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calliereece's review
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This book is absolutely insane and 2016 me is eating it up for all three meals of the day.
matiel72's review
4.0
4.5/5 stars
Overall Thought
Emily Suvada wrote a brilliant dystopian science fiction thriller set in a world where humanity is threatened by a plague, called Hydra, that has people exploding into toxic clouds. I highly recommend this novel because it is a fantastic and absorbing read.
Summary
Catarina Agatta is a talented hacker working with a resistance movement against the monolithic Cartaxus Corporation. She is the daughter of the smartest scientist in the country, Dr. Lachlan Agatta, who is working on a solution to the plague. After Dr. Agatta and his assistant, Dax was taken by Cartaxus to work with them two years ago. Before he was taken Dr. Agatta drilled it into Catarina that she must not trust or have anything to do with Cartaxus. However, a Cartaxus soldier, Lieutenant Cole Franklin who now seeks her out, under the radar to inform her of the death of Lachlan and that he succeeded in developing a vaccine. Cole is implanted with the latest technology, including the vaccine, but the codding is beyond Cartaxus and that the only way to save the world is by working together.
Writing
Suvada creates an intricate and complex post-apocalyptic world where people can be implanted with technology to recode their DNA, to potentially become whatever they want to be. This technology along with the apps that accompany it explained in clear and concise detail that is understandable. This is an atmospheric and gripping story that you literally cannot stop reading until you reach the climactic ending. There is clearly more to the story and the issues are not well resolved because this is first in what the author said was a coming trilogy. Suvada has wondrously taken the established tropes in science fiction and given them a spin. The narrative is ingenious, has considerable depth and the story is plotted with mastery. The characters pull you by the hand and pull you along on a roller coaster. Catarina is tough, vulnerable, courageous willing to put the interests of the world above her own. The relationship between Catarina and Cole's assumes a fantastic importance and chemistry that neither sees coming. I highly recommend this novel because it is atmospheric and absorbing read that I highly recommend.
Overall Thought
Emily Suvada wrote a brilliant dystopian science fiction thriller set in a world where humanity is threatened by a plague, called Hydra, that has people exploding into toxic clouds. I highly recommend this novel because it is a fantastic and absorbing read.
Summary
Catarina Agatta is a talented hacker working with a resistance movement against the monolithic Cartaxus Corporation. She is the daughter of the smartest scientist in the country, Dr. Lachlan Agatta, who is working on a solution to the plague. After Dr. Agatta and his assistant, Dax was taken by Cartaxus to work with them two years ago. Before he was taken Dr. Agatta drilled it into Catarina that she must not trust or have anything to do with Cartaxus. However, a Cartaxus soldier, Lieutenant Cole Franklin who now seeks her out, under the radar to inform her of the death of Lachlan and that he succeeded in developing a vaccine. Cole is implanted with the latest technology, including the vaccine, but the codding is beyond Cartaxus and that the only way to save the world is by working together.
Writing
Suvada creates an intricate and complex post-apocalyptic world where people can be implanted with technology to recode their DNA, to potentially become whatever they want to be. This technology along with the apps that accompany it explained in clear and concise detail that is understandable. This is an atmospheric and gripping story that you literally cannot stop reading until you reach the climactic ending. There is clearly more to the story and the issues are not well resolved because this is first in what the author said was a coming trilogy. Suvada has wondrously taken the established tropes in science fiction and given them a spin. The narrative is ingenious, has considerable depth and the story is plotted with mastery. The characters pull you by the hand and pull you along on a roller coaster. Catarina is tough, vulnerable, courageous willing to put the interests of the world above her own. The relationship between Catarina and Cole's assumes a fantastic importance and chemistry that neither sees coming. I highly recommend this novel because it is atmospheric and absorbing read that I highly recommend.
ethansmyth's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
catinesse's review against another edition
4.0
This book was intelligently written, flawlessly researched and was one of those books that wormed its way into my thoughts between reading sessions. If you've got a geeky side and like an impulsive and conflicted female protagonist you should definitely add it to your reading pile.
First of all, Cat, our heroine (and daughter of a tech genius), and I share a name - usually I would expect this connection to put me off (characters with names of people I know do it too, clearly I am not imaginative enough some days) - thankfully I didn't find this with Suvada's novel and I really felt she was well explored as a character. She was complex, driven, flawed and fiercely intelligent. The only part of her arc that bugged me was when her intelligence and knowledge was 'justified' by a plot detail that insinuated it was not her own making. I'll hold back, maybe it'll be remedied in the sequel.
