Review#7 Matched - Ally Condie

If your whole life was planned out perfectly, if you had the best chances, if you had the opportunity to live a life without risks - would you give it away for a boy?

Goodreads summary:

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

I know that this is probably a novel that one will either love or hate. I had the advantage of not knowing that when I started reading it so that I could find my own point of view on this book and it turned out to be very positive.

Although I do see why some people did not enjoy Matched at all, I found it to be a very fast read. I think what I liked most about it was how you could glide into the story easily, the world was easy to understand. In many dystopians I find it hard to focus on everything that happens plus the complicated rules of the dystopian worlds plus getting to know all the characters etc. Ally Condie in my opinion used very simple language to quickly point out the overall structure of the world, introduce the characters and the protagonist's history.

Now on to the story itself. I have to admit that looking back I recognize that there does not happen that much throughout the novel. Fast paced action or any kinds of twists and turns were not included. It is weird, though, that this did not struck me as I was reading the novel. Same with the relationships between the characters. Actually, their development is very structured and without surprises. Again looking back it seems to me like the author knew where she wanted the story to go and simply went that way without any interruptions. There were no outstanding events, no fights, no dangerous, life-threatening moments. I'd describe the book as very quiet and settled. It's easy to get through, but it doesn't keep you on the edge of your seat.

All in all,  I have to say: I see why some people found it boring. AFTER having read the book I see the flaws many readers pointed out in their reviews. Anyways, as I was reading the book, I enjoyed it very much and I found it to be a quick read that was easy to get into.

Greetings,
the Booksmartie

RATING: 2 out of 3 Smarties