Category Archives: Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic

Matched by Ally Condie

Review: Matched by Ally Condie

Book Review and Content, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

Matched
Ally Condie
Dutton Books for Young Readers
Published November 30, 2010

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Cassia has looked forward to her Match Banquet for as long as she can remember, and nothing could be more wonderful than sharing that day with her best friend, Xander. She is elated when the Society choses Xander to be her very own match. He is right for her in every way, a confirmation to Cassia of the Society’s perfection.

So she believes until a rare malfunction occurs and another face flashes across Cassia’s screen. Ky Markham’s face. Confused, Cassia allows the Society leaders to reassure her that everything is fine. Her doubts resurface in the form of a gift from her grandfather: words from a forbidden poem. Cassia knows she must destroy them, but can’t help reading and savoring them again and again. She begins to fall in love with the mysterious poetry and the boy who shares them with her. Ky. And now she must choose between Xander, who knows her through and through and Ky, who knows things she can’t yet understand.

Matched is a romance set against a dystopian backdrop: a world carefully balanced and controlled by the elite members of the Society. Only select forms of artwork have been preserved and allowed. All others are outlawed. All actions and even sleep are monitored. For Cassia, it is a safe and perfect world until Ky enters it and awakens dreams she shouldn’t have, desires she can’t understand and a growing distrust of the world she thought protected her. It is difficult indeed even for the reader to choose between Cassia’s loves. Condie elegantly weaves a story of disillusionment and hope and propels her readers through the twists and turns of Cassia’s story.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild.

Sexual Content
Very mild. Kissing. Some reference to adults having the option to stay single rather than being matched and choosing to have casual physical relationships, but no details given and no bearing on the story itself.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
Very limited violence.

Drug Content
Society members keep three tablets with them at all times, to be taken for specific purposes, with usage carefully monitored. One is a sleep aid.

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Review: The Kill Order by James Dashner

Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, , , , ,

The Kill Order
James Dashner
Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Published August 14, 2012

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With memories of the sun flares that destroyed major cities and much of the world’s technology still fresh in their minds, Mark, Trina and their friends find themselves face to face with another catastrophe, and this one may not leave any alive.

The plague’s first victims survive mere hours. But as the disease mutates and spreads, its victims survive longer, becoming mad long before the end takes them. Mark and Trina band together, determined to stay well, track down the source of the vicious illness, and do whatever it takes to stop it.

In this prequel to the Maze Runner series, James Dashner reveals the story of civilization’s fall and the mysterious disease that ravaged mankind in its wake. While providing answers to many of the questions Maze Runner fans have been asking, The Kill Order lacked the density of thrill and suspense that have rocketed readers through the bestselling series. I wish this had been a novella or short story instead of a full-length novel. I think I would have liked it better in that format.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild to moderate.

Sexual Content
Moderate to heavy. While much of the physical romance takes place off-scene, it is still known that the hero and his girlfriend are having sex.

Spiritual Content
Not much mentioned.

Violence
Lots of scenes depicting terrible illness and some insanity.

Drug Content
The characters are on a quest for a cure to the mysterious disease that is spreading like wildfire. No recreational drug use.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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