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silencia167's review
3.0
This review also appears on my blog, The Reality of Books: https://therealityofbooks.wordpress.com/2015/02/16/deviation-by-heather-hildenbrand/
I enjoyed the first book of the Clone Chronicles, Imitation. I was excited to read the next one; however, it got lost in the reading shuffle for me and the series fell off of my radar. Needless to say, I was excited to receive Deviation, by Heather Hildenbrand as a DRC.
A brief summary, in case you didn’t read the first book—Ven is an imitation, a clone. Titus Rogan is the father of Ven’s authentic, Raven Rogan. Titus is slowly replacing people in society with their clones in order to advance his own motives and eventually control society. Ven is working with other Imitations who have escaped the warehouse where they are held by Titus's people and told that they do not have souls and are thus not human.
Deviation let me down. The first book in the series was great—well written, strong characters, and an intricate weaving of science and reality. But book two feels rushed. Deviation moves from point to point to point without stopping. There is no time to enhance the characters or provide them any further development. The Ven of Deviation is light years away from the Ven of Imitation. She doesn’t come across as patient, soft, of careful—in Deviation, Ven is reckless and angry, and we don’t get a solid explanation as to why beyond the obviousness of Ven’s situation. Linc’s character changes as well—he suddenly becomes Spanish at a brief moment in the book when there has been absolutely no prior mention of his origin.
The prose in this book also feels rushed, and doesn’t stay true to the original either. There are a lot of lines that are just plain tired.
One of the best things about this book for me was the fact that it really makes you think about people, cloning, and human rights. Another great things is that the opening of this book reminded me where we left off in book one. Being as it had been quite a while, this was very much appreciated. And it didn’t feel like an info dump either—the way Hildenbrand works this in is incredibly skilled. I also really love the ending. The cliffhanger packs a definite punch. But I didn’t love the character let down or the slow moving, borderline cheesy, prose. This one gets three stars from me.
**I received Deviation as a DRC from Netgalley. I was not paid to write this review. Deviation was published on March 12th, 2014.
I enjoyed the first book of the Clone Chronicles, Imitation. I was excited to read the next one; however, it got lost in the reading shuffle for me and the series fell off of my radar. Needless to say, I was excited to receive Deviation, by Heather Hildenbrand as a DRC.
A brief summary, in case you didn’t read the first book—Ven is an imitation, a clone. Titus Rogan is the father of Ven’s authentic, Raven Rogan. Titus is slowly replacing people in society with their clones in order to advance his own motives and eventually control society. Ven is working with other Imitations who have escaped the warehouse where they are held by Titus's people and told that they do not have souls and are thus not human.
Deviation let me down. The first book in the series was great—well written, strong characters, and an intricate weaving of science and reality. But book two feels rushed. Deviation moves from point to point to point without stopping. There is no time to enhance the characters or provide them any further development. The Ven of Deviation is light years away from the Ven of Imitation. She doesn’t come across as patient, soft, of careful—in Deviation, Ven is reckless and angry, and we don’t get a solid explanation as to why beyond the obviousness of Ven’s situation. Linc’s character changes as well—he suddenly becomes Spanish at a brief moment in the book when there has been absolutely no prior mention of his origin.
The prose in this book also feels rushed, and doesn’t stay true to the original either. There are a lot of lines that are just plain tired.
One of the best things about this book for me was the fact that it really makes you think about people, cloning, and human rights. Another great things is that the opening of this book reminded me where we left off in book one. Being as it had been quite a while, this was very much appreciated. And it didn’t feel like an info dump either—the way Hildenbrand works this in is incredibly skilled. I also really love the ending. The cliffhanger packs a definite punch. But I didn’t love the character let down or the slow moving, borderline cheesy, prose. This one gets three stars from me.
**I received Deviation as a DRC from Netgalley. I was not paid to write this review. Deviation was published on March 12th, 2014.
minseigle's review
5.0
Another good book in this series! It is action packed and loaded with characters I want to read about. Onto book #3 to see how this series ends!
erinarkin20's review
4.0
Gah!!!! That ending...where is the next one...seriously...I am going to need it soon.
