Matched by Ally Condie review

So apparently I never actually managed to write my review of this one. Not sure how that happened considering I even met Ally Condie at a signing!! I can be such a space cadet sometimes.

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.

From Goodreads

Cassia has always been a wonderful citizen. Not a rebellious bone in her body, she finds she prefers the ordered life that the Society provides for her to any alternative they might devise. That's why she finds herself utterly shocked when her faith begins to waiver. Despite trying her very best to be and do just as she is supposed to, she can't get over the feeling that Ky is her real match.

Down the spiral she teeters as she dares to do things that are beyond her normal, straight-laced life. Needless to say she's terrified of what it all means, but at the same time thrilled by the experiences she is having outside of the Society's ordered little world. Or is it really outside the Society's plan?

Matched is lush & poetic, but reminiscent of many other books of the same genre. There was (and still kind of is) a huge upswing in dystopic fiction at the time this was written, so I think I may have overloaded myself with this specific type of book. The mise en scene is one that we are very familiar with, you just have to figure out what "rules" belong to this "society" rather than the ones you finally figured out for the other book. As they go, this one was a bit more bland & less harsh than I have become accustomed to expect, which was refreshing.

The love triangle aspect of the book predominately the storyline, while using the setting as a catalyst for change. It was a bit slow at some points, but I felt that the action really picked up towards the end, leading me to believe that the second book with hit the ground running. I think my favorite aspect of this was the character interaction. Not only was the dialogue unique, but the societal parameters & expectations were quirky as well.

All in all this was an alright novel. While it doesn't make my top 10 dystopian novels list, but I think it still does warrant a read for any fan of the genre. How did you find Matched?

Possession by Elana Johnson

Vi knows the Rule: Girls don't walk with boys, and they never even think about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn...and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi's future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.

But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they're set on convincing Vi to become one of them...starting by brainwashing Zenn. Vi can't leave Zenn in the Thinkers' hands, but she's wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous--everything Zenn's not. Vi can't quite trust Jag and can't quite resist him, but she also can't give up on Zenn.

This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play.

From Goodreads

So, I couldn't really sum up this book very well, so I just used the summary from Goodreads. I never really got into this story. I read it, but only just to see what happened at the end. I was not a fan of the writing & the characters' actions & behaviors were quite foreseeable. It was a very cookie-cutter style futuristic, sci-fi piece that felt like a flop to me. I never became enamored with the characters & didn't find myself desperate to find out their outcome.

Vi was a decent enough character, a typical rebellious teen, with some side issues that cause her to scrutinize everything for the hidden meaning. Jag had more depth than I expected from his role, but still nothing compelling. I think the best thing he had going for him was the fact that the socio-economy/geographic populace he represents is completely misunderstood & being taken advantage of.

I think the most aggravating thing about this book was that it seemed, considering the lack of sufficient explanation, to expect the reader to already know how & why the things operated the way the did in the book. There wasn't really a lot of world-building or a chronicled chain of events leading to the present society. There was sufficient annotations, just no definitive overview.

I'm hoping this book will be revised before it hits shelves in June, but I'm not so sure. Has anyone else had the same reaction as me? Am I just expecting too much from the story?

Inside Out by Maria Snyder

I've got a bad habit of making summaries too complicated and this one is just so well written and appealing that I'm going to use it. Thanks Goodreads! :)

I'm Trella. I'm a scrub. A nobody. One of thousands who work the lower levels, keeping Inside clean for the Uppers. I've got one friend, do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels? Not like it's all that dangerous - the only neck I risk is my own. Until I accidently start a rebellion and become the go-to girl to lead a revolution. I should have just said no...

-From Goodreads

Trella is a unique character. Her attitude and personality remind me so much of myself that I was immediately drawn into this book. Trella spends as much time as possible up in the piping, away from others, that she tends to have issues relating to most people. Yet her determination, ingenuity, and bull-headedness tend to get her through sticky situations. I really enjoyed watching her struggle with what she believed because while it was obvious that she didn't believe all the information she was given, it was still a tough lot for her to deal with the truth.

The writing was absolutely fabulous, despite being a little heavy handed. I understand that this is a dystopian novel set in a completely different place and that some explanation & description is warranted, but I felt like there was too much sometimes. I didn't skip anything because it was all useful and mildly interesting, but a lot could have been left to the imagination. Hopefully there will be a little less extreme detail in the sequel Outside In which is currently slated for a 2011 release. All in all it was a good book and I'd recommend it for people who liked The Giver.

This book was graciously provided by Around the World Tours.

Nostalgic Friday: The Giver by Lois Lowry

Welcome back to Nostalgic Friday! Since I love all things historical (culturally, physically, and personally) I do a post on Fridays honoring some awesome book that is a bit older. Many of them are books I enjoyed in my teens and others are books that I discovered as an adult that I think are relevant to YA readers.

