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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
Thank you to the publishers for sending me an ARC of Subject Twenty One.
In a future desecrated by the effects of climate change the human race has used genetic engineering to try and restore the planet for lost ecosystems. Through this, a new class system is born. Priotors, with their near godlike enhancements, are the rulers. Then there’s Medius with enhanced intelligence and disease resistance. And at the bottom of pecking order is the unaltered Sapiens. After all, it was their fault that the world fell to ruin was it not?
Elise is a Sapien and is offered the opportunity of a lifetime to work at the Museum of Evolution as a Companion to Subject Twenty-One, a Neanderthal. But the longer she spends at the Museum the more she realises that little separate her from the exhibit she looks after…
It’s been a while since I’ve been able to sink my teeth into a good dystodystopian science-fiction and I absolutely devoured this book.
The world building is subtle and there was a lot of mystery surrounding how everything came to be. A liked how little droplets of information were sprinkled throughout the story while also leaving a few questions unanswered.
For me the characters were definitely the best thing about this book. I found Elise’s internal struggle really believable and I found that she was a main protagonist that was easy to root for.
Aspects of this book are really heartbreaking and I actually shed a tear at one point. I also think the messages in this book are really important. There is mention of a past pandemic, which obviously is very relevant at the moment; but also how we really need to change our relationship with our planet and take better care of it.
Warren did a perfect job of pulling me in and answering some of my questions, but leaving enough of it unanswered so that I want more…and I definitely do! I can’t wait for the next instalment!
Subject Twenty One comes out in paperback on the 1st July 2021
In a future desecrated by the effects of climate change the human race has used genetic engineering to try and restore the planet for lost ecosystems. Through this, a new class system is born. Priotors, with their near godlike enhancements, are the rulers. Then there’s Medius with enhanced intelligence and disease resistance. And at the bottom of pecking order is the unaltered Sapiens. After all, it was their fault that the world fell to ruin was it not?
Elise is a Sapien and is offered the opportunity of a lifetime to work at the Museum of Evolution as a Companion to Subject Twenty-One, a Neanderthal. But the longer she spends at the Museum the more she realises that little separate her from the exhibit she looks after…
It’s been a while since I’ve been able to sink my teeth into a good dystodystopian science-fiction and I absolutely devoured this book.
The world building is subtle and there was a lot of mystery surrounding how everything came to be. A liked how little droplets of information were sprinkled throughout the story while also leaving a few questions unanswered.
For me the characters were definitely the best thing about this book. I found Elise’s internal struggle really believable and I found that she was a main protagonist that was easy to root for.
Aspects of this book are really heartbreaking and I actually shed a tear at one point. I also think the messages in this book are really important. There is mention of a past pandemic, which obviously is very relevant at the moment; but also how we really need to change our relationship with our planet and take better care of it.
Warren did a perfect job of pulling me in and answering some of my questions, but leaving enough of it unanswered so that I want more…and I definitely do! I can’t wait for the next instalment!
Subject Twenty One comes out in paperback on the 1st July 2021
adventurous
sad
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I really liked the premise for this, a post apocalyptic world with bad ass genetically enhanced humans, but I felt the story got a little lost in the details.
Elise is a Sapien, living with her family within a small community of other Sapiens - humans not genetically engineered, and held responsible for the destruction of nearly all life on the planet. Due to near extinction, and driven to preserve life, a series of higher life forms have been genetically engineered - those with a few 'extra traits' and those so altered they have ceased to resemble humans as we knew them. Faster. Stronger. More intelligent. They rule over the lives of Sapiens, and seek to regenerate the earth by bringing back to life those animals that have since been made extinct. A second chance. But this second chance comes as a price, as Elise soon realises when she seeks employment within one of the museums that houses these animals.
