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3.32 AVERAGE
3.32 AVERAGE
this was a good end for the series. it was really well written, and you can actually see how Ally Condie has grown as an author when you compare it to Mathced.
some thoughts:
- The Pilot was dumb. I didn't like him. I kept picturing him as one of the local politicians I know.
- The Society IS the Rising and vice versa. Sneaky, very sneaky.
- I sometimes had a hard time telling Ky and Xander apart in their chapters.
- Which leads me to, they didn't seem like such different people anymore, but got too similar
- There was a lot of tell instead of show with being inside all three main character's heads.
- The Xander/Cassia/Ky wrap up was pretty anti-climatic, but it wasn't overdone, so I can live with it
- Xander seemed to get over his lurve for Cassia pretty quick once someone else came along
- Cassia turned out more interesting than she was in the first book
- There was something else, but I forget now.
- I like how the covers show progression but have continuity.
some thoughts:
- The Pilot was dumb. I didn't like him. I kept picturing him as one of the local politicians I know.
- The Society IS the Rising and vice versa. Sneaky, very sneaky.
- I sometimes had a hard time telling Ky and Xander apart in their chapters.
- Which leads me to, they didn't seem like such different people anymore, but got too similar
- There was a lot of tell instead of show with being inside all three main character's heads.
- The Xander/Cassia/Ky wrap up was pretty anti-climatic, but it wasn't overdone, so I can live with it
- Xander seemed to get over his lurve for Cassia pretty quick once someone else came along
- Cassia turned out more interesting than she was in the first book
- There was something else, but I forget now.
- I like how the covers show progression but have continuity.
This was an interesting series. I hope Ally paid Lois Lowery for the world she stole from him. She did a nice job with it aside from all the repetitions, you don't have to repeat something every other page for your readers to get that it's important.
The final book in the Matched series has been highly anticipated. I can't imagine taking a journey with Cassia, Ky and Xander and now it comes to an end.
The three of them join the Rising and settle into their roles but they are all apart. Xander is an Official who oversees medical related procedures. Cassia is a sorter and Ky is a pilot. Cassia and Ky miss each other very much but they all wait for the day the Pilot speaks, the day the rebellion begins.
The Rising planned to introduce a virus, the "Plague" that would affect many of the people and when the Society could not handle it, they would come in with cures they made and seize control. Everything seems to go as planned and people are cured but things spin out of control when the Plague virus mutated and people die.
Xander chooses to stay with the Still, the ones affected by the Plague virus and tend to them, there are many people who are willing to expose themselves to the virus but they still aid those who are immune. Xander discovers through a virologist, that a group of people could be immune to the virus is they have a red mark at the back of their necks.
Just like that, the Rising looses control and the situation is dire. The Pilot sends for the three and takes them into the mountains to find a cure. Ky has fallen ill with the virus unfortunately. They meet a village of people who are immune. These people have escaped the Society or came from the Carving.
Ky becomes Still but Cassia visits him every day inbetween her work. unbeknowst, the cure is something very simple and when found, it goes uphill from there. The unity of Society, Rising and the rest is amazing to see. Alone, they would have not succeeded but together, they truimph. Now, the people have a chance to choose, a choice, on who they want to lead them. It may not be what they wish but they have a choice now.
I think the author writes well. I love the way she articulates her words in an elegant, clean and simple way. Her style of writing seems very poetic.
I have to say, it hasn't been easy for our main couple, Ky and Cassia. They were apart for so long and even together, Ky was Still. I think they had so many difficulties but they found strength from one another. This shows that you can pick the one you love, even if another has similar interest of "data" to you, it might never be the same as choosing with your heart.
The book also explored the different types of love. Cassia loves Xander but not in the way she loves Ky. She did the right thing in telling the truth to Xander. Also, Ky and Indie seemed to share something as they were paired together as pilots and spent alot of time with each other. He knows he can love Indie but again not in the way he loves Cassia. I am glad Xander allowed himself to love again. This time, he chooses Lei, the one he was with through the Plague and the Rising. He had scars to heal and more to discover of himself.
