Matched by Ally Condie

2nd December 2010, Razorbill

384 pages, Paperback

Received as part of UK Book Tours blog tour (I sent this to another person, sadly didn't get to keep it!) 

Young Adult (Dystopian) 

Intrigue, mystery, secrets (both revealed and hidden), tissues needed, suspense, fear of those in charge, fear of getting caught.

Summary from Penguin 

On her seventeenth birthday, Cassia meets her Match. Society dictates he is her perfect partner for life.

Except he's not.

In Cassia's society, Officials decide who people love.

How many children they have.

Where they work.

When they die.

But, as Cassia finds herself falling in love with another boy, she is determined to make some choices of her own.

And that's when her whole world begins to unravel . . .

Nayuleska's Thoughts

You can find me somewhere between the ceiling and the room. I love this book so much! I know I say it a lot, but it's true. The world Cassia lives in feels perfect. Everyone has their own place. Even the ones they'll marry are decided for them. But, as with every perfect seeming world, not everyone is happy. Cassia's family aren't as law-abiding as they seem (neither are they murderers so don't get too carried away in pondering what they do!) Okay, it might be nice to know you have a job which suits you, but wouldn't you like the freedom to make mistakes and occasionally pick a lousy job? To not know when you're going to die? Sure uncertainty isn't nice, but that's also the fun in life - never know what's going to happen.

It's not only the world that I love (with the definitely creepy Officials), but the characters too. Cassia's voice is filled with humour, and also a maturity. She doesn't just think 'oh well' when things happen. She questions the odd occurrences. She thinks about why her family say and do certain things. These are questions the Officials would not like her to contemplate. She not only thinks outside the box, but she acts outside the box too. She can't do too much otherwise her family will get punished in a way that will affect her and her brother, and possibly their children (if they are allowed to have any). I love the way Cassia tries to keep her brother safe. I love the way she is a normal teen and gets jealous when other people pay attention to her friends. I don't love the way I'll be waiting a few months before reading book 2!  

The cover caught my eye first. I'd love a dress like Cassia's! The story is as good as the cover :) 

Final conclusion: 

This is one supremely awesome series. I could read it over, and over and over! You never know when the Officials are watching you!  

If you like this, I definitely recommend Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series. And Leviathan. I haven't read any more of his work yet.