MATCHED!

[CharleeVale]

Hey guys, I know I haven't been around in awhile. Sorry!

I know that the book Matched by Ally Condie generated some buzz on here awhile back because of the amount she made with her book deal. Looking it up, I was intrigued and pre-ordered it as soon as it was available. I got the book yesterday and finished it a few minutes ago. I wanted to know who else got it/ has read it yet! What did you think???



I will now scoll farther down to discuss the actual book in case you don't want to know yet.








*SPOILER ALERT*




I am so excited for the sequel! Ally's writing was subtle, glorious, and had me hooked from the beginning.

I was really debating the use of the red pill as a death pill, but I'm glad it wasn't. My heart almost stopped when they told them to take it and I thought they were all going to die. I can't really think of anything more right now, it's al swirling around in my head. I'm sure I'll edit this post/reply to it later.

I want to know your thoughts.....


CV

[Sommer Leigh]

I didn't read your spoiler section because my copy of Matched should be here tomorrow! :-) I am very excited about it.

[Robin]

Unfortunately, The Giver was all i could think of while reading this. I couldn't get into the romance, it just didn't seem real. Sorry, but i was a little disappointed about this one.
Guess it all goes back to the question about marketing--

[Sommer Leigh]

Unfortunately, The Giver was all i could think of while reading this. I couldn't get into the romance, it just didn't seem real. Sorry, but i was a little disappointed about this one.
Guess it all goes back to the question about marketing--

I've started reading it but I'm slow getting into it. I can't tell if that is my fault because I haven't had a chance to spend a large amount of time reading it yet or if it is the book. Time will tell.

[Sommer Leigh]

I finished MATCHED on friday and I really liked it! You're right, the writing was really easy to read and very immersive.

Fortunately I haven't read The Giver in like, 20 years, so I don't remember most of it. Or any of it. I thought it was kind of wonderful that in the midst of all these YA dystopian novels coming out, here was one that was more utopian with all the problems that come along with it.

Spoiler:

What I loved most about this book was not the romance, though I enjoyed the chemistry between Cassia and Ky (Not at all between Cassia and Xander - I didn't even believe for a minute they were best friends.) What I loved was that I'm not entirely sure I would NOT be happy to live in the Society's world. I'm happy with free will and choosing which books to read, what music to love, what activities to do in my free time. And yet I could be pretty happy with having no crime, an education that prepares me based on my own personal skills, and food that is created and crafted for me to be at my most healthy. I can see the appeal of my life being set out for me based on what will make me happiest. I don't know how to choose between the two. A world with little or no crime, no disease, everyone living happy full lives, the best possible choices for you already decided and a world with crime, poverty, hunger, disease, mistakes, divorces, poor education system...I don't know. That is a tough choice.

And the book forces the main character to make that tough choice. And even harder, it asks her to make the choice for her whole society. Because if she plans to fight back, and should she win, she is taking the choice of lifestyle away from the rest of the people of the Society. And is that any better?

I also liked how unlike most "utopian" style societies, this one seemed to understand people need some degree of leg room for choice or they will eventually reject teh perfect society. I liked the idea of the 100 paintings, 100 poems, and 100 songs that give people just enough room to get nice and complacent.

One thing that made me crazy? It's a series! I thought it was a stand alone until I was getting to the last 20 pages and realized that it was either going to be a series or it had one of the worst endings ever written. I don't know why this bugs me, but whenever I come into a book not realizing it is a series I always feel annoyed when I come to the end with no satisfaction. I don't know if I just miss this in all the reviews I read, but I think books should have some sort of symbol or flag on the back cover that indicates it is a series so I don't end up surprised anymore!

[Heather B]

I just started reading the book and I'm only up to chapter six but so far I'm really enjoying it. I only opened it to read the first few pages to get a feel for the writing and I didn't even realise I had gone further than I meant to. That is the sign of a good book.

I don't know if I'm going to enjoy it to the end because I develop an immediate like/dislike of characters and, let's just say, there's one whom I've adored since their first words and one I didn't. A reread of the blurb has me not wanting to read much more...

I can't help but think it has a Gale/Peeta feel.

[CharleeVale]

Sommer, I completely agree with you. On the spoilers, and the series thing. I didn't know it wasn't stand alone either, but I have to say I'm kind of excited that it is.

Heather, I agree with you too. It does have a Peeta/Gale feel, except for the fact that it looks like for now anyway, that there really wasn't the pain of the choice. She has chosen already.

CV

[Sommer Leigh]

Sommer, I completely agree with you. On the spoilers, and the series thing. I didn't know it wasn't stand alone either, but I have to say I'm kind of excited that it is.

Heather, I agree with you too. It does have a Peeta/Gale feel, except for the fact that it looks like for now anyway, that there really wasn't the pain of the choice. She has chosen already.

CV

See, I never felt like it was a Peeta/Gale thing because

Spoiler:

there was never any real choice. There was no chemistry between her and Xander. They were clearly best friends and that was it. She also didn't have a lot of heartburn over choosing. I think Xander will remain in the story but I think the love portion of that story is over. I don't think we'll continue having the same push and pull between the boys.

[Cookie]

I agree with Robin. I couldn't get into it, and had to force myself to finish it. I didn't find her world threatening at all, and I felt the narration was bland and devoid of emotion. I felt apathetic when reading it, and didn't really care how it ended.

Spoiler:

I felt that the love between Cassia and Ky was not real and they were only fooling themselves that it is. I felt she did like Xander, but circumstances kinda forced Ky on her. I think it is nothing more than an infatuation with Ky because she knows that because of the society's rules she can't have him.

But that is just me. I've also decided that I don't really care for love triangles.

[Sommer Leigh]

But that is just me. I've also decided that I don't really care for love triangles.

Oh god me too. I'm so over love triangles. Can't stand'm. It feels like a cop-out for real tension and emotional conflict.

I actually wrote a blog post that will go up during the first week of February on this very subject.

The longer I've been away from reading Matched, the more I think it feels like a really, really, really long prologue to the rest of the series.

[Cookie]

Yea, they are definitely a cop out. I do have a love triangle of sorts in the last book of my wip, but the series (or book) does not revolve around that fact, and its between adults.

Your right, it does sound like a prologue. I am mildly curious to see what happens, so I'll probably read the next one.

Also, I will have to check that blog out.