Review: Slated by Teri Terry

Title: Slated (Slated #1)
Author: Teri Terry
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian Thriller

Goodreads rating: 4.10 out of 5.00 (1, 100+ ratings)
Goodreads link

Kyla’s memory has been erased,
her personality wiped blank,
her memories lost for ever.

She’s been Slated.

The government claims she was a terrorist, and that they are giving her a second chance - as long as she plays by their rules. But echoes of the past whisper in Kyla’s mind. Someone is lying to her, and nothing is as it seems. Who can she trust in her search for the truth?






Review by Chantelle


An ambitious debut by Teri Terry who presents us with a young adult dystopian thriller! That alone should catch your attention since thrillers are like unicorns in the young adult world. 

Also, this cover is captivating. I know you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover and all that jazz, but come on, one look at it and you know that they're doing something right. 

My first impression was that the concept behind this particular dystopian world with "slating" was a mix between the movie Total Recall and the novel Matched by Ally Condie, which (for those that know me) is an ominous sign since I hated them both. 

However, the absolute great hurrah thing is, is that the similarities remained only with the idea. Teri Terry's writing is easy to follow, and she has a great insight into the teenage mind without exaggerating the "teenage drama". I called this novel ambitious because Terry touches on many interesting ideas with minimal exploration, which only acts as a teaser for the following installments in this promising series. It shows that this plot actually holds some depth that I for one am really excited about. The main idea that caught my attention was the emphasis on miscommunication being behind a lot of teenage angst, that it is the root of many problems; whether that be due to age, cultural, background differences etc. 

The world Terry creates is a political compromise, a coalition. Criminals under the age of 16 can be 'slated', have their memory wiped clean and be given a completely new start with a new family and identity. They wear a "Levo" on their wrists which monitors their happiness on a scale of 10, if that Levo were to read a level less than 3, it causes the body to blackout, less than 2, to have seizures, less than 1, death.

Obviously there are problems.
Get ready, enter the world of those slated. 
It's a thrill. 




‘Stand up straight! And smile,’ she hisses, then pushes me through a door.I paste a wide smile on my face, convinced it won’t transform me from scared and miserable to angelic and happy; more like, demented.


I’d asked why Amy was so different to my parents and me, and was told sharply that race is irrelevant and no longer worthy of notice or comment under the glorious Central Coalition. But how can you not see?


Dr Lysander begins to look back at me from under my pencil. Goose bumps rise along my arms, my neck.
Strange.
I draw much better with my left hand.


I can feel the pain, see my broken, bloody fingers.


Kyla is different.


‘Tell me what is wrong,’ he says. ‘Maybe I can help.’I open my eyes, and shake my head.

Ratings
Overall: 7/10
Plot: 4/5
Writing: 3.5/5
Characters: 3/5
Cover: 5/5