Crossed

Crossed
by Ally Condie
Matched Trilogy, book two

*Caution! Spoilers Ahead...*

In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever. (description from Amazon.com)

I have to say that, sadly, I was disappointed in this book. I *loved* Matched and this follow up totally fell flat for me. While I still think that the world concept is very cool, I lost interest in what was happening with the characters.

While the first book captivated me with the danger of discovery, the depth of society's control, and the forbidden romance that was developing...the second lost all of these elements. Though Ky and Cassia are both facing imminent physical danger, this book lacked the suspense of the first. I never felt like either of them was really going to die...or have to live without the other.

Though I will assuredly read the final book in the trilogy because I want to know what happens with the characters, the Society, and especially the mostly absent (in Crossed, anyway) Xander, this book fell into the trap of a "middle" book. It was overlong, not too much happened, and I just wanted to get to the next one.

I'm also finding that the older I get the more I want my love stories to be filled with realistic strife. Love is not easy. And I mean that emotionally, not necessarily that the characters have to be in danger or cannot get to one another... I mean that they will not admit their love, they will fight their love, they will not recognize their love. It will build slowly and it will last. Cassia and Ky's love built well in the first book, but sadly once they are on the run, they both just spent all of their time pining for one another. It was a classic case of two people feeling as if they cannot be whole without the other. I found myself becoming bored with the fact that neither really did anything until they came together again...

I hope that Condie can bring back the magic of the first book when she completes the trilogy.

Full disclosure: Audio book received to review for AudioFile