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The Hunger Games meets Matched in this thrilling high-concept YA where citizens must prove their worth by defeating the other version of themselves—their twin.
Two of you exist.
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.
Elsie Chapman's suspenseful YA debut weaves unexpected romance into a novel full of fast-paced action and thought-provoking philosophy. When the story ends, discussions will begin about this future society where every adult is a murderer and every child knows there is another out there who just might be better.
"Fans of the Divergent trilogy will want to read this imaginative tale that is reminiscent of William Golding's Lord of the Flies." —VOYA
"The textual equivalent of a Quentin Tarantino movie." —Publishers Weekly
"Clever suspense—here, stalking is a two-way street." —Kirkus Reviews
Anonymous
Posted February 27, 2013
Dystopian with a difference, a thoughtful yet fast-paced page turner that's sure to be a hit. There's a sequel coming too!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted February 26, 2013
Great storyline. Wow
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 25, 2013
West Grayer is your average 15 year old girl - at least from where she is from. In this place, there are two versions of yourself - but only one of you will survive to your twenties. This story has so many twists - some sad but overall the story was amazing!!!!!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.kydirtgirl68
Posted April 9, 2013
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest review. In the city of Kersh. Life is pretty good. You are safe, have things, and it is a pretty good life, that is if you manage to kill your Alt. Everyone is born with a twin raised by another family. Before your 20th birthday you have to kill you alt to get the good life. If your Alt wins they get the good life. It is the way to make sure the strong survive and the weak are gotten rid of. 15 year old West has been preparing for when her month comes to kill her Alt. She thinks she has a good shot at doing it. A tragedy changes the way she thinks and she does some things against the rules to better her chances. Now she has to face old ghost, her twin, and someone who loves her. Can she let go of the past to face what must be done to have a life?
West is an intriguing character. She is tough you have to be to survive in this world, she has had loads of tragedy in her life so far, she is smart as she hides from her Alt and still does her job and she is sometimes blind to what is in front of her. I liked getting into her head seeing the many different things she had going on.Chord is a favorite character of mine he tries his best to protect West as he told her brother he would. She constantly fights with him but he still sticks around and watches her back.
This book keeps you on the edge of your seat as you read and read trying to see what will happen. Will West or her Alt win the battle they must face. It can at times get really tense as they face each other and learn they are pretty even on everything. You get to see flashes of the Alt's life and that was a nice touch. I would have loved to know more of how this all came to be where everyone has a twin and you have to kill them that would have made the story even better. You do get plenty of action as West works her job and as there is always someone trying to kill there Alt. This is a highly entertaining book to me. West does a lot of things that show you just how far she is willing to go to live. At times it makes you wonder what you would do in this situation. I eagerly look forward to the next book to see where this story goes because even tho it ended nicely you still want more
KaylaBeck
Posted March 26, 2013
Fast-Paced Debut with Lots of Action
In Dualed , we are brought into Kersh: a city-state in a post-apocalyptic world where humanity has been left infertile. The Board - the governing body - somehow has managed to find a way to create/grow human clones in labs two at a time. Every set of twins (or Alts) are separated at birth (hatching?) and each baby is raised by a different family. They never meet until the time comes for them to hunt down and kill their clone upon their activation. You see, the Board teaches that the survival of Kersh depends upon the strength of its population, so only those who kill their Alts are worthy of living there. This world-building is interesting, but it left me hungering for more. It seemed like there were holes in the story and zip-aheads (you know, when you fast forward in time - roll with it) that confused me a bit. When it came to other aspects of the story, I could suspend disbelief enough to believe Kersh wanted to be a land of killers, but I wanted to read more about why the Board activated certain individuals when they did. I also wish there would have been more showing of the parents and how they dealt with the loss of one child, but having another walking around, genetically the same.
The writing itself in Dualed was gripping, but I did have a bit of trouble connecting with the characters. West Grayer is a young girl surrounded by death and loss, and I think she is a fair representation of that. She is withdrawn and pushes away anyone who attempts to get close to or help her. I think this included me. However, West was fascinating to observe (I never felt like I was there with her like I do in many books), and I enjoyed her interactions with Chord. My favorite thing about her was the doubt she felt about being the worthy one, being as she was a hired assassin for other people's Alts. As for West's Alt, I wish I could have known her a little better. We were only given brief glimpses of her life, and mystery does not always translate to villainy.
After it's all said and done, I have to applaud Elsie Chapman for Dualed . There were times that I was left scratching my head because of the pace, but I never felt the urge to put the book down. I think the strange and broken future world that saw kids killing kids on the streets kept my attention trained so completely upon it. I knew from a few chapters into the book that it may not be for me, but Chapman had me and wasn't going to let me go. And though I know that Dualed 's sequel, Divided , will be coming out next year, I found the ending to be completely satisfying. I'm a huge fan of Old School science fiction's open endings, but that's not the case with Dualed . I can't imagine that any readers will be left standing at the edge of a cliff begging for book 2 because of how it all wraps up. Then again, I just read the ARC, so there may be a huge twist at the end that I completely missed.
