CATCHALL
Never let it be said that I didn't try to like this book, because I did try. I tried impossibly hard. The cover is shimmery and absolutely gorgeous, and there's so much symbolism I could write an essay on the implications of the cover alone. The book was so promising in the beginning too. I've read so many glowing reviews, but I just didn't feel it. It also felt a bit simplistic and empty; I can't even write a good snark review about it.
THE HEROINE
While I've definitely read about worse heroines (Luce, Juliet, Amelia, I'm talking about you) Cassia wasn't my favorite. Not even close, really. She just felt so shallow to me. I know plenty of you will disagree, but I simply did not like her. I din't exactly dislike her, but it was definitely borderline. She was somewhat vapid and I didn't feel like I knew her as well as I should by the end of the book. I thought she seemed rather annoying at times and while she definitely had her moments, I overall didn't care for her.
THE LOVE INTERESTS
XANDER
Xander was probably the only character in this book I actually really liked. While I do love my bad boys, there's also something about the good ones too. I thought Xander was a good representation of the kind of resistance that most of us would do in such a society; not open disobedience, but not complete conformity. He was so sweet and soft, even. He's so steady and he always seems to be there at just the right moments. Xander has the type of exterior that's marred by a few interior flaws, but imperfection is usually more attractive than perfection. The only thing I don't get is why he would want to be with Cassia.
KY
There's not a lot to say about him, except that I probably haven't disliked a male lead so much in a really long time, if ever. He irritated me. Looking back, I can't say why exactly. That probably weakens my argument, but it's my opinion. Either way, I disliked him. He felt so shallow and I he seemed condescending to me. I know he's made many young ladies swoon but again, I'm not feeling it. I skimmed more than read the parts where he showed up which were far too many. He bored me and I thought he was rather stupid too.
THE PLOT
There wasn't really much of a plot to the novel. It honestly felt like a really long introduction and nothing really happened. Sure, there were incidents, but nothing major. It seemed like the story was basically a dystopian romance. Usually, I wouldn't mind, but liking the romance would involve actually loving the characters. This plot was essentially nonexistent, although I do like the parts about the pills and the Hundred poems, paintings, etc., and the artifacts. Basically, I enjoyed reading about the actual society. Condie has crafted a beautiful dystopian world.
THE ROMANCE
That's all this book was about. Romance. Mostly Cassia and Ky. We see a little bit of Xander, although it's obvious from the beginning that Cassia has already chosen Ky. The love triangle feels forced and unnatural. Cassia and Ky's romance is shallow and flat from the very beginning. They have so little chemistry and everything between them feels awkward and feigned. Cassia and Xander weren't much better, although they did seem to sizzle a bit in the beginning. If Condie can capture that in later books, it would really increase my appreciation for her books.
THE ENDING
I'm fairly certain it was supposed to be a cliffhanger, but when I finished I didn't get my usual OMGMUSTGETNEXTBOOKNOW feeling. It closed the story better than I had expected but there was no real urgency to it. I liked some of the closing scenes but others I didn't care for. It left me with mixed feelings but was overall not terrible.
THE WRITING
Condie has beautiful writing but reading everything from Cassia's P.O.V. somewhat bored me. I didn't care for it. However, like I said, the writing itself was actually pretty good, if a tad simple. It was a bit young for a YA series, but it is a debut novel, so, as usual, I'll cut some slack.
WRAPUP
I will be reading Crossed, but without any particular urgency. Still, I'm looking forward to reading it.
FINE.