Speak (September 20, 2011) 400 pages
Source: Swap.com
Description from Amazon:
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 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.
My Review:
I'm thinking that maybe I'm just not a big fan of dystopian books. I'm going to read a couple more before I fully come to that conclusion, though. I read The Giver
a couple of years ago. I didn't write a review, but best I remember, I wondered what all the hype was about. I didn't hate it that I recall, but I didn't LOVE it. Matched
was VERY similar to The Giver, except with an added love triangle. My thoughts seemed to be pretty similar for the two books. Matched got me thinking about things that a book like this should get you thinking about. I'm so grateful for my choices! My goodness, though! The thought of having all my meals(and my family's) prepared to be healthy AND delivered to us EVERY meal. "sigh" Need I say more?! :) Matched
is a relatively "quiet" book. If you're expecting lots of action, you'll be disappointed. It wasn't until the last 50 to 75 pages that I really got interested in wanting to know all the little details. It was then that the wheels of my brain started turning and making guesses about what was going to happen. I think I had it in mind there would be more happening. I read through it very quickly and it did keep my interest, and I enjoyed it. I just didn't LOVE it. Again, I don't think dystopian books are really my thing.All of that said, I'm SO glad that so many other people like this series! When an author dares to write a good, clean book that can be enjoyed by everyone(or at least give everyone an opportunity to enjoy it), they earn my respect! So while it ended up not being MY favorite type of read, I still encourage you to give it a chance.
I've gathered up some reviews of bloggers that really enjoyed Matched
. One Librarian's Book Reviews
Clean Teen Fiction
Tales of Whimsy
Squeaky Books
Jennifer at 5M4B has given these books a thumbs up and I've been curious about them. You aren't raising any alarm bells in my head. (Rather, the bells of envy at the thought of having all healthy meals delivered...)
ReplyDeleteI don't think these books would be "my thing" either but they don't sound horrid either. Just kind of...different for me.
It definitely wasn't horrible! It really was enjoyable enough. I don't feel it was a waste of time reading it or anything. It just wasn't my favorite kind of reading. It was perfectly clean, too, so no worries there.
ReplyDeleteAwesome review. You didn't dig it but you appreciate the book. *high five*
ReplyDeleteI think dystopians are something you either love or hate. So I definitely feel ya.
Thank you SOOOO much for linking to my review!
Juju-
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome! I was taking your great advice with the links, so Thank YOU! :)
I liked Matched but it has gotten mixed reviews on Goodreads. I'm curious about what other dystopian's you've tried. I loved Hunger Games and Divergent. I have found though after a string of dystopians I need to take a break. They are characterized by a "bleakness" that can be a downer if you have too many at once.
ReplyDeleteJoy-
ReplyDeleteThis one and The Giver are the only ones that I remember reading so far. They were so similar that I'm wanting to try a couple more to see what I think. Someone suggested Legend and I'm wanting to try Divergent, and maybe Delirium, maybe Wither. ? There's so many of them now! :)