Deviation by Heather Hildenbrand is book two in the Clone Chronicles series and I have to admit – I went into this series with no idea what I was going to get but was pleasantly surprised. This book picks up shortly after book one (Imitation) ends and brought me right back into Ven’s world.
As I previously mentioned, Ven is a great character. She is loyal, caring, and smart. All things I appreciate in a good heroine. She was always willing to face danger in order to make an impact on the greater good. In this case, the danger is Raven Rogan’s father, Titus. He is absolutely soulless and only cares about what is good for him.
The thing that I found missing in book one was a real explanation of where Raven Rogan, Ven’s authentic, really was. I finally got my answer but not until the end of the book. With that said, there is some definite story progression from book one to book two. We find out more around what Ven and the group have planned to save the clones and who they are going to lean on for help.
Relationships also change more in this book. Not only that of Ven and Linc but also the relationships that Ven has with the people around her – Daniel, Josephine, Melanie, Obadiah. They all have critical roles in this book and I can’t say much without giving things away – what I can say is that they all change along with Ven throughout this story.
I do admit that the book ends on a pretty big cliffhanger and if you know anything about me, you know that I find that to be so painful. I don’t know what is going to happen next for Ven and her group of rebels but I am definitely interested to see where things go. If you have an aversion to cliffhangers, you may want to wait on this series but if not, definitely consider checking this one out. I found myself unable to put this one down and when it finally did come to an end, I wanted to know more.
Thank you to Netgalley and Alloy Entertainment for the review copy!
Deviation by Heather Hildenbrand is book two in the Clone Chronicles series and I have to admit – I went into this series with no idea what I was going to get but was pleasantly surprised. This book picks up shortly after book one (Imitation) ends and brought me right back into Ven’s world.
As I previously mentioned, Ven is a great character. She is loyal, caring, and smart. All things I appreciate in a good heroine. She was always willing to face danger in order to make an impact on the greater good. In this case, the danger is Raven Rogan’s father, Titus. He is absolutely soulless and only cares about what is good for him.
The thing that I found missing in book one was a real explanation of where Raven Rogan, Ven’s authentic, really was. I finally got my answer but not until the end of the book. With that said, there is some definite story progression from book one to book two. We find out more around what Ven and the group have planned to save the clones and who they are going to lean on for help.
Relationships also change more in this book. Not only that of Ven and Linc but also the relationships that Ven has with the people around her – Daniel, Josephine, Melanie, Obadiah. They all have critical roles in this book and I can’t say much without giving things away – what I can say is that they all change along with Ven throughout this story.
I do admit that the book ends on a pretty big cliffhanger and if you know anything about me, you know that I find that to be so painful. I don’t know what is going to happen next for Ven and her group of rebels but I am definitely interested to see where things go. If you have an aversion to cliffhangers, you may want to wait on this series but if not, definitely consider checking this one out. I found myself unable to put this one down and when it finally did come to an end, I wanted to know more.
Thank you to Netgalley and Alloy Entertainment for the review copy!
jenbsbooks's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 ... I started this book immediately after finishing book 1, and I've started book 3. I am enjoying this series, but as I came to write this review I had to really think "what happened in this book?" so I guess it's not making a huge impact on me.
It does seem "replacing" people is a little too easy, even with an exact replica trained in imitation, I'd think SOMEONE out there would be noticing all these people who aren't quite what they seem.
It does seem "replacing" people is a little too easy, even with an exact replica trained in imitation, I'd think SOMEONE out there would be noticing all these people who aren't quite what they seem.
potaytaspages's review
5.0
UM EXCUSE ME WHAT?!
I DONT....I CANT... WHAT?!
I need to process everything.
Linc is amazing and I love him.
Dr.
Daniel
Obadiah
I nEED THE NEXT ONE NOW!!!!
I DONT....I CANT... WHAT?!
