Dualed by Elsie Chapman

Dualed by Elsie Chapman

2013, Random House Books for Young Readers

Series: Book 1 of Dualed

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Rating

Synopsis: You or your Alt? Only one will survive.

The city of Kersh is a safe haven, but the price of safety is high. Everyone has a genetic Alternate—a twin raised by another family—and citizens must prove their worth by eliminating their Alts before their twentieth birthday. Survival means advanced schooling, a good job, marriage—life.

Fifteen-year-old West Grayer has trained as a fighter, preparing for the day when her assignment arrives and she will have one month to hunt down and kill her Alt. But then a tragic misstep shakes West’s confidence. Stricken with grief and guilt, she’s no longer certain that she’s the best version of herself, the version worthy of a future. If she is to have any chance of winning, she must stop running not only from her Alt, but also from love . . . though both have the power to destroy her.

The Good: Great premise. Truly fantastic idea. The world, the way it worked, everything was intriguing, well thought out and explained clearly.

The Bad: The characters. They weren't bad personality-wise, but they acted and reacted to things in ways that made no sense whatsoever. West becomes an assassin so that when it comes time to killer own Alt, she'll be prepared. The time comes and she runs away? Really?

West and Chord are obviously written to be together, but we get the long, drawn out fight against it for no reason except lengthening the book. Seems like the most likely reason West hid out for so long as well.

Oh, and the assassins get tattoo-type markings on the palms of their hands so their handlers or whatever can track them. Because tattooing the palms is inconspicuous and they couldn't possibly be placed anywhere else - like the soles of the feet or something. Meaning West has to hide her hands from EVERYONE and manages to forget EVERY SINGLE TIME.

I wanted to love this book. The world was amazing. But I found myself wondering why every single person in the book was irredeemably stupid so often that it was pretty much ruined for me.