Matched Series by Ally Condie -> Restarting March 3rd, 2020

[Alaina, Head of Monthly Challenges & Keeper of BR Threads]

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.

Matched is a story for right now and storytelling with the resonance of a classic.

[Ashy Khaira]

Chapter 1-6 (view spoiler)[ wow how nice to have two best friends mated to each other.but who put in ky's picture into cassia's card?what was the infraction his father commited anyways?and what does final banquet mean?they choose your time to die? (hide spoiler)]

[Ashy Khaira]

Chapter 7-12 (view spoiler)[ wow the society officials plan when people die and at what age?and even match them to others to produce the best offspring?that is shitty.holy shit.....her grandfather would have known that her father would have gotten in trouble and could probably lead to an infraction when he asked cassia's father to destroy his tissue sample.what happens now? (hide spoiler)]

[Ashy Khaira]

Chapte 13-18 (view spoiler)[ what happens if they take the green tablet twice in a day?does have ky have feelings for cassia?is she starting to have feelings for him too?why why why was em so damned stupid to let the artifact be seen?now thanks to her everyone's artifacts have been taken in.hate em for that (hide spoiler)]

[Ashy Khaira]

Chapter 19-24 (view spoiler)[ hmm so they both fell in love.does this mean cassia will go against the officials?why are all this mistakes happening with Cassia?why does she even allow him to kiss her if she is afraid for him.ugh! (hide spoiler)]

[Ashy Khaira]

Finished (view spoiler)[ wow i really hate the officials.they were playing a game with cassia's life and then sent her family to the farmlands just because her mother knows the truth about the crops.so why dont the red pills work on ky and xander? (hide spoiler)]

[Nicole]

i just added this to my tbr list and realized its a br this month so im going to join in on this one :)

[Nicole]

*Chapter 1-2 (view spoiler)[ Ok so this may be dumb but I find the fascination with the compact hilarious. An everyday item to us as an “artifact” lol. But for real Cassia should be very happy that she got lucky enough for Xander to be her match :) (hide spoiler)]

*Chapter 8 (view spoiler)[ So the whole “death” thing is kinda deeply disturbing but also very kind, knowing when you’re going to go and at least it seems peaceful. This book almost reminds me of Divergent except instead you get a Match instead of a faction and you can choose a faction but not a match. Although Cassia is being weird, shouldn’t she be happy that she has Xander? (hide spoiler)]

[Nicole]

*50% thru (view spoiler)[ I feel like this is kinda slow going. Not much is happening and I feel almost like there is not a lot of character development…. (hide spoiler)]

[Nicole]

*About 85% done (view spoiler)[ Not sure how kids so young can throw around the love word so easily. I feel like they barely know each other considering they can barely talk to each other. I would go crazy in a world like this....crazy (hide spoiler)]

[Felicia, Head of Team Quarterly & BOTM]

RESTARTING JANUARY 2ND 2019 *************

[Ella]

Chapter 8 (view spoiler)[ So far I'm much more interested in the world than the characters. I just don't understand why she is suddenly so interested in Ky since she seemed to like Xander so much but oh well. . Hopefully, I like the characters more as the book progresses. I have so many questions about the world. It reminds me a lot of The Giver but less strict. What do the red pills do? What kind of evil conspiracy is most definitely happening? Do people naturally die at 80 or is there something much more dubious happening? Did Hamilton make it on the list of 100 songs allowed!?! I need answers. (hide spoiler)]

[Ella]

Chapter 22 (view spoiler)[ I’m still not crazy about these characters. Cassia doesnt have a strong personality and Xander and Ky are pretty much the same character (hide spoiler)]

[Ella]

Chapter 28 (view spoiler)[ I just don’t know wherre this book is going. The bubbles just waiting to pop and Im not sure what’s going to happen. (hide spoiler)]

[Ella]

Finished (view spoiler)[ I just wasn't crazy about this. The world was awsome but I never connected with any of the characters and they felt super bland. Hopefully the second one gets better! (hide spoiler)]

[Haven]