Spoiler
YOU CANNNNOOTT END A BOOK LIKE THAT WTF! IS SHE ALIVE? ARE THEY ALL DEAD? IS THERE HOPE? WTF!I need to process everything.
Linc is amazing and I love him.
Spoiler
his mom is so sweet xoxoDr.
Spoiler
WHAT A GRIMEY LITTLE ASSHOLEDaniel
Spoiler
he's growing on me. I like when cocky asshole boys go through a traumatic experience and then change from it. He reminds me of finnick from the hunger gamesObadiah
Spoiler
I am shocked that he is the clone! his excuse is that he didn't know how to raise a girl?! Are you kidding meI nEED THE NEXT ONE NOW!!!!
liferhi_inspired's review
4.0
*Warning- This book has a cliffhanger*
While YA is not usually one of my go to genres, I loved the synopsis of the first book Imitation and I couldn't wait to read it. Unfortunately Imitation feel flat for me, but I gave this book a shot with the hopes that Ms. Hildenbrand could do the story some justice in this one. Fortunately, I think that she was able to accomplish it.
As this story begins to unfold, we see Ven transition from a shy and timid character, to a brave and bold one. While the author doesn't really give us any specific event to attribute the change to, it's a change that I enjoyed watching take place. While I really like a lot of the supporting characters from the previous book, this book made me fall in love with Neil and Daniel. Ms. Hildenbrand crafted these two men into fabulous characters, with some wonderful traits.
During the first book, I had a hard time getting into the story and the events as they occurred. In this story however, I was sucked in at the beginning and I didn't want to let go at the end. While this book didn't have as much of a suspense element as the first book had, this one had a several wild twists and turns that you never saw coming. Unfortunately for me, the book ended with a cliffhanger just as I was on the edge of my seat.
I do want to point out one thing about this book that for me wasn't a huge deal, but might be for others. In Imitation, Ven and Linc had a very sweet and innocent relationship; in this book however, things begin to heat up with several more 'make out' scenes and at one point "tingles below her belly". While making out is as far as they go, I want people to be aware that their physical relationship does intensify in this book as compared to the previous one.
*I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions*
While YA is not usually one of my go to genres, I loved the synopsis of the first book Imitation and I couldn't wait to read it. Unfortunately Imitation feel flat for me, but I gave this book a shot with the hopes that Ms. Hildenbrand could do the story some justice in this one. Fortunately, I think that she was able to accomplish it.
As this story begins to unfold, we see Ven transition from a shy and timid character, to a brave and bold one. While the author doesn't really give us any specific event to attribute the change to, it's a change that I enjoyed watching take place. While I really like a lot of the supporting characters from the previous book, this book made me fall in love with Neil and Daniel. Ms. Hildenbrand crafted these two men into fabulous characters, with some wonderful traits.
During the first book, I had a hard time getting into the story and the events as they occurred. In this story however, I was sucked in at the beginning and I didn't want to let go at the end. While this book didn't have as much of a suspense element as the first book had, this one had a several wild twists and turns that you never saw coming. Unfortunately for me, the book ended with a cliffhanger just as I was on the edge of my seat.
I do want to point out one thing about this book that for me wasn't a huge deal, but might be for others. In Imitation, Ven and Linc had a very sweet and innocent relationship; in this book however, things begin to heat up with several more 'make out' scenes and at one point "tingles below her belly". While making out is as far as they go, I want people to be aware that their physical relationship does intensify in this book as compared to the previous one.
*I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions*
beckylej's review
4.0
I have to tell you that I was really looking forward to this one. When we last left Ven, she was in a bit of a precarious situation having discovered that her Authentic's boyfriend was in fact working against RogenCorp and trying to free the rest of the Imitations.
With Daniel under lock and key and Titus Rogen dead set on learning his secrets, Ven finds herself even worse off than before. Her Authentic's father is putting increased pressure on the Imitation to find out where the rest of the rogue clones are being held and Ven knows it's only a matter of time before he decides she's no longer of any use to him. Ven has no choice but to continue living as Raven and pretending to be on Titus's side - not only does her own life depend on it, but she's the only real hope for both the escaped clones and the ones still remaining at Twig City.
