The Bursting Bookshelf

Author: Ally Condie
In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.

Review:
After reading Matched, I was unsure of what to expect for Crossed. When I received a copy, I jumped in and found myself completely absorbed with the complexity of this story and everything inside of it. This book truly was a one of the best sequels I have ever read, to the point it was even better than the first.

The cover of this book is such a great symbol for what the character goes through during the book. It actually symbolises my favourite part of the book; the realization that her world is not perfect, but quite the opposite. I also love how they continued the bubble theme, with changes to colour and outfit. Also, if you look closely, there is a quirk in the second letter of the title, this time it is the "R" is backwards while the first title had an "A" with no cross. Just the beauty of the shattering glass as Cassia bursts the illusion of serenity was enough to get others around me to ask what I was reading, which really proves the appeal of this cover.

Though Cassia and Ky were separated for quite a bit of the story, you still could feel the connection between them purely from how much they thought about each other and through the actions they committed. Cassia went far from her comfort zone in an effort to find Ky, which really highlighted their love for each other, as well as Cassia's growth from Matched. I found that she had become the strong young person that I love to read about in books; strong to their beliefs, but still making mistakes along the way. Ky was also strong to his beliefs, but he was willing to make nearly any sacrifice for Cassia, making him a crush-worthy male lead.

The plot of this book was fairly swift moving, though there were a few times that I found to be a little too slow amongst the swift plot. Apart from those few slow moments, I found this book to have a more favourable plot than I went in hoping for. The writing of this book was very descriptive of the setting and characters, helping the reader form a much fuller picture in their mind. Another strong point of this book was the way the chapters were each either Ky or Cassia's point of view, giving the reader insight into both characters. Personally, I cannot wait for the third book of this series to see what happens to Cassia and Ky in their journey for freedom.

I would recommend this book to those who have read Matched or just love dystopian books. For being one of the best sequels I have ever read and for being a good book altogether, I give Crossed a 4/5.

Title: Matched
Author: Ally Condie
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Release: November 30, 2011
Pages: 366
Series: Matched #1
Synopsis:
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.

Review:
Matched was a fast paced, fun read, with a lot of hype to boot. Not to mention the cover! I finished Matched a little while back and had a pretty good time with it.

Wow, the cover is just wow. I mean the minute I saw it I knew I had to read it. It's just that eye catching, though it's even more beautiful in person. It has gloss highlights over the girl and off set highlights over the letters of the title giving it a very futuristic feel. I also love the colors, they stand out against other books as the green that they use if so vibrant and it also gave you a feel for what Cassia actually wore to her Matching ceremony. I really like though how the girl is in the bubble, symbolising the society she lives in keeps all its people in a bubble away from the real world. I always love a cover that's gorgeous and has meaning.

The characters in Matched were interesting to read about for many reasons like they were so new with love and unlike today's teens they weren't looking for a boyfriend or a girlfriend, the Society did that for them. Then when Cassia started to realise she had feelings for Ky that might go against everything that the society taught her, she had no idea of what to do. It was a very different trait than we are used to in our everyday lives because we know what love is where she was taught that anything that couldn't be proved or wasn't approved of be the society didn't exist. On Xander's side of things, he faced rejection which doesn't often occur among members of the society because of the rigorous Matching system. And Ky (I'm Team Ky!) had to fight for Cassia's heart because he realised his feelings for her though he wasn't her chosen partner. When you pool this all together, you get one great set of characters that are all unique in their own ways.

The story in Matched is the part that I didn't always care for. I found that sometimes there wouldn't be much of anything going on during some chapters. Most of the time though the story kept chugging along at a fairly good pace, and then the end happened. The last part of the book was definitely my favorite part. The events of the book finally all caught up to the characters and the result was a suspenseful ending with some realization as well.
After reading Matched, I really can't wait to read and find out what happens to all of the characters and to see if Cassia will get her happy ending after all. Until then, Matched gets a 3.5/5.

Hey guys! At least one of my scheduled meme's is on time this week. This week for New In The World Of... I chose Ally Condie as I am so excited for her book Matched to come out I thought 'Hey let's see what's new in her world.'. So I did. And you'll never guess what I found. Or maybe you will. But probably not. Anyway, I found the tentative cover and name for Matched #2! Here it is...
That's right! It's called Crossed and if it follows suit with Matched's cover, it'll probably be a blue theme. Exciting right?

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event held by Jill over at Breaking The Spine! It's all about those books you just can't wait for and are counting down the days till they come out.
This week for WoW I have chosen...