Matched by Ally Condie

I have been trying to get my hands on a copy of Matched for sometime now.  The cover is so beautiful and intriguing.  You can't tell in this picture but the white background is shiny and prismatic.  It's really cool and the cover art of the girl in the green dress drew me in.  I had to read this book.  I finally borrowed a copy from a friend and settled in to read it.  I could not sleep or put the book down once I got started.  I just HAD to know how it ended!!

In the world of Matched, our world still exists but our civilization has changed greatly.  The Society regulates everything including marriage.  At 17, girls and boys from all over attend matching ceremonies where they are given their "perfect match" based on the Society's statistics and collected data.  Cassia has been waiting for her Match Banquet for years and when it finally happens- and on her birthday- she is excited that everything is falling into place, just the way she always planned it to.  When she receives the uncommon Match of her best friend Xander, Cassia is sure that it is a sign of how perfectly things are falling into place.  But when she puts her microdisc into her port at home to learn more about her Match it is not Xander's face that shows on the screen.  It is Ky Markham, a friend of hers.  The Society officials assure her that this is all just an error but it plants the seed of doubt in Cassia's mind and heart.  What if Ky should really be her match?  What if she was free to choose?  Would she choose Xander or Ky?  When Cassia and Ky get the chance to spend time together during recreation period, the choice between the two weighs even more heavily on Cassia's heart and mind.  Who should she choose?  Can she choose?  What is she willing to do for Ky and Xander?  Who comes first in her heart?

I have to say that I love Ky and his relationship with Cassia.  They barely touch through the entire book but the romantic relationship between them is still very intimate.  I loved watching the two of them fall in love.  I didn't dislike Xander, really, but if the choice is between Xander and Ky- I would choose Ky.  He's just that genuine and lovable.  I really enjoyed this book and can not wait for Crossed, the second book, to come out later this year.  I would recommend this book for older teens and up due to the nature of dystopian books.  The politics and governmental rules are always hard for me to wrap my head around so I don't feel like a 13 year old would be able to grasp it either.  (At least, I hope they can't.  It'd make me feel worse to think that a 13 year old is more politically savvy than me. )

You can find out more about Ally Condie on her website or on Goodreads.  You can also follow her on Twitter.

Matched receives 5 Fairies for a wonderfully romantic dystopian story with bonus points for Ky Markham.