Monday, December 03, 2012

Review: Slated by Teri Terry

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Slated
Teri Terry
Series: Slated #1
Publication date: May 3rd 2012
 by Orchard Books

 

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?

From the moment I saw this creeptastic cover I knew I had to read it! Slated also deals with memory loss which has always been a fascinating subject to me in addition to ensuring that the story will be both creepy and mysterious. This novel brings it on both fronts. The mystery vibe is kept immensely high with the regular visions/dreams of her apparent past, leaving me to absolutely devour every page of it!

Unlike any dystopian I have read, Slated introduces a world not very unlike our present, but where teenage criminals are being Slated—wiped of their memories to start over. To punish them further, their mood is monitored and they have to deal with grave consequences if they lash out or become angry/moody. This way of life is fantastically creepy as the reader is aware of just how much control the government can have with this arrangement. You are never any more vulnerable than with a swiped memory! I was kept on my toes with the mystery of it all, becoming almost giddy every time we warped into a vision or dream that might possibly give us another glimpse into her past.

This leads me to the one disappointment of the book: the answers were not nearly enough for me. Or rather, we get no answers. We get quick visions of her pre-slated life that bring up more and more questions, and even though it works to bring the (fantastic) mysteries of the book to extreme altitudes, it simply isn’t enough. As a consequence, large parts of the world building is kept just as secret. In the end, I was left feeling that the book was simply dissolved. It fizzles into a “To be continued” rather than an ending; there is no pinnacle of events that unravel to give us, at the very least, a slight crack into the mystery. So although I was kept thoroughly glued to this story, the book failed to give the final whomp that it deserved.

Kept at a minimum, the romance is not worth going into details in this review. It’s there, but it’s a very minimal part of the story. I can’t say I developed a high interest in this sub-plot, but it wasn’t an aspect that I would deem negative, either. Though this may change if Terry decides to make the romance a bigger aspect of the sequel.

At least for now, Kyla is the star of the show, and she is kept center stage. Being newly slated, she is a very unique narrator as we don’t know anything about her–and neither does she. She also doesn’t know a lot about the world, like how to open car doors for instance. It’s always a favorite of mine to see reactions of characters who know nothing of our world. I did notice a few discrepancies in her behavior/knowledge, but overall it was highly entertaining.

Recommended for fans of mysteries and thrillers; Slated does require patience in getting some answers, but I guarantee it’s not going to change how engaging this plot is!

4 Hot Espressos
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Giselle

Canadian blogger, wife, mother, coffee lover, and sarcastic at heart! She has had a love for all things bookish since before Amazon and eReaders existed *le gasp*. You can also find her organizing tours and other fun things at Xpresso Book Tours.

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28 Responses to “Review: Slated by Teri Terry”

  1. Rebecca

    I wasn’t all that interested in Slated but after reading an epic review which totally piqued my interest I became highly intrigued! I’ve yet to read it but I have a copy on my shelf and am looking forward to diving in. I’m not a huge Dystopian fan but I love the sound of it and have only heard great things. Sorry you were left with too many unanswered questions and rather a “To be continued” than an ending but I’m glad you enjoyed it anyway despite that one disappointment. Love this review, Giselle!

  2. Christina

    Ooh, four espressos! Yay! There are so many bad dystopias but this apparently isn’t one of them! Score!

    Not much romance. Good sign. Not getting any answers. Bad sign. Hrm. This better not turn out to be like The Maze Runner books.

  3. Erin W.

    I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about this book and yet I don’t think it’s something I will read any time soon. Still . . . I might especially after reading your review. Sounds pretty good. Great review!

  4. Mel@Thedailyprophecy.

    I was already interested in Slated, because I like books that deal with memory loss. The world-building sounds scary. It must be horrible to have a government with so much control.. Kyla sounds like a good POV and I don’t mind the lack of romance. It’s a shame that there are no real answers, but it’s a series, so I think I can deal with that. Awesome review Giselle 🙂

    Mel@thedailyprophecy.

