Scan barcode
loribelle3's review against another edition
4.0
This was an interesting one. Lots of questions arise early on and there aren't answers quickly available, which got to be a little annoying. By the time I had to put the book down, however, I was sucked into the story. Found myself thinking about it until I could pick it up again.
Emma awakens and finds herself in a hospital with Declan, who tells her she is his wife. Emma has mental conversation with "Her," which when combined with recurring dreams, allow the reader to know that everything is not as it seems.
Cliffhanger ending. I am anxious to read what happens next.
Emma awakens and finds herself in a hospital with Declan, who tells her she is his wife. Emma has mental conversation with "Her," which when combined with recurring dreams, allow the reader to know that everything is not as it seems.
Cliffhanger ending. I am anxious to read what happens next.
thegeekyblogger's review
3.0
Listened/Read for Review (Penguin Audio/Netgalley)
Overall Rating: 3.25
Story Rating: 3.50
Character Rating: 3.00
Audio Rating: 4.00 (Not part of the overall rating)
NOTE: I am in the minority where Archetype by M.D. Waters is concerned. Most people felt the story was brilliant, unique, and outstanding. I just never connected with the characters and the end just didn't work for me. The writing is spectacular though so please give the book a try if it looks interesting to you!
Story Thoughts: Confession: I actually had this book rated a little higher until the epilogue. I don't know why but it didn't feel like an organic end to the story to me. That being said, I did enjoy the rest of Archetype. There were times I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen or where the story was going. It was interesting mix of science, dystopian, and medical thriller. The world building was outstanding including science that we are familiar with now coupled with a possible outcome that I could totally believe.
Character Thoughts: UGH! I hate when I can't connect with the characters. I am going to be deliberately vague here because there are spoilers in identifying the characters by name. In Archetype, I just never really got that character connection I so desperatly need in a dystopian or apocalyptic world. I need someone to root for or someone to wish into a fiery grave. I didn't feel the "bad" guy was bad enough, the "good" guy was good enough, or that the leading lady was sympathetic enough. I did feel for Emma's situation but just not for Emma (if that makes any sense at all). The only character I had any connection with was the Dr. that I hoped would trip and take a needle to the eye! I just needed the character connection and it wasn't there for me.
Audio Thoughts:
Khristine is one of my favorite narrators and she did an excellent job with Archetype. Her portrayal of Emma's process of figuring out her situation and the emotions of that journey matched the story very well. Her male voices were strong, the pacing was spot on, and the cadence was engaging. I highly recommend listening to Archetype on audio.
Final Thoughts: Even though the characters did not work for me, the story was interesting and engaging. I will probably pick up book 2 (which I am almost sure there will be) to see if it changes my mind about book 1!
Overall Rating: 3.25
Story Rating: 3.50
Character Rating: 3.00
Audio Rating: 4.00 (Not part of the overall rating)
NOTE: I am in the minority where Archetype by M.D. Waters is concerned. Most people felt the story was brilliant, unique, and outstanding. I just never connected with the characters and the end just didn't work for me. The writing is spectacular though so please give the book a try if it looks interesting to you!
Story Thoughts: Confession: I actually had this book rated a little higher until the epilogue. I don't know why but it didn't feel like an organic end to the story to me. That being said, I did enjoy the rest of Archetype. There were times I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen or where the story was going. It was interesting mix of science, dystopian, and medical thriller. The world building was outstanding including science that we are familiar with now coupled with a possible outcome that I could totally believe.
Character Thoughts: UGH! I hate when I can't connect with the characters. I am going to be deliberately vague here because there are spoilers in identifying the characters by name. In Archetype, I just never really got that character connection I so desperatly need in a dystopian or apocalyptic world. I need someone to root for or someone to wish into a fiery grave. I didn't feel the "bad" guy was bad enough, the "good" guy was good enough, or that the leading lady was sympathetic enough. I did feel for Emma's situation but just not for Emma (if that makes any sense at all). The only character I had any connection with was the Dr. that I hoped would trip and take a needle to the eye! I just needed the character connection and it wasn't there for me.
Audio Thoughts:
Narrated By Khristine Hvam / Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins
Khristine is one of my favorite narrators and she did an excellent job with Archetype. Her portrayal of Emma's process of figuring out her situation and the emotions of that journey matched the story very well. Her male voices were strong, the pacing was spot on, and the cadence was engaging. I highly recommend listening to Archetype on audio.
Final Thoughts: Even though the characters did not work for me, the story was interesting and engaging. I will probably pick up book 2 (which I am almost sure there will be) to see if it changes my mind about book 1!
he_said_she_read's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-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? Yes
4.0
ristan72's review against another edition
4.0
The Handmaid’s Tale meets a bit of sci fi? That’s the closest I can come to describing this. Not a bad read, I will definitely read the second book.
kimreadsthings's review against another edition
3.0
2.5
I found this to be oversimplistic in writing style and underdeveloped in characterization. I wasn't captured by the story and it all just seemed so obvious. If you're going to have a love triangle with a story that centers around memory loss/identity crisis there should be some tension, no? It shouldn't be clear who the lying bad guy is and who is the wronged, unfairly impugned husband. And yet it's plain as day. So it's a fairly boring/frustrating experience when you're reading along waiting for the main character to catch up to your own realizations. And also, douchebags aren't sexy. A big overall "meh."
