Crossed

Cassia arranges to be sent to a work camp near the frontier, and from there she escapes into the Carving, a vast landscape of canyons and caves. Ky, meanwhile, has been placed in a camp of young people used as decoys in a distant war, and he manages to escape with two companions. The chapters alternate between Cassia's and Ky's voices as they make their way through the wilderness toward each other.

In the canyons they find traces of people who once lived free of the Society, and hear of a rebellion called the Rising. But they also discover secrets about Ky's past and about the choices each of them must make. The pace is slower and more reflective than many dystopian novels, with an emphasis on poetry, landscape and inner feelings. Some readers love the lyrical style, while others wish for more action. There is danger but little graphic violence.

Lyrical, thoughtful and romantic, the middle book of a trilogy that concludes with Reached. Readers who enjoyed the quiet beauty of Matched will find more of the same here, along with a wider and wilder world. About 416 pages in the Speak paperback.