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3.34 AVERAGE
3.34 AVERAGE
Meh. 2.5 stars. An interesting concept for a dystopia where 'The Society' controls and manages every aspect of the lives of its citizens but I am so so tired of YA love triangles.
2.5/5 Stars
This book was okay. Just okay. Everything about it was pretty much average, mixing with things that really annoyed me. My expectations were just like that to begin with, I went into it not expecting a book of literature genius. And that's what I got!
Chapter 1 was amazing, I really liked the description and her writing style. But by halfway through the book, it was gone. The flowing sentences and style seemed to have disappeared. Or just faded into the background.
The romance was absurd! It was so obviously just for the sake of the book that I could not enjoy it at all. Ky was the only character that I felt was interesting, and even then he had those mood swings that undeveloped characters have. I really disliked Cassia, although she has a pretty name.
Characters= They just came off as whimpy to me, undeveloped
Plotline= Thin and under everything, REALLY uneventful
Writing= Good, pretty interesting for a good bit of it
Dystopian aspect= A+
I recommend it to someone who needs a read for the car. Because overall it is just a glorified romance with little substance. I will read the next book IF I find it in the library, but I won't be buying it myself.
This book was okay. Just okay. Everything about it was pretty much average, mixing with things that really annoyed me. My expectations were just like that to begin with, I went into it not expecting a book of literature genius. And that's what I got!
Chapter 1 was amazing, I really liked the description and her writing style. But by halfway through the book, it was gone. The flowing sentences and style seemed to have disappeared. Or just faded into the background.
The romance was absurd! It was so obviously just for the sake of the book that I could not enjoy it at all. Ky was the only character that I felt was interesting, and even then he had those mood swings that undeveloped characters have. I really disliked Cassia, although she has a pretty name.
Characters= They just came off as whimpy to me, undeveloped
Plotline= Thin and under everything, REALLY uneventful
Writing= Good, pretty interesting for a good bit of it
Dystopian aspect= A+
I recommend it to someone who needs a read for the car. Because overall it is just a glorified romance with little substance. I will read the next book IF I find it in the library, but I won't be buying it myself.
MATCHED is quite possibly the most highly anticipated YA novel of late 2010, what with its incredible 7-figure book deal announced earlier this year. So it is to be expected that readers will come into story with high expectations. While MATCHED does not quite live up to all its hype, it is still a relatively powerful dystopian work that will keep you up late reading.
The most stunning part of this book, the thing that made me want to give this book a 5-star rating right off the bat, is its world-building. It is all too easy to do a half-assed job of creating a frightening believable future world. Thankfully, Ally Condie is no fool, and the world of the Society is one that thrums with realistically nervous energy. The world is laid out for us from the first chapter, told with an almost hypnotic narration. I don't think I've seen kind of dystopian worldbuilding this convincing since Lois Lowry's The Giver. (The world in The Hunger Games, of course, is excellent, but it is a low-tech kind of world, whereas the worlds in both MATCHED and The Giver are more high-tech, which involves a different kind of world-building.)
While the writing was fantastic, I felt like there were pieces missing from the characterization and plot. I enjoyed Cassia's relatable wavering between being the perfectly obedient citizen, the way she's been her whole life, and daring to question and doubt. However, I found that I wasn't able to connect with the developing romance between Cassia and Ky the way I wanted to, the way the story needs readers to in order for everything to be justified. Ky is an interesting character, to be sure, but neither of them did much throughout the story. I understand that under such a heavily surveillanced Society, it would be almost impossible for Cassia and Ky to develop love the way we know it, but still. That was what the story needed to do in order for everything else to fall into place, whether it's near impossible or not, and unfortunately that aspect didn't pull through for me.
MATCHED is a highly accomplished work of literature. Ally Condie quite obviously has a wonderful way with words, though the story part feels slightly lacking. I will hope that future installments in this series up the stakes in order to grab on hard to me and never let me go.
The most stunning part of this book, the thing that made me want to give this book a 5-star rating right off the bat, is its world-building. It is all too easy to do a half-assed job of creating a frightening believable future world. Thankfully, Ally Condie is no fool, and the world of the Society is one that thrums with realistically nervous energy. The world is laid out for us from the first chapter, told with an almost hypnotic narration. I don't think I've seen kind of dystopian worldbuilding this convincing since Lois Lowry's The Giver. (The world in The Hunger Games, of course, is excellent, but it is a low-tech kind of world, whereas the worlds in both MATCHED and The Giver are more high-tech, which involves a different kind of world-building.)
While the writing was fantastic, I felt like there were pieces missing from the characterization and plot. I enjoyed Cassia's relatable wavering between being the perfectly obedient citizen, the way she's been her whole life, and daring to question and doubt. However, I found that I wasn't able to connect with the developing romance between Cassia and Ky the way I wanted to, the way the story needs readers to in order for everything to be justified. Ky is an interesting character, to be sure, but neither of them did much throughout the story. I understand that under such a heavily surveillanced Society, it would be almost impossible for Cassia and Ky to develop love the way we know it, but still. That was what the story needed to do in order for everything else to fall into place, whether it's near impossible or not, and unfortunately that aspect didn't pull through for me.
MATCHED is a highly accomplished work of literature. Ally Condie quite obviously has a wonderful way with words, though the story part feels slightly lacking. I will hope that future installments in this series up the stakes in order to grab on hard to me and never let me go.
I started this on audio because there were very few options available for streaming through Overdrive and I thought "what the hell." Some people have really enjoyed this series, but for me, it was absolutely tedious and uninspired.
Solid read. I was vested enough to seek out the next in the series.
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
notwhat i expected, but still good, went through all three books in pretty short order. I don't remember what happened in each book specifically, but the trilogy as a whole, so I'll write that down here (but will keep it spoiler free).
I've read a pretty large number of book that can be labeled dystopian. That very title suggests that the books are going to be in the future, with a corrupt government, and the main character is going to somehow be involved in finding out the truth, exposing the truth, or overthrowing the government. This series isn't that much different in that respect. But the reason I keep going back to this type of novel is that they all find different ways that the government is corrupt, and how the government decides to control the people is what intrigues me (and how the main characters fight them).
This series did have a decent perspective on potential corrupt government control, though parts of the series were rather predictable, and that made some parts kind of bland. But I did like the overall arc, and the resolution was decently unique.
The books also had some good things to say about not only preserving the past, but also creating the future.
I've read a pretty large number of book that can be labeled dystopian. That very title suggests that the books are going to be in the future, with a corrupt government, and the main character is going to somehow be involved in finding out the truth, exposing the truth, or overthrowing the government. This series isn't that much different in that respect. But the reason I keep going back to this type of novel is that they all find different ways that the government is corrupt, and how the government decides to control the people is what intrigues me (and how the main characters fight them).
This series did have a decent perspective on potential corrupt government control, though parts of the series were rather predictable, and that made some parts kind of bland. But I did like the overall arc, and the resolution was decently unique.
The books also had some good things to say about not only preserving the past, but also creating the future.
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Medical content, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Classism, Deportation
Moderate: Police brutality
Minor: Child death, War
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes