Slated (Slated #1)

Jumping right into the action, the flashback instantly draws you in. It is hard to understand what is really going on, but as more of the book is read things become clearer. The transitioning into the introduction of everything that is currently happening in the present is very smooth, and only further adds to the intrigue. So many unanswered questions posed towards the start that you are always just itching to be answered. Teri did a great job creating tension in the book. Showing the character in each person quickly and precisely, but also diligently.

The introduction to certain key plot points is quick, as she throws some of them right at us and let us figure them out from the cues. This allows the reader to have a better connection with the world and feel like they themselves have been slated, as things aren't explained right away.

You get some hints about the way the story is going to go straight away by the words that are used and the attitudes of the characters surrounding our protagonist. As the story continues, and new parts of the story, like flower blossoms, blooming, are revealed one by one, we start to learn more and also garner more questions.

Very simple, subtle, one sentence or word, are combined and add a sense of foreboding. Adding to our already massive gap in knowledge about what is going on, what this story is about, and what the conflict is going to be. I really appreciated this part, because it only added to the mirror that was created to allow us further into Kyla's mind. Showing us how she thinks, as well as the usual why she is thinking and what she is thinking.

As the story progresses further you only start to question things more. Questioning the world that the author has built. What about it that we have been told thus far than we can trust, or if we cannot trust any of it. Because the narrative is being driven by what Kyla knows, we can only assume that what she is seeing, what she is thinking, is the correct way to see things.

One part of the author's repertoire that I really appreciated is how not everyone was as they first seemed. Some people didn't see them too nice, but later on, when we got to know them more, they were. And others, who had seemed friendlier, in comparison, weren't. It added to the whole atmosphere of the book. Only further pushing the agenda as we moved through with haste.

The way the author creates Kyla, her decision being realistic, her action also mirror that. I really appreciated the details that went into making sure that the way Kyla handled decisions wasn't something trivial. It became a big moment. Very few of us like to get ourselves involved in actions that can potentially get us hurt or killed. This is only heightened when friends and family are also involved. The inner struggle that Kyla had throughout this book only further made her real and added weight to every decision she made for the rest of the story.

Not everything in this book is black and white either. There are some people who you think are going to be against Kyla, and then they turn around and start supporting her, or have covertly helped her in the past. This doesn't mean that every person is good, or that people who don't help are bad, which is why this story features so many grey moments that are perfectly illustrated by Teri.

The ending. Pieces coming together. Not to finish and wrap everything up, but to make reading the next book a necessity. Something that we feel compelled to do to find out all the answers to the questions raised in this book.

Very interesting concept and I like how while the world reflected our own, there were a lot of differences, some that I could even see happening in parts of the world, and others that have been eradicated from most societies.

I would definitely recommend this book.

book: Slated

author: Teri Terry