Additional characters were stoic and unpredictable .I'm pleased to say that the plot surprised me, I don't know if I was just missing all the hints and missed the queue but there was a plot twist (more than one actually) and I will admit I did not see it coming. There were elements of what was revealed that I suspected but I missed a huge reveal - it was genius too. Perspective plays a huge role in the story's unravelling and the authors manipulation of the world through Cat's eyes was spectacularly played off. She was able to reflect on herself too, at one point, in an unbiased way and looking back at it, it's wonderfully done. I don't want to give away too much but if you read it I think you'll get what I mean. There were no unexplained plot faults (that I could see) and Cat's decisions were always suited to her character and her character's experience.
The factual scientific content of this book has been heralded as accurate and well balanced with the sci-fi elements. Whilst I am not knowledgeable enough to comment on the former I have to say the blend of science and fiction was tempered so well, it was informative without being overwhelming and wasn't so complex as to distract or limit understanding; Suvada clearly knows her stuff. As someone with little to no knowledge of the subject matter I found it addictive and pleasing to read. I've not read a YA book with this quality of scientific narrative without what I call 'skip-able' passages. I devoured every word; it was well explained, accessible and didn't seem to 'jargon-y' to me. Exploding zombies and DNA altering implants: What a way to inspire science in Young adults.
And the added reader involvement with the pigeon code? LOVE IT. It makes me want to learn coding and explore learning options I might never have considered - I have to applaud Suvada for that, if she can inspire learning in me I'm sure I can't be the only one. She deftly combined a great story with scientific fact and feasible fiction. It was nerdy, badass, a teeny bit romantic and threaded with twist and turns to keep you truly in the dark. I'd definitely recommend it.
[OH! and being able to tweak your own metabolism and eye colour?! Let's charge forward into the future friends because I want emerald eyes and Christmas food ALL year round!]
First of all, Cat, our heroine (and daughter of a tech genius), and I share a name - usually I would expect this connection to put me off (characters with names of people I know do it too, clearly I am not imaginative enough some days) - thankfully I didn't find this with Suvada's novel and I really felt she was well explored as a character. She was complex, driven, flawed and fiercely intelligent. The only part of her arc that bugged me was when her intelligence and knowledge was 'justified' by a plot detail that insinuated it was not her own making. I'll hold back, maybe it'll be remedied in the sequel.
Additional characters were stoic and unpredictable .I'm pleased to say that the plot surprised me, I don't know if I was just missing all the hints and missed the queue but there was a plot twist (more than one actually) and I will admit I did not see it coming. There were elements of what was revealed that I suspected but I missed a huge reveal - it was genius too. Perspective plays a huge role in the story's unravelling and the authors manipulation of the world through Cat's eyes was spectacularly played off. She was able to reflect on herself too, at one point, in an unbiased way and looking back at it, it's wonderfully done. I don't want to give away too much but if you read it I think you'll get what I mean. There were no unexplained plot faults (that I could see) and Cat's decisions were always suited to her character and her character's experience.
The factual scientific content of this book has been heralded as accurate and well balanced with the sci-fi elements. Whilst I am not knowledgeable enough to comment on the former I have to say the blend of science and fiction was tempered so well, it was informative without being overwhelming and wasn't so complex as to distract or limit understanding; Suvada clearly knows her stuff. As someone with little to no knowledge of the subject matter I found it addictive and pleasing to read. I've not read a YA book with this quality of scientific narrative without what I call 'skip-able' passages. I devoured every word; it was well explained, accessible and didn't seem to 'jargon-y' to me. Exploding zombies and DNA altering implants: What a way to inspire science in Young adults.
And the added reader involvement with the pigeon code? LOVE IT. It makes me want to learn coding and explore learning options I might never have considered - I have to applaud Suvada for that, if she can inspire learning in me I'm sure I can't be the only one. She deftly combined a great story with scientific fact and feasible fiction. It was nerdy, badass, a teeny bit romantic and threaded with twist and turns to keep you truly in the dark. I'd definitely recommend it.
[OH! and being able to tweak your own metabolism and eye colour?! Let's charge forward into the future friends because I want emerald eyes and Christmas food ALL year round!]
vidhi26p's review
4.0
This was a fantastic premise, just didn’t seem all that realistic. And while that seems like a ridiculous standard to have for sci-fi, I️t was just difficult to imagine. So if original is what you’re looking for, you’ve found I️t. It’s a very creatively woven story with plot twists that grab you and whip you around until you don’t know up from down. I️t was such an adventure reading this novel and I recommend it to anyone who loves a good ass-kicking heroine in an apocalyptic world.
haileyreiss's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I ended up enjoying this way more than I thought I would, which was a pleasant surprise. I do wish I had read this about 6 years ago, though, because I just know that teenage me would have eaten this up for breakfast, lunch AND dinner.
