Reached: Matched Trilogy, Book 3

Gr 7 Up—The final volume (Dutton, 2012) of Condie's "Matched" trilogy centers on the Rising, an attempt to overthrow the Society's data-driven repression. With a cure on hand, those who work for the Rising introduce a new plague. In alternating chapters, Cassia, Ky, and Xandor, the three young protagonists connected by computer matches and personal feelings, relate divergent attempts to deal with a mutation morphing into a lethal epidemic. The Pilot, their elusive leader, arrives desperate for a cure just as a very sick Ky is recovering thanks to Xandor's latest medicine compound and Cassia's devoted care. The concluding volume also includes romantic threads, references to past turmoil, and dark revelations about who's behind the Rising. Narrators Kate Simses, Jack Riccobono, and Matt Burns each establish their characters' youthful energy, inner conflicts, sense of loss, and courageous choices. With a complicated plot and a multilayered back story, listeners should be familiar with the previous two volumes in this dystopian series in order to fully comprehend its conclusion.—Barbara Wysocki, Cora J. Belden Library, Rocky Hill, CT