Crossed

Crossed is the 2nd book in the Matched series by Ally Condie. It continues the story of Cassia and Ky as they search for each other after being torn apart by the society. Along the way they have to put their faith into some unlikely friends in order to find their way through the harsh climate of the outer provinces. 

I spent much of my free time last weekend consuming this book and much of my time since then thinking about it. On a whole, I enjoyed the continuation of the story though at times I found it a bit slow. It's hard to root for Cassia and Ky when Xander is such a good person as well and I can't help thinking that Cassia has been manipulated into her interest in Ky, no matter who was behind it. 

The menace of the society is not as strong in this book, so the story lacks a little bit with no villain to be running from. On the same note, I can't decide how to feel about the Rising either.  Condie gives you the sense that the Rising doesn't care about people, they care about the cause. And while I acknowledge that mentality is needed when fighting for the greater good, I can't help but wonder where the humanity lies in all of this. What does it look like in the light of day?

These ideas make Crossed a thought provoking book that I will continue to think about during my free time and I'm very excited to see how Condie deals with these ideas in the third installment of the series set to be released in November of this year.