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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
Received as an Xmas gift. Really enjoyed it. Original idea, exceedingly well-executed. Looking forward to book 2 (which I received from the same person for my birthday.)
The premise of Museum of Second Chances is that a more advanced version of humanity determines that Homo Sapiens was the cause of all of history's ills and therefore must be strictly controlled in all aspects of life. One job that some sapiens can do is to act as companions to cloned neanderthals. Our hero, Elise gets this plum job caring for Kit and slowly learns how everything she thought was true about the relationships between the various human species is wrong.
Cleverly written, with a number of engaging characters, many of whom (as in the best fictions) aren't who we initially thought.
The premise of Museum of Second Chances is that a more advanced version of humanity determines that Homo Sapiens was the cause of all of history's ills and therefore must be strictly controlled in all aspects of life. One job that some sapiens can do is to act as companions to cloned neanderthals. Our hero, Elise gets this plum job caring for Kit and slowly learns how everything she thought was true about the relationships between the various human species is wrong.
Cleverly written, with a number of engaging characters, many of whom (as in the best fictions) aren't who we initially thought.
Thank you to @delreyuk & @rachelkennedy90 for sending me this #gifted copy of Subject Twenty One in exchange for an honest review.
This book quickly made its way into my heart as the first book that included sign language throughout. Those who know me well enough know that my maternal grandparents were both deaf and sign language was therefore a staple within my family.
I found myself signing the conversations between Elise and her brother Nathan and of course Twenty One and Seventeen in my head.
The fact that Subject Twenty One’s chosen name is also Kit sealed this book into my heart as my grandmother was nicknamed Kitty and my youngest son’s middle name is Kit for her.
The book quickly lays out the post pandemic life of Elise and her fellow sapiens some unstated hundreds of years in the future. Sapiens are the lowest on the social scale down to the fact that the sapiens of our time are widely discussed as greedy, selfish, destructive beings who brought the earth to its knees.
As such they cannot be trusted to navigate their own future, which includes their day to day food, water and medical needs.
I found this book so intriguing in respect of the role of the companions for the Neanderthals and how the human psyche is impacted so much by solitude. The current pandemic and the resulting isolation for so many across the world was a parallel I drew very early on in the book.
I was honestly could have continued to read it indefinitely, such is the excellent craftsmanship of the story and the pull in the emotions.
I cannot wait to read the next instalment. A story that not only warmed my heart but also gave me so much to think about and compare with my own life.
I feel like this needs to be a series or a film like yesterday
This book quickly made its way into my heart as the first book that included sign language throughout. Those who know me well enough know that my maternal grandparents were both deaf and sign language was therefore a staple within my family.
I found myself signing the conversations between Elise and her brother Nathan and of course Twenty One and Seventeen in my head.
The fact that Subject Twenty One’s chosen name is also Kit sealed this book into my heart as my grandmother was nicknamed Kitty and my youngest son’s middle name is Kit for her.
The book quickly lays out the post pandemic life of Elise and her fellow sapiens some unstated hundreds of years in the future. Sapiens are the lowest on the social scale down to the fact that the sapiens of our time are widely discussed as greedy, selfish, destructive beings who brought the earth to its knees.
As such they cannot be trusted to navigate their own future, which includes their day to day food, water and medical needs.
I found this book so intriguing in respect of the role of the companions for the Neanderthals and how the human psyche is impacted so much by solitude. The current pandemic and the resulting isolation for so many across the world was a parallel I drew very early on in the book.
I was honestly could have continued to read it indefinitely, such is the excellent craftsmanship of the story and the pull in the emotions.
I cannot wait to read the next instalment. A story that not only warmed my heart but also gave me so much to think about and compare with my own life.
I feel like this needs to be a series or a film like yesterday
Headlines:
Great concept
Page turner
Friendship & respect
Subject Twenty One was so easy to get into and honestly, this was such a fast and easy book to read. This 'Jurassic Park-esque' concept grabbed me immediately and I really enjoyed the immersion in such an unusual story of a dystopian future.
This world with three different species of sapien, showed humanity not at its best. Elise, at the bottom of that rung was employed at a museum to be a companion to Subject Twenty One. The build up to this and the time working with him was just so interesting. Still, I wanted to know Kit better than I did at the end. I'm hoping for more of that from the second book.
There was so much plot to unfurl in this story but it was easy to follow. Trust was an underlying theme and it was truly hard to know who was trustworthy. Even Elise's family were suspicious to me. I liked Samuel, quite a lot and again, I want to know more about him.
This book was a fresh, gripping read with themes of suspense, trust, ethics and friendships. I am so on board with this world and I'm dying to read more; I can't wait for book two.
Thank you to DelRey UK for the review copy.
Find this review at A Take From Two Cities Blog.
Great concept
Page turner
Friendship & respect
Subject Twenty One was so easy to get into and honestly, this was such a fast and easy book to read. This 'Jurassic Park-esque' concept grabbed me immediately and I really enjoyed the immersion in such an unusual story of a dystopian future.
This world with three different species of sapien, showed humanity not at its best. Elise, at the bottom of that rung was employed at a museum to be a companion to Subject Twenty One. The build up to this and the time working with him was just so interesting. Still, I wanted to know Kit better than I did at the end. I'm hoping for more of that from the second book.
There was so much plot to unfurl in this story but it was easy to follow. Trust was an underlying theme and it was truly hard to know who was trustworthy. Even Elise's family were suspicious to me. I liked Samuel, quite a lot and again, I want to know more about him.
This book was a fresh, gripping read with themes of suspense, trust, ethics and friendships. I am so on board with this world and I'm dying to read more; I can't wait for book two.
Thank you to DelRey UK for the review copy.
Find this review at A Take From Two Cities Blog.
This was a great futuristic dystopian read, I love all things dystopian and spec fiction and this didn't let me down. The whole premise was so intriguing; homosapiens are slaves to another race.
It was like a more grown-up Hunger Games, worrying and thought provocative.
Elsie was a wonder to follow. I loved following her thrilling journey.
Fingers crossed for a sequel.
It was like a more grown-up Hunger Games, worrying and thought provocative.
Elsie was a wonder to follow. I loved following her thrilling journey.
Fingers crossed for a sequel.
Elise is the lowest form of human, the Sapiens. So when she gets a job working at the Museum of Evolution she is thankful for the chance to bring in extra income for her family. While at the museum she meets a Neanderthal named Twenty-One who lives in the confines of a pod at the museum. He's on display just like all the prehistoric species brought back to life. The more Elise gets to know Twenty-One the more she wants to help him, but helping him could mean exposing her secret that could change her life forever.
This was quite an interesting piece of work. It didn't take long before I was caught up in this post-apocalyptic world. The story is well paced and consistent throughout the book making it easy to stay engaged. The world in which the story is told is well thought out and developed. The details given create a clear picture of this world without going overboard with an information dump.
The characters are well developed individuals and so easy to like. Elise is a great main character. She is well written, likable, smart and just overall well done. It was so easy to feel for these characters throughout certain situations in the book. I'm looking forward to continuing on their journey with them in Book 2 The Base of Reflections.
This was quite an interesting piece of work. It didn't take long before I was caught up in this post-apocalyptic world. The story is well paced and consistent throughout the book making it easy to stay engaged. The world in which the story is told is well thought out and developed. The details given create a clear picture of this world without going overboard with an information dump.
The characters are well developed individuals and so easy to like. Elise is a great main character. She is well written, likable, smart and just overall well done. It was so easy to feel for these characters throughout certain situations in the book. I'm looking forward to continuing on their journey with them in Book 2 The Base of Reflections.
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent
Minor: Violence
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thanks to the author, publisher and Rachel from Rachels Random Resources for this book in return for my own honest review.
I really liked the blurb for this book, a post apocalyptic world with genetically enhanced humans.
Elsie ( the main character) is a sapien living with her family in a small community of other sapiens, due to near extinction and driven to preserve life, a series of higher life forms have been genetically engineered.
Faster, stronger, more smarter they rule over the sapiens and seek to regenerate the earth by bringing back to life those animals that have since been made extint….A second chance…… but this second chance comes at a price.
The plot is very well written, well paced and it has a decent build up of action and character building to the final page. the worlds back story was also resonably well described although i would have liked more insight into the so called rebellion Elsies parents were a part of, and what happened to the rebels.
I feel like this story ends very abruptly and things feel unfinished, in my opnion this is overall a good story and i am looking forward to reading book 2.
I really liked the blurb for this book, a post apocalyptic world with genetically enhanced humans.
Elsie ( the main character) is a sapien living with her family in a small community of other sapiens, due to near extinction and driven to preserve life, a series of higher life forms have been genetically engineered.
Faster, stronger, more smarter they rule over the sapiens and seek to regenerate the earth by bringing back to life those animals that have since been made extint….A second chance…… but this second chance comes at a price.
The plot is very well written, well paced and it has a decent build up of action and character building to the final page. the worlds back story was also resonably well described although i would have liked more insight into the so called rebellion Elsies parents were a part of, and what happened to the rebels.
I feel like this story ends very abruptly and things feel unfinished, in my opnion this is overall a good story and i am looking forward to reading book 2.
I do love dystopian sci-fi, especially when it’s coupled with experimentation and isolation, so as soon as I heard the plot synopsis for this novel I knew it was one that I had to get my hands on.
I felt that Elise was a brilliant protagonist and actually quite refreshing for a novel of this genre. Whilst she is a Sapien in the Outer Circle (the lowest in the social hierarchy) and not entirely happy with the way they are treated, she is happy with her family and wants to learn more about the world rather than change it. This desire to learn more, and to get out of her mundane production job, sees her taking a risk and joining the Museum of Evolution as a Companion for one of their Neanderthal exhibits. I love how she completely threw herself into her job and was always eager to do the best she could for Subject Twenty One, not simply to secure her position at the museum but because she wants to do what she can to improve Subject Twenty One’s wellbeing.
I really enjoyed the range of characters that we were introduced to over the course of the novel. Even though the social hierarchy is incredibly strict and serious (down to how many syllables you can have in your name), I liked how relaxed and funny (some) of the characters were. There are just so many that I liked and who really brought something unique to the novel. Having the novel from Elise’s perspective was especially interesting when it came to character interaction, because we were never entirely sure who she could trust at the museum. She had grown up learning to be suspicious of the higher classes (‘species’), so we can’t help but also be suspicious too.
The way Subject Twenty One was portrayed was brilliant too - I don’t want to say too much about this as it was great to learn more about him as Elise does, but I did love how he isn’t quite what you initially expect. I also really appreciated the inclusion of sign language as the primary source of communication for certain characters in this novel, including Elise’s deaf younger brother, Nathan (who was delightful).
The future that Warren has brought to life is fascinating and one I can’t wait to see develop over the course of these four novels. The idea that the human race is divided into subspecies is already interesting but, to go further and incorporate genetic engineering and how far it could potentially go (eg. genes for IQ, physical build and empathy) is such a unique take on this topic and one that feels very believable, which gives the entire novel an extra depth of an unsettling atmosphere.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and could have easily read it in one sitting had I not been interrupted. It was completely gripping and had me hooked through the characters, the world and the pacing. I highly recommend you check out this first installment of a series that I will be keeping a close eye on!
I felt that Elise was a brilliant protagonist and actually quite refreshing for a novel of this genre. Whilst she is a Sapien in the Outer Circle (the lowest in the social hierarchy) and not entirely happy with the way they are treated, she is happy with her family and wants to learn more about the world rather than change it. This desire to learn more, and to get out of her mundane production job, sees her taking a risk and joining the Museum of Evolution as a Companion for one of their Neanderthal exhibits. I love how she completely threw herself into her job and was always eager to do the best she could for Subject Twenty One, not simply to secure her position at the museum but because she wants to do what she can to improve Subject Twenty One’s wellbeing.
I really enjoyed the range of characters that we were introduced to over the course of the novel. Even though the social hierarchy is incredibly strict and serious (down to how many syllables you can have in your name), I liked how relaxed and funny (some) of the characters were. There are just so many that I liked and who really brought something unique to the novel. Having the novel from Elise’s perspective was especially interesting when it came to character interaction, because we were never entirely sure who she could trust at the museum. She had grown up learning to be suspicious of the higher classes (‘species’), so we can’t help but also be suspicious too.
The way Subject Twenty One was portrayed was brilliant too - I don’t want to say too much about this as it was great to learn more about him as Elise does, but I did love how he isn’t quite what you initially expect. I also really appreciated the inclusion of sign language as the primary source of communication for certain characters in this novel, including Elise’s deaf younger brother, Nathan (who was delightful).
The future that Warren has brought to life is fascinating and one I can’t wait to see develop over the course of these four novels. The idea that the human race is divided into subspecies is already interesting but, to go further and incorporate genetic engineering and how far it could potentially go (eg. genes for IQ, physical build and empathy) is such a unique take on this topic and one that feels very believable, which gives the entire novel an extra depth of an unsettling atmosphere.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and could have easily read it in one sitting had I not been interrupted. It was completely gripping and had me hooked through the characters, the world and the pacing. I highly recommend you check out this first installment of a series that I will be keeping a close eye on!
*Thank you to DelRey for sending me a copy of this book for review!*
I’m going to preface this review by saying that I absolutely adore the concept of this book and the storyline itself had so much potential, I just think the execution itself didn’t quite live up to my expectations.
I know this is intended to be a series, but this book felt far too short and really rushed. While this gave it quick and snappy pacing, I feel like it left most of it underdeveloped and I had a lot of questions throughout. There wasn’t much at all in terms of worldbuilding, we go into the thick of it almost straight away with scarce build-up which I don’t think worked in this books favour.
The writing was fine if not a bit too simplistic and straightforward. It did its job, but I feel like it could’ve been fleshed out a bit. I would’ve especially loved more backstory for our protagonist – we see her family in fleeting moments but we don’t really see her home life at all after the start of the book. We see her at work a lot, but again it’s a very narrowed in view. The book felt pretty sameish throughout and there is a lack of distinct plot points that drive the story forward in my opinion. I was unsure the more I read what the book was actually aiming for a now I’ve finished, am left wondering what the point was.
Don’t get me wrong, this was by no means a bad novel – I think it just differs a lot to how its marketed and wasn’t all that interesting in the end. There was supposed to be a lot of underlying tension and sort of rivalry/antagonism between different groups and species, but I didn’t really feel that at all. I didn’t feel like our protagonist was actually under any danger through reading and it felt like a very apathetic experience as a reader. The whole plot essentially just felt like, she got a job with this neanderthal and it was 300 pages of her talking to it and then 10 pages of action at the end, I can’t make sense of it.
The characters also felt very dull to me, I can honestly say I didn’t care about any of them and found none of them interesting. They all actually felt pretty indistinguishable from the other, no distinct personality in sight. I was also perplexed on the random romance subplot that was mentioned a couple of times then almost abandoned? It served no purpose, came out of nowhere, and then disappeared. It was wild.
I think it’s a common experience for me when reading sci-fi for a lot of it to go over my head, but the logistics of this world and whatnot made no sense. After reading I still can genuinely say I’m not sure how this museum exhibition functions, and I have no clear picture of the societal structure in the world. Also have no idea what sort of timespan we were going for throughout – just all-round confused.
If you’re wondering how on earth a book can get three stars when all I can seem to say about it feels really negative – I honestly objectively don’t think it’s a bad book. It just didn’t give me what I was expecting and several aspects of it made no sense to me and I think were overlooked – but I don’t think they were necessarily bad enough for a negative rating. So there ya go.
I’m going to preface this review by saying that I absolutely adore the concept of this book and the storyline itself had so much potential, I just think the execution itself didn’t quite live up to my expectations.
I know this is intended to be a series, but this book felt far too short and really rushed. While this gave it quick and snappy pacing, I feel like it left most of it underdeveloped and I had a lot of questions throughout. There wasn’t much at all in terms of worldbuilding, we go into the thick of it almost straight away with scarce build-up which I don’t think worked in this books favour.
The writing was fine if not a bit too simplistic and straightforward. It did its job, but I feel like it could’ve been fleshed out a bit. I would’ve especially loved more backstory for our protagonist – we see her family in fleeting moments but we don’t really see her home life at all after the start of the book. We see her at work a lot, but again it’s a very narrowed in view. The book felt pretty sameish throughout and there is a lack of distinct plot points that drive the story forward in my opinion. I was unsure the more I read what the book was actually aiming for a now I’ve finished, am left wondering what the point was.
Don’t get me wrong, this was by no means a bad novel – I think it just differs a lot to how its marketed and wasn’t all that interesting in the end. There was supposed to be a lot of underlying tension and sort of rivalry/antagonism between different groups and species, but I didn’t really feel that at all. I didn’t feel like our protagonist was actually under any danger through reading and it felt like a very apathetic experience as a reader. The whole plot essentially just felt like, she got a job with this neanderthal and it was 300 pages of her talking to it and then 10 pages of action at the end, I can’t make sense of it.
The characters also felt very dull to me, I can honestly say I didn’t care about any of them and found none of them interesting. They all actually felt pretty indistinguishable from the other, no distinct personality in sight. I was also perplexed on the random romance subplot that was mentioned a couple of times then almost abandoned? It served no purpose, came out of nowhere, and then disappeared. It was wild.
I think it’s a common experience for me when reading sci-fi for a lot of it to go over my head, but the logistics of this world and whatnot made no sense. After reading I still can genuinely say I’m not sure how this museum exhibition functions, and I have no clear picture of the societal structure in the world. Also have no idea what sort of timespan we were going for throughout – just all-round confused.
If you’re wondering how on earth a book can get three stars when all I can seem to say about it feels really negative – I honestly objectively don’t think it’s a bad book. It just didn’t give me what I was expecting and several aspects of it made no sense to me and I think were overlooked – but I don’t think they were necessarily bad enough for a negative rating. So there ya go.