I don't normally write reviews on series. I have, however, added series to my top fifteen "all time favorites" list and included the Matched trilogy. But in my opinion, Ally Condie's entire Matched series deserves a blog post. Since my blog is so new, I've opted out of writing reviews for sequels to books I've already written a review for, but Crossed and Reached are a different story. With each Matched book, I feel as if I needed to talk more about this amazing trilogy. With every chapter I felt the need to express my love for this story and what Ally Condie has done with her characters. I got happily lost in her books and although I'm not a fan of rereads, I would reread this series without thinking twice about it. I'm sure that I'd find something new with every reread.
I have just finished Reached, the third (and last book, that I know of) in the trilogy and I have to tell you, this is one book where I was dreading the ending. Even now, as I sit at my computer (trying to find friends who have also read the series) I have an empty and aching feeling in my heart that Cassia and Ky had previously filled. I miss them so much. I miss reading about their fight, their troubling struggle of "not going softly" and their love...their love that to me, is the only young adult relationship that comes close to the emotional and moving relationship of Hazel and Augustus from The Fault in Our Stars. Up until I read Ally Condie's trilogy, I had thought that there was no better young adult relationship than that of Hazel and Augustus. That no young adult couple could ever truly be "meant to be" like Hazel and Gus. But once I got further and deeper into the Matched trilogy, I was proven wrong.
There are only certain literary relationships that are so beautiful it makes me weep. Those would be Hazel and Augustus, Jane and Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre and Severus and Lily from the world of Harry Potter. Now I'm adding Ky and Cassia to that list. Their relationship is so amazing...so beautiful and pure that it tears my heart apart in a loving and sad way. (In addition to Ally Condie making me cry about their love, she also made me sob over a fish. Literally a fish. But a symbolic fish, so don't think I cry over nothing!)
Ally Condie includes an abundance of poetry in Cassia and Ky's story; for the rising, descriptions of books and trees, and most of all- the rebellion. I don't know if I'm the only one who noticed this or felt this way, but when I read Ally Condie's writing, I felt as if I were there. Feeling the moment with Cassia and Ky, feeling their pain as well as their love and affection. Not only did she make me feel this way, but I feel like her writing is poetry in itself. Her descriptions and imagery make you stop and picture what exactly is going and what the character is feeling.
I guess if I were to put it in a simple way, I'd say that her words are deep. She doesn't write, she creates an emotion, she brings to life sadness, happiness, angst, love, passion and aching longing on paper.
There was a very emotional scene in Crossed that broke my heart, and once I got to Reached...oh gosh, I about lost it. I actually did lose it! It wasn't even related to Cassia, Ky or Xander either...Ally Condie made me sob like a baby for a minor character.
The Matched trilogy is by far, one of my most favorite series ever. Ally Condie has made it to my top seven favorite authors in the world. I finished Reached not sixteen hours ago and I'm already itching to reunite with Cassia (and especially Ky). I love Ally Condie, I love Cassia and I LOVE Ky. I fall in love with many "book boyfriends" (i.e. Peeta Mellark, Roger MacKenzie, Jacob Black, Myron Bolitar, etc.) but I haven't felt this way about a book boyfriend since Augustus.
I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone, especially fans of John Green and Markus Zusak's work. Throughout the series I kept comparing Ally Condie to Markus Zusak. They both turn a simple description or scenery into something magical and entrancing.
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