tattymouse 's review for:

Matched by Ally Condie

3.0

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I liked this book. I think the story idea is a fantastic one and the more I read it the more I couldn't put it down, because I wanted to know what happened. That being said I had some issues with it. First of all, it took until the last quarter of the book for me to really believe that Cassia had a reason to be acting like she was.

When her grandfather tells her that it's okay to wonder, that was when I was like, "Thank you grandpa for finally giving her a reason to have these hesitations!" I could understand if she had been matched with someone terrible, or unattractive, or, I don't know...undesirable. But she wasn't. She was matched with a perfectly suited mate who happened to be her best childhood friend and someone she already loved. So why even bother worrying about Ky on the screen? If she's grown up her entire life accepting the rules and excuses of the society, this would be no different. I didn't buy her hesitations for a minute until Grandpa came in and saved the story.

It also bothers me that Condie uses needless repetition so often. The first time she repeated a sentence, I thought it was dramatic, fitting to the situation, and it worked to convey the emotion Cassia felt. The next dozen or so times it read as cheap, unimaginative and overused. I also found myself reading mostly because I cared about Ky and not because I care anything about Cassia. Character development could be improved, and I'm hoping I find that in the second book. Overall I think this is a terrific story idea in the hands of a mediocre writer.