Helpful Score: 4
It looks like dystopian themes are here to stay for a while in YA fiction!
Crossed definitely has a different feel when compared to the previous book in the trilogy. Matched created the Society and featured a well developed world with rules, quirks, and strange practices. Crossed, however, is more of the story of a journey. The story takes place largely on either the edges of The Society (both physically and philosophically) or entirely outside its confines, and there is the constant threat of danger from all sides. This book alternates between Cassia and Ky's perspectives from chapter to chapter. Typically I'm not a fan of this, but I think it would've been almost impossible to tell this story in the first person without employing that technique. It also gives us a glimpse into Ky's mind for the first time, and allows us to learn a bit more of his background.
I do think that in some areas this book falls prey to the problem that many second books in a trilogy do: it's just a placeholder between the beginning and the end. The book is filled with a lot of travel, most of it within the same general area, and there are parts that are slow moving and seem to just be used to up the page count. That said, the book also introduces a lot of backstory about The Society, Abberations and Anomalies. It introduces a whole new movement in The Rising, and also brings us several intriguing new characters who seem to still have more of their story to reveal. I would've liked to have learned more about the rebellion and about The Society's influence outside of its boundaries, but I assume most of that will be fleshed out in the third book.
This is definitely a more action oriented book than Matched, and you see Cassia nurturing a streak of both defiance and determination that was only beginning to develop in the previous book. It is much more focused on survival than on a love triangle, although Xander does appear briefly and is mentioned throughout the book. Those who read the first book primarily for the love triangle may find this one disappointing, but there are plenty of teasing clues as to the truth behind both Xander and Ky--and what they each mean to Cassia.
While the world building in this book wasn't quite on par with Matched and I don't think it was a strong of a book, it was still a quick, enjoyable read. Looking forward to the next book in this series!
Crossed definitely has a different feel when compared to the previous book in the trilogy. Matched created the Society and featured a well developed world with rules, quirks, and strange practices. Crossed, however, is more of the story of a journey. The story takes place largely on either the edges of The Society (both physically and philosophically) or entirely outside its confines, and there is the constant threat of danger from all sides. This book alternates between Cassia and Ky's perspectives from chapter to chapter. Typically I'm not a fan of this, but I think it would've been almost impossible to tell this story in the first person without employing that technique. It also gives us a glimpse into Ky's mind for the first time, and allows us to learn a bit more of his background.
I do think that in some areas this book falls prey to the problem that many second books in a trilogy do: it's just a placeholder between the beginning and the end. The book is filled with a lot of travel, most of it within the same general area, and there are parts that are slow moving and seem to just be used to up the page count. That said, the book also introduces a lot of backstory about The Society, Abberations and Anomalies. It introduces a whole new movement in The Rising, and also brings us several intriguing new characters who seem to still have more of their story to reveal. I would've liked to have learned more about the rebellion and about The Society's influence outside of its boundaries, but I assume most of that will be fleshed out in the third book.
This is definitely a more action oriented book than Matched, and you see Cassia nurturing a streak of both defiance and determination that was only beginning to develop in the previous book. It is much more focused on survival than on a love triangle, although Xander does appear briefly and is mentioned throughout the book. Those who read the first book primarily for the love triangle may find this one disappointing, but there are plenty of teasing clues as to the truth behind both Xander and Ky--and what they each mean to Cassia.
While the world building in this book wasn't quite on par with Matched and I don't think it was a strong of a book, it was still a quick, enjoyable read. Looking forward to the next book in this series!
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