Crossed

Written by Ally Condie

Goodreads Synopsis: 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 Confession: I really enjoyed the first book in this dystopian trilogy, Matched. I was completely drawn in to this world where free will has become a fairy tale. When Cassia leaves in the first book to go after Ky, I was under the impression that she understood what she was leaving behind, and she was okay with that. Xander, her family, her friends--she cared for them, but needed Ky to feel complete. Which I was all for. Regardless of what the "Matching" pool said, it's made clear that Ky is her soulmate.

And yet, here we go again with Xander. There was so much about Crossed that I liked, from the scenes in the wilderness to the new characters introduced along the way. I loved the dual-narration of this sequel and found Ky's voice authentic and moving. Seeing inside his head was the key to making this a complete and whole story. Despite the barren landscape and occasional lags in plot, there was a lot of depth to this continuation of Cassia and Ky's story. But then a "secret" is revealed about Xander that changes the whole game. And for me, not in a good way. What makes this trilogy so good is that it's built around not a love triangle, but a choice: Cassia's choice between Xander and Ky isn't superficial; it represents a choice between the life she's expected to lead, and the life she wants to lead. Xander is the warm, comfortable, Society life; Ky is rebellion. Now, after the secret, it's back to being just a choice between two boys, not the two sides of herself. And, with that, I think this trilogy loses a little something.

Recommendation: I am not jumping off this bandwagon--not in the least. I'm still excited to see how this story ends, how Condie brings some form of resolution to a very complicated situation. However, I wish the need for a love triangle wasn't pushed so hard in this book. I like Ky, a lot. I like him and Cassia together, and despite what we discover about Xander (which, for some reason, I have a hard time believing), I still believe Ky and Cassia are meant to be together. And I don't appreciate a monkey wrench being thrown into their situation just for the sake of it. They're both such damaged and complex characters, and they have no problem getting in the way of their own relationship. There's obviously much to uncover about the two of them, much that they still hide from each other--that's the more interesting obstacle to their love. Not another person.

Rating: 4/5

367 pages, published by Dutton Juvenile (Nov. 1, 2011)