Familial love is a pleasure to read, sometimes family goes beyond blood. Instead it forms through bonds. The sadness and joy of having a family echo to each one of us. What we could go through and the ties we have to our family that will always be there.
The plot was well written, a little long and the pov switched between our three: Cassia, Ky and Xander. It was definitely a richer way to tell the story. It is almost like the reader is given a 360° of what is going on in the book. The different voices gave variety. I love the supporting characters whether new or recurring. They had their own personalities and a uniqueness to them that was their own.
I like the conclusion to Reached, it was what I expected, what anyone would actually. Even though it took awhile to get there, it did. But it did not end with everything the same, things change, as do people. Hope for the future is what they can rely on. This series comes to a truimph quiet end.
The three of them join the Rising and settle into their roles but they are all apart. Xander is an Official who oversees medical related procedures. Cassia is a sorter and Ky is a pilot. Cassia and Ky miss each other very much but they all wait for the day the Pilot speaks, the day the rebellion begins.
The Rising planned to introduce a virus, the "Plague" that would affect many of the people and when the Society could not handle it, they would come in with cures they made and seize control. Everything seems to go as planned and people are cured but things spin out of control when the Plague virus mutated and people die.
Xander chooses to stay with the Still, the ones affected by the Plague virus and tend to them, there are many people who are willing to expose themselves to the virus but they still aid those who are immune. Xander discovers through a virologist, that a group of people could be immune to the virus is they have a red mark at the back of their necks.
Just like that, the Rising looses control and the situation is dire. The Pilot sends for the three and takes them into the mountains to find a cure. Ky has fallen ill with the virus unfortunately. They meet a village of people who are immune. These people have escaped the Society or came from the Carving.
Ky becomes Still but Cassia visits him every day inbetween her work. unbeknowst, the cure is something very simple and when found, it goes uphill from there. The unity of Society, Rising and the rest is amazing to see. Alone, they would have not succeeded but together, they truimph. Now, the people have a chance to choose, a choice, on who they want to lead them. It may not be what they wish but they have a choice now.
I think the author writes well. I love the way she articulates her words in an elegant, clean and simple way. Her style of writing seems very poetic.
I have to say, it hasn't been easy for our main couple, Ky and Cassia. They were apart for so long and even together, Ky was Still. I think they had so many difficulties but they found strength from one another. This shows that you can pick the one you love, even if another has similar interest of "data" to you, it might never be the same as choosing with your heart.
The book also explored the different types of love. Cassia loves Xander but not in the way she loves Ky. She did the right thing in telling the truth to Xander. Also, Ky and Indie seemed to share something as they were paired together as pilots and spent alot of time with each other. He knows he can love Indie but again not in the way he loves Cassia. I am glad Xander allowed himself to love again. This time, he chooses Lei, the one he was with through the Plague and the Rising. He had scars to heal and more to discover of himself.
Familial love is a pleasure to read, sometimes family goes beyond blood. Instead it forms through bonds. The sadness and joy of having a family echo to each one of us. What we could go through and the ties we have to our family that will always be there.
The plot was well written, a little long and the pov switched between our three: Cassia, Ky and Xander. It was definitely a richer way to tell the story. It is almost like the reader is given a 360° of what is going on in the book. The different voices gave variety. I love the supporting characters whether new or recurring. They had their own personalities and a uniqueness to them that was their own.
I like the conclusion to Reached, it was what I expected, what anyone would actually. Even though it took awhile to get there, it did. But it did not end with everything the same, things change, as do people. Hope for the future is what they can rely on. This series comes to a truimph quiet end.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-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:
Yes
Definitely tugs at your heart strings and sucks you in from the start! I loved this book. I couldn't put it down :)
plague. plague mutated. of course she picks the "bad boy" because this is predictable young adult fiction. boom done. you don't even need to read the book. you're welcome.