64% (view spoiler)[ I am definitely having more problems the second time around, but I still love this series. I'm not loving the writing, and I just noticed how quickly Cassia started to fall for Ky. I understand being drawn to someone from the start, but she didn't even know him that well yet and she was already daydreaming about him. Ky is currently telling Cassia about Sisyphus. Love this series! I am just finding some problems reading it for the second time. (hide spoiler)]

[Haven]

82% (view spoiler)[ ahhhhh I just love Ky so muchhhhhhh! Their relationship is so sweet. I love that a kiss wasn't the start of their relationship. They just love each other so much and they don't have to kiss to show that. Cassia is going to tell Xander about Ky soon I think. Cassia knows about the Archivists now. I'm so excited to continue reading this trilogy again. I remembering all the best parts and seeing all the foreshadowing. So gooodddddddd! (hide spoiler)]

[Haven]

88.35% (view spoiler)[ ahhhh this book gives me all the feelssssssss! they just took Ky and now they making everyone take the red tablet. (hide spoiler)]

[Haven]

Finished (view spoiler)[ There were definitely things I noticed the second time around that I didn't like as much. I think I was able to pay attention to the details more when I knew the story. I still love these books to death though! (hide spoiler)]

[Felicia, Head of Team Quarterly & BOTM]

*************** RESTARTING AUGUST 29TH 2019 ***************

[Bex's Bookshelves]

Chapters 1-4

I feel like Cassia isn't someone who will play by the rules. I don't really like the world in which she lives in. It is way too restricted and just annoys me.

I am interested to see where this book is going and (view spoiler)[ who her card changed too. (hide spoiler)]

[Bex's Bookshelves]

Chapters 4-18

(view spoiler)[So I feel like a lot has happened during these chapters. The death of her Grandfather and the secret he gave her with the poems. I don't feel like I know where this fits into the story. I am really liking all the characters but when Cassia is asking Em about her match I don't like the way Xander acts hurt isn't acceptable. Cassia knows her "match" she just wants to know what it feels like to not know them. I feel like Ky is supposed to be her true match and that she is falling for him, but he seems a bit on the dangerous side and we don't know much about him. I'm excited to see what other dangers Cassia is willing to go through and what rules she is willing to break. I also am wondering about her parents. Her mother is defiantly hiding something. (hide spoiler)]

[Bex's Bookshelves]

And I am finished.

I loved it and I am as heartbroken as Cassia.

(view spoiler)[I love the sacrifices that Cassia and Ky made for each other and the anticipation of their first kiss was defiantly something. I really hope she finds him in the next book. (hide spoiler)]

[Marissa]

Chapters 1-8 (view spoiler)[
I am a bit unsure about this book so far. In a way, I almost would've been happier if Cassia was just with Xander, although, I suppose that ruins the plot. I am not really sure where the story is going to go either. This can't just be a romance novel with Society being a totalitarian government. There has to maybe be an underground resistance? I think I will need to read more to fully form my opinion. (hide spoiler)]

[Marissa]

Chapters 9-17 (view spoiler)[
This sucks because Xander is probably going to get hurt and he doesn't deserve that. I honestly like Xander more than Ky, but then again, I guess I don't really know Ky that well. Xander is just so nice and genuine to Cassia :( I'm hoping there won't be some reveal that spoils Xander. (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 18-26 (view spoiler)[
There are so many questions that haven't been answered yet? This book is just so-so (it is moving very slowly), but I still really want to know the answers to things like, why was Ky's face shown on Cassia's microcard, who makes the Society's decisions, and why is Cassia's mom away for work so much? In addition, I still feel bad that Cassia is most likely going to choose Ky over Xander. (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 27-End (view spoiler)[
Overall this was a pretty decent book. The beginning started out really slow, but picked up a bit at the end. This book kind of felt like it was just here to set up the background story for the next book. I am hoping the second one, Crossed, will be more interesting. Also, I'm still sad that Xander had to get hurt by Cassia. 3.5/5 (hide spoiler)]

[Marissa]