The plot was well written, well paced, and there's a decent build up of action and character building to the final scenes. The world's back story was also reasonably well described, slough I would have liked more insight into the supposed rebellion Elise's parents were a part of, and what happened to the rebels. It's all left very much up in the air. Also, not much is mentioned in the way of the 'outside' world, other than the Sapien community Elise is a member of and the main base where 'her' museum is. The other 'bases' are mentioned briefly, but not much is known about them or expanded on, which would have been helpful to the plot. I did like that they were named after the nucleotide bases of DNA though. It strangely reminded me of the film GATTACA with Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke (watch it, it's really good). There's also a rather large 'information dump' near the beginning of the plot when Elise joins the museum which didn't really hold my attention very well. It was too much all at once and left me a little confused.
The main thing I enjoyed was the camaraderie between the characters. Elise is a solid main character, although I was unimpressed with her supposed 'hidden talents'. I thought they were unnecessary and didn't add anything to the plot. However, she's likeable and has Kit's best interests at heart. Samuel is socially awkward, clever and reserved. I liked that although there was a hint of sexual tension between the pair, it never fully took over the plot and the friendship progressed naturally and wasn't forced. Georgina was one of my favourite characters. She is good natured, outgoing and warm hearted, sacrificing her position to be friends with lowly Sapiens. Kit by comparison is the most enigmatic, and I felt the least connected to him. He communicates so infrequently with Elise, for his own reasons, that I felt as emotionally unattached to him as everyone else. He only really comes into his own at the end of the book.
Fintorian, in comparison to the main group of friends, seems more like a bit of a pantomime villain. We see him so infrequently that I never really forged an opinion of him other than he's suppose to seem almost ethereal. It perhaps would have helped to have seen some other members of his 'race' to gain a better insight into whether his personality was really so bad, or if that is the general concensus of his species.
I did have some niggling bugbears throughout the novel too. One involved a scene with Kit and Elise, where Kit shows Elise a carved statue of a baby Neanderthal wrapped in a shawl. Kit is a Neanderthal who has been kept completely secluded from the outside world, unable to even visualise anything that falls outside of the time period in which he originally inhabited. He has also never been allowed to hunt or kill other animals to make clothes. If this is true - how does he know what a shawl is? To me, the description of a shawl means a knitted garment, or something more modern. That's just a personal issue however, and in no way reflects the overall well written story.
I did think that the story itself finishes quite abruptly however, and things are left a little unfinished in my opinion. I like a story that's all wrapped up at the end, and this felt more like it was building to a crescendo that never fully arrives. I had just got really into the story, and grown to enjoy these characters and then it stops. The story could have done with being slightly longer, and I would have liked to have seen more of the world outside the base.
Overall, a good story but left a little unfinished for my liking.
I really liked the premise for this, a post apocalyptic world with bad ass genetically enhanced humans, but I felt the story got a little lost in the details.
Elise is a Sapien, living with her family within a small community of other Sapiens - humans not genetically engineered, and held responsible for the destruction of nearly all life on the planet. Due to near extinction, and driven to preserve life, a series of higher life forms have been genetically engineered - those with a few 'extra traits' and those so altered they have ceased to resemble humans as we knew them. Faster. Stronger. More intelligent. They rule over the lives of Sapiens, and seek to regenerate the earth by bringing back to life those animals that have since been made extinct. A second chance. But this second chance comes as a price, as Elise soon realises when she seeks employment within one of the museums that houses these animals.
The plot was well written, well paced, and there's a decent build up of action and character building to the final scenes. The world's back story was also reasonably well described, slough I would have liked more insight into the supposed rebellion Elise's parents were a part of, and what happened to the rebels. It's all left very much up in the air. Also, not much is mentioned in the way of the 'outside' world, other than the Sapien community Elise is a member of and the main base where 'her' museum is. The other 'bases' are mentioned briefly, but not much is known about them or expanded on, which would have been helpful to the plot. I did like that they were named after the nucleotide bases of DNA though. It strangely reminded me of the film GATTACA with Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke (watch it, it's really good). There's also a rather large 'information dump' near the beginning of the plot when Elise joins the museum which didn't really hold my attention very well. It was too much all at once and left me a little confused.
