Reached (Matched Trilogy #3)

This book was one that had my heart racing! I could not put it down and finished within a day. I really enjoyed it!

I love a good pleasant surprise in any story and Ally Condie’s “Reached” provided just that. The third book in the Matched trilogy, “Reached” took a completely different direction than I thought!

Without giving too much away (for those who don’t want to know ANYTHING about the final installment, you should probably stop reading now), the overriding plotline was one I did not see coming. I was certain that this was going to turn out to be a “Mockingjay” part two: a rebellious faction of citizens in a brutal war with an even brutal-er government! But that soooooo was not the case. The easy part was getting rid of the totalitarian government. It was what came next that was hard!

I know this is ever so vague, but I really don’t want to spoil the book for people, even though it’s discovered what this whole surprise gist of the story is pretty quickly. Over 400 pages are devoted to the plotline I didn’t see coming. The best part is, we finally solve the mystery as to what all these pills are about Cassia and the rest of the Society members lug around everywhere with themselves, and my mind has been firmly made up as to which of Cassia’s potential loves I like the most. I’m so Team Xander.

***This review was originally posted at The Book Parade***

It seems to me that the Matched series by Ally Condie is somewhat of a ‘marmite’ series. I know lots of people who absolutely love it, but I have also met people who find it boring. As for me, I have always kind of hovered somewhere in between – not quite sure if this is a series I love, or just like. Still, I was very excited to read the Reached and see how the trilogy concluded.

I knew I was going to enjoy Reached as soon as I started it and I happily sat back and waited for the substantial amount of pages (Reached is a rather lengthy book) that lay invitingly ahead of me to unfold with surprises, mysteries and romance.

It had been a while since the last time I had visited the world of Matched i.e. since I had read Crossed and it was nice to return to Ally Condie’s fluid and poetic writing style, which is just so lovely to read. It is one thing that even those who criticise the Matched trilogy for insubstantial plot or whatever often praise – the way Condie writes so beautifully.

I like the way poetry is such a big part of the Matched trilogy, and I think it helps YA readers, who are mostly teens, appreciate and understand the unique beauty of poetry, and its value, a bit more. For example, at school we are currently having to study a lot of poetry in English for our GCSE exam and we generally find it tedious; however, the other day, we were studying ‘Do not go gentle into that good night,’ which, as you’ll know if you’ve read the books, is a poem that features prominently in this series and the several of my friends and I who had read Matched were all actually quite excited and engaged that lesson! (For once!)

No time is wasted in the opening of Reached and we are sucked straight into the exciting build-up of a revolution. What I really liked about Reached is how we get to know Xander more. Whereas the previous two books have focused mainly on Cassia and Ky, Xander was treated as a character of equal importance in Reached, and this time we also had chapters written from his perspective. Although I’ve never really had a ‘side’ in the Cassia-Ky-Xander love triangle, as I got to know Xander more, and as he was given a chance to prove himself as a character more, I began to really like him and I really felt sorry for him. In fact, by the end of Reached I think I would say that I definitely liked Xander more than Ky.

Beautifully written, as Condie’s novels always are, and a very enjoyable conclusion to the Matched trilogy. I look forward to seeing what the author has in store for us next now that this series is over!