Matched
Author: Ally Condie
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Publication Date: Nov. 30, 2010
Pages: 369
Series: Matched, book one
Source: Purchased audiobook and book
Read By: Kate Simses
Audiobook Publisher: Penguin Audiobooks
Length: 9 hours, 54 minutes
About the Book: Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander’s face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate… until she sees Ky Markham’s face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.
The Society tells her it’s a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she’s destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can’t stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society’s infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path that no one else has dared to follow. (from goodreads)
My Thoughts: Matched was a book I kept meaning to read. It was released right about the time I really started blogging and I actually got an ARC at one of the very first book conferences I went to. Still, I never read it. I’m not really sure what stopped me. When I saw the audiobook in sale I knew I had to snatch it up. This year a number of my students have read Matched and loved it. They’ve been so excited about the series and they want to talk about it. Obviously this means I needed to finally read it!
I started off listening to the audiobook version. The narration was well done. It sounds like it could be an actual teen aged girl reading. I quite enjoyed it. But, as is so often the case, I needed the story faster! I own the boxed set of all three books so I grabbed Matched off my shelf and flew through the last third or so. I couldn’t stop!
I was really interested in the way Cassia is confronted with questions about the world she lives in. I think the teen years are a time when you really begin to question the world around you and whether or not what you’ve been told is really “right.” This makes Matched a story that teens can really relate to (even if they can’t relate to The Society!) I loved seeing Cassia grow and start to think for herself.
Another thing I loved was learning more about “The Society.” We get the story from Cassia’s point of view. She has grown up in The Society so it’s a part of her every day life that is revealed to the reader as the story pr ogresses. I loved the idea of 100 poems or 100 songs. I mean, I would hate if that was a reality but I thought the idea was clever!
Matched has been flying off my library’s shelves and I can see why! Cassia’s story and the world she lives in capture the intrest of teen readers and this librarian as well!
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