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jaynamac's review against another edition
4.0
I'll start by saying that one of the things I think is most overlooked throughout Ally Condie's "Matched" trilogy is the beautifully lyrical quality of her prose. It is fluid and poetic. While it's difficult not to rush through the book to reach the next plot twist, there are greater rewards in pausing and just appreciating her language. And I am referring to the bulk of her prose, not just the occasional poem (though I've always had a keen fondness for Dylan Thomas!).
I found "Reached" to be the strongest of the three books. While several developments were easy to call before they happened (which I won't name here, so as NOT to spoil the story for you!), there were still a few surprises that I didn't predict.
I appreciated that the chapters were written from each of the three main characters' points of view: Cassia has matured, and is more determined than ever to find, or perhaps create, some justice in the world and find a place where she can love whomever she chooses. Ky is forced along a path that he would not otherwise have chosen, because of his love for Cassia. And we finally hear from Xander. I felt his personality as written didn't quite match what we'd observed from the first two books; it could have been that Condie couldn't quite find his voice, but I choose to believe it's because he hasn't had his own voice until now -- we've only seen Xander through Cassia's and Ky's eyes. And at this point in the story, he is older, has experienced disappointed and rejection, and may have become resigned and perhaps a bit jaded.
The themes of this book continue to expand on those raised in Matched and Crossed: balancing romantic love against the love for and safety of your family; searching for social justice in an unjust world; finding your own voice and individuality after years of repression and conformation. I think some of these same themes may apply to our lives today.
I was fully satisfied by the ending of this story/trilogy. I'll be watching eagerly for Ms. Condie's next novel!
I found "Reached" to be the strongest of the three books. While several developments were easy to call before they happened (which I won't name here, so as NOT to spoil the story for you!), there were still a few surprises that I didn't predict.
I appreciated that the chapters were written from each of the three main characters' points of view: Cassia has matured, and is more determined than ever to find, or perhaps create, some justice in the world and find a place where she can love whomever she chooses. Ky is forced along a path that he would not otherwise have chosen, because of his love for Cassia. And we finally hear from Xander. I felt his personality as written didn't quite match what we'd observed from the first two books; it could have been that Condie couldn't quite find his voice, but I choose to believe it's because he hasn't had his own voice until now -- we've only seen Xander through Cassia's and Ky's eyes. And at this point in the story, he is older, has experienced disappointed and rejection, and may have become resigned and perhaps a bit jaded.
The themes of this book continue to expand on those raised in Matched and Crossed: balancing romantic love against the love for and safety of your family; searching for social justice in an unjust world; finding your own voice and individuality after years of repression and conformation. I think some of these same themes may apply to our lives today.
I was fully satisfied by the ending of this story/trilogy. I'll be watching eagerly for Ms. Condie's next novel!
ally_o's review against another edition
Got about 3/4 of the way done. Just too many scenes of the main characters staring into the distance reflecting on things. It got worse with each book.
megggg's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
breezy610's review against another edition
3.0
it kept dragging on and on. i thought was never going to finish it. i'm glad that series is over and i glad that everything glad sloved.
harrypotterfan33's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Absolutely amazing finale to the Matched trilogy!
emmilene's review against another edition
3.0
I have mixed feelings about this book, I like it but there are some parts I felt did not fit in well with the plot. I saw someone's review on the 2nd book of this series saying how Ky and Cassia are so alike you have to check who the person talking is. That is so true, many times in this book I had to look at the top of the page, realizing it's a totally different person. I also felt that Xander was just a replacement for Lei, just because Lei kept comparing Xander to Vick, but maybe that was just me. Also, I feel like the author does not give enough information about some things, for example, Cassia's job, I don't understand it very well, I still don't know what a sorter is.
Overall, I liked this book but there were a few things here and there that made me confused.
Overall, I liked this book but there were a few things here and there that made me confused.
smateer73's review against another edition
5.0
This one was the best one of the trilogy. It is much more fast paced than the others, and the stakes are higher. It's worth getting through the dragging parts of the other two to get to this one.
secamimom's review against another edition
4.0
Thankfully, this one was much better than the last one. It wrapped up the series very nicely.
cobycoyle's review against another edition
4.0
Honestly, this was my favorite book of the trilogy. I think Ally Condie did a job well done in wrapping up the story. I feel like the characters had more depth in this book than they did the first two. Sometimes the writing/story felt a little choppy and poems randomly thrown in (as with the previous two books) but not as much this time. Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable trilogy to read!
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I thought it was a nice change of pace that the cure for the Plague mutation came from a simple flower instead of something more predictable (someone's blood, some technology, etc. etc.) I love that Xander found his own love in the end, and while I found a lot of the book to be mildly predictable (as many YA books can be), I did not predict the twist with Lei at the end, and I found myself thrilled that this ended up being the case.
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I thought it was a nice change of pace that the cure for the Plague mutation came from a simple flower instead of something more predictable (someone's blood, some technology, etc. etc.) I love that Xander found his own love in the end, and while I found a lot of the book to be mildly predictable (as many YA books can be), I did not predict the twist with Lei at the end, and I found myself thrilled that this ended up being the case.