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Crossed (Matched, #2)
by Ally Condie (Goodreads Author)
by Ally Condie (Goodreads Author)
I can honestly say I've never been more disappointed by a sequel in my life. I rather enjoyed MATCHED, and while I can't say I was foaming at the mouth to read the next, I was curious to see where Condie would take Cassia's story.
The answer to that is: nowhere.
Absolutely nothing happens. Oh sure, plot events unfold, one after the other, but they are without significance. Instead of advancing the story, we are instead treated to endless ruminations about the nature of love, wrapped up in some (admittedly) poetic prose. But style is not enough, especially in dystopian novels, which are "idea books". Romance is not enough to carry the day, I'm sorry. It may have been enough in MATCHED, which I had THOUGHT was a fairly sophisticated exploration of free will. I think I'm so disappointed in this book because I had expected more from Condie.
P.S. If you have dual narrators, it would help to distinguish them by giving them distinct voices and discrete things to do. A chapter heading at the beginning of each is simply not enough. At times I had to flip back and forth to remember whose head I was supposedly in.
The answer to that is: nowhere.
Absolutely nothing happens. Oh sure, plot events unfold, one after the other, but they are without significance. Instead of advancing the story, we are instead treated to endless ruminations about the nature of love, wrapped up in some (admittedly) poetic prose. But style is not enough, especially in dystopian novels, which are "idea books". Romance is not enough to carry the day, I'm sorry. It may have been enough in MATCHED, which I had THOUGHT was a fairly sophisticated exploration of free will. I think I'm so disappointed in this book because I had expected more from Condie.
P.S. If you have dual narrators, it would help to distinguish them by giving them distinct voices and discrete things to do. A chapter heading at the beginning of each is simply not enough. At times I had to flip back and forth to remember whose head I was supposedly in.
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Phoebe
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Jul 02, 2011 11:44am
Disappointing! I had some similar reservations with Matched (slow pacing, blandness, despite the fact that I loved her prose), though a few people who commented on my review nearly had me convinced that this was intentional on the author's part, a move made to show the blandness of the oppressive society. Sad to hear that it doesn't break away from that.
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Right?? It was so underwhelming. The plot was almost nonexistent. That's what bothered me the most. I FEEL like more stuff happened in MATCHED - am I remembering it wrong??
I enjoyed it! But it was kind of slow going. I really hope things pick up in book 3. Which I am anxiously awaiting.
@Rachel & @ Kelley-People who have read it early have likely received an ARC, or Advanced Readers Copy, which publishers circulate at book fairs or send to certain people ahead of time in order to generate attention and/or get feedback.
Completely agree. I described it to a friend as being like 400 pages of the camping bit in Harry Potter 7--lots of survival metaphors and navel-gazing (I often find Condie's flowery prose a bit forced melodramatic) without a lot of plot.
It's so true about having a hard time remembering who was narrating. I couldn't tell more than once.
Ouch. Harsh comments. I loved Matched too. Thought it was introspective and beautifully written. I think I still have to read this one but maybe not as cheerfully. Sorry you were disappointed.
Great to see your perspective on this. I completely agree. And still yet, the second book in a trilogy isn't always the best, because it's kind of like a "hold over" (not matter how intense) to the final, and epic ending. If each book isn't an adventure and a plot all on its own, then the second book is going to be seeming like it's not leading anywhere. After all, a lot of authors just use the second book to lead up to the third. Give this book a chance.And I completely agree with you on the whole narrarator issue. She needs to make it much clearer. It's about as clear as murky water.
Mary wrote: "Great to see your perspective on this. I completely agree. And still yet, the second book in a trilogy isn't always the best, because it's kind of like a "hold over" (not matter how intense) to the..."Ha i appreciate and like your insight
I wanna know how you get on the lists for these ARCs. I'm in the middle of nowhere, so a book fair isn't happening.
I only started reading this, but that is one thing I noticed - I had to keep flipping to the chapter title page to remember which character was the one speaking..there was really no distinction between the two, other than on the chapter's title page.
I know! A t times Cassia and Ky seem to blend into one another but not in a good way. Its in a way that makes all the characters seem one dimensional!
oh my goodness all of this. I was getting so confused cause I could never tell who's voice I was reading... and also I kept waiting for something to happen. I'm glad I didn't hold my breath...
I completely agree. Especially about the dual POV's. I would read part of a chapter then curse myself when I finally realized I had been in Cassia's head when I was supposed to be in Ky's. It made things very confusing especially when they were in scenes together.
