First up: Last day to enter to win one of FIVE copies of "Spiral X" by JJ Westendarp! Go HERE to enter.
Why this book?: I heard the buzz, and this book is definitely worth all the good things people said about it. Disclaimer: This book is on loan from my local library. I didn't receive this book (or anything else) in exchange for a review.
Type: Young Adult, Dystopian, Fiction, Fight the Power, Some Romance, Cover Goodness, please give me a sequel!
About the book: Now that Cassia is seventeen, she will be Matched. The Officials will assign her perfect partner, and she will finally see the boy she will spend the rest of her life with. And when it comes time for her announcement, she finds out that boy is someone she has known all her life, one of her friends - Xander. She receives her micro-card with Xander's information, what he likes and doesn't, but when she returns home, and plugs it into the screen to read - it isn't Xander's face that comes up. It's another boy, another friend - Ky Markham. But Ky isn't in the Matching pool, he can't be, he's an Aberration - not a full member of the Society. But now that Cassia has seen Ky as a possible future Match, how can she go back to pretending everything is normal?
My Review: Wow, what a powerful book. And a scary one. I love dystopian novels, even though they frighten me - to see what this world could be like, to see what freedoms we have to give up to make a "perfect" society. The world Cassia lives in is supposedly a perfect work - meals are moderated and prepared just so for each person, leisure time is spent in approved Leisure Activities, properly supervised by an Official. Even marriages are matched so they fit certain qualifications, so the pair will compliment each other, and their children will be healthy and Just Right.
But mistakes can be made by the Officials, they aren't perfect. And Cassia gets a rare glimpse into the mistakes that can be made, and lives with the pain of discovering that everything isn't right. "Matched" isn't just another love triangle book, it is so much more. Cassia isn't just torn between two boys she cares so much about, but what they represent - her regular life and the safety of not knowing, of believing everything is right and okay, and the unknown, of everything they gave up to become this so called perfect society.
I'm not saying this book will strike a cord with everyone, I'm not saying it's perfect in every way. I'm saying it made me feel scared, and upset, and I longed for Cassia to be able to see what the world could be like - yes there is pain, but there is so much more too.
Cover Loving: Oh yes. I think this cover is perfect for this book - Simple, and striking.
Recommendation: Yes. To EVERYONE. Fans of YA, Dystopian novels, and just good fiction in general will fall in love with it. Everyone else will too - read it!
Final Rating: FIVE out of FIVE (5/5). A perfect rating.
Want to pick up your own copy of "Matched?" get it at Amazon.com via the link to the left - Less than 11 dollars for a hardcover! And it's such a good book, it's worth it. Have you read it? Tell me your thoughts in the comments!
Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda ~!~
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