review: matched by ally condie

From the very first page of Matched, Ally Condie had me hooked. Matched is set in a world where the freedom to choose one’s mate no longer exists; instead the Society selects who will marry (some are to remain single) and makes an announcement at the Match Banquet, which is where Cassia finds out she’ll marry her longtime friend Xander. This is highly unusual as people are typically matched with strangers, but then Cassia finds out there’s nothing the slightest bit typical about her match. She soon starts questioning everything she’s ever been taught about the Society.

Although much about how the Society works and how it came to be is left unexplained, that actually works in the book’s favor as it aligns the reader with the characters who also don’t know the whys. When the mystery of the red pill is revealed, it makes sense that so many would blindly accept the rules established for this dystopia. Furthermore, given how real life cults gain total control of members, it is not hard to imagine how people could go along with something like what Condie writes of in Matched. The world of Matched is one I wouldn’t want to live in, but am intrigued by especially since Cassia and Ky (Cassia’s crush who is an Aberration and cannot marry) are compelling characters. I cannot wait to pick up Crossed to continue the story.
5/5
Review copy provided by the publisher, Dutton.