Title: More of Me
Author: Kathryn Evans
Series: N/A
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Sci-Fi
Publication: February 1st 2016, Usborne Publishing
Pages: 332 Pages, Paperback
Source: Thank you to Usborne Publishing for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review!
Rating: 4.5/5 Cupcakes!
Rating: 4.5/5 Cupcakes!
Teva's life seems normal: school, friends, boyfriend. But at home she hides an impossible secret. Eleven other Tevas.Because once a year, Teva separates into two, leaving a younger version of herself stuck at the same age, in the same house... watching the new Teva live the life that she'd been living. But as her seventeenth birthday rolls around, Teva is determined not to let it happen again. She's going to fight for her future. Even if that means fighting herself.
Well, I haven't cried so hard whilst reading a book in forever. Like, I was sobbing. Two hours later, I was still tearing up. And my parents were laughing at my dysfunctional state. So rude. But seriously though, this book was incredible. Thought-provoking, heart-rendering and so brilliantly unique – I loved it.
This book drew me in from the first page (well, technically, from the synopsis because I've never read about that in YA before!) and I was gripped the entire way through. I even read it in the car, and as someone who gets extremely nauseous when reading in the car, that is extreme dedication. Not stupidity, dedication okay. I've been meaning to read this book forever and I'm kicking myself for not reading it sooner as Kathryn Evans adds the horrifying, the mind-blowing, the romantic and the heart-breaking to the never seen before which resulted in an explosive reading experience.
As I said, this book drew me in from the start. It starts with the splitting process and guys, it's the kind of writing that makes you feel as if that is happening to you, which could be quite uncomfortable at times because Teva is subjected to a lot of pain due to her condition and I felt it, guys, I felt it. The writing was excellent – it dragged me into the story with vengeance and never relinquished control until the final page and it bombarded me with a dizzying amount of feelings – I was laughing, I was crying, I was curious and I was horrified. More of Me will make you feel all the feels, trust me.
I loved the characters. At first I couldn't really connect to Teva but by the end of the novel I absolutely adored her (the 16 year old one, who is the narrator) and her determination to cure her condition and to have a future. My heart broke in two for her – imagine knowing that in a year, your current life would be handed to the older version of you, and you're left to remain in a crumbling house with the former versions of you, never allowed to see the outside world again? It's a devastating situation and Teva pours out her heart to the reader, detailing all that she's terrified of and I just wanted to help her because she – and all the Tevas who came before her – deserve a life, a future.
I loved Teva's best friend, Maddy too. I so rarely see solid female friendships in books where the characters can truly rely on one another and trust each other to stay when the monsters we dance with are taking the lead – so it was so incredibly refreshing seeing that. I also LOVED Tommo so much, he was so funny and sweet and understanding and I JUST LOVE HIM SO MUCH.
Every character was complex and their inner layers were revealed steadily throughout the novel which I appreciated as I love it when the entire cast of characters allow glimpses of their hopes and their fears, their pasts and their wishes for the future, to decorate the pages.
The plot was great as well and, as I said before, I didn't want to put this book down. I was flying through the pages at a rapid speed, questions burning in my mind, needing to know that Teva would find a cure and that she would be okay. There were moments that left me shocked and horrified and that ending broke me. STILL NOT OKAY, PEOPLES.
Another thing I really loved about this book was the underlying metaphor of how, every year, as we grow older, we're a different person to who we were on our last birthday and as we get older, our former selves are left behind., suspended in time. Eternal and unreachable. Sometimes the change is subtle, but other times life molds us into someone who is unrecognisable to even ourselves. I thought it was incredibly clever how the author also showed how we can be at war with our former selves – whether it be the choices we've made that disappoints the younger versions of ourselves, or because we've turned into people we never wanted to be...our ever changing nature was portrayed in the most weirdly wonderful of ways.
More of Me was spectacular, with a determined, courageous protagonist, an incredibly unique concept, a sweet love story and heartfelt writing, More of Me is a must read that will blow your mind and break your heart in the best way possible.
I give it: 4.5/5 cupcakes
