Slated

I first spotted Slated on twitter a year or so ago, but didn't get around to reading it. A fantastic review on Zuzana's blog ( www.asecretreadinggarden.co.uk/) jogged my memory (!) and on seeing a copy in a Xabia charity shop soon afterwards, I grabbed it. Slated is mostly a fast-paced YA thriller with sci-fi threads around the edges, a little romance and a lot of teenage paranoia. Kyla is sixteen, has had her memory wiped and reinstated into society in a new family, a new town and a new school. The totalitarian government watches everyone and dissenting voices are quickly silenced. So when Kyla begins to suspect that maybe her memory wipe wasn't totally successful, she is naturally suspicious of pretty much everyone who might be in a position to help. Much of Slated takes place in Kyla's head so we learn her thoughts as they occur. This could have ruined the impetus by dragging the pace, but I don't think it does. Much of Kyla's experience of not belonging is true to all teenagers, slated or otherwise, so this added to the realism while her dreaming glimpses of true horror added a creeping sense of dread that I found to be very effective. I would have liked more descriptions of the society at large. We are given broad views of this dystopian UK, but little in the way of real detail. Perhaps it is being held back for the inevitable sequels allowing the reader to learn as Kyla does? I loved the frequent use of running as a way to think clearly and raise happiness levels - I do the same myself so this rang very true. Despite being a reasonably thick volume, the language is easy and the font fairly large so I zoomed through Slated in the breathless rush of a single afternoon and thoroughly enjoyed the read.