Book Review: Reached

Review by Elinor

Title: Reached

Author: Ally Condie 

Rating: 5/5

Age Recommendation: 12+

Plot: Now that the Rising has taken control of Society, the spreading Plague is swiftly being cured and freedom being restored to the Provinces. However, when an unexpected mutation if the Plague quickly spreads, the Pilot becomes desperate to save what he has fought so hard for, even to the point of pulling Ky, Xander, and Cassia into helping him find a cure.

This book was definitely the best one of the trilogy, and it really kept me turning pages. There were so many unexpected plot twists that made this book the one most suspenseful and exciting I've read in a while. I really enjoyed it, and even though it didn't end like I thought it would, the ending was amazing.

Characters: There was an incredible amount of character development in this story. Even though I thought that the characters had been through nearly all that they could handle, each one found their own way to persevere and to never give up, even when it seemed like there was no reason to hold on.

Emotion: Reflective of the characters' struggles, the main feelings of this book were suspense and perseverance. Even though their issues were very hard, and I didn't want it to all be over at the end, I didn't feel that this book was one that would make anybody particularly emotional (but it might possibly keep them up way to late reading).

My Thoughts: I loved this book, and I can easily say that it was the best one in the series. Even though nobody had a perfect ending, I was very pleased with the way it ended. I doubt that this book is one that I'll read again in the future, but I would definitely recommend it to someone who enjoys suspense and/or dystopian novels.

 My age recommendation would be 12+, because there was about three uses of d---, and the description of the symptoms of the Plague could be disturbing to a younger audience.

Thank you!

Book Review: Crossed

Review by Elinor

Title: Crossed

Author: Ally Condie

Rating: 3/5

Plot: After being sent to the Outer Provinces, Cassia Reyes sneaks away on an air ship to search for Ky. She and another girl named Indie, run to the Canyon, each with her own purposes. Ky runs to the Canyon from his camp with a young man named Vick and a boy named Eli. When they finally make it to each other, each person must decide whether or not they wish to continue to join the Rising against Society.

The second book in this dystopian trilogy, this book was mostly building blocks for the final book. While I understand that there has to be building blocks, I have to admit that I became a bit bored with 350+ pages of building blocks. The book really didn't get very interesting until about the last quarter.

Characters: Being that this story was mainly leading up to something greater, there was a very great deal of character development, which I did enjoy. I learned to love each of the characters in different ways, and got to know them on a much deeper level.

Emotion: With the character development, there was also many new feelings that each person was facing. I absolutely love Ally Condie's writing style towards emotion. It was so deep, yet it was simply stated.

My Thoughts: Like I said, this book was mostly building blocks to the next story. I do believe that the time the author put into explaining these things will make the next book even better. I just found it a bit hard to push myself through this one. I had to keep reminding myself that it was going to get more interesting in the next book, and that it was going to be worth it. The character development was pretty much the highlight here. This book had a few kissing scenes, and I think there were two uses of "the d word", so when recommending this book, I would be sure to mention this. I have started the last book in this series, and it is AMAZING so far, a great page-turner. I think that it was definitely worth the extra time spent in this book.

Book Review: Matched



Review by Elinor

Title: Matched

Author: Ally Condie

Rating: 5/5

 

Plot: In the Society, your whole life is planned out for you by the officials. Cassia Reyes has always gone along with whatever they told her to do, because she believes that the Society is perfect; until they make a mistake that sends her life out of control. The Officials tell her that she is Matched with Xander, her best friend that she's known her whole life; but then why did his face disappear from the screen, to be replaced with Ky's, a mysterious boy who is more than everyone thinks? Now torn between two very different young men, Cassia must decide for herself if she is going to follow the life that has always been predicted for her.

 

This book was great! At first I was a little bit unsure if the romance would be too much for my taste, but it was just the right amount to keep the story sweet. I was much more impressed than I thought I would be, and I can't wait to read the next book in this series!

 

Characters: It was almost too easy to get attached to these characters! I fell in love with each and every one of them in their own ways, and I loved how their relationships with each other were so clearly represented. I think my favorite character was Ky, I loved how complexly the author wrote him, always more than he seemed.

 

Emotion: This book had about every emotion out there mixed together! It was very exciting and kept me coming back for more. Never once did I feel like it was boring or lacking any sort of emotion.

 

My thoughts: There were only a couple minor things I would change about this book, but over-all I really enjoyed it! Like I said before, I can't wait to read the next book in this series!

 

Favorite Quote:

"The two desires struggle within me: The desire to be safe, and the desire to know. I cannot tell which one will win."