Reached (Matched #3) by Ally Condie

I finally got around to reading Reached.  I loved Matched and Crossed so I was a little hesitant to read Reached because it meant that the series was over.  Reading Reached was bittersweet but the ending was definitely satisfying.  Here's the cover and the Goodreads blurb:

After leaving Society to desperately seek The Rising, and each other, Cassia and Ky have found what they were looking for, but at the cost of losing each other yet again. Cassia is assigned undercover in Central city, Ky outside the borders, an airship pilot with Indie. Xander is a medic, with a secret. All too soon, everything shifts again.

I will admit to being Team Ky all the way.  Ky just grabbed me from the first time I saw him in Matched.  He is just so caring and passionate about poems and words.  I loved him from the beginning.  Xander is a good person who cares for Cassia but I always felt like he was focused on his crush on her to the exclusion of all else.  They care for one another but Xander and Cassia are just not a match.  In this book we see everything for each point of view: Xander, Cassia and Ky.  Xander is working as a medic.  Cassia is sorting and trading.  Ky is a pilot.  Each of them is on their own and while they are seperated, they each spend time thinking about their relationship.  This book is such a fulfilling ending to the series.

You can click here to find the Matched series on Goodreads.  You can find out more about Ally Condie and the Matched series on her Facebook Fan Page, her Twitter, her blog and her website.  I give 4 Fairies to this emotional conclusion to the Matched series that I love so much.

Crossed (Matched #2) by Ally Condie

Crossed is one of the most anticipated sequels of 2011.  In this second book in the Matched series, we see what has happened to Cassia and Ky after they left their homes at the end of Matched. Here is the Goodreads blurb:

The hotly awaited second book in the dystopian Matched trilogy

In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.

I loved this book almost as much as I loved Matched.  In this one, we get to know more about Ky and his past, which is fascinating.  I love Ky because he is so real and sincere.  We also learn more about Xander than we ever knew before.  Condie also brings us to a better understanding of how The Society works and what happens outside of the city.  Nothing is as it seems in Crossed, even more so than Matched.  This story has so many plot twists and turns that your head will be spinning by the end.  The book is a touch slow going because so much of the journey involves giving us more information on the characters and The Society.  In the end, I still  love Ky but I wonder what Xander is all about, REALLY.  The more I learn about him, the more I wonder what his angle is.  I can't quite put my finger on why but I still have to say that I feel like Ky is the right choice.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens in the final book.  This book is appropriate for readers 13 and up.  There is some violence and death in this book.  Younger readers probably could not handle the content but it is really up to each reader/parent to decide what is or is not appropriate.

You can find out more about Ally Condie on her website.  You can add the Matched series to your Goodreads here.

Crossed earns 4 Fairies from me for general Dystopian awesomeness and a good amount of Ky Markham.

Amazing Chance to Win all 5 Breathless Books from Beth Revis!!!

Beth Revis (amazing author of Across the Universe) is giving away SIGNED COPIES of all five of the Breathless Reads books on her blog!! You can enter from now until the 21st by clicking on the image above!  I have read The Replacement, Nightshade, Matched and Across the Universe and they were all spectacular.  The Eternal Ones is on my To Read List and I bet it rocks too!! Check out this AMAZING opportunity to win some great signed books!!

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.