Slated by Teri Terry

Goodreads Blurb

Kyla has been Slated—her memory and personality erased as punishment for committing a crime she can’t remember. The government has taught her how to walk and talk again, given her a new identity and a new family, and told her to be grateful for this second chance that she doesn’t deserve. It’s also her last chance—because they’ll be watching to make sure she plays by their rules.

As Kyla adjusts to her new life, she’s plagued by fear. Who is she, really? And if only criminals are slated, why are so many innocent people disappearing? Kyla is torn between the need to know more and her instinct for self-preservation. She knows a dangerous game is being played with her life, and she can’t let anyone see her make the wrong move . . . but who can she trust when everyone is a stranger?

I have to say, as much as I liked Slated, I was definitely a bit disappointed too. With all the great reviews out there, I feel like the black sheep in all honesty! But as much as I tried to love it, it just face-planted a few feet from my expectations.  

While I was instantly captured at first, I found that Slated was a bit too slow for me and I quickly lost interest. I enjoyed learning about this world, of course, but it was just...how do I explain. It dealt more along the lines of how Kyla adjusted to the world (and being different than different) rather than having a captivating action packed plot which is honestly what I'd expected. It was a bit boring seeing a girl adjust to school and while there were many moments of excitement, they were brief (about one or two pages). I felt like you could condense all the exciting parts of this book from a 300+ book to a barely 250 and still gain as much...thrill, I guess.

The romance was super cheesy and I didn't really like Ben, our love interest. He was somehow perfect, even if he didn't really have his own mind. He didn't seem to have any depth to him whatsoever and their relationship in general didn't seem to be well written. They run together, they're both Slated--so they both fall in love? I honestly couldn't believe it, no matter how much I was hoping I'd end up liking Ben.

 I did love how a reader could have absolutely no idea who to trust. One moment I'd think we could trust Amy, then I feel like she'd betray Kyla like that, then back to thinking we can trust her. Then the same to her "Mum", her "Dad", Ben, Aiden, Jazz, all of them. Who to trust, who to trust? If you could forget everything/die just for trusting the wrong person...well, that's a lot of pressure! I was nervous throughout most of the book, wondering who we could trust and who would betray Kyla in a second. 

Pages: 352

Genre: Dystopian

Series: Slated #1

Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books

Release Date: January 24, 2013

Rating 2.5-->3 stars