Imagine that you have two minds, sharing one body. You and your other self are closer than twins, better than friends. You have known each other forever.
Then imagine that people like you are hated and feared. That the government want to hunt you down and tear out your second soul, separating you from the person you love most in the world.Now meet Eva and Addie.They don't need to imagine.
First let me try and describe to you just how excited I was to read this book. I told anyone who would listen and wanted to make at least 30 posts here on the blog. I'm actually feeling incredibly excited just writing this post and I've already read the book! I think I actually squealed when picking this book up in Waterstones (let's hope nobody saw me!). I'd watched the book trailer and ABSOLUTELY FELL IN LOVE WITH IT! Is it really possible to love a book before having read it?
I really loved the opening of the book as we met Eva and Addie. The first sentence is amazing: 'Addie and I were born into the same body, our souls' ghostly fingers entwined before we gasped our first breath.'How amazing is that?! If I don't like an opening sentence then I'm not likely to enjoy the book as much as possible. I have no idea why but it's true!
I preferred Eva to Addie as I found Addie annoying at times and quite selfish. Eva was very admirable, having to put up with her sister controlling their body for two whole years. I think I would have gone crazy! Eva, as the recessive soul, has to watch everything through her sister's eyes and the only way she can speak is through her sister. The way in which they communicated in the novel was completely unique and I loved it. They had such a great bond and relationship and, although I didn't like Addie all the way through the novel, seeing how much Eva loved her helped me a little to like her a bit more.
I think I actually enjoyed the beginning more than when there was action going on. I was happy to just stroll along with Eva and Addie and don't think I actually enjoyed the scenes in the hospital as much as the scenes when they are at home and everything is fine. However, it was written beautifully and this really made me want to read more and more of the amazing words.
This novel is not, as some people may think, Dystopian. It is actually set in an alternate version of the 21st century. When I was reading the novel I was always wondering what would happen if this was actually true. Who would my other half be? My twin? What would they be like? Would we settle? Which one of us would be the dominant?
I love books that make me feel this way, make me feel the worry that the Hybrids face. They were put in such difficult circumstances and I felt so sympathetic towards them.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and it was written amazingly. The carefully crafted world makes you fall easily in to the body of Eva and Addie and really feel what they are feeling. Sometimes I felt a little detached from the writing which is why I haven't rated it higher but I would really recommend this book to anyone: reader or non-reader.
RATING: 4.5/5