What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang
Monday, September 30, 2013
Author : Kat Zhang
Genre : Dystopian
Published Date : September 18th 2012
Publisher : HarperCollins
Pages : 343
From Goodreads :
I should not exist. But I do.
Eva and Addie started out the same way as everyone else—two souls woven together in one body, taking turns controlling their movements as they learned how to walk, how to sing, how to dance. But as they grew, so did the worried whispers. Why aren’t they settling? Why isn’t one of them fading? The doctors ran tests, the neighbors shied away, and their parents begged for more time. Finally Addie was pronounced healthy and Eva was declared gone. Except, she wasn’t.
For the past three years, Eva has clung to the remnants of her life. Only Addie knows she’s still there, trapped inside their body. Then one day, they discover there may be a way for Eva to move again. The risks are unimaginable-hybrids are considered a threat to society, so if they are caught, Addie and Eva will be locked away with the others. And yet . . . for a chance to smile, to twirl, to speak, Eva will do anything.
Review
What's Left of Me told us about the near future, where every people was born with two soul entwined in one body, Addie and Eva was no exception. But when the recessive soul would normally fade away, leaving the dominant soul alone, Eva refuses to let go and never fade away completely. Paralyzed, silenced, but never disappear. So when their classmate Hally offered them a way to give Eva control once again, she was more than willing to do anything for it. But was 'anything' include risking their safe haven and be exposed to the government, despite their status as the hunted Hybrid?
"But understanding a thing and accepting it are so very different things."
—Eva
What really hooked me at first to this book was actually the concept. It was very well-thought, and decently developed. While it was really original—and scientifically impossible—, having a twin soul in one body sounds really believable in the world that Kat Zhang had made, especially with the mentioning of our life now as their past, which really helped us imagining the whole thing.
The plotting, I found, was really good and well structured. Every event was immediately linked to another, but at some point in the middle, there's some minor sagging that bored me a little bit. But once the story picked up its pace, it was actually quite enjoyable. I also love how the revelation was made little by little, slowly destroying what Eva and Addie had believe since they were a child in such a believable way.
The traits of every character were very distinguishable, even though this book was about two souls sharing a body. It's really easy to differentiate between Eva and Addie, even if it's just by reading their dialog, as well as Ryan and Devon.
There's, however, too much name mentioning at the beginning, which might be confusing for some people.
One thing I didn't really like though, was Eva and Ryan's relationship. Sure, it's not like their relationship was those annoying kiss-every-two-seconds-something kind of romance. But I found that their relationship seemed more like a close friend-slash-ally rather than a romantic one. And so well yeah, it just didn't quite fit for me.
I also feel that throughout this book, one thing that really lacked from it was the tension. In the beginning, we were told that in America, hybrid people were treated like they should die that very moment. But when the real thing happens with Eva and Addie, the official was just way too polite and civil compared to the portrayal.
What's more, when Addie commits something crazy—which is really often, believe me—the official was just like, locked them in their room, and that's it. Like, really? And in the past, hybrid was slaughtered, killed, murdered, etc etc? No, people, that's so not believable.
Overall, I think this book was quite promising as a series with its original, well-thought, and strong concept. Completed with a very distinct character, I think this book would be perfect for a fan of realistic dystopian such as Lauren Oliver's Delirium or DeStefano's Chemical Garden.
Cheers, x
NK
4 comments
This book sounds like Linked -- one of my DNFs this year ._. I was not in the mood for dystopia but I am honestly a bit intrigued now. That cover is so pretty and unique ohmygod HarperCollins why you make awesome covers?! There's a silhouette of girl and a girl's face inside it asdfghjk And I happen to LOVE double POV, especially a very distinguishable one!
ReplyDeleteNice to see you're back to posting again, Neysa! <33
Agree! HarperCollins made an especially super pretty cover for their books. The second book was even prettier! :D
DeleteIt was still chilling for me, because I think they allowed them to be safe so they could experiment on them. And who knows what scientists are thinking and planning of? They're scientists.
ReplyDeleteAnd aaaah, I'm so happy that we agree at a lot of the good points! Kat's writing just made it all feel so believable, and it's like the world was brought to life. I was scared that the dual perspective wouldn't feel authentic and slip at some time, but it was nicely done.
Anyway, I really enjoyed What's Left of Me, to the point that I gave it 5 stars. The concept was great, and I think Zhang had executed it perfectly.
After reading The Host I find that the idea of two souls in one body is intriguing. While the premise is interesting I'm not sure I'd be interested in reading if you only thought it was alright.
ReplyDeleteA comment from readers make us happy, really!
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