Review Sample

  WHAT'S LEFT OF ME
Kat Zhang
343 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: September 18th, 2012
Source: ARC from Publisher
Rating: REALLY LIKED

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

   Thought-provoking and engrossing, Kat Zhang's dystopian debut can be described in one word as beautiful. WHAT'S LEFT OF ME defines beauty.

   Eva is supposed to be dead. In a world where bodies are born with two souls, Eva's soul should have disappeared years ago. Yet she is still there. No one knows she exists but her sister, with whom she shares a body. And for years, Eva hasn't spoken, hasn't curled her fingers into a fist or even taken a step.

   All Eva wants is a chance. And she doesn't realize how much she wants it until it's too late.

   Kat Zhang weaves a story with the prettiest of prose, smooth and enchanting. The plot itself, if stripped bare, would resemble that of any dystopian. Zhang's writing takes the skeleton of dystopia and makes it so much more emotional, pulse-pounding. And just as frightening. Because deep inside, Eva's story isn't just fiction. It isn't just a fictitious story about an extra soul. It's about being human. And what we should be grateful for.

   WHAT'S LEFT OF ME isn't action-packed, though the plot moves quickly. The struggle is within Eva, and even Addie, who, just like Eva, has something to risk. Though our first instinct is to dislike Addie for being the dominant soul, you'll feel as much sympathy for her.

   As I said before, it was Kat Zhang's writing that pulled me in, soon after the simply stunning cover. In short, WHAT'S LEFT OF ME is a riveting must-read.

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