10 Reasons: Matched

I've been on a fantabulous reading kick, just loving book after book after book. And my latest love...

Matched by Ally Condie.

So....here are 10 Reasons I Fell In Love With Matched!

1. Xander! Xander was the sweet golden boy of the novel, Cassia’s best friend, and Matchee who she was supposed to spend the rest of her life with. And though Cassia wonders about Ky….I couldn’t help loving Xander. I mean, the boy would do anything for her and he had her back without hesitation no matter what. Seriously! Xander was the nicest guy Ive read about in a looooong time.


2. The Set Up! WOW! The world building Ally Condie has done is just fantastic down to every last detail. It was amazing and in a way…SUPER SCARY.

3. Metaphors for Childhood. Here’s something I found interesting about Matched—a lot of dystopians become warnings or sort of twisted reflections of our own society and culture. Matched certainly was that—but what was interesting here was the Society had complete control over everyone down to what they ate for dinner and how big their portions were--and everything seems pretty...reasonable. When Cassia starts to question the society and think for herself, her thoughts were kind of a mirror image of thoughts and wishes I had as a teen tired of being at the whim of my parents—like I want to decide what Im having for dinner, dammit (you can tell I was just full of rebellion). SO the Society kind of double metaphored for our culture and for mom and dad.

4. Stories! Stories were super important in Matched—because there were so few of them---there were like only 100 songs in existence and I think 100 books too—OMG!!!!!!!! THE HORROR! So not only were stories not emphasized and scarce, but personal stories were just not heard of---when you have no choice and no original thoughts or….if you’re like Ky and have some pretty negative attention from the Society—having someone know your story becomes extremely important.

5. KY! Ok so I kind of love Xander but I also loved Ky! He was so sweet and sensitive and brave and…oh….please please please let there be more Ky in the next book---I need MOAR!

6. Which brings me to….the LOVE TRIANGLE! I can’t tell exactly who Cassia should really be with—I mean, obviously Xander is a great choice, but so is Ky and…and…ok, Im just glad that I don’t have to choose. Seriously, this is going to bother me almost as much as Peeta vs Gale--I cannot choose! But my gut tells me Ky, kind of like my gut tells me Gale...but...I don't know!

7. Cassia’s Choices! Cassia’s character development was very subtle and…I don’t want to say slow because that’s not the right word…maybe steady? It had a rhythm to it that I think fit the character and the world very well. She made some incredible choices by the end that really defined who she had become, but…it was almost like she stayed true to herself the whole time—which was also cool. Anyway, I liked it.

8. Bram! Being a big sister myself…I’m totally a sucker for little brothers or sisters. I loved Bram and loved how much Cassia wanted to protect him. He was so adorable and there was something so real and vulnerable about his character.

9. This book seriously makes you wonder. What if the government could predict your perfect partner? What if they rationed your food for optimal health and weight? What if they killed you before dementia kicked in. Granted…the negatives here, like not having ANY free will, plus only 100 books in existence --OMG-- totally outweigh some of the possible positives here by like a 1,000, but still it was interesting to consider all the ways The Society differed from our government and what sorts of problems dissapeared.

10. The END! OMG that ending….soooooooooo worth the ride and I seriously need book 2 right now! Please? Ally, did you write it yet? Want my email? Ky!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway Matched is definitely one that ought to be on your TBR list! I loved it.