Chapters 1-11 (view spoiler)[
I am not sure if I like the format of multiple POV for this one. The first book only had Cassia's view, so that is kind of what I have become accustomed to. I would've liked if we didn't know what Ky was going through and instead only had Cassia's adventure. I guess I will have to wait and see if I end up liking this way better. (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 12-18 (view spoiler)[
I knew it was going to happen, but I am still upset that Cassia took a blue pill. Hopefully if she doesn't take anymore she will be okay. However, she didn't seem to believe Indie when she was told that the blue ones are poisoned. (hide spoiler)]

[Marissa]

Chapters 19-36 (view spoiler)[
I don't really like any of the new characters introduced in this book. We didn't really get to know Vick all that well, so his death wasn't overly sad. Eli seems too standoffish while Indie tries to have a tough-girl demeanor, but she lacks personality. From what I have learned about Hunter, he doesn't seem like he is going to be a favorite either. I also don't trust any of them. However, despite not liking the newer people, I thought the discovery of the specimen vault in the Cavern was pretty interesting. (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 37-End (view spoiler)[
My final opinion was that I prefer this series only being one POV. Unfortunately, I think the final book in this series is also multiple POV. Also, I am not exactly fond of any of the characters. I think that the story has some good ideas, but the pacing was just too slow. 1.5/5 (rounding down to 1) (hide spoiler)]

[Marissa]

Chapters 1-10 (view spoiler)[
I am hoping this book is better than the last one. Hopefully this one will have more action and be less boring than the second book. It already has more going on with the Rising penetrating the Society. I hope the Rising doesn't have some corruption as well. Also, I totally just realized that the cover colors correspond with the color pill that is focused on the most in the book. (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 11-22 (view spoiler)[
I want Ky and Cassia and Xander to all be able to meet each other again. That whole plot seems to be drawn out and I am losing some patience. The idea behind these books seems alright, but the execution has been poor. The second and third book have been boring to read. (hide spoiler)]

[Marissa]

Chapters 23-40 (view spoiler)[
I am not sure I trust this village. They don't seem to trust Ky, Cassia, and Xander, which I guess I understand. However, they don't seem that trustworthy either towards newcomers. Also, I want to know what is up with Cassia! She was fine with the blue pill, she has the immunity to the mutation, and yet she isn't immune to the red pill? Why is this? (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 41-End (view spoiler)[
This book was alright. I guess it was better than the second book, but I still didn't love it. I am a bit disappointed because I liked the idea of the series, but it just didn't reach my expectations. Also, even to the end I liked Xander more, but oh well. 2.5/5 (rounded down to a 2) (hide spoiler)]

[Aly, Head of Solo Quarterly & Maker of BR Threads]

***************RESTARTING FEBRUARY 24 2020************

[Aly, Head of Solo Quarterly & Maker of BR Threads]

***************RESTARTING MARCH 3rd 2020************

[Aly, Head of Solo Quarterly & Maker of BR Threads]

I'm starting book 1 today!

[Aly, Head of Solo Quarterly & Maker of BR Threads]

ch 8 (view spoiler)[ this is so creepy. The Society controls their entire lives and only lets them marry certain people, have certain jobs, and die when they command it. I'm looking forward to Cassia talking to Ky (hide spoiler)]
ch 17 (view spoiler)[ I get Cassia's grandpa not wanting his DNA preserved. Who knows what they really do with that? I feel really bad that Ky is treated so poorly (hide spoiler)]
ch 25 (view spoiler)[ They need to uprise! Cassia's whole family are rule breakers and Ky is too. Maybe Xander and a couple of her friends would join too? Something needs to change (hide spoiler)]
finished (view spoiler)[ Kind of a blah ending. Not really a huge cliffhanger, but no resolution at all. Hopefully the next book has more action and taking down the system (hide spoiler)]

[Betsy]

Chapters 1 - 10
(view spoiler)[
This book is such an interesting concept.... everything is made to be perfect. Just enough nutrients to thrive. Death parties at age 80. Matching ceremonies, or those choosing to remain single indefinitely. It's a Stepford Wives level of creepy.
And I'm pretty sure grandpa knew what was up. And that Cassia's dad didn't *accidentally* lose his father.
Also, even though Xander is the BFF, I wonder if the new stranger is going to become Cassia's endgame love interest. It seems that the BFF rarely makes it to forever in young adult love triangles (Hunger Games... Twilight...)
(hide spoiler)]

