Sunday, January 6, 2013

Reached (Matched # 3) by Ally Condie Review


Author: Ally Condie
Publisher: Dutton Childrens Books
Release Date: November 14th, 2012
Format: Hardcover
Buy the book on Amazon
512 pages

Summary:
After leaving Society and desperately searching for the Rising—and each other—Cassia and Ky have found what they were looking for, but at the cost of losing each other yet again: Cassia has been assigned to work for the Rising from within Society, while Ky has been stationed outside its borders. But nothing is as predicted, and all too soon the veil lifts and things shift once again.
In this gripping conclusion to the #1 New York Times-bestsellingMatched trilogy, Cassia will reconcile the difficulties of challenging a life too confining, seeking a freedom she never dreamed possible, and honoring a love she cannot live without.

Goodreads

My Review:

What a great conclusion to a very interesting trilogy!  Reached was just as brilliantly written and crafted as the other two books in the series.  The best part about this book was definitely the writing style.  Ally Condie writes all of her books as though she is crafting a poem: each word is carefully chosen, as if the entire story needs to fit on one single page rather than 512.  There were a wealth of similes, metaphors, and extended metaphors throughout the book.  Not only did every word and every sentence read like a poem, but everything that was stated in the book had more than one meaning: oftentimes there was a literal meaning, a figurative meaning, and then a meaning that coincided with real life outside of the story.  It was just beautifully written.

I also enjoyed the switching point of views between Cassia, Ky, and Xander.  The first book in the trilogy was just in Cassia's point of view and the second was in both Cassia and Ky's.  However, I loved getting a look at Xander's mind as well, especially since the book concerned his future as much as Cassia and Ky's; also, throughout all three books his personality was so straightforward yet at the same time he harbored many secrets, and so I was always wondering what he was thinking.  There really was not much of a love triangle in this final book, since it was clear from the first two that Cassia had made her decision and she was sticking with it.  That being said, it was nice to see how each of the characters ended up and who they each truly loved.

There was a sort of somber feel to the book that I was not exactly thrilled with, but I suppose that is expected in a book where the characters have no control over their lives.  This book was also interesting because we learned more about the rebellion that was occurring and the logistics behind it.  While the ending did not exactly leave me feeling completely satisfied (it was open-ended and did not specifically explain what would happen to the future of their society), there was definitely a sense of closure that fit the final in a series.  Overall, this was a great book and a beautifully written series, and you should check it out if you are interested in dystopian love stories.



My Rating:



5 comments:

  1. I can't wait to get my hands on this book. I am like number 100 at the library!

    Angie
    Angela's Anxious Life

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  2. I'm glad you enjoyed this, although I must say I'm a bit nervous! I wasn't a fan of Crossed and I've read that this final book isn't as epic as it should've been. Hopefully when I do get to reading this I'm not too disappointed by the ending! Great review!

    Lisa | Read Me Bookmark Me Love Me

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  3. I've been wanting to read this books since before the first even came out. I can't believe I've waited so long to read them, but at least now when I do, I won't have to wait to continue the trilogy.

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  4. I have been really nervous to read this one because I didn't love Crossed as much as the first book. But I am glad to hear you enjoyed it overall. Though I am nervous about the ending and fear I may not like it for certain reasons. Great review!

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  5. I really enjoyed the book. Although at times I felt that it dragged in the middle and found the characterization of the Pilot totally lacking, which may be intentional, I enjoyed the book tremendously and find it a satisfying conclusion to the Matched trilogy.

    Marlene Detierro (Hummer Accessories)

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