Shattered by Teri Terry
Mar. 21st, 2014 11:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
When you don’t know who you are, how can you decide who you want to be?
Kyla was Slated: her mind wiped clean by the oppressive Lorder government. When forbidden memories of a violent past began to surface, so did doubts: could she trust those she had come to care for, like Ben? Helped by friends in MIA, she goes undercover, searching for her past and evading the authorities who want her dead. But the truth Kyla desperately seeks is more shocking than she ever imagined.
The deepest and most startling secrets of all will be revealed as the acclaimed SLATED trilogy concludes.
It’s shortly after FRACTURED. Kyla’s staying with MIA after Nico’s attempt to kill her failed. MIA’s helped her to change her appearance through experimental gentech and have found her real mother. With a new name (Riley) and a fake identity, she heads to the Lake District to start work on an apprenticeship scheme and stay at Waterfall House (where all local single girls must live until they’re 21), which is run by her birth mother, Stella. But as Kyla and Stella try to renew their relationship, Kyla’s disturbed by fresh memories of her past that make her question everything she thought she knew. With the Lorders closing in on her, Kyla finds that the key to a terrible conspiracy lies in her own fragmented memories …
The last in Teri Terry’s YA dystopian trilogy is another solidly written character story and a fitting conclusion. However, while I enjoyed the conclusion to Kyla’s story (which raises interesting questions about identity and history) I was less satisfied with the dystopian elements. In particular, MIA’s strategy for bringing down the Lorder government seems a little naïve and there’s a slight deus ex machine feel to the ending. Saying that all of the loose ends are tied up and Terry doesn’t pull any emotional punches with her characters, most notably on the romance, which I found refreshing. All in all, this has been an interesting character-led YA dystopia and I very much look forward to reading Terry’s next book.
Kyla’s journey of self-discovery takes her back to her roots and I enjoyed the scenes in the Lake District. The fragile, awkward relationship between her and Stella is well depicted and Terry does full service to the beauties of the countryside with her evocative descriptions. There’s a brief flirtation with the obligatory YA love triangle but as someone who doesn’t like romance, I found this credibly depicted and it was good that Terry focuses on the emotional confusion rather than easy romantic answers.
The dystopian elements were less satisfying though. The villain teetered on the verge of caricature at times and while I welcomed Nico’s return, it felt a little wasted. Notably the ending felt like it came out of nowhere and left me feeling a bit empty – perhaps had there been stronger hints I’d have enjoyed it more. That said, I’ve enjoyed this character-based trilogy and look forward to Terry’s next work.
The Verdict:
The last in Teri Terry’s YA dystopian trilogy is another solidly written character story and a fitting conclusion. However, while I enjoyed the conclusion to Kyla’s story (which raises interesting questions about identity and history) I was less satisfied with the dystopian elements. In particular, MIA’s strategy for bringing down the Lorder government seems a little naïve and there’s a slight deus ex machine feel to the ending. Saying that all of the loose ends are tied up and Terry doesn’t pull any emotional punches with her characters, most notably on the romance, which I found refreshing. All in all, this has been an interesting character-led YA dystopia and I very much look forward to reading Terry’s next book.
Kyla was Slated: her mind wiped clean by the oppressive Lorder government. When forbidden memories of a violent past began to surface, so did doubts: could she trust those she had come to care for, like Ben? Helped by friends in MIA, she goes undercover, searching for her past and evading the authorities who want her dead. But the truth Kyla desperately seeks is more shocking than she ever imagined.
The deepest and most startling secrets of all will be revealed as the acclaimed SLATED trilogy concludes.
It’s shortly after FRACTURED. Kyla’s staying with MIA after Nico’s attempt to kill her failed. MIA’s helped her to change her appearance through experimental gentech and have found her real mother. With a new name (Riley) and a fake identity, she heads to the Lake District to start work on an apprenticeship scheme and stay at Waterfall House (where all local single girls must live until they’re 21), which is run by her birth mother, Stella. But as Kyla and Stella try to renew their relationship, Kyla’s disturbed by fresh memories of her past that make her question everything she thought she knew. With the Lorders closing in on her, Kyla finds that the key to a terrible conspiracy lies in her own fragmented memories …
The last in Teri Terry’s YA dystopian trilogy is another solidly written character story and a fitting conclusion. However, while I enjoyed the conclusion to Kyla’s story (which raises interesting questions about identity and history) I was less satisfied with the dystopian elements. In particular, MIA’s strategy for bringing down the Lorder government seems a little naïve and there’s a slight deus ex machine feel to the ending. Saying that all of the loose ends are tied up and Terry doesn’t pull any emotional punches with her characters, most notably on the romance, which I found refreshing. All in all, this has been an interesting character-led YA dystopia and I very much look forward to reading Terry’s next book.
Kyla’s journey of self-discovery takes her back to her roots and I enjoyed the scenes in the Lake District. The fragile, awkward relationship between her and Stella is well depicted and Terry does full service to the beauties of the countryside with her evocative descriptions. There’s a brief flirtation with the obligatory YA love triangle but as someone who doesn’t like romance, I found this credibly depicted and it was good that Terry focuses on the emotional confusion rather than easy romantic answers.
The dystopian elements were less satisfying though. The villain teetered on the verge of caricature at times and while I welcomed Nico’s return, it felt a little wasted. Notably the ending felt like it came out of nowhere and left me feeling a bit empty – perhaps had there been stronger hints I’d have enjoyed it more. That said, I’ve enjoyed this character-based trilogy and look forward to Terry’s next work.
The Verdict:
The last in Teri Terry’s YA dystopian trilogy is another solidly written character story and a fitting conclusion. However, while I enjoyed the conclusion to Kyla’s story (which raises interesting questions about identity and history) I was less satisfied with the dystopian elements. In particular, MIA’s strategy for bringing down the Lorder government seems a little naïve and there’s a slight deus ex machine feel to the ending. Saying that all of the loose ends are tied up and Terry doesn’t pull any emotional punches with her characters, most notably on the romance, which I found refreshing. All in all, this has been an interesting character-led YA dystopia and I very much look forward to reading Terry’s next book.
