(There are very minor spoilers in this review)

I've had this on my TBR list for a couple years- the premise sounded like an intriguing YA read. I read the whole book in about a day because of that fact; since I had finally checked "Slated" out of the library I figured I might as well just read it! And my thoughts? I think my the 3-star rating is accurate: "liked it". It was good. Nothing great, or even super creative, but I thought it was a decent YA dystopian novel.

The premise behind the events of the book are that teen terrorists can be "slated"; that is, have their mind wiped blank and then are taught EVERYTHING new, with no memory of who they used to be. These Slated teens are given a new name, taught how to walk, talk, read, and then after 6 months, they are given to a new family. But quite a few questions arose for me, and they were never answered. For instance, if being Slated only works for those under the age of 16, then what about the adult terrorists? In the time this book is set (about 2050, I believe) are there really THAT many 14-year-old terrorists? Also, Terry never really expounds on why the Rebel group in this book are so hell-bent against the Government and Slating. It just seems to be a cliche "Big Bad Govt vs Freedom Fighters" thing.
Don't get me wrong: in this day and age, I think a YA book that explores the topic of terrorism is a really good idea. In the second half of the book, Kyla's mother explains to her that in the 30s (that's the 2030's) the terrorism became so bad that people didn't leave their house, and the riots and chaos was off the charts. Honestly, that really hit home, because the exploration of "what happens to us next?" is an important one, and it was very interesting to see how Terry wrote about it. But I felt as if there were some loopholes in this plot.
I also think the pace of the book was too slow, especially the first half. Kyla barely learns anything until well until the second half of the book. The first part is a lot of running, nightmares, more running, cute-boy-plot, running, and more nightmares. It got a little tedious.

The characters themselves were pretty good (except Ben- he just got really annoying). I like how Kyla is slowly learning things about herself and the reader really gets to see some character development, even in minor ways. I was SUPER happy to see the relationship between Kyla and her mother progress! I thought it was going to be one of those "evil stepmom, dad is the nice guy" deals, but I was pleasantly surprised. I LOVED solid family relationships, and again, it was so so nice to see Kyla grow to love Amy and her mom.

I'm interested to read the next book in the series, but I hope the pace picks up and that Terry incorporates more details of the world and the events that led to people being Slated.
( )

This is one of the good ones, folks! I absolutely devoured this book.

I loved the premise. I loved that Kyla had no memories at the beginning. I love that she was entering a new world and rediscovering old schemas in her brain. I love that Terry included details such as her not knowing a knife was sharp because she had to learn. (I loved that Terry didn't drown the book with these details.)

The world in this book was wonderfully depicted as we were discovering it alongside Kyla. It was fascinating to see what other people were taking for granted and what she found to be slightly strange or creepy feeling inducing.

The politics in this book were also beautifully done and deathly possible. Set in a futuristic UK, this goes into enough depth to explain how the world came to be without being boring to those who don't enjoy politics.

The characters in this book were fantastically built. I loved Kyla's 'sister,' fellow Slated, Amy, who was a sweetheart but incredibly different to Kyla. I detested her 'dad.' I grew to grudgingly adore her mother. There were fascinating character at the hospital and at school and all over the place!

About halfway through this, I got up and went to check that my library had the second book available for kindle, because I had a feeling that if it didn't, I would be very angry. It did. Which is good, because I have a physical need to finish this series.

If you like dystopias, this is a must-read. ( )

2.5 Stars ( )

This was an awesome story of mysterious forces and government conspiracy set in the near future, following a strong but confused and naive teen as she ties to find herself and survive after having her memories surgically removed.

I was on the edge of my seat half the time, lulled into false securities the rest, and always wanting to know what happened next.

I found Kyla could be a little whiny at times, mainly at the beginning of the book, so couldn't give it a 5 but it was definitely close! ( )

This was an awesome story of mysterious forces and government conspiracy set in the near future, following a strong but confused and naive teen as she ties to find herself and survive after having her memories surgically removed.

I was on the edge of my seat half the time, lulled into false securities the rest, and always wanting to know what happened next.

I found Kyla could be a little whiny at times, mainly at the beginning of the book, so couldn't give it a 5 but it was definitely close! ( )