Matched
written by Ally Condie
Seriously, if I read one more YA dystopian novel where a significant plot rotates around a love triangle... This felt like reading The Hunger Games all over again, except where Suzanne Collins made the vital distinction of making it a survival story first, romance second, Condie did not. This book certainly focuses on a fascinating premise--what would living in a utopian society where each citizen's life was meticulously planned out be like, and what would its eventual downfall be? The book capitalizes on the "matching" phenomenon of the society intensely, this idea that a government would determine an individual's perfect romantic match. Most other aspects unfortunately fall to the wayside. There are hints of a brewing revolution, cracks in the system, but nothing comes to fruition until the last few chapters. Matched would have been a much more interesting book if the main story focused on the societal flaws and brewing revolution rather than Cassia and her dramatic triangular love life. It's Peeta vs. Gale all over again, except where Collins emphasized the fact that her books were not romance novels, Condie shoves the romance down the reader's throats. I'm incredibly excited to see where the sequels go with the story, because it does seem like the major plot is going to go from being the romance to the revolution, but I do still wish that had been the case in this book.
Rating: 4/5
Great review! We were sort of split over here -- with a couple of us LOVING Matched, and a couple feeling more like you (good, but it could have been so much better) -- so we're excited to read the sequel Crossed when it comes out.
ReplyDeleteI just picked this one up. Sounds interesting.
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