Review: Matched by Ally Condie

Matched by Ally Condie
Series: Matched
Release Date: November 30th 2010
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Amazon Book Depository

Goodreads Summary

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow

Is falling in love with someone’s story the same thing as falling in love with the person himself?

This is the only decent thing in this book.

Entertainment weekly described this book to be “the hottest YA title to hit the bookstores since The Hunger Games” is it though?! IS IT?!

I think you need to go and rethink your life choices if you think this was anything close to being as good as THG. This book was a complete snooze fest and I haven’t been this bored with a book in about a year now; so you can guess my big disappointment!

This book is readable yes but I would rather stick hot needles through my eyes than sit through another 360 odd pages of this story.

I’m not going to lie. The idea behind it is fantastic. But the book. Ew no.

Cassia lives in a world where the society controls everything. Where you work, who you get married to, how many children you have, ect. Therefore on their 17^th birthday’s (why 17? What’s so special about that) all the teenagers go to the Match Banquet dressed in their pretty clothes and await their perfect match to be shown on a screen. The couple later on then get aquatinted, get married and have kids. But when Cassia is matched with her childhood bestfriend Xander her life couldn’t be any better. She already knows her match and they can speed along their getting to know each other and she won’t have to move away from her family. But once Cassia returns home and watches her Banquet a different face flashes before her eyes; Ky, another guy she already knows. Isn’t Cassia just the luckiest! This is where the boring and predictable and very annoying part of the story begins. A love triangle. Obviously.

I don’t understand the hype for this book at all! Yes I’m late with reading this book and I’m glad I am. Actually no I wish I never read this tragedy. Ally’s writing is decent enough for me not to throw the book out of my window but the rest? Dull. There’s no passion in her writing, no urgency, no real desire to make this world come into life. It’s as if Ally was bored of her own dull work and couldn’t be bothered to make this book at all interesting. The relationships between the characters were dull, the society that she created was dull, the conflict if there ever was any was dull and not to mention the dull conversations between the characters. Actually no. The conversations were ugly. They were hard to read.

 “Once you want something, everything changes.” Erm no. Let me just burn the page this quote was on.

“Now that I've found the way to fly, which direction should I go into the night?” How about anywhere but near me.

“Do not go gentle.” I can’t remember where this is from but is this a sexual innuendo I smell here? Nope. There was nothing in this book that was remotely fun or funny or at all interesting!

I looked up some of these quotes just to show the kind of nonsense that’s in this book and it made me hate it even more. I forgot some of the stupid stuff that’s in here. And the stupid, stupid love triangle! This made me so mad!!! Cassia is matched with Xander and that pretty much means she will eventually marry him and she knows this. She agrees with the society but then goes off and has a relationship with Ky while poor cute little Xander has no idea. THAT’S CALLED CHEATING YOU SLUT.

“I came up on the screen, too, Cassia. But he was the one you chose to see.”

And look at him. He’s heartbroken because not only did Cassia chose to run away with Ky she also ruined Xander’s life. Bitch.

Love Triangles: Overused and Annoying

Love Triangles: Overused and Annoying

These days everywhere you turn there will be a love triangle. I cannot count the amount of times I've had to avoid reading a book because it had a love triangle. Now there was a time I didn't mind them so much but after a while they just got on my nerves.

What I don't understand is how people enjoy them. They become the life of the book/series and instead of focusing on developing the plot, the focus is on the romance. I love me some romance but I do NOT want it to be the life of the novel.

The main problem with love triangles, aside from the fact that they become the life of the novel, is that the guys aren't given an equal chance to win the heart of our female lead. From what I've read, female leads tend to choose the badass hero instead of the one who will actually treat them right. You've got all these heros trying to push away the female lead to 'protect' her and keeping secrets. Relationships should be based on trust.

Have you ever read those love triangles that involve best friends? Those depress me. Maybe because I love relationships that involve best friends maybe not. My problem is that some girls (there are many examples but if you want one think Clary-Mortal Instruments) choose the random guy they barely know over someone they have known their entire life (in a lot of cases, they have been friends since childhood so that is why I said their entire life). I don't understand that. Here is this guy who is obviously wonderful and knows you inside out and would do anything for you, yet you choose that random stranger you barely know. 

Then there are also books where one minute a female lead is declaring her undying love for a guy and in the next drooling over some other guy. Now I am not saying it's wrong for her to find some other guy hot, it would be weird if she didn't consider any other guy attractive but to drool over him and then contemplate about a relationship with him is going to far. The only series I've read where this works is Uglies and I don't consider that situation a love triangle. Our female lead knows what she wants, she isn't wishy washy.

