Review #13: Matched by Ally Condie

Title: Condie, Ally. Matched. Dutton Books. 2010. 369 pages. Tr. $25.96. ISBN: 978-0-525-42364-5
Genre: Fiction/ Science Fiction/Fantasy
Reading Level/Interest Level: Young Adult
Awards: None
Series: Matched
       ·         Book 1: Matched
       ·         Book 2: Crossed
       ·         Book 3: Reached

Similar Titles: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The Giver by Lowis Lowry

In Cassia's world, everything is regulated and orderly. Gone are the wars and the plagues, replaced by a government that determines your genetics, vocation, the age you die, the number of children you may have, the songs and poems you may read and, if you so choose, your match. But Cassia’s match is unusual from the start. She knows her match, Xander, her best friend, something that almost never occurs. Still, the strangest part yet comes when she takes home the microcard of Xander’s information from her match ceremony, thinking it will all be information she knows already, only to see in a flash before the screen goes dark, not Xander’s face, but another. This boy, she knows too.

What could be the explanation? The Officials don’t make mistakes. Is someone playing a prank? Who is her true match, the comfortable, charming Xander, or the mysterious Ky, who carries secrets and scars that have labeled him as unworthy. Torn between the known and the exotic, Cassia must reach the truth without sacrificing all she holds dear. Can she buck the system without paying the consequence? Is this what her grandfather was trying to tell her on his deathbed. Does the government truly know what is best for them or will she be incited to follow her heart and not the rules of the governed?

In a style I can only describe as a cross between Twilight and The Giver, Ally Condie’s novel of awakening, intuition, and a love triangle in a dystopian society is an easy read and a member of recent buzz lists in the tween and teen markets. While somewhat predictable to those who have read the aforementioned similar titles, it will also be comfortable and interesting in the way it combines the two plots and allows more emotional and individuality in the characters than in The Giver. While I recommend Twilight to a more mature teen audience, due to advanced physical topics, Matched is much more appropriate for the older tween audience with less racy material and more focus on following your heart and depending on the strength of family, observation, intellect and intuition rather than blindly obeying the opinion or rule of others. To get the most of this novel, I suggest guided reading and/or class discussion but regardless, I would recommend this series to those who like the concepts of similar books but simply wanted more.