  5. Amy

    This sounds so cool. I love when you are learning along with the character. It’s too bad that it didn’t end on a high note like you were expecting, but it still does sounds great. And 4 espressos makes it a book I want to read! Great review pumpkin!!

  6. Jenni @ Alluring Reads

    Buffy!

    So happy to see that you loved this one. I remember when it came out I wanted it so bad, but for some reason I never got it. Too bad there isn’t more of an explanation but I’m happy to see that didn’t hinder your enjoyment too much. And yay for keeping romance to a minimum. I find so often now that romances feel so forced and unnecessary in YA.

  9. Ashley

    I agree with your review completely, and I shared similar frustrations in my review. I adore the overall idea of Slated, and the book was enjoyable, but I was hoping there’d be a huge BANG ending.. and there wasn’t. I just left with a million questions.

    On the bright side, it makes me think that book two will be freaking awesome.. Fingers crossed.

  10. Sirtsu

    I see this book in every book store I go to and I keep thinking whether or not I should purchase it. It sounds interesting and right up my alley, but I wasn’t sure until I read your review. I will definitely get this one on my shelf and hopefully read it soon. I’m a little scared of the “no anserws” aspect, because I’m so curious and love to know everything, but with sequels there’re high hopes that these questions will get their answers sooner or later. Thank you for sharing, Giselle!

    Siiri @ Little Pieces of Imaginations

  12. Nick

    I’ve seen this book around, but I’ve never read the summary. It seems like I’m missing out! I like how the romance is kept at minimal and that the focus is on the main character instead. It’s a little too bad about the world building being kept a secret though. That would frustrate me too!
    Lovely review, Giselle! 🙂

  13. Kat Balcombe

    I’ve had this book on my shelf for months and I still don’t know why I’ve read it.

    I love a good mystery, I’m going to have to bump this one up the queue.

    Great review Giselle!

  14. Rinn

    I’ve seen this one a few times and thought it looked good, I’m even more interested to learn that the romance is only a minor part of the plot. Refreshing in a YA book! =)

  18. Camille Picott

    I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of memory wipe as well. Will someone remember how to use the toilet if they lose their memory? Will they remember their language? Etc. All such questions could make for a pretty cool book, which it sounds like this one is. 🙂

  20. Renae

    Sorry you didn’t like this one as much as you wanted to, but it still sounds interesting. I love the idea of memory loss and such. And really, it’s so hard to find a YA novel (especially a dystopian) that doesn’t make romance the main theme and attempt to shove instalove.

  21. Candace

    This does sound crazy twisty! I hadn’t seen a review on it until now and it sounds like one worth checking out but I might wait until the next one is out so I can get more answers before I completely forget what the book is even about.

  22. Shirley

    Urghhh…I hate books where we’re hardly given any answers to those questions we have swirling in our heads! But most of the answers will probably be provided in the next book 🙂 I’ve been keen to read Slated for a while now…maybe I’ll bump it up on my TBR now 🙂 Great review Giselle! Glad you enjoyed it 😀

  23. Debbie Turner

    I loved this book, but as I was getting near the end I got more and more worried as nothing seemed to be wrapping up. Yes it is nice she left it open for the sequal (which I want NOW!), but when she knows we have to wait at least a year for it, she could at least give us some cluess or a big cliffhanger. Totally agree with the 4 stars 🙂

  25. Alexa

    I like that the idea of being slated creeps me out – it means I’m going to be VERY interested in this particular book. It’s quite a unique premise, and I’m interested in the fact that the romance doesn’t really play all that much of a role.

  27. Jennifer Messerschmidt

    I love memory loss and have been excited about this one based on that. The dystopian aspect of erasing criminal teenagers minds is interesting. I do hate though when no answers come and the books has no real ending. Also a little sad the romance is so small. But mind erasing is enough to still grab my attention!

  28. Jen (A Reading Daydreamer)

    Yay, I’m so glad you finally read this book! It sounds totally creepy and awesome, and the world definitely sounds different! The concept is like no other dystopian, I personally love brain-washing stories too. I’m sorry to hear that so many questions were unanswered! 🙁 Hopefully the sequel doesn’t do the same. Lovely review, Giselle!