This week I am featuring the literary classic The Giver by Lois Lowry. While it is an often challenged book, I found it no more controversial than many of the other dystopian reads I've enjoyed.

Jonas is a lucky little boy. He lives in a perfect society that is crime-free and well-mannered. Everyone is conditioned from birth to follow the rules and obey the orders that are set forth by the council of elders. Every December the whole community convenes for a ceremony that advances everyone one year. Each child moves forward in their life, receiving new responsibilities or new items each year.

This year Jonas is turning twelve and it's a big year. At twelve, everyone receives their permanent job assignment and begin training for that job. While many of his friends receive jobs like "Assistant Director of Recreation" and "Caretaker" Jonas is skipped over during the ceremony. At the end, the Chief Elder announces that Jonas has been chosen for a very, very special job. He will become the community's new "Receiver of Memory." All the knowledge of the outside world and the truth about his own existence will be given solely to Jonas to bear alone until it is time for him to beginning training a new receiver.

Thus begins the end. Jonas starts to learn about the truth of life. While other children received mountains of paperwork describing their jobs, Jonas got one piece of paper stating that:

1. He is exempt from rules governing rudeness
2. He is not allowed to discuss his training.
3. He is not allowed to share his dreams anymore
4. He cannot apply for medication unless it is for an illness unrelated to his training
5. He cannot apply for release
6. He is allowed to lie.

As Jonas starts to receive information from "The Giver" he beings to understand...everything. There are rules for conduct to prevent conflict and war (which was devastating in the past), there was medication to suppress emotions and feelings (to make the population more controlled), and the wonderful "release" ceremony that happens to the old or children who fail to thrive is really just lethal injections timed for optimum population maintenance.

As a result of all Jonas learns, he decides he must escape. He must do everything he can to make it out of the community with whoever he can. But will anyone believe him, help him, or stop him?

This book was absolutely incredible! I now understand why people have looked at me like was insane for years when I said I had not read this book. For such a short book (only 192 pages) it was jam packed with information and ideas. The idea that a perfect society can be created by suppressing the free will that makes us human is preposterous! Eventually something will break down and it will go awry. In this community's case, the thought that one person can house all the world's knowledge that is withheld from the people is just insane. Not to mention the pain that it causes that person. They cannot share their burden, they cannot shirk their responsibility, and they have to bear it so that everyone else can lead a hunky-dory life.

Jonas was a fascinating character to watch. I thoroughly enjoyed watching him move through his twelfth year as he came to understand the truth of his world. Not only had the truth been kept from him, but everyone in his entire life was perpetuating the lies. Observing Jonas as a specimen in a science experiment was engrossing because each little nugget of knowledge burrowed deeper into his subconscious until it was absorbed.

The Giver was also an interesting person of note due to his particular role. He not only had the unfortunate job of housing all the knowledge, but he also knew that he had to pass it along. While is was a lot of good things to be passed along, there were horrors that he hated to bestow upon anyone. His duty was to pass all the memories he possessed to Jonas without driving him off. A tough task indeed and it came with a miraculous outcome.

A true piece of literary mastery, The Giver is probably now situated in the mid-range of the best books I have ever read. If you like books like The Hunger Games and Candor, then this is right up your alley.

Candor by Pam Bachorz

Oscar is the perfect example of what a Candor kid should be. He has the best grades, is active in his community, is a role-model and always willing to help. Too bad it's all an act.

After a childhood accident caused his family to break up, Oscar's father was determined to create the perfect existence. That's where the Messages came into play. They are just self affirmations, but they are played in the background of everyday life all the time. They're in the grocery store, in school, in the bushes, even in the houses. You can't help but follow the simple instructions like, "The great are never late" and "Personal space in every place." Families pay big bucks and sit on a waiting list, hoping to be allowed to join this exclusive community and fix their "problems."

A lot of those "problems" look and sound like Nia. She is the prime example of what Candor is trying to fix. She is artistic (read free-thinking), rebellious (read self-sufficient), mouthy (really, what teen isn't?). Oscar, being the perfect Candor kid that he is, decides to introduce himself to his potential new client. See, Oscar has a few tricks up his sleeve as he knows how to create Messages that combat those of his father and he knows how to get you out. Only, Nia seems different. Oscar is intrigued by her and decides to keep quiet a bit longer than normal because he doesn't just see her as a client. Time is running out though and Oscar has some major decisions to make.

Candor was quick-paced and intriguing. A form of mind-control through subliminal messaging that doesn't usually lend well to reading was used quite adeptly in this book. Bachorz made the messages fun and catchy, giving them all the more credibility when you hear yourself repeating them after you've put the book down (true story, I actually did this). I found the characters very dynamic in that there are those who represent a rebellious "leader," a follower, a flake, and a victim. In a way, the whole story actually sounds plausible and reminds me of the exclusive "McMansion" neighborhoods I see in hip, urban areas. Think The Stepford Wives doing car-wash fundraisers mixed with Ferris Bueller suave and you've got Candor. Great read!