Book Review: Matched

Credit: Amazon.com

Rating: 3 out of 5 HELL YEAH’s!

Summary: Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander’s face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham’s face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. The Society tells her it’s a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she’s destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can’t stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society’s infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path that no one else has dared to follow. (Credit: Amazon.com)

What I liked about the novel: Even though I gave this book a 3 out of 5, there were a lot of things I liked from it. Namely, the cover. Gorgeous. Minimalist. Green. Ball gowns. And we totally get it, she’s stuck in a bubble, and not only, she’s trying to escape it. Lots of info on the cover.

Moving on to the MEAT: I can appreciate the sick dream most of us had as young girls to be TOLD who are mates were going to be. The Matching Ceremony was not only perfectly described and interesting, but OH YES. I would have signed my little ass up for that immediately. Are you kidding me? And I’m willing to bet there’s a lot of adults who’d be willing to do the same — you mean skip past the absolute horses and duds to go straight to the end?? Hell yes. So pre-determined romances, even accidental, are very addicting and very intriguing to read.

I loved the premise of only a hundred things we could love and enjoy — songs, poems, stories. I loved the pre-determined lifestyles — set workout times, set food, everything. I love fucked up futures. It gets me angry and riled up and itching for a revolution. Which is kind of the point, isn’t it?

But, let’s talk characters. Cassia is interesting, even if she could have been a little smarter for my tastes. And while the boys aren’t horrible, I kept picturing Ky as that creepy dude from American Beauty. Was that just me?

Whatever. Point is… the characters were fine. They acted fine. They reacted fine. They played their roles perfectly.

What I didn’t like about the novel: It was just that — fine. Nothing about this SCREAMED remarkable. Nothing about this made me feel like I had to run around and tell others to read it. And while I’m definitely exhausted by the whole love triangle in YA — several kiddo’s are not. In fact, they still LOVE THAT about books and they loved that about this series too. They told me. Personally.

For me, the ending was anticlimactic. I saw it coming from the beginning, and if I can guess your ending, before I even reach the middle, I’m already a little disappointed. So even though I went and grabbed the second in the series, I couldn’t finish it. I stopped. This start to a series really was nothing different from all the other YA Dystopias being passed around.

Would I recommend the novel: Yes. To middle school students for rental at a library. If you’re a die-hard dystopian fan and never get tired of hearing it — then go buy it. But really, this is a rent/lent.