Review of "What's Left of Me"

"No one used my name anymore."

     Kat Zhang's What's Left of Me considers a thought-provoking question: what happens if two girls lived in the same head? Being a hybrid is dangerous, as Addie and Eva well know. If someone hasn't settled by the age of five--if their recessive soul hasn't disappeared forever--doctors, counselors, and specialists are called in. For years, Addie has lived a normal life, keeping Eva's continued existence a secret while her twin soul watches through her eyes, haunted by a life she can no longer touch. So when Hally and Lissa, a hybrid girl from their new school, tell Eva they can teach her to regain control of her body, Eva is ecstatic. Determined to give her sister a second chance at life, Addie does all she can to help. But when the world says hybrids can't live among them, they mean it. If Addie and Eva are to survive, they must befriend the very people they once scorned and embrace a part of themselves long left untouched.

 

     Eva's tale is fascinating. Trapped inside her own head for four years, she's had time to learn the difference between children's souls and contemplate everything she's lost. When she finally gets the opportunity to live her own life, she changes dramatically, finding a voice for herself and making her own decisions. Not all her choices are good, but they all shape her personality and fate into things worth reading about. Addie's character arc is fascinating as well, as she struggles alongside her sister even as she adjusts to the sudden shift in her reality. Though they share a body, the girls are completely different individuals, adding another great dynamic to the plot and premise.

     What's Left of Me has a very distinctive style of prose. Eva refers to parts of her body as "ours", and takes Addie into account for nearly everything. Although the world around her is not described with a great deal of color, this alternate America is quickly shaped into a realistic environment. The villains are intriguing because they are a mix of "misguided" and "evil", cementing their realism and rounding them out. Plenty of supporting characters are flat or static, but not enough to impede the plot. Despite everything they go through and all the horrors they face--from threats against their brother to unpleasant institution heads--Eva and Addie manage to cling to their morals from page to page. They also refrain from cursing and, for the most part, resorting to violence, a fact that is portrayed quite well. There is a slight romantic touch, but it is very light.

     I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a story about two girls sharing a mind, a body, and an intimidating enemy. Addie and Eva's quest for a full life is exciting, a three-hundred-odd-paged adventure soaked through with emotion, power, and hope. Between the world and the love these sisters obviously have for each other, Kat Zhang has captured a brilliant premise that fits neatly with the plot. She may not describe the settings much, but what she does describe is worth it. What's Left of Me is a great book heading a strong, well-written trilogy and deserves four stars.