Mundie Moms

Monday, September 20, 2010

Book Review & Giveaway- MATCHED

By Ally Condie
Published by Dutton
To Be Released on November 30th, 2010
Source- From Penguin
4.5 Stars- I Really Liked This Book, Go Pick It Up

Society MATCHED them, but love set them free.

In the Society, Officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die. Cassia has always trusted their choices. It's barely any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one...until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path no one has ever dared to follow-between perfection and passion. (quoted from ARC)

There are few dystopian books that I have read and fell in love with. I think it's due to the fact that some dystopian books mirror reality to some extent and that horrifies me that in our day in age some societies dictate what their citizens do. When we had an author chat a few months ago, Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl raved about MATCHED and now I know why.

Ally Condie does such a beautiful job with her writing, and the words in which she choose to describe her world. I was pulled right in and quickly felt apart of MATCHED's world. It took me a little bit to feel a connection to the characters, but once I did, I couldn't get enough of MATCHED. I was surprised at how emotionally invested I became with MATCHED. I felt myself getting so mad at some of the citizens as they accepted and did anything the Officials told them to do, never questioning what they were told. Maybe that's why I felt so drawn to Cassia, as she was nothing like them.

Cassia lives in a society where every action is watched and in some case, pre-determinded. There is no freedom. No free will. I find this world both horrifying and suffocating as the Officials dictate what class their citizens are in, who they marry, what they wear, what jobs they are allowed to have, where they are allowed to live and so forth. As Cassia starts to questions her life, her match, and the things she's not being told, she becomes a resistance to the officials in her quest to break free of control.

MATCHED has some wonderful characters, like Cassia's Grandfather who helps her realize nothing is impossible and two great love interests, Xander and Ky. I honestly felt myself torn for Cassia as she's MATCHED to marry Xander, the boy she's grown up. He's someone she loves, has confided in and he knows everything about her. Cassia soon finds out that someone made a mistake, when mistakes don't happen. She wasn't MATCHED to just Xander, but to Ky as well. She's forced to question everything she thought she knew about her society and now she must choose, take the path that will be safe and easy for her, or follow a forbidden path, and follow her heart. Normally I would yell at the character to follow their heart, but Xander and Ky are such great characters that I sympathized with Cassia in her decision.

MATCHED is a fascinating dystopian world with a beautiful love story. It's an enthralling read that I couldn't get enough of and I found myself thinking about it days after I read it. I'm really looking forward to finding out what happens next for Cassia, Xander and Ky.

You can find out more about MATCHED here http://www.matched-book.com/
You can pre-order MATCHED here http://tinyurl.com/2cbatjb
Don't miss Ally's interview here


Thank you to Penguin, we have a copy of MATCHED to giveaway!!

27 comments:

  1. Oh! I really want to read this one! Thanks for another great giveaway!

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  2. Thanks for this great review and giveaway! This one is def on my TBR list!

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  3. It's a great book! I highly recommend pre-ordering it. Good luck with the giveaway!!!

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  4. This book is on my "hurry up and get here" list - can't wait to read it!

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  5. I can't wait for this one :) Thanks for your review!

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  6. I'm so excited for this book! Thanks for the giveaway :)

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  7. Sorry, I clicked the wrong extra entry thing. I resubmitted my form. Thanks!

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  8. Thanks for the review and hosting the giveaway

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  9. This looks so good!!!! Great review. Thank you!!!

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  10. Thank you!! I highly recommend it. :)

    Thank you to Penguin for allowing us to host the giveaway.

    Linz- no worries :)

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  11. Looking forward to this book! Thanks for the giveaway! :)

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  12. Wow this looks like an excellent book!
    Thanks for the review!

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  13. Great review!

    I enjoyed this book for the most part... though The Officials and the people who played by The Official's rules made me mad. Cassia's official the most! I could *not* stand her! I really liked Ky :)

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  14. I love Ally Condie's writing. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  15. Thank you so much what a great giveaway heard so many great things about this book !

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  16. Thank you so much for this great giveaway!!! I've been wanting to read this one since I first heard of it.

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  17. You guys are so welcome! I hope you all enjoy it when it comes out. Best of luck on winning!! :)

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  18. Wanted this book so badly,

    and then I saw the 'Us residents only please'

    bummer.

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  19. jacmom- you are so welcome.

    Poing- Publishers can not send books over seas for giveaways. That goes for both US and UK publishing houses.

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  20. OHMYFREAKINGBEAUTIFULCOVER!
    Haha. I want this book horribly bad! :P
    Thanks for hosting a giveaway!

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  21. This book sounds fantastic. One of my must reads for sure. Thanks for the opportunity to enter.

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  22. Fabulous contest! Thank you for the opportunity.

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  23. This sounds like a good one for me! Adding it to my TBR list, thanks!

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  24. Thank you to everyone who entered our giveaway! :)

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