The main thing I enjoyed was the camaraderie between the characters. Elise is a solid main character, although I was unimpressed with her supposed 'hidden talents'. I thought they were unnecessary and didn't add anything to the plot. However, she's likeable and has Kit's best interests at heart. Samuel is socially awkward, clever and reserved. I liked that although there was a hint of sexual tension between the pair, it never fully took over the plot and the friendship progressed naturally and wasn't forced. Georgina was one of my favourite characters. She is good natured, outgoing and warm hearted, sacrificing her position to be friends with lowly Sapiens. Kit by comparison is the most enigmatic, and I felt the least connected to him. He communicates so infrequently with Elise, for his own reasons, that I felt as emotionally unattached to him as everyone else. He only really comes into his own at the end of the book.
Fintorian, in comparison to the main group of friends, seems more like a bit of a pantomime villain. We see him so infrequently that I never really forged an opinion of him other than he's suppose to seem almost ethereal. It perhaps would have helped to have seen some other members of his 'race' to gain a better insight into whether his personality was really so bad, or if that is the general concensus of his species.
I did have some niggling bugbears throughout the novel too. One involved a scene with Kit and Elise, where Kit shows Elise a carved statue of a baby Neanderthal wrapped in a shawl. Kit is a Neanderthal who has been kept completely secluded from the outside world, unable to even visualise anything that falls outside of the time period in which he originally inhabited. He has also never been allowed to hunt or kill other animals to make clothes. If this is true - how does he know what a shawl is? To me, the description of a shawl means a knitted garment, or something more modern. That's just a personal issue however, and in no way reflects the overall well written story.
I did think that the story itself finishes quite abruptly however, and things are left a little unfinished in my opinion. I like a story that's all wrapped up at the end, and this felt more like it was building to a crescendo that never fully arrives. I had just got really into the story, and grown to enjoy these characters and then it stops. The story could have done with being slightly longer, and I would have liked to have seen more of the world outside the base.
Overall, a good story but left a little unfinished for my liking.
Oh, gosh. This book was fantastic. I enjoyed every second of it.
The story follows Elise, a Sapien, who lands a job working at the Museum of Second Chances. There, she plays the role of Companion to a Neanderthal known as Twenty-One. At first, Elise is hesitant and nervous, but soon finds herself easing into the job, as well as starting a tentative friendship with another Companion. But all of that just might come crumbling down if Elise isn't careful.
I have to say, this was a really strong debut novel. It has a unique premise that immediately drew me in, and both the character development and world building kept me captivated. I couldn't wait to see how things played out.
I think my favorite character in the story is probably Samuel. He's an interesting guy, and I'm curious to know more about him. I also really liked Elise and Georgina too.
The plot is nicely paced and keeps readers interested. It's definitely a fascinating concept, and I thought it was written quite well and was fleshed out properly.
Overall, not a bad start to a fun, new series. Looking forward to book two.
4.5 stars from me!
The story follows Elise, a Sapien, who lands a job working at the Museum of Second Chances. There, she plays the role of Companion to a Neanderthal known as Twenty-One. At first, Elise is hesitant and nervous, but soon finds herself easing into the job, as well as starting a tentative friendship with another Companion. But all of that just might come crumbling down if Elise isn't careful.
I have to say, this was a really strong debut novel. It has a unique premise that immediately drew me in, and both the character development and world building kept me captivated. I couldn't wait to see how things played out.
I think my favorite character in the story is probably Samuel. He's an interesting guy, and I'm curious to know more about him. I also really liked Elise and Georgina too.
The plot is nicely paced and keeps readers interested. It's definitely a fascinating concept, and I thought it was written quite well and was fleshed out properly.
Overall, not a bad start to a fun, new series. Looking forward to book two.
4.5 stars from me!