Teen or adult reader alike, I think you should read the book for yourself. It's so fast and action-packed, it's likely you will forget that you are reading.
3.5/5 Stars
*To satisfy FTC guidelines, I am disclosing that I received a digital eARC of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. It has in no way affected the outcome. All opinions expressed are rambling, honest, and completely my own.
Anonymous
Posted March 25, 2013
This kept my attention from start to finish!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Icy-Cold-Reads
Posted March 25, 2013
In the city of Kersh, everyone has an Alt, short for alternative. An Alt, is exactly what it sounds like. An Alt, is an Alternate you. A twin that you never know. A twin you have to kill to prove your worth. To prove that you deserve to live, that you are the better copy of yourself. In DUALED, West Grayer, struggles with the concept of having an Alt, and having to kill her. She has trained her whole life for the day when she will get her assignment. The test that will prove her worthiness to continue living in Kersh. But she knows, you can train your body and maybe your mind. But it is hard to train your emotions, especially when something tragic just occurred.
DUALED had me at the very beginning. I was thrust into a world I knew little about, and began to start collecting the facts right away. Elsie Chapman wrote an effect introduction. She had West began narrating what was going on, and give the reader some action at the same time. Needless to say, I was NOT bored. Within the first few chapters, someone had already died. In DUALED, West experiences a few flashbacks and has short flashes of memories of the past. What someone said, or who the car originally belonged to. And little by little, those tiny flashes, start giving you a hint about West’s childhood, her family, and what happened to them.
The plot was very fast paced. It started out really fast. I wondered how Elsie Chapman would take it from there. How can you continue the build suspense after you kill a character? I was not disappointed. Throughout the story, there were various amounts of action. Sometimes there wasn't much, just West reminiscing on the past and what could have been. Other times, she was out there kicking a whole lot of butt. It kept me wanting to see what would happen next, yet provided me with some time to relax and truly understand what was going on in the story.
I have mixed feelings about West. At first, I liked her. Okay, maybe she was a bit hot headed, and stubborn, but overall she was likable. You could understand why she was acting the way she was. I felt that West started out strong and then became weaker. There were times when I felt like yelling at her “Why are you doing this? Stop and think!” However, I do understand why she did those certain things. I can’t imagine living in a society like the one West lives in. For her, it is literally, kill or be killed. That’s the difference between life or death. It makes you question your morals. Is it worth taking someone else’s life just to save yours? West was able to keep me guessing what she would do next. She was kind of unpredictable with her emotions all out of whack. I would say she managed to redeem herself at the end.
The romance. What can I say about the romance? Only that it was interesting to read about and maybe that I wish there was more... Oh well, I hear there are more books to come. (The amount in this book is just fine but...) One can only hope. West’s love interest is Chord. He is not as well developed as West, but he doesn't need to be. Chord is like the perfect boyfriend. More like the best friend turned boyfriend. The one that seems to be protective and still give you some space. The one that understands.*note:I received this book for free as an Ambuzzador for Random Buzzers. This in no way effected my review. Originally posted on Icy Cold Reads.
When I first read the synopsis for Dualed, I was immediately interested as to how the story will turn out. I actually find the idea very interesting, and unique. Dualed talks about West Grayer, who is a 15 year old girl living in the city of Kersh. West has been training all her life, preparing herself for the day when her assignment arrives, telling her that she has 30 days to kill her alt. Killing your alt makes you the worthy one. Killing your alt means education, jobs, and marriage. Basically, if you were to kill your alt, you have proven to everyone that you deserve to live. I really liked how Dualed immediately got to the point. In other words, it was fast-paced, but not too fast to be confusing or anything. As soon as I started it, it was action packed and full of excitement. I don't even think there was a time when I actually felt bored.
West was a very mature character, despite her being only 15 years old. I think it's because of how most of her family members died, leaving only her brother Luc. We also got to meet Luc's friend, Chord. Things happen, and a major turn on happens for West. I don't want to spoil anything, but things get more interesting then. When West actually gets her assignment, it was crazy fun. West had to go into hiding, spying on her alt, and figuring out her daily patterns, etc. I'm such a fan of anything that has to do with spy, so I really enjoyed reading the part where she was hunting for her alt. We also got to know more about Chord, and I really got to like him as well. He was always there for West, providing her money, getting her food, and sometimes even cleaning her wounds.
I tried guessing how the book would end, but fortunately, my guess was never right! I'm glad that the book was full of surprises, and I really am looking forward to reading the next book in this series. If you're into sci-fi/dystopian books, I totally recommend you reading Dualed. It's got everything you need in a book; action, romance, and great characters!
