Matched (Matched, #1) in A Place Called Dreams

Jan 22, 2011 Shannon Rogers rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, dystopian

This ended up being one of my favorite books of 2010. Although I read YA/Teen fiction all of the time, I had somehow managed to accidentally avoid this type of book. So this was the first time I've read a dystopian, and I am so happy that I did.

Aside from the fact that the basic plot was so unique, the author did an excellent job in setting up the reader to understand and dislike the constraints of Cassia's social world. There was such detail that it made me feel as if I was really there and cou This ended up being one of my favorite books of 2010. Although I read YA/Teen fiction all of the time, I had somehow managed to accidentally avoid this type of book. So this was the first time I've read a dystopian, and I am so happy that I did.

Aside from the fact that the basic plot was so unique, the author did an excellent job in setting up the reader to understand and dislike the constraints of Cassia's social world. There was such detail that it made me feel as if I was really there and could picture those circumstances, settings, and social/governmental strictures personally. It reminded me somewhat of The Giver, but was unique enough that you didn't feel like it was a copy of that book.

I had read mixed reviews on how quickly the relationship developed between Cassia and the guy she falls for (no, I'm going to avoid saying which one, Ky or Xander). I did not find this to be a factor at all. In a society where pretty much all personal freedoms have been removed, your feelings and emotions are the only thing you have left, even though society tries to control those too. The two characters wanted, in their hearts, to break out of those strictures, and I think this sucked them into their own romance even more quickly than if they didn't live under the disciplines of their community. I loved these two together.

I can't get by without a brief nod at "the other guy" as well. I really liked his character, and was so happy that the author did not choose to turn him into the cliche of jealous boyfriend who shows his "true colors" as being dark and ugly. He stayed true to who he truly was.

I can't wait for the sequel to come out, as this one ends with a few "unresolved issues" I guess you could say. Of course, these unresolved issues don't detract from the enjoyment of the book at all but serve more as a cliff hanger and an invitation to read the sequel. I'll leave it at that, as I don't want to ruin anything for those who haven't read the book.

I loved this book and would definitely re-read it in future.
...more

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Mar 01, 2011 Shannon rated it it was amazing

Shelves: all-time-faves

WOW. Just wow.
This book was amazing.
At first glance, it seems like a perfect set up for a typical “love conquers all” outcome, complete with the love triangle and authority challenges. But there is so much more to this book than meets the eye.

Set in a futuristic world, where people called the guardians dictate everything (and I mean everything; from what you eat, where you live, where you work, what you do in your free time, all the way to who you marry, how many children you will have, and e WOW. Just wow.
This book was amazing.
At first glance, it seems like a perfect set up for a typical “love conquers all” outcome, complete with the love triangle and authority challenges. But there is so much more to this book than meets the eye.

Set in a futuristic world, where people called the guardians dictate everything (and I mean everything; from what you eat, where you live, where you work, what you do in your free time, all the way to who you marry, how many children you will have, and even when you die. The story begins with Cassia meeting her match, Xander, who happens to be her best friend. It isn’t until the next day when she looks at the information of her match, that she sees another boy’s face on the screen, a face that is not of her match, Ky; the aberration that lives at the end of her street. And so begins the love triangle. It is also important to note that there are only 100 songs, 100 poems and 100 paintings available in this world, a result of the “refinement” of culture. This is explained better in the book.

Matched starts off slow at first, with minimal progression in the story line, and most of the time spent to building on the relationships between Cassia and those around her, her family, Ky and Xander as well as a few others. This is necessary for the story to play out as well as it did.

Cassia is a strong character with unwavering beliefs and a growing sense of unease with the world she lives in. The thing that made this book so fantastic was the fact that the story wasn’t solely reliant on the love triangle, it was more a story about challenging the norm, which was brought about and propelled by the love story. I can’t say too much about this without giving too much away.

I love the way Condie works poetry throughout the whole of the story; it’s not simply something that is placed at the beginning of a chapter (which seems to be becoming the popular thing to do), it is something that works its way into the story, meaning something to the characters, encouraging the rebellion that you can just see coming, and giving hope to those who know about it.

This is a fantastic book, and definately goes on my 'favourites' shelf. I really can't wait for the next one in this series "Crossed" ...more

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Sep 03, 2011 Bells rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Sin duda este libro se ha convertido de mis favoritos no se que tiene pero sus páginas me engancharon más y más y me encontré devorándolo de principio a fin

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Aug 04, 2011 Dee rated it really liked it

So this might not be one of my favorite books, but I still thought it was pretty good. I liked how it was based in the future, with a totally different society than the one we have today. For some reason it kinda sorta reminded me of The Hunger Games. But only because of their society's differences from our own. I also enjoyed how the whole "matching" process worked, I thought the banquet was pretty creative, and fun to read about. Cassia I thought was a good character, along with Ky and Xander ...more

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Jun 06, 2011 Ally rated it it was ok

To me, this book wasn't anything new. I felt like I had already read the plot and it was just boring. The author has talent, but it was the plot that was catching me up. Things went too slow for me. It wasn't what I expected it to be. =/ ...more

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Mar 22, 2011 Saturnus rated it really liked it

I thought this book would have had more action, even if i know that it was mostly a romantic dystopia.
But since i like both boys that are i love with Cassia i think its totally okay. Which guy i like most? Actually i dont know, both of them are charming, but i think maybe i like Ky a little more... But Xander is cute too :)

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May 28, 2011 Naomi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I really enjoyed reading this. It reminded me of Delirium by Lauren Oliver except I thought it was better. I didn't get bored at all which was great! Going to start reading the next in this series now. ...more

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