TBD on if I'll actually end up picking up the second one.
TBD on if I'll actually end up picking up the second one.
millieelizabethb's review against another edition
5.0
holy moly. the most addictive combination of science fiction, apocalyptic, romance with the most wonderful characters. Bought the next books immediately because I have to know what happens next.
melg14's review
3.0
3.5 stars
This is a total it’s-me-and-not-the-book situation.
This book is jammed packed with science of all sorts (biology, chemistry, and computer science) since the author knows what she is talking about. However, even though I love that stuff and the logical thinking, I think it was also at fault with my lower than usual rating. There were too many long explanations on how things worked and what they did that they were just glazing over in my head. There wasn’t much of a balance between the world building science and getting attached to the characters for me so I couldn’t fully enjoy the book.
Maybe it was listening to the book that I couldn’t really follow along so i’m going to have to reread it again some time later.
Though I did enjoy the last quarter. The surprises were great.
This is a total it’s-me-and-not-the-book situation.
This book is jammed packed with science of all sorts (biology, chemistry, and computer science) since the author knows what she is talking about. However, even though I love that stuff and the logical thinking, I think it was also at fault with my lower than usual rating. There were too many long explanations on how things worked and what they did that they were just glazing over in my head. There wasn’t much of a balance between the world building science and getting attached to the characters for me so I couldn’t fully enjoy the book.
Maybe it was listening to the book that I couldn’t really follow along so i’m going to have to reread it again some time later.
Though I did enjoy the last quarter. The surprises were great.
owlyreadsalot's review
4.0
I’ve had this book on my shelves for awhile now and definitely wanted to read it much sooner, but it didn’t work out that way as I had many other books ahead of it. Either way, I was finally able to get to it and I have to say it didn’t disappoint. I’ve heard many a mixed review when it comes to this novel, but for me it really worked. I got into The Mortal Coil from the first page and I kept on reading, getting more into the storyline as it progressed. The characters that came into this story absolutely helped.
There were a few times when it left me scratching my head, mostly all the DNA/Coding jargon, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying this read. As I got farther into the novel I was introduced to a few characters I very much liked such as Agnes, Cole (without a doubt), and Leoben. I mean, I liked Cat and all, but it was those three characters that stood out the most to me and kept me very much invested in this story and where it was going to end up.
The first half of this book is more about those sciency talks and a love story that might seem a little too predictable, but as it moves along their stories and all that talk really helps build up the second half of the book. When I thought I wasn’t going to enjoy the way the characters were being set up in this novel, I was nicely surprised by the way the author shifted their storylines. My mind quickly changed from an okay read to a pretty good one that I can place on my top faves for the year.
I’m looking forward to finding out what’s going to happen in the next novel, as yes, it was left on a cliffhanger, but I didn’t mind that at all. There was so much that went on already in this first installment that I don’t mind a little bit of a wait for what’s to come next for the main characters. I’m hoping for a definite showdown with the big bad evil that’s running this whole world and where that’s going to leave all my faves.
***I received this copy from Simon Pulse in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***
There were a few times when it left me scratching my head, mostly all the DNA/Coding jargon, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying this read. As I got farther into the novel I was introduced to a few characters I very much liked such as Agnes, Cole (without a doubt), and Leoben. I mean, I liked Cat and all, but it was those three characters that stood out the most to me and kept me very much invested in this story and where it was going to end up.
The first half of this book is more about those sciency talks and a love story that might seem a little too predictable, but as it moves along their stories and all that talk really helps build up the second half of the book. When I thought I wasn’t going to enjoy the way the characters were being set up in this novel, I was nicely surprised by the way the author shifted their storylines. My mind quickly changed from an okay read to a pretty good one that I can place on my top faves for the year.
I’m looking forward to finding out what’s going to happen in the next novel, as yes, it was left on a cliffhanger, but I didn’t mind that at all. There was so much that went on already in this first installment that I don’t mind a little bit of a wait for what’s to come next for the main characters. I’m hoping for a definite showdown with the big bad evil that’s running this whole world and where that’s going to leave all my faves.
***I received this copy from Simon Pulse in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***
sabrinamay123's review
5.0
I've been pushing myself out of my realistic fiction genre and I'm becoming obsessed with fantasy/sci-fi !! I couldn't put this book down, it just had me hooked from the beginning.