Sooo, I kind of didn't realize that this one wasn't the last one. As I got closer and closer to the final page I kept thinking there was NO WAY things were going to be resolved and of course they weren't. Deviation had just as much - if not more - of a cliffhanger ending than its predecessor! And there's no release date listed for the next book as of yet. Argh!
Ok. I'm good. Seriously, though, with much of the early character introduction and world building/set up out of the way, Deviation is pretty much all action. Hildenbrand ratchets up the tension by revealing a few key pieces of information that increases the danger for Ven and the other clones, accelerating their plan timeline and really launching the pace of the story into the stratosphere. The way the plot develops in this sequel is really great. Her relationships with the characters around her continue to evolve and Ven also finds a few new allies, which makes her own situation a bit less bleak and gives both the characters and the reader hope for what might come next.
And I'm dying to know what that might be!
I think I actually found Deviation to be a bit more satisfying than Imitation. While the first book left me interested in reading more, this second has left me completely on the edge of my seat in anticipation of future Clone Chronicles titles. This is definitely a fun series, one that seems to be getting better with each new book.
With Daniel under lock and key and Titus Rogen dead set on learning his secrets, Ven finds herself even worse off than before. Her Authentic's father is putting increased pressure on the Imitation to find out where the rest of the rogue clones are being held and Ven knows it's only a matter of time before he decides she's no longer of any use to him. Ven has no choice but to continue living as Raven and pretending to be on Titus's side - not only does her own life depend on it, but she's the only real hope for both the escaped clones and the ones still remaining at Twig City.
Sooo, I kind of didn't realize that this one wasn't the last one. As I got closer and closer to the final page I kept thinking there was NO WAY things were going to be resolved and of course they weren't. Deviation had just as much - if not more - of a cliffhanger ending than its predecessor! And there's no release date listed for the next book as of yet. Argh!
Ok. I'm good. Seriously, though, with much of the early character introduction and world building/set up out of the way, Deviation is pretty much all action. Hildenbrand ratchets up the tension by revealing a few key pieces of information that increases the danger for Ven and the other clones, accelerating their plan timeline and really launching the pace of the story into the stratosphere. The way the plot develops in this sequel is really great. Her relationships with the characters around her continue to evolve and Ven also finds a few new allies, which makes her own situation a bit less bleak and gives both the characters and the reader hope for what might come next.
And I'm dying to know what that might be!
I think I actually found Deviation to be a bit more satisfying than Imitation. While the first book left me interested in reading more, this second has left me completely on the edge of my seat in anticipation of future Clone Chronicles titles. This is definitely a fun series, one that seems to be getting better with each new book.
bluekaren's review
3.0
I was pretty sure I had this series all figured out. I didn’t. Deviation proved even more entertaining than Imitation, which was a great start to a series. I am now dying to read the final book, Generation.
I recently reviewed the first book in this series, Imitation. This book is not a standalone. The author threw in loads of recaps, but you won’t really enjoy this book, unless you read the first one. Also, there is no way to review this book without giving away spoilers about the first book. So there will be spoilers here for book one.
Ven is doing it. Ven is an imitation living her authentic’s life. Maybe her situation is a bit more serious because her authentic’s father is Titus. Titus is the one who created all the clones, and now he has all the power. He is all business and if you cross him, he will get an imitation to replace you. Ven and Daniel team up to free the clones in the first book, but he is captured. It is now up to Ven to figure out how to get Daniel out and not get herself killed. As secrets of connections are revealed, Ven realizes there is more on the line than just her friends back at Twig (the clone factory) at stake if she fails.
There is almost too much going on in this book. Ven and Linc are getting closer. Daniel is in major trouble and he is the only one who knows where Twig city is and how to get the freed Imitations moved to a safe place. Titus is very manipulative and has all of these engagements for his daughter Raven, and so Ven seems to go from place to place. Somehow Ven still finds time to move around behind the scenes. She gains critical knowledge throughout the story.
