MATCHED (MATCHED TRILOGY – BOOK 1)
BY: ALLY CONDIE
LEVEL: YOUNG ADULT
PAGES: 384 – PUBLISHER: DUTTON

Matched is a futuristic story. A new society, 100% controlled. All is done to achieve optimal results. You eat what they send you, you work where they tell you to, you marry who they choose, you have kids when they tell you to.

I was fascinated by the detailed descriptions of this new society. The new rules, new places, politics, technology, all of it. The book is full of tricks when the author tells you part of everything in each chapter, through Cassia’s head, the main character.

Cassia is about to be matched to her life partner, her future husband, in a Match Banquet party, in her 17th birthday. Cassia trusts the Society and the decisions made for her. Until an error occurs in her matching card and another boy appears as well.
Cassia will be thorn between both boys: her real match and the error. I don’t want to spoil anything so I won’t say much.

Rich details of politics and society rules mentioned in this book makes us think of our own lives, our own rules, how we live, and how we take all we have for granted. Each of Cassia’s struggles against the society is a slap in the reader’s face, a call to attention.
In a society where everything is chosen for you, one very important thing is missing: freedom.

I have one word for Matched: FANTASTIC!!! It’s definitely one of the BEST books of the year, and will be one of the most wanted series, I’m sure of it. A MUST READ, a book you should keep an eye on for its release date: Nov 30, 2010.
It’s one of those books it gives you depression after finishing it. I wanted MORE!!!!!

The book was compared to The Hunger Games, due to its futuristic environment. It’s not as fast as The Hunger Games, it hasn’t so many action scenes. Cassia has her own charm, her own fury and strength, different from Katniss. But one thing is for sure: if you like The Hunger Games, Matched is for you!