Recently I read a book that had a love triangle but what was worse was that both the 'romances' were based on serious cases of insta-love (Hidden by Marianne Curley). Our female lead in that book spend a good chunk of time being afraid of the 2nd love interest and thinking that he was some sort of creeper but as soon as they rescue her and they had a decent conversation she starts talking about how much she loves him. *gag* I felt bad for the other dude.

That's my two cents on love triangles, over to my co-blogger Paulina


I'm in between loving and hating love triangles. I think they can be done really well by some authors but others just make it too ridiculous and make people hate them. For example Twilight... What was Stephanie Meyer thinking... The love triangle pretty much didn't exist. It was just terrible...
But then Vampire Academy I'm so glad that there was a love triangle there. It was more than obvious to everyone who Rose would pick but I still loved it (mostly because I get to have Adrian to myself)

I completely agree with Rashika when she said it sucks when the love triangle becomes the life of the book. I cannot stand mushy romance it's just *gag* and when there are two guys and the female lead in the book is drooling over them like a 12 year old in heat (yes I just said heat deal with it) I just want to throw the book down Mount Doom and laugh as I see the book burn killing the chance of the two poor guys who would have had their hearts broken anyway because someone can't keep it in their pants (I do mean the girl. And I know it doesn't make sense but it just fits the sentence so well!)

Lets be honest with ourselves. Love triangles don't happen that often in our day to day lives; now do they. So why the hell do authors have the need to write such bull about loving two guys at the same time. Especially when the girl is this awkward not too pretty but not too ugly girl with a personality of a brick. Girl if you have two guys running after you what you doing; pick the one that you like/love the best not drag them along for an entire book and leave the poor guy in the friends zone as you later gossip to him about the guy that you chose over him. Have decency.

When a love triangle does happen and the author isn't full of themselves trying to make the most cringe worthy romance that existed and actually develops the plot then it can work. As long as the whole book is not just about the two guys I can deal with it.

I used to be a fan  still kind of am a fan of love triangles. But I will never fully love them. Romance in some books now is so just *bleugh* that adding another guy into the equation equals me throwing up. And a lot of eye rolling. My eyes will pop out of  my head soon if this continues.

I was kinda going to defend love triangles from Rashika's attack on them but I kinda jumped on her rant. I'm just sick of two guys fighting over a girl to be the reason why I don't like a book or series.

Anyway me and Rashika both enjoyed doing this! And we hope you enjoyed reading this! So a massive thank you to A Novel Idea for letting us be a part of this awesome little debate! Here is the event page so go check out other blogs to see if they love or hate Love Triangles!
Love you guys

Hidden by Marianne Curley

Title: Hidden
Author: Marianne Curley
Series: Avena #1
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Release Date: 25th June 2013
Pre-Order: Amazon

Goodreads Summary

For as long as Ebony can remember, she's been sheltered. Confined to her home in a secluded valley, home-schooled by her protective parents, and limited to a small circle of close friends. It's as if she's being hidden. But something is changing in Ebony. Something that can't be concealed. She's growing more beautiful by the day, she's freakishly strong, and then there's the fact that she's glowing.  
On one fateful night, Ebony meets Jordan and she's intensely drawn to him. It's as if something explodes inside of her--something that can be seen from the heavens. Ebony still doesn't know that she's a stolen angel, but now that the heavens have found her, they want her back.

I started this book with rather high hopes. I am not big on angel books because of bad experiences with them, but the summary of this book lured me in.

Oh god I don’t even know where to start with how terrible this book was. It broke my heart into little pieces. I was almost bawling by the end of it because it was so BAD!

For someone who is too lazy to read this whole rant. Here is what you need to know. The main character is involved in a love triangle where both the ‘romances’ are insta love.  

Now that I have that cleared up let’s start with the Ebony. I hate her.  By the end of the book all I was hoping for was the fact that she would die. She is a nightmare of a main character. She is extremely pathetic as well. In the beginning I didn’t think she was that bad.  When told she was adopted, she had the reaction I had been looking in all the other books where characters find out they are adopted, she asked why they couldn’t have told her earlier, because the fact that she was adopted wouldn’t change the fact that she loved them and that she knew they loved her, so why?  I was so glad that she wasn’t going to be a stupid main character but it was all a lie.

When Ebony first encounters Jordan, she starts rambling and then she stares in his eyes and she feels something. Ohmergerd. It was love at first sight. However, what happened in this encounter was that she accidently bumped into Jordan but because she is so strong he kind of goes smack against the wall. At some point during the conversation he states that she is strong and then she goes all awkward. Now what I don’t get is that is there something wrong with being strong? Girls cannot be strong?