I found this to be oversimplistic in writing style and underdeveloped in characterization. I wasn't captured by the story and it all just seemed so obvious. If you're going to have a love triangle with a story that centers around memory loss/identity crisis there should be some tension, no? It shouldn't be clear who the lying bad guy is and who is the wronged, unfairly impugned husband. And yet it's plain as day. So it's a fairly boring/frustrating experience when you're reading along waiting for the main character to catch up to your own realizations. And also, douchebags aren't sexy. A big overall "meh."
carstensena's review
4.0
This is almost a 5 star book. If only it had been a standalone. Then again, I'm intrigued by the promise of the epilogue.
It is unfair to reveal much about this one -- so many puzzle pieces to put together. I don't want to ruin the process for anyone. Suffice it to say that this is a suspenseful, engrossing literary thriller that really does bring to mind The Handmaid's Tale and Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, but with a kick-ass heroine. There is just enough familiarity to the scenario to stay connected, but I was never quite sure what was really going on until the end.. Loved it.
It is unfair to reveal much about this one -- so many puzzle pieces to put together. I don't want to ruin the process for anyone. Suffice it to say that this is a suspenseful, engrossing literary thriller that really does bring to mind The Handmaid's Tale and Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, but with a kick-ass heroine. There is just enough familiarity to the scenario to stay connected, but I was never quite sure what was really going on until the end.. Loved it.
bookcaptivated's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Murder, Blood, Misogyny, Sexual content, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Violence, and Sexism
Moderate: Rape, Vomit, Confinement, Grief, Gun violence, and Pregnancy
Minor: Trafficking, Abortion, Alcohol, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, and Slavery
jajorgen's review
4.0
Posted on our library's blog: http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/madreads/dystopia-adult-style
Archetype is a great debut that read like a cross between Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson and Hilary Jordan's When She Woke. In Watson's book the female protagonist wakes with no memories and must learn who she can trust. A similar journey awaits the heroine in Archetype. But for Emma, her world is one in which a fertility crisis has largely abridged the rights of women - a subject Hilary Jordan so wonderfully addressed in When She Woke. In mentioning the ways in which this book picked up on the themes of the earlier works, I am paying the highest of compliments, since both books were on my best lists when they came out (I reviewed them here and here).
M. D. Waters builds her tale gradually. Emma wakes in a hospital and spends months there trying to regain a life. Though she has no memory of Declan, the man who says he's her husband, Emma soon comes to rely on him for everything and even comes to care for him. Even when her dreams suggest that she once had a very different life and a different man to love. Initially she dismisses those dreams as just that, dreams. But as she recovers physically and mentally, Emma senses that Declan and her doctor are lying to her. And the more she struggles to piece her past together, the more resistance she faces. In fact Emma comes to realize that she can't tell anyone just what she's remembering, not if she wants to continue remembering or even existing.
The tension and suspense build naturally. The more Emma learns, the scarier her story becomes. As the pressure on Emma increased, I found myself racing through to the end. And now I can't wait to read the sequel, Prototype when it comes out this summer. A great debut.
Archetype is a great debut that read like a cross between Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson and Hilary Jordan's When She Woke. In Watson's book the female protagonist wakes with no memories and must learn who she can trust. A similar journey awaits the heroine in Archetype. But for Emma, her world is one in which a fertility crisis has largely abridged the rights of women - a subject Hilary Jordan so wonderfully addressed in When She Woke. In mentioning the ways in which this book picked up on the themes of the earlier works, I am paying the highest of compliments, since both books were on my best lists when they came out (I reviewed them here and here).
M. D. Waters builds her tale gradually. Emma wakes in a hospital and spends months there trying to regain a life. Though she has no memory of Declan, the man who says he's her husband, Emma soon comes to rely on him for everything and even comes to care for him. Even when her dreams suggest that she once had a very different life and a different man to love. Initially she dismisses those dreams as just that, dreams. But as she recovers physically and mentally, Emma senses that Declan and her doctor are lying to her. And the more she struggles to piece her past together, the more resistance she faces. In fact Emma comes to realize that she can't tell anyone just what she's remembering, not if she wants to continue remembering or even existing.
The tension and suspense build naturally. The more Emma learns, the scarier her story becomes. As the pressure on Emma increased, I found myself racing through to the end. And now I can't wait to read the sequel, Prototype when it comes out this summer. A great debut.
dhilderbrand's review
3.0
I am only going with a 3 1/2. My friend got me excited to read this so maybe my hopes were too high. I don't like non-linear stories. Although by the end I was seriously considering doing a 4 star, I just was annoyed that I didn't know what was going on... I am very interested in the next version though