My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a fantastic dystopian fiction novel. Author Ally Condie presents the reader with a very intriguing situation, which makes it quite difficult to put the book down. This is what I love about dystopian novels: the authors dare to ask the “What if…?” questions that plague us all.
Cassia, a teenage girl who lives within the confines of the Society, is ready to be Matched. After their 17th birthday, Citizens of the Society are “matched” with other citizens based on their personalities and genes. There is absolutely no free will or choice in the Society – the Society chooses your wardrobe, what you eat, where you work, who you will marry. When you will die.
Cassia has nothing against the Society at first. She believes, as does nearly everyone else, that the elimination of choice is a good thing. The Society keeps things under control. The Society can fix any problem.
Everything changes when Cassia sees a different face flash before her eyes – a boy who is not her Match (best friend Xander), but a boy named Ky Markham. As Cassia struggles to decide which path is right for her, she faces for the first time real decisions and real consequences.
I loved both Xander and Ky, and as the reader I am sympathetic to Cassia’s plight. I can’t wait to read Book 2, Crossed, as I am eager to finish Cassia’s story.