BOOK REVIEW 'Matched'

Matched 
By: Ally Condie
Most of my friends read as much as I do, and we often have book talks about what we've read recently and what we want to read, and these often end in very passionate discussions about said books, and generally complete nerding out. One book that always came up in conversation was Matched, and when I was at the library one day and they had the PlayAway version of it, I figured 'Why not?'
When I got home, I plugged in my headphones and clear out the world, until I hear the voice of the actor on the audio book. It's soft, and sweet, and really, really annoying. I almost stop right there before Chapter 1 even finishes, but the longer I listen and give it a chance, I realize that sadly, it fits the character, so I continued.
The novel is told through the eyes of Cassia (pronounced on the audio book like 'Cash-ia' for anyone who had my same difficulty with her name) and she lives in yet another dystopian society. As what has become the norm for these kinds of books, the government is extremely controlling and corrupt, but Cassia doesn't realize that. She's perfectly content being a 'sorter' (they never quite explain what that is, so don't ask me), being 'matched' with whoever 'The Society' chooses for her, and basically making no actual decisions because 'It's better this way'.  So, needless to say, she's completely brainwashed by 'All the good The Society is doing'. 
On Cassia's 17th birthday, she goes to her matching ceremony with her best friend, Xander, to see who they'll spend the rest of their 80 years of life with. She's caught up in the moment and all the glitz and glamour that her regular life comfortably lacks, and to top off the night she finds out that her Match is Xander. She's thrilled, and who wouldn't be? Everyone dreams of falling for their best friend, and this is a guarantee that everything will work out for the two of them. 
When she gets home with her microcard full of information about her match, she knows she won't need it. She already knows everything there is to know about Xander, but she decides to look at it anyway. What she finds isn't information about her best friend, but another boy, named Ky. She goes for help, and is assured that it was a simple mistake and the problem is solved. But, the society doesn't make mistakes does it?
The rest of the novel is Cassia discovering that maybe making her own decisions is a good thing and seeing more and more as time passes The Society has some tricks up it's sleeve. 
I really didn't like the book all that much. My main complaint being, the main character. I found Cassia to be kind of annoying and made some really stupid decisions that I just can't get over. Although I will admit, part of my problem may come from the voice I heard it from. The actor on the PlayAway was so annoying and I really think that had an impact of my enjoyment of the book. I became biased against the character because she annoyed me, and therefore everything else she and the other characters did, I didn't like. So, if you want to read the book, I would suggest not listening to the audio book. 
Another problem I have is things aren't explained as well as they should. I went half the novel without the slightest idea what a 'sorter' is, which is supposed to be Cassia's 'vocation' which I'm guessing is a job? There is a lot of strange terminology that needs to be better explained.  
I also think my dislike of the genre added to my list of complaints. I am really not a big fan of the new wave of wired, controlling government books and people keep telling me how good one of them is so I read it and end up unsatisfied. 
As you can see, most of my complaints here have to do with personal preference, so, if this is the kind of book you like, I'd recommend it. 
Pages: 369
Read In: 4 weeks? 
Rating: 5/10
Ages: 10 + up
The Four Categories: romance, and high school problems