Review: Crossed

Crossed
By: Ally Condie
Published by: Dutton Books
367 pages




My Must have playlist:

What its about (from goodreads):

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.

What I thought:

Okay, I'm having a hard time trying to come up with words for this review, for a few reasons. 1. I'm really trying to think of a way to show how I feel with out spoilers. and 2. I'm little bit confused on how to feel.

I loved the first half of the book.  All the passion and excitement from Matched carries over. As you follow Cassia on her Journey to find Ky you can't help but cheer for a reunion.  The setting is amazing and written beautifully, it feels like your right there with them.

The second half of the book though... I don't want to say I didn't like it because I'm holding out faith for the characters I love. However I feel like we went through a lot in this book just to take ten steps back. I'm holding on to a belief that it will turn out in the end of book 3.  But I was left feeling a bit lost. There were also a few points where I had to check the chapter heading half way though the chapter to see whose POV I was currently reading.  I know its really hard to write first person and multiple POV's.  I did enjoy getting to know KY better though.

I think if you liked Matched you should for sure read this! Just be prepared for the end.

I give this book:

Ally Condie, Brodi Ashton, and Bree Despain, OH MY!

Last night was the release party for Ally Condie's Crossed. She was adorable as always as she talked about her book, the setting and the characters.  I'm soo excited to read this book.  I just need to finish one very pleasant distraction that I'll tell you about in a minute.

I went to Ally's Launch party with a group of my regular book lover friends. And we of coarse went to cheese cake factory after. It was a ton of fun:)

Brandi, JaCee, Sheree, Ally Condie, Me, and Jenn

Also at the Launch we saw Brodi Ashton.  Who if you didn't know I've been a bit stalker like towards all things concerning her book or blog.  I love her!  and she is so cute in person too! That distraction I mentioned above is that for 6 days I am in possession of an Everneath ARC. I'm so in love with it already and extremely sad to have to give it away on Monday. But its worth sharing!  I get to post my review on January 2nd. So look for that and if you don't know what this book is you should look it up, buy it on January 24th and check out this book trailer!



And we saw Bree Despain. Who of course everyone loves already! but have you seen the cover of her of her new book?  Look for it in stores in March!

SO PRETTY

Review: Matched

Matched
By Ally Condie
Published by Penguin Group
366 Pages
17.99 (hardback)




My must have soundtrack:

What its about:

In the Society Officials Decide.
Who you LOVE, where you WORK. when you DIE.

Cassia has always trusted their choices. It's hardly any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate.  So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one...until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.  Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path no one else has ever dared follow--between perfection and passion.

What I thought:

I picked up Matched and before I knew it I was on page 186.  This book is so engrossing right from the start you'll lose all track of time reading it.  I started it at work and for once I actually didn't want to leave work because I'd have to stop reading.

When we first meet Cassia she is all trusting and innocent to how the world works.  As we follow her journey through Matched we see her grow in leaps and bounds.  She learns what it is to love to lose and to choose for herself. 

I fell in love with Xander immediately and cheered for their Match.  It was almost heartbreaking to meet Ky but I fell for him pretty quick too.  This is one of the roughest love triangles I've read, its hard to choose between two guys who seem so amazing.  All through the story you see just how much Xander cares for Cassia, and the extremes he'll go through to protect and help her.  Ky holds back so much in his life but he can't hold back with Cassia, he wants to share with her things he won't share with anyone else.

The storyline is easy to follow and fun to read.  I have serious cover envy, the cover is simple but fits the tone of the book perfectly!  I can't wait for Crossed which comes out November 1st.  And rumor has it Ally may be doing a tour in February and she'll be doing a stop in Salt Lake City! Can't wait to meet her!  To see if she is coming to your city and when keep checking here

Congrats to Ally to being number 3 on NYT best seller list that is so exciting!

I give this book: