The Matched Trilogy

The Matched Trilogy is one that has been on my to-read list for a while, and since I found all three at the library, I figured that it was finally time to check them off my list. Matched, the first book is set in a future where the Society decides everything that you do; who you love, how long you go to school, where you live, what your job will be, etc. All her life, Cassia has never questioned the Society. So when she’s matched with her best friend, she knows that he is the best possible match for her. Until another face appears on the microcard that she brings home…another face that she knows, Ky Markham. Even though the Society tells her that it’s a glitch, Cassia can’t stop thinking about Ky, and begins to question if the Society truly knows what’s best. Will Cassia choose the path that Society thinks is right, or follow a new path that no one has taken before?

Crossed and Reached are the books that follow Matched, and they are all just as exciting as the first. Ally Condie has created an interesting future, one that explores a lot of different questions about our present society. In the Matched universe, the people believe that they are free, but how can they be when they aren’t making any of their own decisions? They can’t decide where they want to go, or what path their life is going to take. It is all based on data, which is composed by the society. And while it may be obvious to a reader that these people have no free will, they have been brainwashed to believe that the life they are given by the society is the life that is the best for them. But if you look underneath the surface, nothing is really as it seems. As it is with most things.

The Matched Trilogy has everything that readers want in a young adult dystopian novel, love, rebellion, strong characters, an interesting view of the future. The only complaint that I really had was the relationship between Cassia and Ky. I understand that this is what drove the whole story, the whole plot line, but I wish that Cassia’s thinking behind this relationship would have been provided. It seemed a little forced to me, at least at the beginning, and since the story is told from Cassia’s point of view, I wish more of her reasoning would have been provided. But other than that, I loved the story and believe that other people will too. I guess that’s all for now. Until next time, happy reading. 🙂