Crossed

Crossed by Ally Condie

(Summary taken from inside the book jacket) "Chasing down an uncertain future, Cassia makes her way to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky--taken by the Society to his sure death--only to find that he has escaped into the majestic, but treacherous, canyons. On this wild frontier are glimmers of a different life and the enthralling promise of rebellion. But even as Cassia sacrifices everything to reunite with Ky, ingenious surprises from Xander may change the game once again."

One thing that is hard for me as a reviewer is that I have so many books that authors or publishers have asked me to read, that I usually do not have time to just read what I want to. That is the case with this book. I read the first book soooooo long ago that when I finally found time to pick up the second one (that has been sitting under my bed for at least two years....just waiting to be read), I really couldn't remember anything about it. I didn't have time to go back and reread the first one either, so I just started reading and hoped it would come back to me. I really liked the first book, so I was excited to get back into the series. Once I remembered the characters' names I was able to start getting back into the story. The writing style is simple and easy to read (I read it in a few hours), but not as exciting as I remembered the first one being. I liked the characters, but didn't feel as connected to them as I remember feeling about the first book. I didn't like the two person narration. The last book that I read like that (Divergent #3) was awful, so maybe it was just the anticipation of something bad, but in any case, I didn't really like it. There were times I couldn't tell who was speaking so I'd have to go back and look at the chapter heading to see if it was Cassia or Ky. The plot was kind of slow moving, but was fine, although I didn't feel that it really advanced the story much. It seems like they're in the same position as they were before, but in a different place. We met a few new characters and learned a few new things, but that's about it. I didn't really feel like either Cassia or Ky developed or grew much in the story. Yes, they had changed since the first book, but there wasn't a whole lot of growth in this story. I liked this book, but had hoped for more. If you've read the first one then you will want to read this one.

I did like that it was clean. There's not any profanity or "intimacy" scenes. There is a little bit of tension between Cassia and Ky, but it's clean. There is also some kissing. There is some violence with people and characters dying in the war, but those scenes aren't too graphic or over-the-top. I'd say it's YA approved, which is good. 

Rating: PG (Some kissing and some minor violence in the war, with a few characters dying)

Recommendation: 13 and up (YA approved!)