UKYA Review: Mind Games by Teri Terry

Published by: Orchard Books/Hachette Childrens
Release date: 5th March 2015
Series:  n/a
I got it from: Netgalley
Goodreads summary: 
Luna is a no-hoper with a secret: in a world of illusion, she can see what is real. But can she see the truth before it is too late?

Luna has always been able to exist in virtual and real worlds at the same time, a secret she is warned to keep. She hides her ability by being a Refuser: excluded by choice from the virtual spheres others inhabit. But when she is singled out for testing, she can’t hide any longer.

The safest thing to do would be to fail, to go back to a dead-end life, no future. But Luna is starting to hope for something better, and hope is a dangerous thing...
 
My Review:
Where to start? This is an incredible book. As always, Terry has created a world so complete that it's hard to believe it's not real. In Mind Games, it's a world of the future, where virtual reality has become the norm. Kids are taught via virtual lessons, they meet and date in virtual rooms, they spend all their free time playing in virtual worlds. Adults work in virtual offices, their bodies held in a life support system. But Luna is a Refuser. Her mother died because of the virtual world, her Nan insists she should stay away from it, and every time she tries to enter it she feels sick and disorientated. When Luna is selected for intelligence and rationality testing, with a chance to go to university and get a good job, but also a chance at being marked as irrational and put under watch for the rest of her life, she discovers that all is not as it seems in the virtual world.

That's a pretty basic premise. I could write pages of it to be honest, because Terry's world is so complex and there is so much going on. Yet despite all this, she somehow still manages to make Mind Games an easy book to read. It's just a lot more interesting and fulfilling than a lot of the fluff out there. Be ready for scientific and political questioning, in fact pretty much everything will end up in question. At the same time, Luna is a girl coming of age, dealing with a difficult family life, being persecuted for her beliefs and trying to discover who she really is. Then introduce a doctor who seems good but might be evil, a boy with a whole ton of secrets and a flirty smile, and a whole secret world. Mind Games is a brilliant read that will make you think.

UKYA Review: Slated by Teri Terry

Published by: Orchard Books
Release date: 3rd May 2012
Series: Slated #1
I got it from: Library
Quote:“It is one thing to ask questions; what do you do with the answers?” 
 
Goodreads summary:
Kyla’s memory has been erased,
her personality wiped blank,
her memories lost for ever.

She’s been Slated.

The government claims she was a terrorist, and that they are giving her a second chance - as long as she plays by their rules. But echoes of the past whisper in Kyla’s mind. Someone is lying to her, and nothing is as it seems. Who can she trust in her search for the truth?

My review: 
I resisted reading Slated for quite a while - I'm not a massive fan of dystopia - it has to be just right to grab me. But I'm taking part in the British books challenge, and Slated finally found its way onto my reading list. I'm glad it did.

Set just far enough in the future, in and England that is recognisable but altered, Slated is a very interesting book. This England is a closed state, cut off from Europe and controlled by a powerful coalition government and its Lorders (Law & Order Operatives). The Lorders watch everything, and if something, or someone, threatens the system, they deal with it.

 
Kyla has been slated - her memory has been wiped, making her a brand new person. She has learned to walk and talk again, surprising everyone with the speed at which she picks things up, and now she is ready to be part of a family again. Act normal, don't question anything, allow yourself to be re-integrated into society, and above all keep your emotion level up. This is the Slated way. Get too sad, angry or upset, and the Levo on your wrist will react - first buzzing a warning. Eat some chocolate, stroke a cat, go to your happy place - get your level up. Because if it continues to drop, the Levo will take over - knock you out to prevent further damage. Lower than 2, and it will be permanent. The Levo is a tool of compromise - for those who care about slateds to make sure they are happy enough, and for those who worry that they will return to their old ways to make sure they don't do anything bad.

Slated kids don't have an easy time. Recognisable by the Levo band on their wrist, they are a target for bullying. You can see why in a way - they were slated in the first place because they'd done something wrong. Would you like to share classes with a possible murderer? Just because they can't remember what they did, does that make them incapable of doing it again? Just one example of the many interesting questions this book raises. Slated would be an ideal book to study in school - the writing is interesting and powerful, and Terry's world is eerily close enough to our own that it raises lots of good discussion points.

There has to be an element of romance of course, and this time it comes in the shape of Ben - another Slated at Kyla's school. The romance is more a nice little side story though - it's not the main focus by far. Much more important is what's going on - people are disappearing, either taken by Lorders or suffering from 'accidents', and Kyla's new parents are not all they seem. Even her doctor and teachers are full of surprises - warning her to stay under the radar yet full of leading questions. Who can she trust?

Slated kept me gripped from start to finish, and had me frustrated at the end, which leaves us with more unanswered questions than a particularly tricky edition of university challenge!