YA Review: Once We Were by Kat Zhang

Title: Once We Were (The Hybrid Chronicles #2)

Author: Kat Zhang

# of Pages: 352

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publication Date: September 17th 2013

Source: BEA

Level: Young Adult

Rating: 4 Hearts

Synopsis

"I'm lucky just to be alive"

Eva was never supposed to have survived this long. As the recessive soul, she should have faded away years ago. Instead, she lingers in the body she shares with her sister soul, Addie. When the government discovered the truth, they tried to “cure” the girls, but Eva and Addie escaped before the doctors could strip Eva’s soul away.

Now fugitives, Eva and Addie find shelter with a group of hybrids who run an underground resistance. Surrounded by others like them, the girls learn how to temporarily disappear to give each soul some much-needed privacy. Eva is thrilled at the chance to be alone with Ryan, the boy she’s falling for, but troubled by the growing chasm between her and Addie. Despite clashes over their shared body, both girls are eager to join the rebellion.

Yet as they are drawn deeper into the escalating violence, they start to wonder: How far are they willing to go to fight for hybrid freedom? Faced with uncertainty and incredible danger, their answers may tear them apart forever.

My Verdict  

I was lucky enough to snag a copy of this book at BEA back in June. I hadn't even left Kat Zhangs autograph line yet and I was cracking this puppy open! For the rest of the day, whenever I was waiting in line for something I was reading this book. 

A lot of the time with series, I don't like the sequel, but in this case I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't like it as much as the first but it's still a great continuation of the story and characters we grew attached to in book one. 

In the first book, Eva was fighting for her voice and slowly learning how to take control of their body. Now Addie & Eva slip in and out of control on a regular basis. Their body is just as much Eva's as it is Addies. Now living as part of the Hybrid resistance, Addie & Eva are starting to learn more about their kind. One of the biggest things they learn is how one of them can "sleep" to give the other privacy. This comes in handy for the romantic aspect of things, allowing Eva and Ryan's relationship to grow. However, it also brings about a whole new set of problems when the girls start keeping secrets from each other about how they're using that time. 

In the first book, I liked Eva a lot more than Addie. This time things completely flip-flopped. Eva was driving me nuts and Addie was the one I agreed with (most of the time). There were a few new characters that joined the picture: Sabine, Christoph, and Cordelia, all of which were well written; I just didn't like them. 

Overall this was a very enjoyable sequel that you don't want to miss!! If you haven't read the first book, WHAT'S LEFT OF ME,  go grab a copy, you'll breeze right through it and be back for this one. 

YA Review: What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang

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

Author: Kat Zhang

# Of Pages: 343

Publisher: Harper Collins

Publication Date: September 18th 2012

Source: Library

Level: Young Adult

Rating: 4 Hearts

Synopsis

(From Goodreads)

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.

My Verdict

I’m so mad at myself for not reading this book as soon as it came out! It’s one of the most unique books I’ve ever read! Debut author, Kat Zhang, brings a fresh new voice to YA literature.

While I wouldn’t really categorize this book as dystopian, it definitely takes place in a very different world, a world where everybody is born with two souls (a dominant soul and a recessive soul).  That is until one of them settles. Settling is when the “recessive” soul fades away. Forever.

It was a little weird at first, getting used to two characters, two very different voices in one body. But soon you get used to it, and become so immersed in this other world that it seems normal. Our main character(s) are Addie and Eva. We see things from both perspectives and hear both girls’ thoughts but I would consider Eva to be the main focus of the story. As the recessive soul who never faded away, we get to see things from her side of things. What it was like to be forgotten and ignored by her own family, everyone except Addie of course.

Every character in this book from main to secondary was so well developed. Even the bad guys you couldn't help but appreciate. I loved Addie, Eva, Hally, Devon, Kitty, and all the characters SO much!

There is a slight romantic aspect to the book; so slight I almost didn’t mention it. With two people in each body you can imagine how awkward that is…

While this is just the start of a brilliant new series the ending was satisfying on it’s own and could be read as a standalone. But trust me, your going to want to read book two. I snagged a copy at BEA and tore right through it!