"Reached" by Ally Condie

Today’s book, “Reached”, is the third book in the “Matched” trilogy by Ally Condie. Like the first two books in the series, it was well written with very few typos. Why do I feel it is important to mention this fact? Well, if a book I read has too many typos or grammatical errors, it is very difficult for me to just lose myself in simply enjoying the story. That may not bother some people, but I will stop reading something that keeps pulling me out of the story like that. Ally Condie does an excellent job of allowing the reader to focus on the story.

In this book, we learn much more about the 3 main groups in this world: the Society, the Rising, and the Outlanders. The Society were the people living in the larger towns and who had all the advantages that were only granted to citizens. 

The Rising were the ones who chose to rebel from the Society because they wanted more freedom to choose their own lives. They wanted to be allowed to create, to write, and to learn and discover things that were not usually approved by the Society. And the Outlanders were the people classified as “aberrations” by society. Some of those known as aberrations chose the life for themselves, but many were classified as such through the actions of a parent or other relative rather than through their own actions.

The main portion of this book has all 3 groups dealing with a plague and searching for a cure. The plague had started out as a created thing, designed with a cure available, however it had mutated and the cure that one group had intended to use to save people was no longer effective. Thus the need to find a cure if any of the three groups were to survive.

While the story was enjoyable and well written, I much preferred the first book in the trilogy, “Matched”. That book drew me in and held my interest in way that wasn’t maintained by either of the following two books. I don’t know if it was because the books were intended for younger readers than myself, but I could see how this one would end well before the book reached it’s conclusion. I did greatly enjoy the book, but I kept waiting for a surprise somewhere along the way that never really manifested.

The various plot points in the story were all very neatly tied up in the end, with only one question left unanswered... what will happen next? And while that question was not answered, I find I much prefer it that way. In my opinion it leaves just enough left to the reader’s imagination to decide what might come next. Yes, the author could theoretically add another book or series of books on to this ending, but I don’t believe that she will. The way it ends, to me at least, feels complete. I find it a very good ending to the trilogy.