When considering the perks of working in publishing, I have only two words: free books. Between galleys and take shelves, there’s always something to bring home. But the best part is when Penguin decides to give away a free, hot-off-the-presses title… delivered right to your desk!
I’d heard about the famous “Penguin 5”, a selection of new YA titles whose advance copies were packaged and sent to industry folks, setting them all abuzz with excitement (did I mention the power of free books?). I’d be surprised if the above trailer and website didn’t send every teen reader of paranormal/romance/horror/dystopia/fantasy running “breathless” to the nearest bookstore. But the book I was excited to read myself was Matched… and guess what pretty, pretty hardcover showed up on my desk in honor of its release yesterday?
I think I can accurately describe Matched as The Giver for the teen girls of 2010. Heroine Cassia Reyes is a 17-year-old member of The Society, the universal government that dictates everything from your clothes and your food, to the art you consume, your job and – of course – your mate. Cassia receives her optimum match, and in a stroke of luck, it’s her best friend and resident blond hottie, Xander. But in an unlucky “error”, another face comes up on her match-card as well: outsider Ky. Ooooh snap!
Who is her true “match”? Will knowledge lead her to buck “The Society” and realize it isn’t all that perfect? Though the answers seem obvious, I’m a third of the way through… and I’m still enthralled. Definitely a great YA read!
Check out the super-mysterious website for Matched, as well as a video of the author, below.
Walking In Public 