2/5 Stars
Anyway, seeing as this book is the first in a very popular series, I figured I couldn't go wrong by grabbing a copy. How could millions of fans be wrong, right? Well, guess what. They were wrong. This book is a snooze fest filled with hundreds of pages of internal dialogue, just droning on and on. It's like ten, maybe twenty pages of excitement mixed with three hundred pages of a girl trying (and failing) to fall for a guy she has no right being with. *yawns* Gimme some action, for the love of YA!
The book starts out strong. It is immediately obvious that Allie Condie has some serious writing chops. We're briefly introduced to a futuristic world where the only way to get married and have children is to be matched by the government with a partner sometime in your seventeenth year. I was very intrigued when Cassia was matched with her best friend, Xander! I thought, all right! This is gonna be good!
Couple pages later, here comes a new match for Cassia and say hello to the ever-so-popular love triangle dynamic. Gah, poor Xander. That's all I have to say about that.
After that, it all goes downhill. We're forced to read through the ramblings of a teenage girl who just has to be difficult. Maybe I'm weird, but the totalitarian government that this girl was living in seemed like a dream life for me. Way less stress when you take away all the unknown variables that are so scary in real life. Like, it's super stressful finding a husband. BAM! Here's one for you. Check that off the list. These people don't even have to worry about finding jobs! Those are all picked out for them while they're still in school. They don't even have to cook their own food for crying out loud!
Sure, it sorta stinks that some of their basic freedoms are taken away, as well as their creative expressions, but oh well. The government in this book tries their darnedest to keep their people happy, healthy and safe. That's what the little pills that they all carry around are for.
"Do not go gentle."
The main character keeps repeating that line over and over again. Hey, here's an idea! Take your little green chill pill, be happy and DO go gentle. How about that? What's so wrong with being happy, safe and healthy, huh? Punks. *mutters under breath*
The end of the book seemed to hint at some kind of an uprising that the dull and unimpressive Cassia her weird and intense boy toy Ky are supposedly going to somehow manage to lead. I'm not buying it. In fact, I want my money back...
There is nothing about any of these characters that stands out to me. If they were a color they would be beige. The beautifully green cover is a lie. It should have been boring and beige just like this story. At least then I wouldn't feel tricked. xD
There are two more books in the series that I have no intentions of ever reading. I honestly cannot understand how this is such a popular series of books. I guess some people like to be bored. Whatever tickles their fancy, I suppose. If you want my opinion, though, don't even waste your time with this one. Two thumbs down.