Derivative, but good

It took a while for me to get into this book mostly because I was too aware of the similarities between this book and other YA dystopian novels I've read. By the end, however, I really enjoyed this story. The relationships between Cassia and Ky, Cassia and Xander are much more interesting than the relationships between Belle and Jacob, and Belle and Edward. For one, I think both boys in Matched are much safer than the boys in Twilight. Ky is an Abomination or and Anomaly (I don't remember, really), but the implications for Cassia are clear: she can't have a successful relationship with Ky in the future. They can hardly be friends in the present.

The scenes between Ky and Cassia when they were hiking were my favorites. This is putting beside the fact that a hiking expedition in this world seems like an odd outdoor activity and fairly implausible considering that the society is supposedly so restrictive. Teaching Cassia to write is another thing that I found implausible, though it was a romantic idea, especially since he teaches her how to write her name.

But why would writing be something they don't teach anymore? What logical reason is there for that? Obviously there is a governmental tyrannical reason for it. But in books like The Giver, there are sensible reasons for most of the restrictions. It's not merely government control to keep people in line. For example, the three pills all of the citizens carry around seem like they should have more important functions, and should appeal to the citizens' needs as well.

One of my biggest complaints is the development of Cassia's character. Her realization that the world around her is not quite right is spotty. In some places her knowledge or resistance to the society is much more advanced or intense than in later places in the story. She vacillates, which should happen, but the development should be progressive overall. I feel like her development has too many valleys with its peaks.

More to come...