Dualed 

by Elsie Chapman 

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Series: Dualed #1

Released: February 26, 2013

Publisher: Random House

Format: Hardback (304 pages) 

Source: Won at a Giveaway

You or your Alt? 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.

Dualed by Elsie Chapman is a fast-paced, suspenseful and thrilling, action-packed debut novel that had me eagerly flipping through the pages. In this semi dystopian-sci-fi world each baby is born as a twin (Alt) but distributed to two different families. Between the ages of 10-20 they receive their “Assignment” to kill their Alt within a one month period and be the one worthy to survive. 

The plot is unique and extremely interesting, but the lack of world building had me questioning why certain things were the way they were, which then made me not understand the book as well as I would have liked to. Having said that, I still commend Chapman, because despite the lack of world building this book was highly addictive and I couldn't flip the pages quick enough to know what happened in this suspenseful and thrilling cat and mouse story. 

Very early onto the book a life changing fatal accident takes place and West Grayer's (main character) life is changed forever. This fatal accident seemed to be the start or what starts in motion the rest of West's actions throughout the book. Chord is a childhood family friend who also becomes West's love interest and even though he wasn't in the story much I did really enjoy the times he did appear. Whilst the characters were likeable enough I had hoped that Chapman created some scenes with more emotions, I just didn't feel the connection nor what was happening to the characters at all. Having said that, I did enjoy the way that Chapman included the internal dialogue that West had with herself, because without this I certainly don't think I would have liked or understood West as much as I did. Elsie Chapman's writing lacked the magic that grabs readers into the characters emotions and life. I wasn't emotionally invested into the characters life, I was simply there because of the highly addictive and heart-racing plot. 

Dualed's plot is extremely unique, if the world building (creation, background history) was more prominent it would have been much more enjoyable. The characters were likeable but the readers are just not emotionally drawn to the characters, they are simply actors on a TV screen so to speak. Despite Dualed's faults it's still a well-crafted, well-written debut novel with a very unique premise. Add to the heart-stopping and suspenseful progress it became a highly addictive novel that I couldn't wait to finish. The story is engrossing I just had hoped that there was more information on the world, why there are two Alts, why one must be killed, how the world became like that etc. 

I still recommend Dualed to those that are simply looking for a story that's main purpose is to simply entertain. This isn't a highly researched, in-depth story but a thrilling and suspenseful novel, that despite all it's misgivings I still couldn't read it fast enough.