#175 Book Review: Reached

Reached
Release Date: November 2012
Author: Ally Condie
Publisher: Penguin Australia
Source: Publisher for Review
Format: Paperback
Where to Buy:  Fishpond | Booktopia | Dymocks
More Info: Goodreads

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.

Cover:
I really adore how the covers of the Matched series each represent the story of the book. The red theme of Reached's cover symbolises the red tablet and also how there's this sense of freedom achieved because the girl breaks free from the sphere which originally traps her inside.

Story:

The Pilot, the Uprising must live...to tell the tale...

After finishing Crossed last year, I was quite disappointed. I enjoyed Matched but not so much with Crossed. However, I was still excited to read Reached because I wanted to know how the story would conclude. Reached was a slow journey to a satisfying ending.

The story begins with Cassia, Ky and Xander separated to do their part for the Uprising. They are still waiting for the Pilot who will help them with their rebellion. Slowly, the story starts to unravel about the Uprising, the Pilot and Cassia, Ky and Xander's life. This book is written from Cassia, Ky and Xander's POV so it was really interesting to hear their thoughts on the journey of their lives. The story itself progressed really slowly and I found myself facing the same struggles as I did with Crossed. Luckily, towards the ending the story picked up and I was satisfied with the conclusion. One thing that stood out the most from this book was definitely Ally's writing. It was very lyrical and poetic!

Characters:
Cassia, Ky and Xander are with no doubt the three main characters in this book who have changed throughout the series. Cassia is no longer the girl trapped by the confines of the Society. Instead, she joins the Uprising to breakthrough the barriers set up by the Society. When reading Matched and Crossed, I was confused of who I should root for with Cassia. Xander or Ky? They both are different guys who love Cassia but after reading Reached, I can finally decide that Ky is actually perfect for Cassia. Their moments together are synced and their love for words are beautiful. There are new characters introduced in this book who play important roles in the Uprising and I really enjoyed reading about all of them!

Overall:
Will Cassia, Ky and Xander make it in the Uprising? Will the Society change? Reached is the satisfying conclusion to the Matched series. Even though I found the beginning slow, the book picked up towards the ending and Ally's lyrical writing brings us the enjoyable last book in the Matched trilogy.

3 Forget-Me-Not flowers for Reached!

Thank you Penguin Australia for the review copy!

Check out the book trailer below!

#32 Book Review: Crossed

Crossed
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian
Pages: 367
Published: November 1st 2011
Author: Ally Condie
Source: Bought

Summary from Goodreads:
The hotly awaited second book in the dystopian Matched trilogy

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.

My review:

Cover:
Absolute loved it! I love to touch the surface of my copy since it's glossy and gorgeous. Reflects the book and if I'm not mistaken, the blue colour represents the blue tablets in the book!

5 Forget-me-not flowers for the cover!

Story:
I am very tortured reading this book. Why? The book's progress is really slow. Really slow. [Note the emphasizing on the word 'really'] I wanted to enjoy the book, since I enjoyed Matched. I wanted to read more about Cassia & Ky. I want to explain more about why I think the book's progress is really slow but then I will spoil many things from the book which I don't want to do at all. Basically, Cassia is still trying to find Ky and Ky is also trying to find Cassia in this book. This struggle and meeting with other new characters happen for half of the book. It was so slow. Then, they found each other. I screamed, hooray! Finally! Then, something happens again, like another challenge for this couple and the ending was making me so annoyed. I love that we get to read more about Cassia & Ky, their love growing for each other but that's not enough to make me love this book as much as I loved Matched. I wanted to see more progress with the story, like the Rebels and the Society but almost the whole book talks about the struggles of Cassia & Ky, Cassia & Xander and their life back in the Society. There is also new topics about the Rebellion (called the Rising) and it has more adventures because it's set in the outer province with lots of canyons and dry places. 


One thing I absolute loved was Condie decided to write in 2 POV: Cassia & Ky. Since reading Matched, I was very curious about what's going on in Ky's head since he's such a quiet and mysterious boy. In Crossed, I finally learned more about Ky and his feelings for the rebellion, his family and Cassia. 

As usual, Condie's writing is really beautiful. The poems in this book and the way she describes everything happening is really beautiful. If only I could enjoy the story as much as her writing style, I would have been so stuck in this book!


