2011-10-25

Crossed

Crossed (Matched #2) by Ally Condie
Release Date: November 1, 2011
Penguin: Dutton Juvenile
ISBN13: 9780525423652

5/5 Stars!

Goodreads Synopsis:
In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.


So while I liked Matched, I have to say that I simply LOVED Crossed. Crossed made up for all the things I found Matched to be lacking (besides more Xander. There can never be enough Xander).

First of all, I think Ally Condie is a brilliant writer. She really is able to capture ambience with words, and she sets up Crossed with such an atmosphere of lost hope and desparate dreams that it's almost overpowering. And unlike Matched, there's even more action and adventure in Crossed (although I'm not sure I'd quite classify it as being action-packed yet).

But my favourite part about Crossed was Ky. I confess, he has finally grown on me a little bit. In Matched, I barely saw the appeal in Ky over Xander, besides the fact that it was forbidden and therefore appealling. But in Crossed, we finally get to know Ky a bit more and he really is sympathetic. And I have to praise Condie for finally creating a real love triangle; one where both boys are appealing in their own way, and neither one stands out as a total jerk.

Plus, the chapters from Ky's perspective are filled with the most beautiful descriptions of love. He is such a hopeful, strong character and completely atypical from most YA love interests. And this brings up so many questions about what loving someone means; and as Crossed asks, is it better that the person you love be safe or have a choice? It isn't as easy to answer that as you might initially think.

The one thing that can make it difficult to follow along with is that the overlap chronology of the two POVs can make it hard to follow; there were times when it took me a few pages and some rereading to understand that Cassia's chapter began in the middle of the previous Ky chapter.

Regardless, Crossed is the perfect set up for the final book, which I am so incredibly anxious for now!

ARC received from Penguin Canada; no other compensation was received for my review.

buy the book from The Book Depository, free delivery

7 comments:

Giselle said...

Gaaah I still haven't picked up Matched yet. The mixed reviews scare me. You make this sound really good though I should really try it soon.

Giselle
Xpresso Reads

sarah darlington said...

I can't wait to read this :) Glad you liked it!

Anonymous said...

Wonderful review, cupcake!
I just finished Crossed a couple of days ago!
And I agree about Ky, my favorite parts were from his POV.


-Wendy from A Cupcake and a Latte: YA Reviews

Brenna said...

Wendy, I am dying to read your review of this one, after seeing your update on Goodreads! I think this is one we may disagree on, but I'm curious to see what you thought!

Liz. R said...

I still haven't read Matched yet (thanks for making this review completely spoiler-free, by the way!) but I can't wait to start it! This series sounds fantastic, and I'm so glad you enjoyed the second book as well! Thanks for the great review - definitely pushing Matched up my tbr list.

Amy @ Turn the Page (YA) said...

Im cannot wait for this - I really loved Matched even though some people felt it was a bit to sedate - but I thought it built up the story really well and expected this book to have more 'action'. I see you're a Xander girl lol :)

IdentitySeeker said...

I'm eagerly awaiting my copy from The Book Depository any day now. I can't wait to start it. I also couldn't see the attraction of Ky at first (Xander's such a sweetheart and I felt sorry that he had to be hurt by Cassia) but I expect I may also come to like Ky more in this book. Great review!:)

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

 
Blog Design by eedee design studios