For the past three years, Eva has clung to the remnants of her life. Only Addie knows she’s still there, trapped inside their body. Then one day, they discover there may be a way for Eva to move again. The risks are unimaginable-hybrids are considered a threat to society, so if they are caught, Addie and Eva will be locked away with the others. And yet . . . for a chance to smile, to twirl, to speak, Eva will do anything. (From Goodreads)
This story is stemmed from such a cool concept and the execution was wonderful. There were a lot of subtle things going on that just served to emphasize the feelings and emotions that come with not being able to control your own life. I've read a couple other books with more than one soul in a body, but they're always narrated by the soul in charge of actually running the body. This did something different and gives us the story of the soul who is only heard by the soul she shares her body with and is thought to no longer exist.
The beginning of the book is very internal, but as Eva gains more control the story becomes more external. It's all about Eva and Addie, and Eva's thoughts, but then it gradually shifts to the state of society and to helping other people. All these things reflect Eva and Addie's progression in such a sophisticated way. You can really feel the power shift without it ever being explicitly explained.
This is also an interesting take on identity. I kind of struggled to wrap my mind around the idea of two different souls with two different personalities living in one body. How do you reconcile that? Eva and Addie have their problems, but it seems like it could be a lot worse. Also, how do you have relationships with other people? What if your other soul doesn't like a person you're falling in love with? And if your other soul falls in love with a soul that's in a different body than the soul you're in love with - then what? I had a lot of questions about how this would all work. They weren't really answered, but it makes sense why - since the characters aren't exactly educated on what happens in these situations. I'm hoping in future books some of the technical aspects of how relationships work will be fleshed out a little bit more.
I read this book while hanging out in airports and flying across the country, and it make the time go faster and my travel time much more enjoyable. It's an easy book to get lost in for a little while. I'm interested to see where Addie and Eva will go next, so I'm pretty excited that this is the first in a series. Also - yeah it's kind of dystopian, but it's not overwhelmingly dystopian - so if you're like me and getting a little tired of that fad - no worries there, definitely give it a shot.