There were a few things that really worked for this story:
*I got answers to some questions left by book one. The secrets revealed in this book were very shocking. I don’t mean that I didn’t expect some people to be lying, but this was just so much more than that. I was left wondering how I would feel if someone dropped that bomb on me.
*The concept of a bad guy just replacing someone who doesn’t agree with him. Someone like Titus literally playing god to the Imitations.
*The motivation for Ven to try and save her people. She is living a really sad existence just pretending to be someone else. Her motivation isn’t just to be free, it is for all the imitations to be free, too.
*There is a lot of alliances and new betrayals in this story. I am really not trusting anyone in this series at this point, except Ven. I am still really rooting for her.
The problems I had with this story:
*Ven is able to pull of Raven with ease at this point, she is really good at pretending. She lies throughout most of this story. She puts on a show for Titus and in every social situation. The other Imitations in this story, and there are quite a few, are just as good as pulling off their deceptions. It seems pretty unbelievable that anyone could be that smooth without more experience.
*I really wasn’t as impressed by the romance between Ven and Linc in this story. It was an odd thing roaming around in the background of this story. There was so much more moving throughout the story that the romance lost interest for me.
*I hated the ending of this book. I am rooting for Ven, so this is unacceptable. This ending cannot actually be the end. I have even more unanswered questions.
This book seems like a typical second book in a trilogy. It gave good angst, dragged a bit, but left me rooting for the protagonist.
I recently reviewed the first book in this series, Imitation. This book is not a standalone. The author threw in loads of recaps, but you won’t really enjoy this book, unless you read the first one. Also, there is no way to review this book without giving away spoilers about the first book. So there will be spoilers here for book one.
Ven is doing it. Ven is an imitation living her authentic’s life. Maybe her situation is a bit more serious because her authentic’s father is Titus. Titus is the one who created all the clones, and now he has all the power. He is all business and if you cross him, he will get an imitation to replace you. Ven and Daniel team up to free the clones in the first book, but he is captured. It is now up to Ven to figure out how to get Daniel out and not get herself killed. As secrets of connections are revealed, Ven realizes there is more on the line than just her friends back at Twig (the clone factory) at stake if she fails.
There is almost too much going on in this book. Ven and Linc are getting closer. Daniel is in major trouble and he is the only one who knows where Twig city is and how to get the freed Imitations moved to a safe place. Titus is very manipulative and has all of these engagements for his daughter Raven, and so Ven seems to go from place to place. Somehow Ven still finds time to move around behind the scenes. She gains critical knowledge throughout the story.
There were a few things that really worked for this story:
*I got answers to some questions left by book one. The secrets revealed in this book were very shocking. I don’t mean that I didn’t expect some people to be lying, but this was just so much more than that. I was left wondering how I would feel if someone dropped that bomb on me.
*The concept of a bad guy just replacing someone who doesn’t agree with him. Someone like Titus literally playing god to the Imitations.
*The motivation for Ven to try and save her people. She is living a really sad existence just pretending to be someone else. Her motivation isn’t just to be free, it is for all the imitations to be free, too.
*There is a lot of alliances and new betrayals in this story. I am really not trusting anyone in this series at this point, except Ven. I am still really rooting for her.
The problems I had with this story:
*Ven is able to pull of Raven with ease at this point, she is really good at pretending. She lies throughout most of this story. She puts on a show for Titus and in every social situation. The other Imitations in this story, and there are quite a few, are just as good as pulling off their deceptions. It seems pretty unbelievable that anyone could be that smooth without more experience.
*I really wasn’t as impressed by the romance between Ven and Linc in this story. It was an odd thing roaming around in the background of this story. There was so much more moving throughout the story that the romance lost interest for me.
*I hated the ending of this book. I am rooting for Ven, so this is unacceptable. This ending cannot actually be the end. I have even more unanswered questions.
This book seems like a typical second book in a trilogy. It gave good angst, dragged a bit, but left me rooting for the protagonist.