Reviewing: Once We Were by Kat Zhang

Okay, I know I said I was going to review Clockwork Angel, but I read Once We Were: The Hybrid Chronicles Book 2, and I just had to review it. So, yeah. Oops.

Once We Were by Kat Zhang - Bk. 2 in the Hybrid Chronicles

"I'm lucky just to be alive."

Eva was never supposed to have survived this long. As the recessive soul, she should have faded away years ago. Instead, she lingers in the body she shares with her sister soul, Addie. When the government discovered the truth, they tried to “cure” the girls, but Eva and Addie escaped before the doctors could strip Eva’s soul away.

Now fugitives, Eva and Addie find shelter with a group of hybrids who run an underground resistance. Surrounded by others like them, the girls learn how to temporarily disappear to give each soul some much-needed privacy. Eva is thrilled at the chance to be alone with Ryan, the boy she’s falling for, but troubled by the growing chasm between her and Addie. Despite clashes over their shared body, both girls are eager to join the rebellion.

Yet as they are drawn deeper into the escalating violence, they start to wonder: How far are they willing to go to fight for hybrid freedom? Faced with uncertainty and incredible danger, their answers may tear them apart forever

That being said, I feel like the focus of the book shifted from what it was in What's Left of Me (which I reviewed here). In Once We Were, I feel like it went off of the danger of hybrids and the fight for freedom and life and moved on to the romance issues. I'm completely okay with exploring [spoiler if you haven't read either books] Eva and Ryan's [end spoiler] relationship, it's just he was what she was thinking about 99.9% of the time. 

And we also see what happens when Addie starts liking someone. I guessed it would happen, and it did. And I wasn't sure I liked the guy she chose. 

I mean, yeah. He smiles a lot. In my warped reader's mind, I automatically was like "okay, this guy smiles too much".

I guess I have a problem with joy.

Also, the plot twist made me mad. I suppose it was supposed to, but I just URGH. It is not fair. The amount of unfairness is just so infuriating.

And there was definite tension between Eva and Addie in this book. It was almost like Addie couldn't stand not being able to take over whenever she wanted. Like she was so used to control that now she's freaked about losing it. Eva kinda took the spotlight when it came to seeing certain people and speaking about certain things. She was in charge so much that it made me wonder if Addie was getting bothered by it. I mean, she had to be.

She had been the "dominant soul" for so long. And then, suddenly, Eva is doing the talking, the walking, the reacting to certain things happening to her.

And Addie is where Eva used to be.

And I could tell that she hated it.

Plus, the whole "temporarily disappearing" thing? Yeah, umm, I'm not gonna lie, I was a bit worried about that. Turns out, it did cause issues. Quite large arguments broke out because of a little timing problem. 

Although romance was causing a lot of drama and felt like the main focus, it faded towards the background a teensie bit as the action built up.

But it felt so minor compared to the first book, which did a good job of keeping my attention. This one... I liked it, but I felt like it wasn't enough. It was over so quickly. It was like this huge explosion of running, and hiding, and fear, and suspense, and then--

It was just over.

And I was left wondering what exactly just happened, and why weren't things still happening? 

By the end of the book, the rebellion is still in full swing. There's still a huge field of options and things that could happen that I feel could lift the story right back up.

This one just didn't really pull through for me.

3.5 stars.

Later,

Tansie G.