Review: Crossed (Matched #2) - Ally Condie

Name: Crossed (Matched #2)

Author: Ally Condie

General Release Date: 24th November 2011

Date I finished it: 5th November 2011

Type: Paperback ARC

From: Razorbill 

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

I was super excited to get a UK ARC of Crossed, it is out on November 24th over here.

I actually devoured this book pretty much in one night. Most of you will already know I am a huge YA dystopian fan and I loved the first book in this series, Matched. I actually squealed with excitement when I opened a parcel and found this book inside and started reading it straight away! 

Crossed picks up right where we left Cassia and Ky in Matched, separated and with Cassia vowing to track down and find Ky one way or another. The book itself is told from both Cassia and Ky's point of view through alternating chapters. I'm not usually a big fan of different viewpoints but it worked really well in this case because the two characters are not actually together. It's tells the reader two different stories and allows you to see into both of their life's at the same time.

While Cassia has been working in the labour camps with other girls, living a hard but almost normal life. Ky has been living in what is perceived as another labour camp, but is infact a death camp. Where unwanted members of society are dumped in order to wait out their deaths. In a last ditch attempt Cassia manages to find her way to this so called death camp, just when Ky has managed to escape! The rest of the story involves   her follwing Ky's trail and hoping they will find each other again.

I'm not going to give too much of the plot away, so I won't say if they do meet up again or not. You'll have to find that one out for yourself!

To me the book started off really well, it had bee a while since I was in the Matched world, so it took me the first couple of chapters to get back up to speed with the characters and this exact dystopian world. I found that I managed to pick everything back up again really quickly with only a little recap needed at the start of the book.

As the story progresses I did get more and more hooked. Was Cassia ever going to find Ky, or would she be stuck wandering around in this canyon forever? Would the Society find them first? Would they die of hunger?

I loved all these questions that kept popping up throughout the book, these plus the tragic love story of the two characters is what really kept me hooked.

I also really enjoyed the new characters that were introduced throughout this book, some of them became more meaningful as others as you get to the end and others you can't help but fall for when they are first introduced. I think Ally Condie did a really great job of introducing the new characters and the way she had them interact with both Cassia and Ky. I also loved the fact that some old faces pop up in this book as well, and Cassia's grandfather is mentioned a few times as well. It's nice to see that some of my favourite characters from Matched haven't been forgotten.

Towards the end the story did seem to feel a bit dragged out to me. I feel like there could have been some time in the canyon cut out. Almost all of this book is set in a canyon. I can see why it's needed though, This is the middle book in the series and everything needs to be set up for the big finale in the next book. The canyon sort of represents a turning point for the characters in the book as well. They are no longer in the Society, but also not quite free yet. They are also stuck in this awkward in-between stage, just like the book itself.

Overall I did really love it. The book is filled with suspense, romance and an element of the unknown.

It was nice to see Cassia and Ky start to grow up and realise they hold their own fate in their hands. I cannot wait to see what book three will bring!