I love it when an author ties everything up...even though it's ok to wonder.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-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:
Yes
The third book was a huge disappointment.
Reached by Allie Condie is the third book in the Matched series. I review both Matched and Crossed previously. You can find the reviews for each book by clicking their title.
If you read my previous reviews of this series, you will note that I absolutely LOVED both books. Which is why I'm having such a hard time writing about Reached. Unfortunately, it did not "reach" my expectations of a strong finale in the series. Much like The Hunger Games series that fizzled out with Mockingjay, Reached left me reaching for a better ending.
The characters did not grow. Who they were in book one was who they remained until the end. Given the circumstances and dystopian nature of the series, I felt like each major character should have experienced a significant change. The novel series, based on the concept of a corrupt government that is superseded by yet another corrupt government seemed to have little impact on their way of life. I wanted to see more strength from Cassia, more depth from Ky, more scheming from Xander.
The plot was too predictable and in the end, everything was tied up in a neat little bow. Based on the first two books, I wanted a war waged. Instead, I got a battle, and a minimal one at best. The language used was quite mediocre and more so in the final book than the others, I felt like the author wrote "down" for the sake of playing her words to a teen audience.
It pains me to say these things, because I thought this series was really going somewhere great. I would give the book a 2 out of 5 stars though for minimal character development, simplistic sentence structure, and a predictable plot. While I can't recommend the novel, if you need to see how it all plays out, give it a read. However, my hunch is you probably already know.
I, however, hope this series isn't the last we'll see of Ally Condie. Her ideas are strong and in my experience with authors, once they've developed a writing dynamic, their work betters with age and time. I would like to see a solo work from her rather than a series. It seems the series concept is "all the rage" with young adult literature. Sometimes, it's just a single great story that needs to be told.
For more information about Ally Condie, visit her at http://www.allysoncondie.com/
Reached by Allie Condie is the third book in the Matched series. I review both Matched and Crossed previously. You can find the reviews for each book by clicking their title.
If you read my previous reviews of this series, you will note that I absolutely LOVED both books. Which is why I'm having such a hard time writing about Reached. Unfortunately, it did not "reach" my expectations of a strong finale in the series. Much like The Hunger Games series that fizzled out with Mockingjay, Reached left me reaching for a better ending.
The characters did not grow. Who they were in book one was who they remained until the end. Given the circumstances and dystopian nature of the series, I felt like each major character should have experienced a significant change. The novel series, based on the concept of a corrupt government that is superseded by yet another corrupt government seemed to have little impact on their way of life. I wanted to see more strength from Cassia, more depth from Ky, more scheming from Xander.
The plot was too predictable and in the end, everything was tied up in a neat little bow. Based on the first two books, I wanted a war waged. Instead, I got a battle, and a minimal one at best. The language used was quite mediocre and more so in the final book than the others, I felt like the author wrote "down" for the sake of playing her words to a teen audience.
It pains me to say these things, because I thought this series was really going somewhere great. I would give the book a 2 out of 5 stars though for minimal character development, simplistic sentence structure, and a predictable plot. While I can't recommend the novel, if you need to see how it all plays out, give it a read. However, my hunch is you probably already know.
I, however, hope this series isn't the last we'll see of Ally Condie. Her ideas are strong and in my experience with authors, once they've developed a writing dynamic, their work betters with age and time. I would like to see a solo work from her rather than a series. It seems the series concept is "all the rage" with young adult literature. Sometimes, it's just a single great story that needs to be told.
For more information about Ally Condie, visit her at http://www.allysoncondie.com/
This book was really great. At first, I wasn't too thrilled with it. I thought it started off really slow but then, a few chapters in it got really good. From there I was hooked on it. This is a really great novel and a great conclusion to the bestselling dystopian series.