Review : What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang

Summary (from Goodreads)

Title : What's Left of Me (The Hybrid Chronicles #1)
Author : Kat Zhang
Publisher : Harper Teen
Publication Date : September 18th 2012
Goodreads - The Book Depository


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.


Personal Thoughts

What's Left of Me was one of my most highly anticipated novels of this year. There was something about the premise that really attracted me to the book. However, I was a teensy bit disappointed by the outcome of the book. I felt like it had a lot of unexplored potential and that it could have been a masterpiece had it gone in depth to the story behind the hybrids.

What's Left of Me is a story based in a world where two souls are born into a single body, but with time only the dominant survives, while the recessive soul simply fades away. Eva and Addie are two such souls. The only difference between them and the others is that even after so many years both Eva and Addie's souls are alive ; They are hybrids. But that's a secret nobody knows. Everyone ,including her family, believes that Eva has faded away a long time ago. Sharing this secret could have unimaginable consequences because hybrids are considered a danger in society.

I felt like the author didn't develop Eva's and Addie's characters fully. I won't say that they were bland characters, but there was just something about them that made it very difficult to connect with. Eva was pretty much that character who trusts every single person while Addie was a little more selfish. There was a huge contrast between the two characters, but I think I actually preferred Addie although she did come of as an egotistic character. While I realize that her character thought mostly about herself, unlike Eva,she didn't make poor decisions that risked their lives. Eva was, in a way, too gullible for my tastes. However, I did sympathize with her. For someone that young, she had a lot going on with her. To be honest, I don't know how I would have felt, being trapped in a body with someone else inside my head. I'd most probably go insane. Her pain and sorrows were palpable and felt very realistic. Her strong emotions actually bordered on desperation and in a certain way, that was actually quite understandable. But there was still part of me that hoped she made wiser decisions. The secondary characters weren't exactly memorable either. I read the book a couple of weeks ago and I honestly can't remember who the other characters were.

As far as the plot line goes, I admit, it was highly interesting. The book started off strongly, but after a while the pace really slowed down to the point when I started getting bored. Although I was still reading the book, my mind was elsewhere. I also thought that the world-building was fairly weak. There was simply very little information on the background of the hybrids. There was a part of me that wanted more from the book. There were a lot of major questions that remained unanswered even by the end of the book. It was incredibly frustrating. Kat Zhang's writing itself was a strong point in the book. Her narrative was not only captivating, but also emotionally charged.

What's Left of Me was a good start to a series, but my expectations for the book were very high. I expected  to be completely blown away by the book, but that never happened. However, I'm still keeping my hopes up for the next book. Hopefully, that one will be a little more in depth than the first book.

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 3/5
Characters : 3/5
Writing : 3/5