Later on we found out that this connection they had was because she was his guardian angel. You cannot imagine my joy at that point. I thought this book was going to be everything I hoped Halo would have been. Where the girl goes around saving the guy’s ass and you know protecting him. Well the joke was on me because Jordan is about a hundred times smarter than this doofus.

Now then we must continue on to her stupidity. She wants answers yet when Jordan and Thane are actually trying to give them to her, she goes in denial and runs away from that. I mean when the dude Zavier comes she is intrigued, and even though her senses tells her to run away, she stays and listens to what he has to say but when it comes to Jordan and Thane. Nooo she just won’t listen. Does she have a thing for bad guys?

If I thought the whole situation with Jordan was insta-love.. I don’t know what I was talking about. The situation with Thane was insta-love redefined. Despite the fact she was so vary of Thane, when she actually meets him, its love at first sight again. She feels like she finally belongs. At this point I was hoping for lightening to strike and kill her or me. I was on the verge of tears because this book was so awful.

This girl needs to get serious help.

She spends a good part whining about finding her parents but when she actually meets the angels? She doesn’t even bother to tell them what she learned from them, because that couldn’t help at all could it?

She spends such a large portion in denial even though she’s the angel whereas Jordan, who is merely a human, is more open to the idea than she is. Talk about irony.

Now moving on to Jordan, who was our male lead and is also apparently not a love interest anymore. I didn’t like him at first. I was pretty sure he was crazy but he was so much better than Ebony, it’s ridiculous.

In the beginning of the book we see him get beaten up to death by someone who used to be his best friend and who he thought of like a brother. This dude ruined his whole life based on something that wasn’t even true and almost killed him but Jordan still feels bad for him and doesn’t want him to go to jail. I was pretty annoyed at this point because it doesn’t make sense at all. Oh it’s nice he is forgiving but justice is a big deal. The thing is he didn’t even try to fight when Adam was beating him up. Does he have no sense of self-preservation?

Jordan does become a whole lot smarter as the book goes on and he actually seems like a real teen to me. The author doesn’t present him as a tortured bad boy but someone with a bad past who is actually a nice person. Which is appreciated. What is not appreciated is the fact that the author spends so much time building his character just to throw in a love triangle and make his chances of actually getting the girl impossibly low. It makes no sense to me. I actually came to like Jordan. He made some stupid decisions but male leads like him in YA are kind of rare, he seems like a real teen but he isn’t completely stupid or an ass for that matter.

I also hate how Jordan is smarter than Ebony. Ebony is his guardian angel for crying out loud, yet he is the one comforting her and trying to make her understand. It’s like Halo all over again except its better. All I want is a book where for once the girl will be the one kicking ass and protecting the guy. Is that too much to ask? Is it too much to want a female lead who isn’t stupid and isn’t busy dreaming about guys?

The thing is the whole love triangle thing would have been a whole lot more bearable if both the relationships were developed, but none of them were. They are both based on some E.T. (for the lack of a better term) connections and none of the characters actually put in the effort to learn anything about each other.  (Not counting Jordan and Thane’s relationship).

Amber is really flat character. She was a major part of the book or otherwise I wouldn’t have even brought her up. I mean she is supporting and what not but there is nothing else to her. There is no depth.

Thane. Now I liked Thane when it was just him and Jordan, when Ebony steps into the picture he just becomes a love sick puppy who forgets all about Jordan. It’s ridiculous.  I don’t even know what’s so special about her and I think Jordan deserves a lot better than a whiny little girl.  Jordan and Thane probably had the strongest relationship in the book now that think about it. They actually get to know each other. Ooo I have an idea.. how about Jordan and Thane runaway together and leave Ebony to die? I can die happy.

WANTED: A MISSING PLOT

This book seems to be missing a plot. Half way through the book Jordan and Ebony have only met once and nothing else is happening.  There is a lot of world building going on but NOTHING IS HAPPENING. Nothing happens until the last 1/4^th of the book and by then I was bored to death. It’s SLOW.

I think this book was only an introduction into this world and that exciting stuff is to come later on in the series but the last 1/4^th couldn’t redeem the book for me. It had the opposite effect. It made me despise the book.

At this point all I want is for the Evil Prince to kidnap Ebony and destroy her. I don’t think I can read the sequels after what this book did to me. I’ll admit to secretly wanting to know who she ends up with (if it’s Thane this book was… I don’t even know what to say because it was already a waste of my time).

All I really want right now is a good book and tons of comfort food and maybe a hug.