Chapters 11 - 17
(view spoiler)[
I would hate to have my every move monitored... Though, honestly, that's pretty spot on for a lot of social media (you can't control what others post, and whether they include photos of you that you don't know about, if people share your posts, screenshot responses, etc.). I wonder why Cassia isn't including her BFF Xander in what's going on. Why is it easier to trust strangers than it is to trust friends?
(hide spoiler)]

Chapters 18 - 27
(view spoiler)[
Poor Xander... I really feel for him. He's a great guy, he's been there for Cassia, and she's still being honest with telling him that she does not love him back. I feel bad that Cassia doesn't get to make choices with her own life, and I respect her for being honest with Xander... but I still feel bad for the poor guy.
(hide spoiler)]

Chapters 28 - end
(view spoiler)[
As bad as I feel for Xander, he's a little bit entitled... like, he was cruel to Ky way back when because he was jealous of the way Cassia looked at him. A few chapters back, he was upset that Cassia fell in love with Ky "because you're matched with me". It makes me like him a little less, that jealousy and entitlement cause him to react this way. Doesn't he realize that acting possessive of Cassia will only push her further away?
I'm glad that the dad has an idea of what's up... I'm excited to see what happens in book 2.
(hide spoiler)]

[Aly, Head of Solo Quarterly & Maker of BR Threads]

Betsy wrote: "

Chapters 1 - 10

(view spoiler)[This book is such an interesting concept.... everything is made to be perfect. Just enough nutrients to thrive. Death parties at age 80. Matching cerem..." (hide spoiler)]
I agree, so creepy!

[Betsy]

Aly wrote: "Betsy wrote: "

Chapters 1 - 10

[spoilers removed]
I agree, so creepy!"

Right?!

[Betsy]

Chapters 1- 10
(view spoiler)[
I like reading from Ky's POV. It is pretty disturbing (though it makes sense) that the "soldiers" aren't really fighting for the society, but that they're decoys for the rebellion. Messed up, but then again, those solider kids could uprise themselves.
I wonder if Ky and Cassia will meet up when the girls and boys meet...
(hide spoiler)]

Chapters 11 - 21
(view spoiler)[
Noo!!! Not Vick!
It's interesting how the society is different in different places... I'd assumed from the first book that the society was rather organized, and that there was the Upper Class, Middle Class, and Lower Class, with each class treated similarly despite the location. Then again, the first book was kind of like reading The Hunger Games from a Capital citizen's perspective (or the 1st or 2nd district's perspective), and now book 2 is like reading from another district's perspective...
(hide spoiler)]

Chapters 22 - 40
(view spoiler)[
Why doesn't Ky tell Cassia why he doesn't want to join the rebellion? I think she'd understand, and they both love each other. Love requires trust; he should be able to trust her with his past.
I did not see Xander as part of the rebellion. Then again, we haven't really gotten to know Xander that well... maybe Cassia really does end up with Xander after all?
(hide spoiler)]

Chapters 41 - end
(view spoiler)[
What makes the rebellion different from the society? It still seems very organized, and there doesn't seem to be a lot of choice in that organization either.
I wonder if Cassia will run into Xander in book 3... will he be a leader in the rebellion?
(hide spoiler)]

[Betsy]

Chapters 1 - 16
(view spoiler)[
I like the underground arts gallery that Cassia has started. Art brings life, brings meaning, into our everyday existence. How many of us could do the 9-to-5 job without books, music, art, dance to come back to?
I kind of saw Indie going for Ky, and wonder if Xander's doctor friend will become a love interest. The light touches, the sharing of secrets, "getting" each other...
(hide spoiler)]

Chapters 17 - 23
(view spoiler)[
My thoughts while reading these chapters about the plague:
The society versus the resistance is very republican versus democrat. Both organizations are organized the same way, have similar downfalls, but believe in different things. The farmers are like the libertarians saying "f*** em all - government sucks".
(hide spoiler)]

