Book Review - Crossed

Title: Crossed
Author: Ally Condie
Series: Matched (Book 2)
Publisher: Puffin
Release Date: 24 Nov 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0141333069

Synopsis
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.
  
My Review
Crossed is the second installment in the Matched Trilogy, following on from where the first book ended.
I read Matched last year for a Book Day at work and was surprised by how much I loved it, so I was really excited when Crossed came out. As I'm broke right now I had to request a copy from the library instead of buying one (although I still want my own copy), the library copy came in quite quickly and I couldn't wait to get stuck in.
At 366 pages I thought it would take me a while to read but I actually sped through it. I had finished the whole thing in less than 3 hours! I would glance at the page numbers and find I was much further than I thought I would be, i was literally flying through the book, It was so good.
Cassia is trying to find Ky and Ky is trying to find Cassia, whilst both of them try to stay alive and figure out where they want to go once they are back together. I could feel Cassia's love and pull towards Ky, her desperation to be with him again. Her true devotion and I loved how Ky felt so lost at times, wondering who he really was and what his life comes down to.
The world in this book is incredible, it's like Ally has taken a brush and painted this beautiful yet deadly world in front of me, I could picture the whole thing and I felt like I was there. I laughed and cried along with the characters and when i thought Cassia had made a wrong move I was yelling at the book and gripping the pages tighter, desperate to know if it worked out right or not.
I literally could not put it down. I totally adored this book, I think I even enjoyed it more than the first. This left me feeling like I had been on a journey with the characters, it was so real to me. I can't wait for the next installment.


I was quite shocked when I loaded Goodreads to get the synopsis and I found quite a few negative reviews for this book - it seems to be a real love it or hate it book. But I really truly loved it. Amazing how different people see or experience books. 


My Rating
I would give this book 10/10, I really loved it.