Review: Crossed by Ally Condie

Title: Crossed (Matched #2)
Author: Ally Condie
Publication Date: November 1, 2011


From Goodreads:


The hotly awaited second book in the dystopian Matched trilogy

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.

My Thoughts:          

!!!!WARNING!!! THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR BOTH MATCHED AND CROSSED. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!! 

Finally! After months and months of waiting to read the next chapter in Cassia and Ky's story, I was finally able to get my hands on Crossed (thanks to Anji, who bought if for me for my birthday!). I loved Matched, it was one of my favorite books of 2010. I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen!

Crossed picks up a few months after where Matched left off. Cassia is in a work camp trying to locate Ky. She is about to be reassigned to a new camp when she decides to take a chance and hop on an airship that is taking other girls to the Outer Provinces. Once there, she meets a boy who knew Ky and can point her in the right direction.

The book alternates between Cassia and Ky. One chapter is Cassia, then the next is Ky, and so on. I really loved hearing directly from Ky for the first time. We learn a lot about him, his family and his feelings towards Cassia. He also lets us in on a few secrets! We follow along as Cassia and Ky make their way (separately) through a canyon in search of The Rising, and each other.

This book was so, so good. I read this in just a few days. I know that may seem long to some of you, but trust me when I say that I have two extremely active (and loud) children who had a few days off from school due to the holiday. It is very hard to read when they are home. So technically, it only took me a few hours to read it, just those hours were spread across a few days lol.

I loved this book almost as much as the first. It is beautifully written and flows along seamlessly. You sit down at the beginning and before you know it, you have read 100 pages. There is also a lot more violence here than in Matched. There are some rather dark and gruesome things happening in this part of the story, so if you don't like reading about violence then please consider this before you start reading. While the descriptions themselves are not disturbing, it's what is taking place that may bother some readers. However, I think this was a major part of the story and was needed in order for us to truly understand the world that Cassia and Ky live in.

There is only one issue that I had with Crossed. Maybe one of you can refresh my memory a bit here. In Matched, Ky is taken away and everyone is forced to take one of those nifty red pills. Cassia crushes hers and then talks to Xander about them. I could be remembering this wrong and should probably go back and read it again, but doesn't Xander tell Cassia that they have all taken the red pill before? This is when he tells her that he is immune. Doesn't she ask if she has ever taken it and he says yes, once or twice before? This was driving me crazy because a rather huge deal is made in Crossed about everyone being immune and Cassia wondering if she is too. Don't we already know that she took one before and she wasn't? Somebody please help me out here lol.

Anyway, as a whole, this book was awesome. I am now in severe book depression that I have to wait for the final book. Another year? That's torture!Ally Condie has a fan for life in me. I will read anything and everything she releases. If you read and loved Matched, you will love this too. And if you haven't yet read Matched, go pick both of these up right now! What are you waiting for? Go now!