Review: Crossed by Ally Condie

Pages: 367
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian
Format: Paperback
Published by RazorBill
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Rules Are Different Outside The Society

Chasing down an uncertain future, Cassia makes her way to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky--taken by the Society to his sure death--only to find that he has escaped into the majestic, but treacherous, canyons. On this wild frontier are glimmers of a different life and the enthralling promise of a rebellion. But even as Cassia sacrifices every thing to reunite with Ky, ingenious surprises from Xander may change the game once again.

Narrated from both Cassia's and Ky's point of view, this hotly anticipated sequel to Matched will take them both to the edge of Society, where nothing is as expected and crosses and double crosses make their path more twisted than ever.

After the events that ended the first book, Matched, Cassia is now determined to set a plan into action. She sets up an elaborate plan that allows her to find her way into the Outer Provinces, where she knows the boy she's in love with, Ky, has been sent. She has to find him before the conditions in the Outer Provinces kill him. Ky escapes into the wild before he knows of Cassia's plans to reunite them and Cassia is forced to follow him into the Carving, a huge canyon, leaving clues of her presence wherever she goes.

Cassia and Ky each have new companions and between them, since the story's point of view alternates between the two, you learn more about the Society's fight to keep a hold on the people from the Outer Provinces and of a rebellion fighting far off in the horizon. They stumble upon the Society's dirty laundry out in the Carving and learn that people have been surviving out on the fringes without the help or control of the Society. Once Cassia and Ky are reunited, the debate begins on whether to continue to stay out in the wild or to find the rebellion.

This book, from the very beginning, didn't seem to have a purpose. I knew right off that it was going to be a bridge between the first novel and the third. That being said, I do however feel that the information stumbled upon by the characters was worth reading the book for. The book dragged a bit in some places and through most of it, I felt that the book was just telling me about some long hiking trip through a canyon. Let's face it, that's basically what it was about.

My biggest gripe outside of the story line was the alternating between narrators. I was happy to find out a lot more about Ky since after the first book I was indifferent towards him, but I couldn't stand the alternating. I realise that if the two main characters are separated, then it does make sense to write the story in this way, but I just quickly became irritated. I didn't find that the mood of the story or that the way the characters acted to be all that different from each other.

I am, however still glad I read this novel, since the ending, while not exciting at all, set the scene for the next book. And the next book shows a lot of promise. Oh please, oh please don't disappoint me! I'm looking forward to the whole thing kicking off in the third book, now that we know of a rebellion. Overall, I say to pick up this book if you really enjoyed Matched, since it does bridge the gap between the first and promising third book. If you weren't all that interested in the first book, you won't like the second!