Review: Crossed by Ally Condie

Crossed (Matched #2)
by Ally Condie
Publication Date: 1 November 2011
Publisher: Penguin
Format: Paperback, Review Copy
Rating: 4/5
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In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.
Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.|Goodreads|

I was fortunate enough to be able to read Matched and Crossed straight after each other and I'm so glad that I did. Having been left with a major cliffhanger in the first book, I was very anxious to continue Cassia's story in Crossed. With good pacing and alot of action, Crossed is the perfect sequel, complete with yet another annoyingly tantalizing cliffhanger!
The story continues straight on from where Matched left off, which I liked because there was no guessing as to what had happened between each book. Cassia and Ky are separated from each other at the end of Matched, and Crossed is all about them finding each other as well as themselves. Both characters change and grow immensely in this installment of the trilogy and that was just as exciting as their expedition through the canyons, on their way to find the rebellion against The Society known as The Rising.
Crossed is written from both Cassia and Ky's perspectives in alternating chapters. This technique doesn't always work in novels but in Crossed, it fit in perfectly with the story. We get to fully discover Ky as a character but still have Cassia's side of the story too, which is an aspect of Crossed that I enjoyed.
Throughout the story we meet new characters that are completely different to those in Matched and each brings a new dimension to the story. I liked the mystery of Indie, the innocence of Eli and the darkness of Vick. The setting of the story also takes a drastic turn compared to the setting in Matched and it showed that were some dark parts of the seemingly 'perfect' world in which the characters live. The pacing, overall, was good. It did slow down in the middle but soon after it picked up again. The writing was very descriptive and all the characters were engaging and evolved throughout the book.
Be warned though, there is yet another cliffhanger at the end of Crossed and I cannot wait to read the next installment of the series. Crossed has made me an even bigger fan of Ally Condie and I look very much forward to discovering how she wraps up the trilogy.