12/3/11

BOOK REVIEW: Crossed - Ally Condie

GENRE:  Young Adult - Romance, Dystopian
FORM:  Audiobook
NARRATOR(s):   Kate Simses, Jack Riccobono
SERIES:  Matched - Book 2

SYNOPSIS (from Goodreads.com):  
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:  I have been looking forward to this book for, well about a year now. I wasn’t sure how much I was going to like Matched when I first found out what it was about, but it didn’t take me long to really get into it. Cassia and Ky’s secret relationship was made so very precious due to the danger they were constantly in. This was the first dystopian novel that I have read where you get a very clear picture of the government involvement. I, of course, had read The Hunger Games, but I felt like it was more of an outside view of government. In Matched, Cassia was fully involved with "The Society" before she started questioning what was happening around her. Crossed took this information to the next level and then you get a much bigger view of "The Rising." I found it interesting how all of the characters in this book speculate on who “the Pilot” is, and what "The Rising" means, each having a different view, different feelings and different expectations.

I have enjoyed finding out more about "The Rising." I can understand Cassia’s mental dilemma, in many times she is full on for a rebellion against "The Society," yet time and time again she refers back to her life in "The Society" where everything was laid out and decided for her. The lack of confusion and chaos – sometimes it’s like she has gotten caught up with the ease of such a lifestyle that she forgets that the point is that she is an individual with thoughts and the ability to make decisions, yet once she really thinks about it she desires to have that choice and will fight to get it. I think that this would be true for many people today.  There are certainly people out there who would be perfectly happy if their entire lives were laid out before them, and no decision would ever have to be made on their own, while other people would be bursting out of the seams to get out of that box, to do something different, crazy, or creative.  I think Cassia actually does fall in them middle of those two scenarios, but she also knows what is right.

The more I read them the more I am not a fan of love triangles. I hate that in my mind I have made a decision, and about 90% of the time my decision is how the story concludes, but I have to sit through the wishy/washyness of going between boys. I understand Xander has always been Cassia’s best friend from youth, but I don’t still don’t like the longing references back to him. He isn’t giving up, and there is a part of her that doesn’t give up on him either. It cannot be both ways, and Cassia, and every other girl in every other book, needs to stop playing with the emotions of these boys. Especially with this series, isn’t there enough action and emotion, danger and storyline to feed these books without throwing in the love triangle??

It is refreshing how innocent the relationship between Cassia and Ky has played out on the pages. Yes, they kiss a lot, and have their tender moments, but sex is not the only thing on their minds – which has been a consistent theme in many of the books I’ve read recently. It makes them come off as innocent and sweet, and leaves you wanting just a touch more.

So I have a few questions, which is natural for being in the middle of a series; but I am wondering if "The Rising" isn’t a bit like "The Society" in some of the important ways. Order is needed everywhere, but I’m afraid that they are going to end up having a big ugly center. Hopefully I’m wrong since all of the characters we love are wrapped up in the middle of it all. I'm also curious about this invisible enemy they seem to talk about, but who also seem to be completely separate from both "The Society," and "The Rising."  My theory:  the enemy is a made up force created by "The Society" in order to justify their murder of everyone that is not like them.

I love foreshadowing, and I’m hopeful on the Indy/Xander possibility. I do feel bad for Xander, he does seem to have been dealt a bad hand in all of this, so to see him come to some kind of happiness would be wonderful. But more than that, I really, really, really hope that Cassia stops with the back and forth – and falls in love with one guy – who better be Ky!

In conclusion - I really enjoyed Crossed.  I was a little bit afraid, after reading a few other reviews who felt like it was just a filler book with nothing important, but I'm thankful they were wrong.  So much important information has been included in this book.  It just didn't have so much of the relationship aspects of the book that I think people so often are looking for.  That isn't the point of the book!

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