Review: Shattered

Shattered by Teri Terry is the conclusion of the Slated trilogy, and a book I've been looking forward to for a while. I'm a big fan of the first two books, so my expectations were high for this one. The premise here is that Kyla has been mindwiped- Slated- all her memories are gone and she has been given to a new family to start over. Seeking out any details of her previous life is strictly forbidden. The problem is, unlike most Slated's, Kyla begins to have flashbacks- memories- and soon discovers that she was trained as an anti- government terrorist before she was Slated. As the first two books progress we soon learn that there is more to the story though- Kyla may have been trained to kill, but she is no killer. She slowly begins to learn who she is- but for everything she learns or thinks she knows, a new layer of deception emerges.

This book picks up right where the last one, Fractured, left off.  Kyla is believed dead after an explosion at her adoptive family's home, and she is on the run- trying to stay out of sight and also find her real mother. She soon does so, with the help of MIA (the resistance group that reunites Slated's with their real families). However Kyla soon discovers that her mother has secrets of her own- secrets that could kill. Forced to run again, Kyla must make decisions that will affect not only herself, but those around her- and she will come face to face with someone she thought was lost forever.

Shattered is a great wrap up to this series, and as I was reading it I felt like I was slipping back into a comfortable groove, just like with the first two books. Kyla is awesome as always, capable and brave but vulnerable too, and the author knows how to keep you turning pages. I liked the remoteness of the setting- the books are set in England in the future and Kyla gets out into the country in this one as she tries to lay low and find her mother. The author also has a knack for creating characters that you care about- Madison and Finley in this one both fit that bill. Finley especially is likable almost off the bat, and while his role is fairly small he is a nice addition to the cast. Of course, people around Kyla have a habit of disappearing, and this book is no exception. The scene where Kyla discovers an orphanage with a chilling secret was well done and very much sets the stage for the conclusion, with the stakes being higher than ever and Ky;a's own future very much in doubt.

Having said that, this is probably my least favorite of the series. It's not bad by any means, the writing is good and Kyla's narrative voice is the same- it's just that the story was a tad disappoiting to me. More secrets are revealed and there are some nasty surprises, but I thought the ending seemed a little too convenient. Even so there is a surprising twist that shakes things up a bit. And just like the first two books, I was reading this every chance I got. So while this may not have been my favorite of the series, it's still a page turner and a fine conclusion to an awesome series.