Back of Book Summary in a Sentence
At the age of seventeen, Cassia’s spouse is chosen for her by the government, but her heart lies on one of the corners of a love triangle.
Review
Cassia starts off the novel daydreaming while in a silky green dress. She looks like she’s on the way to prom, but she’s actually on her way to a government function where City Officials will determine who she spends the rest of her life with. So maybe like a dystopian prom.
In the course of the train ride to City Hall, I already know what Cassie and her best friend Xander look like, how the Society matches teenagers to their life partner, and that this Society grew out of the ruins of an old society. Notice the big S and small s. I’m pretty sure this will be important later on in the book.
This was an extremely efficient beginning to a novel. I’ve learned so much already. It’s like a really healthy steak. All protein and no fat.
Also, all citizens must carry colorful emergency tablets. What do the colors signify? And what are the tablets actually for? This is a mystery I want to solve.
The novel’s writing style is breezy and very easy to read, and the first person perspective makes Cassia extremely relatable. The use of present tense also immerses the reader into Cassia’s current situation. I feel like I’m in her head anxiously waiting to know which handsome seventeen-year-old will appear on the Matching screen.
And I will have to keep waiting since the chapter ends on a cliffhanger. I was internally screaming as I read the chapter’s final sentence because if I had screamed externally, the Starbucks baristas would have stared at me. You can bet I’m going to read the rest of the book. Mostly because after reading the first chapter, I’m almost certain every chapter will end on a cliffhanger, and I can’t stand not knowing something. Well played, Ally Condie, well played.
Quotable Quote
Cassia is my spirit twin. She understands what’s important.
I have just popped the last bite in my mouth when the announcer says, “We are ready to announce the Matches.”
I swallow in surprise, and for a second, I feel an unexpected surge of anger: I didn’t get to savor my last bite of cake.
Get Matched
Gwen thinks that it’s as close to magic as humans can get when a blank Word document is filled with groups of letters, and those groups of letters turn into lines, and those lines turn into a whole new world.
When Gwen isn’t reading or writing, she’s drinking boba milk tea and singing along to Steven Universe. You should sing along with her.
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