Release Date: November 1st, 2011
Genre:  Romance, Adventure, Dystopia
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Pages: 384
Rating:
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Goodreads Page: Click here
Series: Matched #2 (Review of #1)
Summary: (Spoilers, highlight to view)

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.

Blurb: I've never read anything so poetic. Condie truly is a master of words.

(I'm going to try to avoid spoilers in this review, but I can't promise that there won't be something you  might consider spoiler-ish)

Review: Oh my word. From the second I opened this book I was hooked. I'm averaging about one book every two weeks this semester, and I read this one in less than TWO DAYS.

The first thing that struck me was how poetic this book is. Matched has a lot of poetry, and it's a big theme in the book. Crossed IS poetry. Some of the chapters are actually written in stanzas! The story flows together beautifully, and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.

Which is why I was surprised when I went to my mother's book club and people said they had heard Crossed was bad. Apparently, the main criticism it is receiving is that it's too slow, and doesn't go anywhere. I disagree. It definitely goes somewhere. There are very few moments where the characters are just doing nothing. And even if they aren't actively running for their lives, there's always intrigue, betrayal, mystery, etc.

Speaking of betrayal: THERE IS NO SEQUEL PHASE IN THIS BOOK! That made me so happy I almost cried. Yay for love interests staying loyal!

But, I will nod my head to the critics and say that if you didn't like Matched, you won't like Crossed. If you loved Matched, you'll probably like Crossed.

The only problem I had (and it's a small one) is that the book is written in first person, but the chapters alternate between Ky's perspective and Cassia's. I got so swept up in the story that I often forgot who was narrating and found myself flipping back to the chapter heading a lot. I wish their names had been at the top of each page. But it wasn't a big deal.

In conclusion, Crossed was amazing. It didn't quite give us as much information as Matched but it is even more beautifully written. I LOVED it.



*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.