Characters:
The development of the characters is quite good. Cassia becomes stronger and Ky becomes stronger too. What I don't really understand is Xander. He is not featured much in the book, only appeared for a while in the beginning but Cassia described that he changed. I do feel that he changed so I wanted to read more about him in this book but that's it. That was the only part where Xander actually talked to Cassia and then there's nothing else. It's all about Cassia, Ky and other characters. I really enjoyed reading Ky's POV in this book and understanding him more. I'm quite annoyed with Cassia because she can be stubborn and confused at the same time. Almost like she's stuck in a love triangle. There are other new characters introduced in this book too and I enjoyed reading about them.


Overall: 
It will satisfy those who are very anticipating for more of Cassia & Ky but the story's progress throughout the book is really slow. I didn't quite enjoyed it as Matched though I still recommend those who have read Matched to read this book!

3 Forget-me-not flowers for Crossed!

Meanwhile, check out the book trailer first before starting the book, like I did!

Teaser Tuesday #2

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"You're here," he says, breathing hard and hungry. Sweat and dirt cover his face, and he looks at me as though I'm the only thing he ever need to see.

Teaser from Crossed by Ally Condie. 

How about your Teaser Tuesday? Leave links! 

In My Mailbox #8

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. It's Sunday agai so let's see what I got this week!

Winter's Shadow

Author: M.J Hearle

Source: Won from the Author 

Summary from Goodreads:

Blake Duchamp...

He's all that Winter Adams can think of. Ever since their fateful meeting at Pilgrim's Lament. Ever since he looked at her with those emerald eyes. Ever since he saved her life.

But Blake isn't all that he seems. There is a strangeness about him, something dark and otherworldly. Something dangerous. In his attic is a secret he would kill to defend, but Winter seems to have a special ability to make him forget his duty. And he is her only protection against the gathering darkness.

The only problem is, to protect Winter, Blake must risk exposing her to an even greater danger. Himself.

My opinion:

First of all, the author is a male and he writes in a girl's POV which is awesome. I find it rare to see a male author writing in a girl's POV and likewise for female authors writing in a boy's POV. I'm currently reading this one now and it's really good, another great Aussie read. Thank you to M.J Hearle for giving me the opportunity to read his book!

Crossed

Author: Ally Condie

Source: Bought

Summary from Goodreads:

The hotly awaited second book in the dystopian Matched trilogy

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.

My opinion:

I enjoyed Matched and I can't wait to read this. I also noticed that there are some sections of the book where it's written from Ky's POV. Well this is one thing I'm anticipating a lot since I want to know what's inside Ky's head! The cover is also gorgeous. I love the blue! 

Well, that's all from me! What do you have in your IMM this week? Just leave a comment and I'll check it out! Thank you.

My third book review: Matched

Matched
Genre: Young Adult
Pages: 384
Published: 30th November 2010
Author: Ally Condie

Summary from Goodreads:
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.


My review:
What intrigued me with this book at first was the book blurb. I loved Melina Marchetta books and when I saw that the book blurb was hers, I thought I had to read it! The cover is lovely and I actually watched the book trailer before buying this book. The book trailer was quite confusing for me because I don't get what it means, but it was still good! After reading several pages of the book, I finally get what it means! 

Cassia's whole life has been determined by the Society, and that includes who she will marry. Cassia is an interesting character, who becomes rebellious deep down after starting to fall for Ky. She is Matched with Xander but she finds herself falling in love with Ky, who is also her Match. The idea of every aspect of your life being controlled by someone else is what happens in Cassia's life. Even her food portions are controlled by the Society, according to her data. It's a fresh dystopian novel, quite different from others although the book progressed quite slow. The love between Cassia and Ky happened halfway through the book and there are many things happening before, to give readers a better idea of what the Society is like. 


Ky Markham and Xander are both beautifully written characters but I find Ky more interesting than Xander. He is not from the place where Cassia lives, and he has a history and a story which he tells to Cassia secretly. He can also write, which Cassia and the people living in the place can't do. The attraction between them was undeniable although it progressed slowly. I totally agree with Melina Marchetta's book blurb that Matched is beautifully written!


Overall: Looking for dystopian novels with fresh theme? Read Matched! Matched portrays the life of someone fully controlled by the government and it's definitely worth reading even if the progress of the book was slow and the ending leaves you wanting for the second book more!

4 forget-me-not flowers rating for Matched

Note: Crossed is the second book in the series and will come out on the 1st November!


Check out the book trailer here! I love the book trailer!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaeNWL8rlBI