Review: What's Left Of Me

Title:  What's Left Of Me
Series:  The Hybrid Chronicles #1
Author:  Kat Zhang
Publisher:  HarperCollins
Pages:  343
Format:  eBook

I should not exist.  But I do.  
Eva and Addie started out the same way 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 pronouced healthy and Eva was declared gone.  Except, she wasn't . . .
For the past three years, Eva 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 the chance to smile, to twirl, to speak, Eva will do anything.  

My Review:  I feel like I say this far too often but I was really surprised that I loved this book as much as I did.  When I first read the blurb, I thought this book sounded like a major science fiction read.  While I'm not opposed to those types of books, I just really didn't think I could handle a book where the main character was literally stuck inside of her own head and could to nothing.

While Eva is stuck in her head, she did not just to nothing.  She was fighting for her existence; to stop from disappearing forever.  She clung on to who she was, even though no one else besides her sister knew she was there.  The entire time I was reading this, I was just so utterly frustrated at the unfairness of everything for Eva.  I actually found myself in tears at some parts, miserable that this girl was stuck like this.

You might think that since Eva was like a prisoner to her sister's body that it would make Eva hate her sister.  That was not the case.  Eva was loving and caring and helped Addie, trying to keep her happy as best as she could.  I respected Eva so much more because of this.  She was not bitter or rude.  She just wanted the chance at control.  She wanted to share this life with her sister whom she loved.

Everything was so different reading this book.  It was told in first person but instead of reading sentences like "I lifted my hand", the sentences read "Addie lifted our hand".  It added a uniqueness to this story like nothing I'd ever seen before.

I was amazed with how well Kat separated the different characters.  While we only had three bodies in one scene, there was actually six souls with six different names.  While it sounds like it would be confusing, everything was clear and easy to follow. The plot was also very impressive.  I thought everything was at a nice pace and progressed really well.

With an amazing writing style, a unique idea, a great plot, and characters that stood out, What's Left Of Me is a wonderful and fascinating read that I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a good book.

Five Cards