Star "Crossed" Lovers

After a couple of years of waiting for installments of the Hunger Games trilogy, I found myself devoid of dystopian young adult romance novels. Then I found Matched by Ally Condie at the Literary Life Bookstore, and I was back in business. Yes, it's derivative--a young woman finds herself torn between her best friend and her soulmate, neither of whom happen to be a vampire or a werewolf, and both of whom love her. Also, it takes place in a futuristic society that used to be North America, where the government watches every move of its citizens.

Still. I enjoyed some of the more original parts of the book, and I appreciated some of the imagery, as well as writing that pushed beyond the ordinary. So I've been looking forward to finding out what happens to Cassia, Ky and Xander in the second of the trilogy, Crossed.

At the end of Matched, Cassia has decided to go after Ky. Ky is not a full citizen of the Society, and he does not enjoy the same rights and priveleges that Cassia does. Some of the themes that run through this book include the control and oppression of people, inequality of rights based on arbitrary reasons, abuse of power, and most central to this book, the nature of love, honesty and commitment. Ky and Cassia are together; now they must decide how honest they can be with each other, how much they trust each other, and how they will deal with their differences. I appreciated the deeper-than-usual look at how infatuation matures into a different kind of connection, more than is usually found in a young adult novel.

Much of the book takes place in the Carving. I assumed, as I began reading, that this was the Grand Canyon, but since finding that the author is from Utah, I'm thinking something more like Canyonlands. The book is half love letter to the beauty of the landscape, which I enjoyed.

There is also a bit of reflection on grief over the loss of loved ones, including the confusing mix of pain, anger and guilt. Ky has lost a lot in his lifetime, and he's not always clear on how he should feel about it all.

The story felt both a little drawn out, and somehow at the same time like there were things we were supposed to understand that I didn't feel were explained quite enough--the characters are often coming to understandings of each other that I'm not clear on. I'm curious if this was originally one longer novel, and the publisher said "let's make it a trilogy." On the other hand, the ending seemed perfectly planned out as the end to the second of a three-book series.

It's not The Hunger Games, but I'm enjoying it and looking forward to seeing what happens in the final installment, whenever that comes out! And if you need more, a friend suggested Divergent, by Veronica Roth. I might have to give it a try.

Perfect "Match" for the "Hunger Games" Fan

Mix the best friend vs. soulmate romance triangle of Twilight, the evil, controlling government of The Hunger Games, and the futuristic society of The Giver, and you've got Matched by Ally Condie. Derivative? Perhaps. In this instance, I tend to think of it like my 8th grade science fair.

See, in 7th grade, I did a nondescript science project for the science fair. I got a decent grade, but no awards. Looking around, I noticed that all of the awards went to projects having to do with plants. So. The next year, I did a project about plants. And I won the one and only trophy I have ever won in my life. Original? No. But that doesn't mean my project was a bad one. I did a good job on it. I just had a little help in the inspiration department.

Back to the book, Matched is a good book all on its own. I couldn't put it down. The writing isn't quite up to par with The Giver, but it is good. It's less lust-filled and certainly better written than Twilight (though there is plenty of longing of a more innocent variety), and it lacks the violence of The Hunger Games. The novel makes its own points, mostly having to do with freedom or a lack of it, and what keeping the status quo means for the invisible in society.

In this Society, every aspect of life is monitored. Dreams, garbage, food intake, exercise and relationships. On her 17th birthday, Cassia Reyes celebrates her Match Banquet. This is the banquet at which her future husband is revealed to her. She is shocked and happy to learn that her Match is her best friend, Xander. Soon, though she is unsettled to find that there may have been some mistake--she might have been matched with another friend, Ky. And so begins both her angst-ridden romantic life as well as her slow discovery of individual freedom.

This book could be used as a parallel for any sort of freedom-limiting society--communist China, Taliban-ruled Afghanistan or a future U.S. where the government makes too many choices for us. It could also foster conspiracy theories, if you are so inclined! Who knows but that the proposed ban on unhealthy Happy Meals in San Francisco is the first step to having our food portioned out and delivered to us in our homes?

There are a few moments where the romantic longing gets a little thick. As my late friend Amy said, on reading the classic young adult romance Seventeenth Summer, "Oh just kiss and get it over with, for goodness sake." But I'm okay with that.

Likely not for the boys, but if you have a female Hunger Games fan in your home who is at loose ends now that the trilogy is over, wrap this up, put it under the tree, and check another gift off your list. Warning: the book will leave her hanging, and it seems likely there will be a sequel! And I will be watching for it.