(Matched #1)
Published: November 30th 2010
Synopsis:
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 with complete certainty that 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 Rating: 
3/5 (Decent)
Book Information
Publisher: Dutton Books
Genre(s): Young-adult, utopian/dystopian, romance
Page Count: 369
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 0525423648
I had relatively high expectations for this book, firstly because of the interesting synopsis, and secondly because of the gorgeous cover. The book wasn’t bad specifically, it just didn’t blow me away.
Quick Summary
Matched follows 17 year-old girl Cassia Reyes as she finds herself ‘Matched’ (the person who she’s going to marry) with her best friend, Xander, an oddity in itself because citizens are usually never Matched with people they already know. Cassia is delighted, until she questions who she’s really meant to be with when she sees the face of a childhood friend/acquaintance named Ky Markham in the micro card meant to show Xander’s information. Cassia is unable to stop thinking about Ky, and Cassia begins to question the Society, throwing everything–and everyone–she believed in out of balance.
Plot
As for the plot, it was alright, but nothing that outstanding or something that I haven’t seen before, sadly. The world-building wasn’t bad, but not the best, I would say. Okay, so the Society controls basically everything. There are Officials for… basically every citizen? Not sure if that’s just my jumbled up thoughts talking, but that’s what I remember. However, I did like how the world was built, as in, there wasn’t just pages upon pages of explanation of what this world was, how they lived, etc. It just was there, and we got to understand it ourselves.
Characters
I wanted to connect with these characters, but for some reason, I just couldn’t. Especially with the main characters. If I didn’t enjoy the other characters, I would’ve at least wanted to enjoy the main characters. Cassia seemed a bit uninteresting and didn’t have much to her as I would’ve liked. In the moments where she actually did something that didn’t make her boring, I could see a glance of what she could’ve become, but sadly wasn’t. Xander and Ky were the two guys in the unnecessary love triangle (remember what I said about love triangle not bothering me? Well this one is definitely an exception) and sadly I wasn’t as into them as I usually am. 
Writing Style
The writing style was a bit lyrical, which was nice. However, the main problem I had with the writing style is the structure. I saw no good format during the book; no actual climax, no character development. Nothing drove this book other than Cassia and Ky’s romance. Who’s the antagonist? The whole Society? The one Society official who told Cassia to forget about Ky(who I barely even remember due to her name being mentioned, like, once)? What kind of characters are these, might I ask?
Then lastly we have the anti-climactic ending. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but it was just…I’m out of words. I would’ve thought at least there would be a better ending to the book, but alas, there wasn’t.
Overall…
An okay book. As I’m looking at this review, I’m realizing that I have quite a few complaints, and I just wanted to make it clear that I did not hate the book, and I’m not trying to bash the book negatively in any way. I know lots of people enjoyed this, but it just wasn’t for me. If you’ve read Matched, be sure to tell me your opinion in the comment section below, because I’d love to hear what you thought about this book! If you haven’t read this book, please don’t be daunted by my review! If it’s something that interests you, go for it. I don’t want to influence you to not read something that you might really enjoy. It sadly did not live up to my expectations. Hopefully it will live up to yours!
Don’t forget to check out the book trailer below, by the way!
If you’re hungry, scram and go eat this!
-A
Book Snacks 