Captivating, gripping and oh so exciting. Matched is the kind of future-dystopian love story we all love to dig our teeth into and Ally Condie does it ever so well.
Who we love, and who we do not, is one of the most important decisions we can make in our lives. But what if that choice was taken from you? What if, in a society where emotions are the enemy, love and who you love, is a choice made for you without your say? Condie asks that question in this captivating, breath stealing, novel and we can promise no reader will be able to put this book down.
From the blurb;
'On her seventeenth birthday, Cassia meets her match. Society dictates he is her perfect partner for life.
'Except he's not.
'In Cassia's society, Officials decide who people love. How many children they have. Where they work. When they die.
'But, as Cassia finds herself falling in love with another boy, she is determined to make some choices of her own.
'And that's when her whole world begins to unravel.'
What are people willing to fight for? In a carefully controlled world it would appear that everyone goes with what they are told, and no one fights for what they truly want, not even their lives. But when Cassia chooses love for herself she uncovers a dark underbelly to her seemingly perfectly organised, happy, world.
The true reasons for controlling peoples lives are not as clear as we had been lead to believe, and maybe the truth of the matter is that choice and freedom, especially love, are worth fighting for and risking everything.
Condie has crafted a world which feels genuine and real. We are immediately transported to this sterile society and left clawing at the walls in our desperation to break free. Her characters are gripping, passionate and vital, driving the story in the best of ways and filling readers with an unquenchable urge to read more. Swiftly we fall in love with Cassia, and want the best for her, allowing us to dive into the fire with her and scream silently into our pillows when she falters.
There is nothing quite so good as a love story which is being told it cannot be. Condie's excellent story crafting and beautiful writing bring the passion and fire of this story to life, living on in readers minds long after closing.
Worth a first read and a second, we strongly advice Matched.
We give Matched Five Stars;
ISBN - 978-0-141-33478-3 Cover Price - £6.99 First published by Penguin Books Ltd, 2010
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