Matched by Ally Condie

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Penguin, ISBN: 9780141333052.
Cassia Reyes is seventeen. At the age of seventeen, The Society calls upon you to attend a Match Banquet where they tell you who your match is. Tonight is Cassia's turn. The Society dictates how to behave, your occupation, who you marry, when you die. Can Cassia be freed by love?
The plot is not completely believable but doesn't leave you hanging, each scene leads into the next. It is not complex however, so everyone can understand what is going on. Most characters feel fake, occasionally a character feels real for awhile but quickly reverts back. This is due to the setting. It is set in the distant future, where there are flying cars and even cancer has almost been completely wiped out. The whole story takes place within The Society. The main theme of the book is that of controlling society. Everything is dictated to you and if you do anything wrong, step one toe out of line, you are penalised in some way. Some small things receive large unjustifiable punishments.
The style of writing is straight forward and un-complex, no imagery and little symbolism is used. The target audience of this book would be 13-17 year olds, however some 17 year olds may find it a little simple if they are used to more complex novels. I would rate this book 8/10 stars.
Amelia Kelly (17 years old)

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