Me on Reached

Title: Reached
Author: Ally Condie
Release Date: November 13, 2012
Publisher: Dutton (Penguin imprint)

After leaving the Society and desperately searching for the Rising, and each other, Cassia and Ky have found what they've been looking for. But it comes at the cost of losing each other yet again: Cassia is assigned to work for the Rising inside the Society while Ky is stationed outside its borders. But nothing is as predicted, and all too soon the veil is lifted and things start to shift around them again. Now Cassia is forced to reconcile the difficulties of challenging a life too confining, seeking a freedom she never dreamed possible, and honouring a love she cannot live without.

Reached is a conclusion, a realization, a resting point. Everything that Cassia, Ky, and Xander experienced, everything they went through and suffered through, does end, and this is how they reach that point. A satisfying conclusion to an awe-inspiring series.

The Rising is coming, the Society will fall. That much is certain. This is what happens when the Rising occurs, when the people stand up and break free of a controlling society they no longer trust, a society that destroyed what was once valued above all other things. But no uprising is without pain and suffering. No uprising is perfect, and while it is the end, it will take all three narrators to the brink in their quest to reach the place they've been searching for.

The inclusion of the poems and songs, of writing by hand, of creating, was a wonderful choice by the author. In the darkest corners and in the bleakest times, there is still hope. There are still dreams for the future. There are still words and ideas that show us the resilience of those who came before and know that it can be done. Sometimes they are messages passed around, sometimes their meanings are meant to be taken literally, but sometimes they are proof that we are not alone, that someone else is out there.

Cassia, Ky, Xander. They all have their jobs to do, and as big or as small as they are, they are all connected. Everything is connected, and all of the ways in which they're connected are realized here.

The tone of the book, of the series as a whole, is rather serious, somber, and poignant. The journey has not been easy for Cassia or Ky, or even Xander, but they are so close to reaching their end. With any luck, they will keep fighting and search out for what they believe is right.

(I purchased a copy of this book.)