From the moment I heard about Dualed I knew immediately that I wanted to read it. The synopsis alone draws you in. When I started reading I did get a large Hunger Games vibe, and when I finished I realized that it was similar to the Hunger Games in the dystopian society where children kill other children way. But, this one is different. There are no TVs to capture the even, and they are not secluded. They dual an alternate version of themselves to prove who is the strongest and who will help defend the city should anything happen. And they do it all in broad day-light right in the middle of their cities. But I can't deny that there were still a lot of similarities between Dualed and The Hunger Games even down to their characters. There is the boy who will do anything to save the girl, and the girl who walks around completely numb, emotionless, and robotic. Even having admitted that I still loved the book and I especially loved the characters. There was a lot of scenic description and even just some inner thoughts that I thought the book could do with out, but still I was rooting for West and I couldn't stop reading about her `active' journey. West meets others along the way--some she helps, some she puts in harms way, but her journey was one that I found interesting. I have a feeling that the next in the series, like The Hunger Games, will start to show the people and even West revolting against the way things are and I personally can't wait to see what happens next.
Good:
West--Even when she is avoiding fighting she is still teaching herself how to fight. She's confused, and strong.
Chord--Chord was a character that I loved from the start. He is tech savvy and does everything he possibly can to protect West. She's all he has left.
Bad:
The familiarity between The Hunger Games is a little offsetting. I felt, on occasion, like I was cheating on The Hunger Games. Like "May the Odds Be Ever In Your Favour" this novel also had a government slogan "Be the one, be worthy." A little too Hunger Games for me.
Again there was a lot of description and inner monologue that I thought was not necessary.
And finally, I didn't like how West sort of accepts how things are. She signs up to be a Striker! And later on just accepts that she has to kill. I don't know what the next book in the series will bring, but I hope it brings a West that is more morally aligned.
Overall (Writing style, story line, and general):
Overall, I enjoyed it. I believe that it does deserve the four stars that I gave, and the series sound promising. The writing was easy to follow, and nothing really needed to be explained. I wasn't confused by lingo (because it was always explained in a timely fashion). There wasn't much wrong with the writing (at least that I could find, and especially for an uncorrected proof). I found Dualed by Elisa Chapman to be charming, emotional, adventurous
This book was provided courtesy of the author/publisher for review; however, this is no way affected my review.
AlwaysYAatHeart1
Posted March 1, 2013
West Grayer is 15 years old and has grown up in a world where only the best survive. Kersh, the city where West lives, is considered a safe haven in this dystopian world that has been ravaged by war, one of the results now being that everyone is infertile and unable to have children on their own. The way the government handles this problem is that two sets of parents are chosen and the genes from all four parents are manipulated, resulting in a set of identical twins. The twins are known as Alts. Each set of parents receives one of the twins to raise, love, train, and prepare for what they must do in order to survive. They are known as idles. Then, sometime between the ages of 10 and 20 a signal or assignment is received by each set of Alts, from the government, causing them to go active. After they go active, they have 30 days to find and kill their Alt. The one who survives, then becomes a Complete. The government's rationale for this process is that the weakest are rooted out in order for the strongest and best to survive, their motto being "Be the one, be worthy."
This novel is set in a dystopian world that has sort of a Hunger Games feel to it, only it's not a game. I expected the novel to be mostly about the battle between West and her Alt, but the majority of it is about West being a Striker, the things she has to do as an assassin, and her month on the run after she receives her assignment, culminating in the final battle. I liked West. She was a pretty badass heroine, though her independent streak got on my nerves, especially when she kept shutting Chord out. Her love interest, Chord, was a really great guy and it was obvious he was willing to do anything for West, just as she was for him, though neither of them had yet admitted their true feelings for one another. It isn't until near the end, when things begin to spiral out of control, that they confess their love, but will it be too little and too late to do anything about it?
One thing I would have liked to have known more about was West's Alt. She was portrayed as cold and hard, though we really didn't get to know much about her, and I think if we had been able to get a glimpse inside of her head and thought processes, it would have added a lot more to the story. I would have also liked to have seen more about Chord and what he was going through while West was on the run, shutting him out. The novel did have some intense action, danger, and a few sweet romantic moments, and did keep me intrigued and interested. While this was a good novel, it wasn't quite on the level of The Hunger Games, though it is an action packed, dystopian futuristic thriller, with a little romance mixed it, which is always an important element in my book. I did enjoy it and would recommend it, and I am looking forward to seeing where Elise Chapman takes this story in the next installment.
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Posted February 26, 2013
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Posted May 3, 2013
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Posted February 27, 2013
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Posted February 28, 2013
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Posted March 1, 2013
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Overview
The Hunger Games meets Matched in this thrilling high-concept YA where citizens must prove their worth by defeating the other version of themselves—their twin.
Two of you exist.
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 ...