremony when you turn 80 , the optimum time to die.

Cassia lives in this new world and lives by the rules.  She accepts Society and how things are. Although she is sad that her grandfather is reaching his 80th birthday and his Death Ceremony, she accepts it as what happens in her world.   Until everything changes and she begins to question Society and its perfection.

In the year of your 17th birthday, you have your Matching Ceremony.  It's a time of great excitement- real food, a colored dress (that you will get a square back to keep because you aren't allowed to actually keep the dress itself) instead of your normal 'uniform' that you wear, and meeting the Match you will spend the rest of your life with.  As Cassia's name is called, she stands and waits for the boy from another province to show up on the screen.  Instead, something unusual happens.  She is matched with a boy from her own province.  Xander - her best friend !  What could be better?  Although she has one of the few surprises Society allows her (the mystery of a new person), she is happy that she can be with someone that she share so much with.    When Cassia finally views the disc containing Xander's background information, she is shocked to discover that another face appears briefly .  Another face that she recognizes- Ky.   Has Society made a mistake? Which one is her true match?   Can she make the choice to rebel against Society to be with Ky when they have determined that Xander should now be her match?



Check in at the BlogHer Book Club for some great discussions on this awesome book !

*Disclosure: This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own*


 Happy Reading,