Chapters 24- 56
(view spoiler)[
I like that Cassia's grandpa gave his son a choice, and that Cassia's dad respected grandpa's choice when it came time to repay the favor.
It's interesting reading about the plague amidst the coronavirus outbreak. A lot of the panic setting in feels very familiar with a lot of news outlets...
And I thought it was interesting that the society and the rising were one and the same. Again, I'm reminded of the news today. Our nation feels very divisive politically; yet, both parties are fairly similar. Both parties want government control over aspects of daily life, whether it be control over wealth distribution, healthcare, family planning choices, LGBTQ+ rights, etc. Both parties are kind of crooked (I feel like most news outlets and the impeachment would allow Trump to speak for itself, and how the DNC has kind of forced the hand of both the 2016 presidential candidate choices and the 2020 presidential candidate choices).
(hide spoiler)]

Chapters 57- end
(view spoiler)[
Overall, the series was okay for me... not super in love with it. But it was kind of eerie to read it during the Coronavirus/ Presidential race...
(hide spoiler)]

[Aly, Head of Solo Quarterly & Maker of BR Threads]

Oh boy! I will at least read Crossed this week, hopefully both of them.

[Betsy]

Aly wrote: "Oh boy! I will at least read Crossed this week, hopefully both of them."

It picked up for me - the first book was okay, but this third book gets more interesting.

[Aly, Head of Solo Quarterly & Maker of BR Threads]

That's good. I'm hoping the second book will be in at the library in the next couple days

[Aly, Head of Solo Quarterly & Maker of BR Threads]

ch 13 (view spoiler)[ I like getting Ky's point of view, Cassia can be kind of boring. The soldiers are so young and the point of them is to be killed as decoys? That's terrible. (hide spoiler)]
ch 27 (view spoiler)[ I'm really sad Vick died. He didn't deserve that :( I am glad Cassia met up with Ky, they're sweet together. It's crazy the things happening in their society and how they treat people (hide spoiler)]
ch 42 (view spoiler)[ I wonder if Xander really is part of the rebellion. He seems more like a spy for the Society instead. Indie is weirdly obsessed with Xander. I get Cassia being confused, Ky isn't telling her the truth about how he feels and constantly pulls away from her (hide spoiler)]
finished (view spoiler)[ I'm not surprised that Cassia got sent back to the Society, but you think they would be suspicious of her coming back. I wonder how she explained what happened, especially since they were already watching her. This was kind of boring, maybe the last book will have more action with the rebels (hide spoiler)]

[Betsy]

Aly wrote: "
ch 13 [spoilers removed]
ch 27 [spoilers removed]
ch 42 [spoilers removed]
finished [spoilers removed]"

Third book was better, but went on a little long... was kind of disappointed in the series tbh. It was interesting to see the similarities between the book and what's going on today.

[Aly, Head of Solo Quarterly & Maker of BR Threads]

Bummer. I'm going to read the third book as soon as it comes in at the library.
True about the similarities though, the virus and control our government has.

[Aly, Head of Solo Quarterly & Maker of BR Threads]

part 1 (view spoiler)[ I don't know if Cassia and Ky are the best match. I kind of think Ky should be with Indie and Cassia should be with Xander, he clearly loves her. How messed up that the society doesn't have an enemy like they say and are killing their own people?! (hide spoiler)]
part 2 (view spoiler)[ that was super short, especially compared with part 1. I still think Xander is a better match for Cassia, but I highly doubt they'll end up together.
I think the runner taking back a case on Indie and Ky's missions seems really fishy. Maybe the Rising isn't all that noble and has their own agenda. (hide spoiler)]
part 3 (view spoiler)[ Kind of a boring part. The Rising made a terrible decision, giving people the plague and now it's mutated and people are dying. I don't think the Society or the Rising should be in charge. They need a new form of government, probably one voted on (hide spoiler)]
part 4 (view spoiler)[ The correlation between the plague in this book and Covid is really interesting. I still feel like not much is happening. Now that I'm in the last part, hopefully things will really pick up (hide spoiler)]
Part 5/finished (view spoiler)[ I wanted more from this. There's a rebellion and yet basically no fighting. They find a cure for the plague and that's pretty much it. Could have been better (hide spoiler)]