Crossed

Author: Ally Condie
Publisher: Dutton (Penguin)
Released: 2011
Genre: YA Dystopian Romance
Author's Website: http://www.allysoncondie.com/

Series: Matched
Source: Library - Will Buy!!
Challenge: Dystopian Novels 2012

Their Words:
Rules are different outside the Society. Chasing down an uncertain future, Cassia makes her way to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his sure death - only to find that he has escaped into the majestic, but treacherous, canyons. On this wild frontier are glimmers of a different life and the enthralling promise of rebellion. But even as Cassia sacrifices everything to reunite with Ky, ingenious surprises from Xander may change the game once again.

My words:
What a fantastic second book in the trilogy! Crossed is enthralling and utterly captivating for so many reasons.

One of the big things in the book is the breathtaking and vast landscape that Ally makes the reader feel as if you're actually there - a sort of wordscaping that is woven seamlessly into the narrative of the actual story. The map at the front of the book doesn't hurt, but even without it, I think I would've been able to follow the travels of Ky and his friends and Cassia and hers. Actually, the map doesn't provide a detailed description of the Carvings, but as Cassia tries to follow Ky, I was very clear at every point when she was on the right track, because of the understated, skillful way Ally describes their surroundings.

Of course, the characters continue to be as real and complex as they are in Matched. And as the story grows and develops and becomes more complex, the characters' complexity grows as well. Lots of exploration of feelings, lots of surprises.

And those surprises! The way the book works, alternating chapters between Ky and Cassia, is very conducive to surprises, because lots of chapters ended with such cliffhangers! I found myself holding my breath more than a few times - and I love when a story can engage me so completely. A mark of a masterpiece!