the cardigan librarian

Crossed, Ally Condie

Crossed, Ally Condie (2011) [sequel to Matched]

Scenario: Banished to the edges of Society, Cassia and Ky alternate narration as they search for the love that keeps them alive.

Pros:

Liked what I saw of Xander.

Cons:

I don’t know that Ky’s voice contributed much. And his apathy toward any cause beyond himself and Cassia sometimes frustrated me.
Love, romantic love, as everything.
Felt like a filler between the action of Matched and whatever comes next. At one point, I lost my place and skipped ahead 50 or so pages without noticing. This is not a good sign.

Bottom Line: Why did I dislike this so much? I loved Matched and waited eagerly for Crossed, but maybe I’m finally burning out on dystopian romance. Certainly, it was surprisingly difficult to remember Cassia’s world this months after reading Matched, with so many similar stories in between. Normally I find second novels tedious in their asides about everything we learned in Book #1, but I definitely could have used more of that here. Recommended to fans of Delirium, Divergent and Hunger Games, of course, but not as the best example of the subgenre.