Reached by Ally Condie

I really loved this trilogy. I read this third book in one day, even though it's the longest of the three. It did not end the way I expected. I was expecting the big battle between the Rising and the Society. I thought "the Pilot" would be a big (shocking?) reveal. I was expecting more of a love triangle between Cassia, Ky and Xander. (There was a point in the Mockingjay that I really didn't know if Katniss would choose Peeta or Gale!) I was intrigued that it was very different than I expected.

I certainly didn't see the Plague coming! It was interesting that the Rising used the Plague to signal the beginning of the rebellion. At first I was shocked that Xander seemed excited that the two year old showed signs of the Plague. That seemed against his caring nature for sure! Then when we find out that there is a cure, it made more sense, but it's still an odd signal. The immunizations administered by Society; the modified immunizations administered by the Rising; the red, green & blue pills carried by all; the different effects these pills had on different people; the development of the Plague by Society in the first place to kill the Enemy (who was the enemy, by-the-way?) The development of the cure by Society; the suppression of the rebellion by isolating the Aberrations and Anomalies from Society; the mutation of the original Plague; why some people are immune from the mutation and some are not. I could go on and on. All of this (and so much more) are very different twists on a common theme: the pending destruction of a dystopian society.

I also thought it was interesting that the Society took creativity out of people's lives. No one knew how to print letters of the alphabet, much less write in cursive. No one knew how to dance or sing or write. Cassia's family stood firm in their beliefs, but they were different beliefs. Cassia's Great Grandmother was a Pilot; her Grandfather supported the Rising; her father supported the Society; Cassia was affected by the red pill, so she had to struggle to remember what she knew - and choose her own way. I said in my previous blog on Crossed that I thought the Rising would be just as "evil" as the Society due to an abuse of power and control. Who knew that they were one and the same! Very fascinating twist. And the end: a democratic vote!

Wendy's Rating: *****