Matched by Ally Condie.

'Matched', by Ally Condie, is a dystopian romance centered around a seventeen year old girl, Cassia. We begin the story from Cassia's perspective and are about to arrive at her Matching Banquet. The Matching Banquet will tell her who she is to marry and live the rest of her life with. It's set up by the Society. The Society controls every aspect of the citizen's lives from what they eat to where they live, what job they have and whom they marry. (Getting off topic) Anways, we start the story with Cassia being Matched. The big surprise, however is when she is Matched with her best friend, Xander. It's extremely rare for a person to be Matched to a person who they know, let alone someone who they grew up with, so for this reason Cassia is overjoyed. However, when she goes to put the microcard (which has all of Xander's details and the guidelines to their Matching on it), Xander's face doesn't come up on the screen. Another boy's does. She's know this boy too, and his name is Ky. Cassia delves into a rebellion as she starts to think 'what if?' and questions all the relevance of the Society and really just how much freedom she has.

I'd just like to start out by saying that this plot really is quite ingenious. It got me intrigued almost immediately and I couldn't help but put it to the top of my list of to-read books. Mind you, I'm also a bit of a dead-beat romantic so that influenced me quite a bit. The way Condie uses her wording to create vivid imagery is spectacular and I really got the feeling that it was set forward in quite a technologically advanced world. I liked how she subtly transitioned us into the reality of what the Society is like and let us think for some of the book how it really could be a good environment to live in, that it would help us in so many ways. There were very few flaws in the book but one thing that irritated me a little (not a lot, only occasionally) was Cassia.

She is most certainly a strong character and I felt like I could really understand her, but some things that said or the way she acted a certain way, just really, really annoyed me. The whole love triangle didn't seem particularly fair and Cassia's reasoning and justification as to why she did the things she did just weren't very strong (in my own opinion). Even after we found out the truth (which I'm not telling you, so don't get your hopes up) near the end of the book, it didn't really change anything in Cassia's determination to set out what she was going to do. I admire that her stubbornness is so unparalleled to anything else, but it almost felt sort of self-centered because she wasn't thinking of anyone in her quest to find Ky. (Ok, I just put a spoiler in this. I was really trying to avoid doing that).

Other than that, I found this read really enjoyable and can not wait for 'Crossed' to come out. I'm intrigued as to how Ms Condie is going to further this amazingly intricate world and how Cassia is going to develop.

The Iron King (Iron Fey Series) by Julie Kagawa.

I'm afraid that this review isn't going to be at all good, so right now in advance, I want to apologise. I've begun reading other series' (what's the plural of series, question of the day for you readers out there) and so my memory isn't as brilliant as if could've been had I done it earlier (though that wasn't nearly possible due to my working most days). Ok, here we go:

I really did enjoy this series (or what of it that I've read thus far). It was magical in every sense and I just fell in love with it. The plot is in first person from the perspective of the main protagonist, Meghan Chase. Ultimately, it is a love story of sorts, but to be honest I got lost in the world that was Faeryland (or Never Never). Meghan Chase is sixteen and she finds out that her father is a faerie. Not any faerie, however, but Oberon, King of the Summer fey. There is a big quest in which in order for Meghan to find her brother and take him back to the mortal world, so that the changeling can disappear. Oh wow, the memory really is foggy, I'M SO SORRY.

So, characters. To be honest, I found Meghan a little annoying in The Iron King, but Kagawa really steps it up in The Iron Daughter, so all is forgiven. I love both Puck and Ash and it's really hard to choose whom I prefer more. Personally, I'm think perhaps the looks of Ash with the humour of Puck. The Never Never/ Faeryland is really quite reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland. When I mean really reminiscent, I mean VERY reminiscent. So much so that they even have a Cheshire Cat of sorts (except he goes by the name Grimulken).

Overall, I found this series really enjoyable and enchanting. I can not wait for the final book in the trilogy (The Iron Queen) to come out next year.  :)

See, this was a really bad review. I'm sorry. Next time, it'll be better. PROMISE.
Continue being lovely,
&dftba. xox

BOOK CURRENTLY READING: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater.