CROSSED
by Ally Condie
Hardcover, 367 pages
Published November 1st 2011 by Dutton Juvenile
Placement in the Pile: Middle of the Stack
Summary:
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.
Review:
I really wanted to love this one, because as you all know by now I loved MATCHED and I love Ally to death. I felt that there were some gems of greatness in this book, moments and information that I found fascinating and exciting, but it was surrounded by everything else that I unfortunately did not love.
One of my biggest issue was for a book that is supposed to be a journey of literally crossing over from one life to another there was a lot of lingering, leaving one location, and coming back. Leaving it again, and coming back. It felt more stagnant than it should have.
One of the more widespread criticisms I've read was one that was bugging me as well while I was reading. Ky is a narrator as well as Cassia, and their voices were too similar. They were beautifully written, well thought out etc. But when I had to flip back to the chapter heading to remember who was speaking, that was a problem.
All in all I think this book just suffered from middle book syndrome. Instead of being a journey in and of itself, it was a spacer to get the characters from point A to point B so that they can move on to the climax, but in and of itself, it didn't have much climax or story.
What I loved? Indie -- She's a great character and truly kept me guessing. Xander -- he isn't in the book much, but there is some big stuff revealed about him. I am liking where his story is going.
In the end. I am very much looking forward to the third book still. The way it left off I think that book is going to have a ton going on and be super interesting! I just wished this one had had more. It's worth reading to get you up to date for the next one.
Placement in the Pile: Middle of the Stack
Summary:
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.
Review:
I really wanted to love this one, because as you all know by now I loved MATCHED and I love Ally to death. I felt that there were some gems of greatness in this book, moments and information that I found fascinating and exciting, but it was surrounded by everything else that I unfortunately did not love.
One of my biggest issue was for a book that is supposed to be a journey of literally crossing over from one life to another there was a lot of lingering, leaving one location, and coming back. Leaving it again, and coming back. It felt more stagnant than it should have.
One of the more widespread criticisms I've read was one that was bugging me as well while I was reading. Ky is a narrator as well as Cassia, and their voices were too similar. They were beautifully written, well thought out etc. But when I had to flip back to the chapter heading to remember who was speaking, that was a problem.
All in all I think this book just suffered from middle book syndrome. Instead of being a journey in and of itself, it was a spacer to get the characters from point A to point B so that they can move on to the climax, but in and of itself, it didn't have much climax or story.
What I loved? Indie -- She's a great character and truly kept me guessing. Xander -- he isn't in the book much, but there is some big stuff revealed about him. I am liking where his story is going.
In the end. I am very much looking forward to the third book still. The way it left off I think that book is going to have a ton going on and be super interesting! I just wished this one had had more. It's worth reading to get you up to date for the next one.
