Slated - Teri Terry

Slated (Slated #1) - Teri Terry
Grade: YA
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

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? (Description from Goodreads)


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I always feel extremely satisfied when I come across an amazing dystopia. When the world and society are so well developed that you feel that everything is real; it is incredibly hard not to fall in love. Teri Terry has created the perfect world for Kyla’s story. A dark, mysterious lifestyle, where no-one can be trusted, memories are not always yours to keep and emotions become public records to keep track of the Slated.

Have you ever done something wrong and hoped you could forget it and start all over again? Well that’s what it’s like to be Slated, to get a clean slate and have all your memories wiped...only it’s not always by choice. The government claims terrorists and criminals make up the Slated population, giving them a chance to re-enter society peacefully and without the trouble of their past. This is what happens to Kyla Davis - she has been Slated. She doesn’t know how she came to be one of the many who have been reintegrated into the community, having no idea what her life was like before. All she knows is that she has spent the last 9 months learning how to walk, speak and act all over again, is now part of a new family with a mother, father and sister she knows nothing about, and must keep control of her feelings by relying on her Levo – a watch-like object attached to Slateds that records their level of emotions.

I loved the Slated idea; it made everything slightly creepy, to have all these teenagers walking around minus their old memories and trying to fit into a society that is so tense around them. There was this sense of the unknown hanging over everyone’s heads, with the population trying to guess who the Slated people were before their new lives and shunning them for no longer being natural. Are they Criminals? Terrorists? Government Spies? ‘Slated’ is a book of questions, and with every new answer there are more questions, especially when it comes to Kyla.

The moment I started the book, I knew I adored Kyla. Her voice captured my attention immediately and fit so well for the dark and mysterious world. As a Slated teen, her grasp on life is fragile. She becomes child-like, not knowing what a cat is and why it purrs, or why you should not hold the sharp end of a knife; yet she understands so much more than she should just 9 months after her initial slating. And she seems to be remembering things from her life before. It is crazy insane and so intriguing. You can’t help wanting to know more about Kyla; being desperate to find out what she remembers and who she was before she became ‘Kyla Davis’.

Part of what made the book so edgy and dark was the issue of trust; who to trust, but more importantly who not to trust. The nice ones might be hiding something more than you can see; and the mean ones are just trying to protect themselves and the people they love. Like all good books there are many secrets and hidden thoughts, both of which drove me mental trying to piece everything together. This was especially true towards the end of the novel when a few pieces of the puzzle dropped into existence. I’m going to struggle to stay sane waiting for book 2.

An amazing start to what I’m sure will be an equally amazing series. I can’t wait to see what Kyla uncovers next.

4.5/5 stars


Kim
(Originally posted on Goodreads)