The Matching

The Paper Duchess #2

by Angeline Trevena

“There was a time when a girl’s wedding day was the happiest day of her life.”

In Falside, girls are a rare commodity; protected, controlled, and tracked by the administration. They spend their days idly waiting to be married off to the highest bidder.

When the marriage announcements include Tale’s lover, Freda, the women will do anything to stop the match from happening.

Their relationship is forbidden, and as members of the resistance, they’re already risking everything.

But as their attempts to stop the wedding fail, both women have to decide what they’re willing to sacrifice for love.

118 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 10, 2016

About the author

Angeline Trevena is a British science fiction, fantasy, and horror author. Creator of The Paper Duchess series, she is best known for her feminist brand of dystopia.

She’s been writing stories since she was old enough to hold a pen, and after gaining a BA Hons degree in Drama and Writing, she honed her craft with horror and fantasy shorts which are published in numerous magazines and anthologies.

Angeline grew up on the edge of Dartmoor, Devon, amongst its legends and ghost stories, but now lives in central England with her husband, their two young boys, and a somewhat neurotic cat.

Reviews

[Mark Tilbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this, the second in The Paper Duchess series, Maeve is living her life free of her Uncle Lou, but is still hiding from the Administration and being selected for an arranged marriage. This book doesn't focus on Maeve like the first book did, but instead focuses on her friends who are trying to bring down the Administration.

I like all the characters and seeing how their relationships are affected by Freda's arranged marriage to wealthy Emory Hess. There is a lot of dialogue throughout the book and it is all very well done. All the character's personalities develop nicely as the book progresses too.

This is an unsettling fictional vision of a possible future and the very idea of the kind of ID strips mentioned here fill me with dread! A great second part to the series, and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in book 3.

[OldBird · Rating 3 out of 5]

Freda and Tale are amoungst the dwindling pool of eligible females in Falside, and now their number's up. Or rather, Freda's is; she's been matched to marry Emory Hess, the reclusive heir to the shadowy administration who run the city. Their love has always been a small form of rebellion, but now it's under threat. The rest of the resistance feel powerless to help, what with Denver being Denver and Maeve suddenly forced into surrogate motherhood. Only Kerise has an idea, but as per usual it's far more destructive than constructive...

I did find that this tale of Falside's unfair society did meander a little. Being split between Tale's misery at the impending marriage and Maeve's accidental adoption, the narrative felt a bit disjointed as the two didn't have much in common. I didn't feel that the characters or relationships really grew much. The focus was more on telling a story to explain how the women of Falside are "matched" and all the ill-treatment and corruption that goes along with being treated as a commodity rather than a person. The many plans the characters came up with didn't really seem to go anywhere, and their outcomes weren't always easy to understand. Kerise kills Emory, and... what? Someone's going to notice eventually. And even after they've gotten away with it, what about the evidence he'd collected on the resistance? What about the biggest wedding ever that's now definitely cancelled? There are quite a few little holes that just never got filled in. Things dragged and then just fizzled out rather than coming to a dramatic climax. That's not to say it's a bad story, just that it lacked a certain something. It serves well to flesh out the dystopian society of Falside, although there are still plenty of questions like hello? Plenty of women down in the slums. They aren't wanted because..?

I do intend to carry on with the series as it is a well-written story, but I hope it has a bit more drama that makes sense to go with the doom and gloom.

-I received a free copy of this ebook via a giveaway-

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant sequel to 'The Bottle Stopper'. In this work, we find out more about those classed as the Resistance and what they are doing to undermine the Big Brother government, forced 'arranged' marriages where the women are brides to the highest bidder, and where Tale and Freda's beautiful, but illegal, love story may be broken in two.

It's a very clear, focused view of a future where nothing has changed, and everything has changed. You'll see what I mean when you read it. The twists and turns are great and the characterisations are so full that I know these people and care about them...well, most of them, anyway. Enjoy!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this free ebook. All opinions are honest and my own.

[Angus Rorison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kept me gripped

I have to admit I don't always finish books, there always seems to be a better one waiting for me. However, there was no stopping me finish this.
It follows Maeve from the first book in the series but the main thrust of it is about the people who take her in. The author has created a believable, slightly scary world with plenty of mystery to it. Somewhere the characters have to struggle through.
The characters grew on me and I found myself really carrying about them. There's not a lot of detail about the society or the to authority controlling it and this means you don't get bogged down, it leaves more room for the action and the story.
A shortish novel that gathers pace and will leave you wanting more.

[Katje van Loon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it was a great continuation of The Paper Duchess series that started in The Bottle Stopper, and I'm starting book 3 soon. (In between class and work and sleep....)