You're Gonna LOVE Me: WHAT'S LEFT OF ME by Kat Zhang
11:19 AM Posted by Bonnie @ A Backwards Story
A sneak peek at another HarperTeen author, debuting this fall!
I've been anxious to get my hands on WHAT'S LEFT OF ME since THRONE OF GLASS author Sarah J. Maas blogged about her friend Kat Zhang's publication deal last year. I was so excited when HarperCollins sent me a review copy, and while I have to sit on the full review until closer to release, I wanted to whet your appetite now.
Zhang's world reminds me in the best possible way of Phillip Pullman's DARK MATERIALS Trilogy in that the dæmons we're introduced to and the way they're severed reminds me very much of the way recessive souls can be removed in WHAT'S LEFT OF ME. HIS DARK MATERIALS was read repeatedly growing up and is still an all-time favorite of mine.
In Zhang's world, every person is born with two twin souls that inhabit one body. The two take turns controlling the body, and over time, one soul becomes dominant and takes over while the other becomes recessive and fades away. With Addie and Eva, however, the recessive Eva never completely fades away. The girls' body never settles the way it should, and Addie isn't deemed alone in her body until she's ten, which is on the cusp-line of being "too long." If a body never settles, the government looks that person up. Eva has no control over her and Addie's body, but can still think and have conversations with Addie, a fact that the girls want to hide at all costs.
I loved the fact that Eva is the narrator as the recessive soul, rather than seeing everything through Addie's eyes. It creates so many more layers because Eva struggles more. I also liked the way it's always "we" and "us" and "our" when narrating instead of "me" and "I" and "mine," which takes some getting used to, but makes complete sense. I wouldn't have it any other way!
WHAT'S LEFT OF ME doesn't have a cliffhanger and wraps in a way that could make it a one-off, but has enough loose threads that make a sequel imminent--and I, for one, will be glad to return to this world!
Zhang's world reminds me in the best possible way of Phillip Pullman's DARK MATERIALS Trilogy in that the dæmons we're introduced to and the way they're severed reminds me very much of the way recessive souls can be removed in WHAT'S LEFT OF ME. HIS DARK MATERIALS was read repeatedly growing up and is still an all-time favorite of mine.
In Zhang's world, every person is born with two twin souls that inhabit one body. The two take turns controlling the body, and over time, one soul becomes dominant and takes over while the other becomes recessive and fades away. With Addie and Eva, however, the recessive Eva never completely fades away. The girls' body never settles the way it should, and Addie isn't deemed alone in her body until she's ten, which is on the cusp-line of being "too long." If a body never settles, the government looks that person up. Eva has no control over her and Addie's body, but can still think and have conversations with Addie, a fact that the girls want to hide at all costs.
I loved the fact that Eva is the narrator as the recessive soul, rather than seeing everything through Addie's eyes. It creates so many more layers because Eva struggles more. I also liked the way it's always "we" and "us" and "our" when narrating instead of "me" and "I" and "mine," which takes some getting used to, but makes complete sense. I wouldn't have it any other way!
WHAT'S LEFT OF ME doesn't have a cliffhanger and wraps in a way that could make it a one-off, but has enough loose threads that make a sequel imminent--and I, for one, will be glad to return to this world!
Author: Kat Zhang
Release Date: Out Sept. 18 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins
Received: ARC for Review
SUMMARY:
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.
