Review of Matched by Ally Condie

This. Book. Is. Awesome.

In the Society everything is chosen for you. What movies you see, what books you read, who you marry...

Cassia Reyes has looked forward to her matching day for as long as she can remember. Everything is too good to be true when her perfect match and society-determined husband to be is none other than her best friend Xander Carrow.

The next day, whilst viewing Xander's match info, a face appears on her screen. It's not Xander. It's Ky Markham.

Before Ky flashed ever so briefly on her viewing disc, Cassia never had any reason to doubt what the Society does. After her 80 year old (therefore past his society-deemed use by date) grandfather gives her a secret poem that did not make it into the 100 poems allowed in the Society, and Cassia decides to share this with the newly intriguing Ky, Cassia's whole perception of life begins to change.

Why can't she read a poem she wants to read? Why can't she love who she decides to love?

Matched is simply perfect in every sense. I was sucked in from the first page and really didn't want to be sucked back out. The characters are all likeable and interesting and the plot is great. I love the dystopian genre and this is definitely up there with the best.

The writing style is immaculate. I love a book that makes you forget completely about real life, Matched is definitely this.

I recommend to anyone who likes the Hunger Games and the Uglies series.

I give it a 6/5!

George's Albums of the Year - 2010

1. The Coral - Butterfly House

Must Listen: More Than a Lover, Sandhills, Green Is The Colour

2. Mystery Jets - Serotonin

Must Listen: Serotonin, Waiting On A Mircale, Lorna Doone

 

3. James - The Morning After

Must Listen: Dust Motes, Kaleidoscope, Make For The City

 

4. James - The Night Before

Must Listen: Crazy, Shine, Ten Below

 

5. Ash - A - Z Series Vol. 1

Must Listen: Joy Kicks Darkness, Pripyat, War With Me

 

6. Paul Weller - Wake Up The Nation

Must Listen: No Tears Left To Cry, Wake Up The Nation, Find The Torch Burn The Plans

 

7. Manic Street Preachers - Postcards From A Young Man

Must Listen: Some Kind Of Nothingness, A Billion Balconies Facing The Sun, I Think I've Found It

 

8. The Courteeners - Falcon

Must Listen: You Over Did It Doll, Lullaby, Cameo Brooch

 

9. Marina and the Diamonds - The Family Jewels

Must Listen: Obsessions, Hollywood, Mowgli's Road

 

10. The National - High Violet

Must Listen: Bloodbuzz Ohio, Sorrow, Anyone's Ghost

 

11. Basement Birds - Basement Birds

Must Listen: Holly, Skin Of The Sky

 

12. The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang

Must Listen: She Loves You, The Queen Of Lower Chelsea

 

13. Ash - A-Z Vol. 2

Must Listen: Carnal Love, Spellbound

 

14. The Hold Steady - Heaven Is Whenever

Must Listen: We Can Get Together, The Weekenders

 

15. Sia - We Are Born

Must Listen: Clap Your Hands, Be Good To Me

 

16. Little Red - Midnight Remember

Must Listen: Little Bit Of Something, Chelsworth

 

17. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Beat The Devil's Tatoo

Must Listen: The Toll, Aya

 

18. Cloud Control - Bliss Release

Must Listen: Gold Canary, Meditation Song #2 (Why, Oh Why)

 

19. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

Must Listen: Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains), Deep Blue

 

20. The Bees - Every Step's A Yes

Must Listen: I Really Need Love, Winter Rose

George's Albums of the Year - 2009

George's Top 20 Albums of '09

1. Manic Street Preachers - Journal for Plague Lovers

Must Listen: This Joke Sport Severed, All Is Vanity, Jackie Collins Existential Question Time

2. Kasabian - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum

Must Listen: Fast Fuse, Where Did All The Love Go?, Happiness 

3. The Cribs - Ignore The Ignorant
Must Listen: Cheat On Me, We Were Aborted, Victim of Mass Production 

4. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz

Must Listen: Zero, Heads Will Roll, Runaway

5. La Roux - La Roux

Must Listen: Bulletproof, As If By Magic, Cover My Eyes 

6. Gin Wigmore - Holy Smoke
Must Listen: Too Late For Lovers, Mr Freakshow, Hey Ho

7. Jamie T - Kings & Queens

Must Listen: 368, Sticks And Stones, British Intelligence 

8. The View - Which Bitch?

Must Listen: Double Yellow Lines, One Off Pretender, Glass Smash

9. Future of The Left - Travels With Myself And Another

Must Listen: Yin/Post Yin, That Damned Fly, Throwing Bricks At Trains 

10. Alec Ounsworth - Mo Beauty


Must Listen: Obscene Queen Bee #2, Holy, Holy, Holy Moses, What Fun 

11. Muse - The Resistance
Must Listen: The Resistance, Undisclosed Desires

12. Franz Ferdinand - Tonight: Franz Ferdinand

Must Listen: Ulysses, Live Alone

13. The Veils - Sun Gangs

Must Listen: Sit Down By The Fire, The Letter

14. Silversun Pickups - Swoon

Must Listen: It's Nice To Know You Work Alone, Panic Switch

15. Julian Casablancas - Phrazes For The Young

Must Listen: Out Of The Blue, 11th Dimension

16. Doves - Kingdom of Rust

Must Listen: Kingdom of Rust, Lifeline

17. Brakes - Touchdown

Must Listen: Don't Take Me To Space (Man), Worry About It Later

18. Oh Mercy - Privileged Woes

Must Listen: Get You Back, Astrid, No

19. The Maccabees - Wall Of Arms

Must Listen: No Kind Words, Love You Better

20. Metric - Fantasies

Must Listen: Sick Muse, Help I'm Alive