Book Review Feb. 2

Reached by: Allie Condie

 5 Stars

(This is the final book in the series...)
All through the day I had numerous thoughts on how much I loved this book. I was so happy we got to see Xander's point of view and what a selfless guy he turned out to be. I was a bit shocked by the almost sudden appearance of Lei (who's hidden identity seemed annoyingly convenient) but then I had to remind myself how sped up everything was. Months and weeks pass in matter of pages and usually that leaves some sort of disconnect between the characters but thankfully that was not the case with Reached.
I found the sudden uprising of 'The Rising' to be too rushed. Ky and Cassia make it to them and in no time they are usurping the 'Society.'
Which brings me to my favorite shock moment in the entire book. I thought the idea of the Society creating the initial virus was genius and what they did with the pills to control the citizens, mind-blowing. Best of all the 'Society' actually being the Rising in order to 'predict the outcome' and still maintain control was a genius twist. A little far fetched to be given so much information at one time but alas it is a dystopian world and excuse the French but, 'shit happens.'

Unlike Crossed, Reached didn't feel like it was dragging along. The most enjoyable was watching each character in their new role. Xander still stood out to me the most in the book. Ky always seems so unsure and Cassia devoted just because she promised. But Xander, even when the walls are caving in around him, remains calm and at ease, no matter the outcome.
I truly love Cassia's family and was truly sad for her loss. But learning more about her family was great. They really just wanted her to be able to make her own choices, for her own reasons.
At times I felt myself skimming lines, especially part of Cassia's past with her grandfather. I felt at the end I could almost recite the scene myself so it could have been handled a bit better.
Overall I loved this book and felt it did a great job to end the series. It did seem convenient, perhaps for a follow-up book on Anna's election and the future of Eli????