Matched: BlogHer Book Club

The latest entry in the BlogHer Book Club is Matched by Ally Condie. I actually read Matched over a year ago, but I really couldn’t remember much about it so I was happy to read it again.

Matched is another dystopian YA novel in the realm of The Hunger Games and The Giver, taking place in a future where The Society has taken control over every aspect of their citizens lives: what they eat, where they live, where they work and even who they marry or are “matched” with, to ensure the best possible chance for ideal offspring. Cancer and illness have been eradicated, all citizens are fed nutritionally balanced meals in their homes, and even art like poems and songs have been selected and perfected.

When the book starts, we meet Cassia who is on her way to her Match ceremony. Here she will learn the identity of her future husband, who has been deemed her ideal match. She is thrilled to learn that her friend, Xander, is her match. However, things take a turn when, upon reviewing the information provided by The Society about her match, she sees another person’s image flash on her screen – another boy named Ky. The Society never makes mistakes like this – or do they? Cassia is about to find out, and the consequences could be devastating.

Like The Hunger Games, much of the plot of Matched revolves around a love triangle, in this case Cassia, Xander and Ky. But Matched is definitely less violent and more of a discovery of what it really means to lose all choices and freedoms.

I liked Matched, but I do recall that I didn’t rush out and read the second book in the trilogy when it was published. I still might wait to get through a few other books on my list before I do. Take that as you will.

But that’s just my opinion. If you want to read more about Matched, check out the BlogHer Book Club site for more discussions about this book and others.

This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.

 

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