Who is your perfect Match?

Just finished book number three- Matched by Ally Condie. This book was so hyped up that I was sort of afraid it wouldn't live up to my high expectations. I mean, a movie deal was signed even before the book was released! But, I didn't need to worry. Matched was exactly what I expected.

This novel is a dystopian love story (my two favorite things to read, by the way) about a seventeen year old girl named Cassia. The story opens with Cassia on her way to her Match Banquet, where she will find out the name of her Match- the statistically compatible boy that she will ultimately spend the rest of her life with. Cassia is perfectly happy with her Match results, The Society, and her life, until things began to happen that make her question all that she thought she knew and believed.

Matched is beautifully written, interlaced with powerful imagery, inspiring poetry, and thought-provoking themes. It was so easy to get caught up in the story, and very hard to leave Cassia and her world!

I have no doubt that this book, its sequels (Matched is the first in a trilogy), and the forthcoming movies will be a huge success. It is already being called the next Twilight, although thankfully it is much better written, and it is noticeably similar to The Hunger Games. Which actually brings me to my one complaint about the book: lack of originality. Not so much in the world and plot and themes, but in the love story. The tried and true, lovable love triangle. A great way to get teen girls to read your books! Jut put in two wonderful guys, both vying for the heroine's attention, and you've got a bestseller right there! It seems that this love triangle has permeated every young adult series that I have read recently: Twilight, The Uglies, The Hunger Games, The Mortal Instruments... and now this too. Now, I'm not going to become a hater over this or anything. The book is just too good! And, the series isn't over yet, so maybe it's too soon to make judgments. But, for me personally, I'm over the overdone love triangle.

So, do I recommend this book? Most definitely. What are you waiting for? Go read it!

And finally, for those of you who are wondering who your Match would be, wonder no more! The official Matched website, http://matched-book.com/, can tell you! (Using facebook, of course.) I won't tell you all who my Match is... I think that's going to stay a secret. But I encourage you to give it a try! Don't worry, it doesn't post your results on facebook without your permission. Or at least, I don't think it does...