Matched

* * * */ Four Stars (almost five . . . but not quite)

Genre: Adventure, Drama, Action, Futuristic, Romance (some humor . . . not much, though)

This was a great book that really made me think about the world we know. Ally Condie has really impressed me with this book. She has captured the essence of it perfectly. Cassia, a girl that is perfectly content in her 'perfect' society is in for the surprise of her life. At between 16 or 17, every teenager is run through the system and 'matched' to the person they would fare best with. When Cassia goes to her ceremony with the rest of the teenagers in her town, they declare that she will be marrying her best friend who lives next door; Xander. At first, she is thrilled. Both of them are. But then, as she pulls out her assigned ballet card, wanting to see Xander's face, she instead sees her classmate Ky on the card. She is puzzled at first, but then as the card changes back to Xander's face, she decides to ignore it and ask an official about it in the morning. Instead, they pull her aside and explain that Ky's face was the result of a technical difficulty. And, although this is reassuring, Cassia begins to wonder; is she supposed to be with Xander, or is Ky the one she is meant to love?
In this novel, I was astounded and compelled by the gripping story-line. If you are a romance(with a tint of adventure and cunning mixed in there) addict, than this is the book for you!