Matched

Title: Matched
Author: Ally Condie
Series: Matched #1
Genre: Dystopian, Romance, Young Adult
Spice: 0.5 / 5
Format: ARC
Pages: 366
Reason Read: Received for Review, Utah Book Month
Rating:

Also in this series: Crossed, Reached

My Thoughts

Reading this book after I reread THE HUNGER GAMES and CATCHING FIRE so I can read MOCKINGJAY next was a bit serendipitous on my part. The citizens’ lack of freedom in this book is so different from the blatant oppression in the Hunger Games universe. That juxtaposition of violent oppression vs. institutional oppression shows that both are still oppression. They just look different. I still felt bad for the characters, but I felt bad that they couldn’t see that they were being controlled.

I thought the story was compelling and thought-provoking. I loved the characters, especially the main three. The idea that the citizens believed the Society was doing everything in their best interest and that they didn’t realize they were being controlled until a small mistake happened was such a fun premise.

I was blown away by the story and Ally’s crafting of what seemed like a utopian society that wasn’t. Her writing is so poetic, lyrical, and immersive. It was a joy to read each word on the page. I’m excited to find out what happens in the next book and where it will take us.