Matched by Ally Condie and Giveaway

Title: Matched

Author: Ally Condie

Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy

Publisher:  Penguin Uk (Imprint: Razor Bill)

Publication Date: 7th December 2010

ISBN: 9780141333052

Stand alone or series: Series

Pages: 304 Pages

Book Received from: Penguin Australia

First Lines: Now that I've found the way to fly, which direction should I go into the night?

Synopsis:

ON HER SEVENTEENTH BIRTHDAY,
CASSIA MEETS HER MATCH.  SOCIETY DICTATES
HE IS HER PERFECT PARTNER FOR LIFE.

EXCEPT HE'S NOT.

In Cassia's society, Officials decide who people love.
How many children they have.
Where they work.
When they die.
But, as Cassia finds herself falling in love with another boy, she is determined to make some choices of her own.
And that's when her whole world begins to unravel . . .


My Thoughts:

I've seen this book pop up on many book blogs sites and I couldn't wait to get my hands on this.  Thanks to Erin from Penguin I was sent a copy for review.  The cover is absolutely awesome!

So, imagine this.  A life where you let someone else decide the technicalities. For instance, cooking your dinner for you, waiting to turn seventeen to be matched up to that special someone for life, a life of equality.  Sounds good doesn't it?  Let's put things into perspective.  A life where your work is chosen for you, how many kids you are allowed to have, when you die!  Doesn't sound so great does it?

Cassia has just turned seventeen and has just been matched to the one person she knows so well.  But when she goes to view his profile, another face pops up.  Just for an instant, but that's all it takes to plant that seed of doubt.

I really enjoyed reading this one.  I couldn't imagine a life where all my choices are made for me, but Ally does a fantastic job of creating a believable world where such a life exists.  The writing flowed well too and I was amazed at how quick I devoured this one.

This is definitely a fantastic start to the series, and I look forward to reading Crossed which will be out in November this year.  Another interesting bit of info: Disney and Offspring have optioned the film rights. 

Fave Line:  "Once you want something, everything changes. Now I want everything. More and more and more."

Now for the fun stuff.

Giveaway Time:
OPEN INTERNATIONAL
All you need to do is answere this question.

If you lived the life Cassia had (where your decisions were made for you) and you got to pick one area of your life you had some influence over, which would it be? (Love, Career, kids etc.)

That's it!
Just post your answers in the comment section.
Deadline: 6th March 2011