Reached (Matched, #3)

by Ally Condie

[Kim Deister]

Reached is the last book in the Matched trilogy and I am sad to see the series end.  I loved the world that Ally Condie created and the story line was interesting and engrossing.

Xander was back and I am all kinds of happy about that!  I loved him and missed him in the second book.  The dynamic of the overall story seemed incomplete without him and I was happy to see that restored, even if, for much of the book, the three weren't together in interacting.  I loved his story in this book as we learn more about what he has been doing during The Rising.  To me, he is the hero of the story, the one truly working for the people.

As much as I love Cassia, it almost seemed as if she floundered a bit.  She was so adamant about The Rising, about following the path she felt her grandfather wanted her to follow.  Yet it seemed as if she forgot about that for awhile and basically worked for herself.  I think maybe her character got a little lost and overwhelmed in her isolation.  It was kind of a nice character arc to see her get beyond that.

Ky, Ky, Ky.  I don't know quite what to think about him.  There were some interesting twists with his story, but it honestly felt like he was competely lost.  And, unlike Cassia, he never seemed to find his way back.  

There were a whole lot of love triangles in this last book and no one ended up with who I thought they would.  I am not upset about this, though, because I liked the anticipation.

The only thing I wished it had was a bit of a clue as to how the world would be resolved in the future, along with an answer to a big question... no spoilers!

My Recommendation:  I definitely enjoyed this book more than the second, but the first is still my favorite.  Overall, this is an excellent series that really makes you think.