Review: What's Left Of Me (The Hybrid Chronicles #1) By: Kat Zhang

Title: What's Left of Me (The Hybrid Chronicles #1)

Author: Kat Zhang

Published: September 18th, 2012

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars! 2012 Favorite!

Goodreads Summary:

What's Left of Me tells the story of a fifteen-year-old girl fighting for her right to survive in a world where two souls are born into each body and one is doomed to disappear. Pitched as The Golden Compass meets Girl, Interrupted.

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.

My Thoughts:

I absolutely loved this book, it was a fast-paced and action packed sci-fi dystopian thriller that left me dying for more! Kat Zhang has created a world that I became completely immersed in and couldn't put the book down nor did I want to. I found myself looking forward to the next time I had a free moment to read I did not want to stop.

Every person in the world is born with a twin soul. Two souls inhabiting the same body, until one day they settle, the dominant soul takes control and the recessive soul fades into nothing. That is how it is supposed to be, that is what is considered normal. Two souls that don't settle are called hybrids, considered highly dangerous, if a person never settles, they are shipped off to institutions by the government never to be seen again. Addie and Eva never settled, accept only Addie and Eva know this. Eva held on and she is still inside of their body. Addie is in control but, Eva has been a prisoner inside their body and mind for years. That is until one day, an opportunity from a girl at school opens up new doors for them giving Eva the chance to be in control again and leading them into an adventure that nobody saw coming. 

Like I said above I could not put this book down, I was captivated from the beginning. I loved the idea of hybrids and was so curious to find out more about them . I was disappointed that the book didn't really explain where they came from or if this was how their world always had been . I couldn't imagine having a sister or brother who was more like a twin, sharing your body with you, being a part of your family, until one day they just weren't. I was normal for one of them to just fade but, I just couldn't imagine giving up that person.

I loved our main characters Addie and Eva, they had such a huge secret that they knew had to be kept. I really felt for Eva, she couldn't speak to her mom and dad or her brother, nobody ever talked about her and cared that she had ever existed. Addie and Eva had settled late, or so everyone thought, not until they were 12 years old which was unheard of in society and highly abnormal. I couldn't imagine being a prisoner of your own body, never being able to move yourself or even speak out loud. But, I also felt for Addie, she was never alone with her thoughts and was always sharing everything with Eva. They both made the story so much richer and a definite page turner. 

There wasn't a lot of romance in this book  but, with all of the action I was so into the book I really didn't miss it. Eva did have a romance going with one of the other hybrid boys, Ryan and it was cute and sweet but, it was  a hard thing to deal with considering the fact that she wasn't the only one in her body.

Overall this book was super amazing! I can't wait until the next book comes out. The ending was good, it wrapped up the story without a huge cliffhanger but, still left you wondering about their future. If you enjoy sci-fi and dystopian, read this book!!

Happy Reading!

Kristin