Review - Linked (Linked #1) by Imogen Howson

Title: Linked

Author: Imogen Howson

Series: 1st

Pages: 368

Published:  June 11th 2013 by Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers 

ISBN: 9781442446564

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss

Description: Elissa used to have it all: looks, popularity, and a bright future. But for the last three years, she’s been struggling with terrifying visions, phantom pains, and mysterious bruises that appear out of nowhere. Finally, she’s promised a cure: minor surgery to burn out the overactive area of her brain. But on the eve of the procedure, she discovers the shocking truth behind her hallucinations: she’s been seeing the world through another girl’s eyes. Elissa follows her visions, and finds a battered, broken girl on the run. A girl—Lin—who looks exactly like Elissa, down to the matching bruises. The twin sister she never knew existed. Now, Elissa and Lin are on the run from a government who will stop at nothing to reclaim Lin and protect the dangerous secrets she could expose—secrets that would shake the very foundation of their world.  

 I Give This ...

I really had high hopes for this book.  I liked the idea of mixing dystopian with the interesting connection between twins.   Sadly for me the book didn't live up to my expectations.

I enjoyed the beginning.  At first we don't know what's wrong with Elissa.  We get a run down of her symptoms and what the doctors have tried to help her.  We also get a glimpse into what life has been like for Elissa, both socially and physically.  She's been trough a lot.  To endure all the pain and suffering plus be abandoned by your friends is a lot for anybody to endure.   When she realizes her "dreams" are actual events that have happened to someone else, she decides to she must track down the person she is so connected to.  Even more so when she discovers that person is her twin.

I think my problem lied with Lin.  I just didn't really like her character.  I don't think she really understood the sacrifices that Elissa made for her.  I think she manipulated Elissa a lot.  She played on her emotions and made her doubt everybody.  I'm not saying she wasn't right to do so, I just didn't like the way she did it.    I often felt like if the situation had been different, that Lin might have tried to take Elissa's place.  She seemed to place far more value on their connection than Elissa did.

I was intrigued by the government involvement in this and how far they would go to get them back.  Their actions lead to a lot of change far reaching than just them.  I'm curious to see how others might react to that.  But, I'm not sure I'm curious enough to want to read the next one.