Book Review: Crossed

Title: Crossed.
Author: Ally Condie.
Series: Yes, #2.
Pages: 400.
Source: Purchased.
Publisher: Speak.
Published Date: 11/1/11.
Links:
Goodreads.
Barnes and Noble.

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."

Cover:

Love love, LOVE these covers! Not only do they look amazing, but all three look fabulous sitting on my shelf in a neat little row! I love white covers, they always just look so clean!

My Thoughts:

I absolutely loved Matched and while I was excited to read Crossed, I also feared the infamous "second book syndrome". For any of you who don't know what that is exactly, it's when the first book in a series (in this case a trilogy) completely ROCKED your world, and you're excited for the second book, but instead of continuing to rock, it totally flops.

I know, I know! The Matched Trilogy has amazing reviews and tons of five star ratings, but still that second book syndrome likes to creep up on me sometimes!

If you haven't read Matched, it's about time you do! I was extremely late reading, and I'm still kicking myself for it today. Crossed takes place a few months after Matched leaves off. Ky was sent to the Outerlands to basically die and Cassie is sent to a work camp, where she is preparing herself to move to her next job.

She is trying to come up with an idea of how to get out of this work camp, and catch up with Ky, wherever he might be. But Cassia isn't so sure anymore when her best friend and match shows up to visit her; Xander. Not only does he make her feel at home, she almost wishes she can choose him, because she knows his a good guy, with a good future, and that he will always make her happy..but her heart is calling out to Ky.

Before Xander leaves, he slips Cassia a small container filled with blue pills, and small notes.

While Ky is sneaking out of the death camp he was sent to, with two other guys, Cassia slips out of the work camp with another girl, named Laney. She isn't sure if she can trust her, but its better than being alone. Also Laney has skills, like climbing that come in handy throughout the journey.

Will the two ever find one another in this vast land? Will Cassia really pick Ky, or did Xander's visit change her mind? And what secret is Xander keeping from Cassia, that even Ky knows about?

Okay, that's a lot to take in, but let me break it down for you.

Rumors say Crossed has a much slower pace than Matched did, and in some cases that's true. While I sped through the pages and chapters of Matched, I did find myself slowing down a bit in Crossed. I'm not really saying that this is a bad thing, or that it bothered me, the story was just a bit slower, because of all the traveling and reflecting the pair did while they were away from one another.

I love Condie's writing and world creating. One of the most annoying things about love triangles, is when the author seems to favor one person themselves. So instead of keeping things even between the two competing, and interesting for the reader, it's usually obvious which one will be picked. But Condie does an amazing job at keeping Xander and Ky at about the same level, and really leaves it up to the readers to guess which one Cassia will choose.

Overall I loved Crossed just as much as Matched, just in different ways. There were a few questions brought up in Crossed that haven't been answered yet, for example why did Xander give Cassia all this blue pills? Did he know what they did in the outside world? And what is this secret Xander has? And how does Ky know about it?

But I feel that I can't judge the book by leaving these questions unanswered, because there is a third and final book in the trilogy. I can't wait to see what Condie has in store for her readers.