Review: Crossed (Matched book #2) by Ally Condie

Spoiler Warning! This is the 2nd book in the Matched trilogy. If you haven't read Matched then avert your eyes, or read the review of Matched, the first book in this trilogy, right here!



Crossed by Ally Condie

Author: Ally Condie. Website, Twitter.

Published: 24 November 2011 (Puffin)

Pages: 367

Buy: Amazon, Kindle, Waterstone's

Plot Summary: (from Goodreads)

THE SOCIETY CHOOSES EVERYTHING.

THE BOOKS YOU READ
THE MUSIC YOU LISTEN TO.
THE PERSON YOU LOVE.

Yet for Cassia the rules have changed. Ky has been taken and she will sacrifice everything to find him.

And when Cassia discovers Ky has escaped to the wild frontiers beyond the Society there is hope.

But on the edge of society nothing is as it seems . . .

A REBELLION IS RISING.

And a tangled web of lies and double-crosses could destroy everything

My Review:

Wow. I've just finished this book and honestly it's blown me away. Crossed picks up first with Ky, then Cassia as we find out where they both are following the ending of Matched. What's great about this book is that it is written from both Ky and Cassia's perspective throughout, with chapters alternating between the two of them. I was so, so happy to get more insight into Ky's character! After Matched, I felt there was so much more to him; that we'd only scratched the surface of his character and I was right.

Throughout the book, Cassia and Ky are trying to reunite after being separated. On top of that is this powerful undercurrent of tension with news of a rebellion on the horizon, and the two of them learn more and more about the Society as they travel. What struck me about this book is that the tone felt very bleak at times, and that's not a bad thing. It's incredibly moving and as we watch the characters face such harsh realities. There's secrets, jealousy and suspicion which is heightened by their situation which kept me in suspense all the way through.

The writing is what really won me round though. Condie is so poetic with her writing, and the whole style of this book is just beautiful and the characters are so deep and believable. It's one of those books I find myself just immersed in and I didn't want it to end! This is definitely one of my new favourite trilogies.

Rating: 5*

What to read next: Reached by Ally Condie, the final book in the Matched trilogy, coming 2012.

Books like this: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, Divergent by Veronica Roth, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K Rowling.