Book Review: "Matched" by Ally Condie
- Kristen Su
- Jan 7, 2016
- 5 min read
Welcome to my blog! If you haven't already been here before, please read the "About" section on this website to learn more about it. It has been a few days since I last updated, and I apologize. Today, I will be reviewing Matched from the Matched trilogy by Ally Condie. I will start out by telling you the about the characters in the story, then I will give you a summary. Enjoy!
*Warning: May Contain Minor Spoilers*
Main Characters:
• Cassia Maria Reyes, the protaganist, a 17 year old girl.
- Physical characteristics: Green eyes; coppery-brown hair; straight, small nose; and a chin with a trace of dimples, like her grandfather.
• Xander Thomas Carrow, Cassia's best friend and her match, a 17 year old boy.
- Physical characteristics, described by Cassia: bright blue eyes and blond hair—handsome in Cassia's opinion
• Ky Markham, Cassia's friend and love interest, a 17 year old boy (I think)
- An Aberration, not an anomaly, single, matched, or regular citizen
- He lived in the Outer Provinces after becoming and Aberration, but was adopted by his aunt and uncle, Patrick and Aida Markham.
Supporting Characters:
• Bram Reyes, Cassia's little brother. He is 10 years old.
• Molly Reyes, Cassia's mother. She works at the Arboretum— where plants of all kinds live.
• Abran Reyes, Cassia's father. He is an Official (I will get to what an "Official" is later).
• Piper, Sera, and Em. These 3 are friends of Cassia and Xander, and they make very little appearances in the book.
What You Should Know About This "Dystopian" and Futuristic Novel:
The people in Cassia's time are much more "advanced" than we are right now. Cassia and her family are part of The Society, which is controlled by Officials. These people have rules that you must follow, and if you commit an Infraction, you will become an Aberration. The way it works is that if a child in the family commits an Infraction, the child has to bear the weight alone. If a parent commits an Infraction, the whole family becomes Aberrations. And just so you know, Aberrations are people that are outcasted into the Outer Provinces, and the Officials don't care at all about Aberrations. The Outer Provinces are unsafe, and the area that the Society rules is VERY safe and is also divided into provinces. There are also Anomalies, which are what the Society call people who refused to go along with the ideas of the Society many years ago when the Society formed and remained "farmers." Life was hard if you were an Anomaly, and now nobody knows where they are. Anyway, in the Society, people have Green, Blue, and Red Tablets they carry around. Everyone has to carry the tablets around with them everywhere they go, otherwise you are cited. What you eat is also determined by how healthy you are and if you are in good shape, and everyone has their own personalized meal. Exercises are "virtual," and nobody is taught to read and write (unless you are an Aberration). Instead, people use scribes and things that are similar to computers to write. Also, because the Society thought that everyone was being overwhelmed by everything, they only kept 100 of the Best Paintings, 100 of the Best Songs, 100 of the Best Poems, etc. Also, people in the Society are matched (for a soulmate) by the Society, based on their personality, instead of picking themselves, in the year they turn 17. You will sign a marriage contract when you are 21, or you can choose to be a "Single" and not a "Matched." When people in the Society are 80, they have a final banquet, because studies show that 80 is the best age to die. They are then put to sleep. People als have assigned jobs, based on how good they are at a particular skill. However, as I was mentioning, Aberrations lose their privileges. If you think what I just said was confusing, read the book!
Plot:
Cassia Reyes is now coming up on her 17th birthday, and will be Matched. At her Match banquet, she finds out that her match is her best friend, Xander Carrow. But, when she inserts a microcard (about Xander—you get one about your match) into a machine one night, the screen flashes, and a different face appears as her Match— Ky Markham. Now she must decide who she really loves— Ky or Xander. Read the book Matched to read about her journey and the path she takes.
My Thoughts About the Book: *Minor Spoilers*
** Please respect my opinions, they are mine and not yours. You have no control over the way I think, so please do not judge**
• About the "Love Triangle" between Cassia, Ky, and Xander:
- I personally thought it was wrong of Cassia sort of to meet up with someone else, even though she had a match. Seriously, if you truly like your match, then won't you accept them for who they are and not love somebody else? I mean, it is what the whole story is about, but still, her match should probably be the one she loves. I mean, I guess I can't really judge, because I really don't know how she felt, but if I were her, I wouldn't love the person that is not my match. But still, I loved the book and it is definetely a must-read.
• My Thoughts about the "Copyright Content" in This Book:
- Many people complain and say that this book is very similar to the Giver. Sure, people are assigned jobs and live in a "Society" similar to the one in the Giver. But personally, I think this is a unique book that does not have any "Copyrighted Content" in it. So what if this was like the Giver? My dad always said that if you read enough books, your writing can be based off of what you read, because that is how you learn to write stories and novels. I personally enjoyed it because I thought of it like a cross between Hunger Games (because of the fact that Cassia did some stuff the Society says is forbidden, like the Hunger Games), The Giver (because of the idea of the Society), and the Selection (because just like America had to choose between Maxon and Aspen, Cassia has to choose between Ky and Xander). So I don't think it is fair to criticize Ally Condie because it is too much like the Giver. Besides, the Giver (the book version, at least) doesn't have a love story, does it? I think both the Matched and the Giver are great books worth reading, even though they are very similar.
My Recommendation and Rating Out of 5 Stars:
Yes, fellow people of the Internet, I would recommend this book! I really enjoyed reading this book, and I have to admit— this book sucked me in after the first few pages! It was truly captivating, and very riveting. These are the things I did immediately after I finished the book:
1. I stayed speechless for probably the following hour.
2. I marveled at the book for probably another 30 minutes.
3. I hurried to the library and snatched the 2nd book off the shelf before anyone else could check it out.
Isn't it amazing what people will do just because they read an outstanding book?
I'm pretty sure some of you out there who love books know what I mean... *winks*
Anyway, I would give this book about 4.5 stars. And be sure to check out "Matched" from your local library.
Also check out my review on goodreads at:
Image Credits: http://ramporter.srsd.net/?p=625
コメント