{Review} Slated by Terri Terry

Book: Slated
Author: Terri Terry

Series: Slated #1
Pages: 448
Format: Finished Copy
Release Date: May 3, 2012
Publisher: Orchard Books
Rating: 4/5

Summery:

Debut author Teri Terry has written a brilliantly compelling, original and thought-provoking novel about an uncomfortably plausible future.

 Kyla has been Slated—her memory and personality erased as punishment for committing a crime she can’t remember. The government has taught her how to walk and talk again, given her a new identity and a new family, and told her to be grateful for this second chance that she doesn’t deserve. It’s also her last chance—because they’ll be watching to make sure she plays by their rules.

As Kyla adjusts to her new life, she’s plagued by fear. Who is she, really? And if only criminals   are slated, why are so many innocent people disappearing? Kyla is torn between the need to know more and her instinct for self-preservation. She knows a dangerous game is being played with her life, and she can’t let anyone see her make the wrong move . . . but who can she trust when everyone is a stranger?

 MY REVIEW:


It's been kind of awhile since I've read a dystopian book, and I'd forgotten how much I liked all the different ideas authors came up with for a post-apocalyptic setting. A long time ago, it used to be my favorite genre, and my friends and I would fangirl like crazy over dystopian books. I don't know what happened, but I started to pick up paranormal romance and contemporary, and I just kind of forgot about the genre. BUT, this book reignited my interest in dystopia, even though dystopian books (like this one) often have eerie and slightly frightening ideas surrounding them. And yes, in her debut novel Terri Terry (how I do pity her for having such a name) has taken the creepy route but also manages to make this book highly intriguing.

"If the past is unbearable, why choose to bear it?"
I shrug. Because it is mine.

This quote sums up the level of depth and intensity that the author put into this book. I really like the ideas she gave her reader to think about, and she definitely got the wheels in my brain cranking. Sometimes, when I was reading, I'd just pause and look out the window, lost in thought about what it would be like if our world turned into this, and what the side effects would be.

The book started out promisingly enough, what with the whole being brought to her new family and stuff, but it didn't amaze me or make me wow or anything like that. The writing seemed a little disconnected and it didn't flow very well, and sometimes I had to read sentences a few times. And then there was the protagonist, Kyla. I understood that she'd been Slated and was basically new to the world, but her naivety annoyed me. She kept having these recurring dreams and never really thought anything of them. At times I wanted to scream, "Wake up!" to her, not literally but when she was just not really thinking about her dreams.

But then, it started to get good. Really really really good. ♥

The pace picked up, and Terry provided some really exciting plot twists to make the reader more interested in the story. From then on, I was totally hooked and read at a rapid speed because I just needed to figure out what happened. And boy, was it amazing. I just couldn't stop reading. The writing got better too, and it went from not flowing very nicely to flowing extremely nicely. In fact, I loved reading the writing by the end of the book.

It did take a while for the action to start. The climax didn't happen until like 80% through the book, but the events that built up to it were key, so I think if the climax had been any sooner, the book would've been ruined. So I didn't really mind that the climax was so late in the book.

One thing that made this book different from a lot of dystopians: The author mentioned the particular year in which all of this was happening, and in this case, it was in the late 21st century.  Which is (obviously) the future, but the near future. If you think about it, to have society turn out the way it was in this book would take years and years, possibly hundreds of years. Terry said that the whole government change happened in the 2020's, but that seems kind of unrealistic, and also, 2020 is only 7 years away, so in 7 years this book's time range will become strange since Terry will now be talking about the present. I don't feel like I'm making any sense right now. And again, this isn't the U.S. we're talking about, it's the U.K., since this book is British.

Oh, and I think the idea of the Levos is so cool and interesting, even though it was basically the curse of all the Slateds' existence. I think Terry got the idea of the Levos from people with diabetes, but I'm not sure. It was such an awesome and original idea.

Even though at the beginning I wasn't sure what I thought of Kyla, by the end I respected her as a character, but she wasn't my favorite character. It would be a lie to say that Ben wasn't my favorite character, because he WAS ♥. He was awesome and sweet and normal and nice, while a lot of guys in young adult books these days are overly sexy and mysterious, he was refreshingly normal and I just adored him to bits. The romance was slow-paced, but that was something I really liked about it. A lot of authors rush into romance way to fast, but Terri Terry eased into it, with Kyla and Ben being friends before they started to think of each other romantically. "Ben the rebel. As far as kisses go." That's one of my favorite quotes from the book :)

And boy, that ending! It really broke my heart, and what a cliff hanger!! I NEED the next book, ASAP.

All in all, Slated was such a creative, wonderful book and I definitely had a fun time reading it, even though it was intense and a little creepy. But I really loved it, and if you like dystopian books, then don't hesitate to read this one--It was a great dystopian read.

~Cover Talk~

This cover is soooooo scary! I almost didn't buy this book just because of its creepy cover. The girl's expression is truly scary, but the cover just screams intrigue. I'm not sure I'm a fan of it, though--a little too dark and mysterious for my taste, although it does really fit the tone of the book. One thing, though--is the girl supposed to be Kyla? Because in the book, it says that she has blond hair, but the girl on the cover has dark hair. . . hmm. 

P.S. I know my reviews have been kind of long and rambly lately, and I'm sorry. I feel like I'm not writing very good reviews :( I'll try to shorten them up and make them better soon!