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vidhi26p's review against another edition
5.0
This was a mind-altering impressive collection of stories of the world to come. Told in six different perspectives — each years after the last, it illustrates a world where humans make genetics their playground and go ham. It’s a mesmerizing novel forcing the reader to truly ponder the consequences of such radical change to the human body — to what extent should we play God? I absolutely devoured this sci fi novel and loved how Dayton told the story.
erincataldi's review against another edition
5.0
Wowza!! I couldn't get enough of this book. It's creepy, compelling, and akin to something off of a Black Mirror episode. This young adult sci-fi explores the possibilities of genetic engineering. What if we could get re-grow damaged lungs? Replace skin? Upgrade our vision? What if we could cure genetic deficiencies? It all starts innocent enough. A modification here to save a life. To prolong a life. Soon there is nothing left to cure, there are no accidents that can't be fixed. The future isn't about staying alive, it's about perfection. Want to breathe underwater? There is mod for that. Need extra limbs to make you more efficient at your job? There is a mod for that. Want to be cool and edgy and unique? There are moving tattoos, extra eyes, different colored skin and more to set you apart. Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful tells the story of genetic modifications through teenagers. Each teenager is living in a different period of scientific discovery and as the future gets closer, the modifications get wilder and the story gets darker. Impossible to put down. A wildly unique book!!
cathyatratedreads's review against another edition
4.0
In each of six stories in this compelling and thought-provoking YA book, young people have been affected by humanity’s push to improve upon itself, whether through genetic engineering or surgery or both. As time goes forward, the urge to do nature one better results in more and more drastic results. All characters have been changed physically in some way, many without a choice. All face some level of derision; all wonder if they can possibly still be “human” given what they are.
Arwen Elys Dayton writes in an author’s note that she had been “poring over articles about gene editing, methods of growing human organs outside the human body, changing the body’s structure and function using bioelectronics interfaces and microscopic mechanical devices” and thought at first that these would be a miraculous cure for disease and aging and so on. Then she thought, “We will definitely find some way of messing this up in spectacular fashion.” Thus the book was born.
Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful explores what it means to be human, how these advances could affect how we see each other and the world, and how it would be just to live our lives in the ways we’ve always done when so much about “life” is changed.
The book for a number of segments really reminded me of Neal Shusterman’s Unwind series, with the young people whose parts are harvested for organ and tissue transplants for adults and “wanted” children. The tone was similar as it explored social mores and ethics surrounding bodily improvements.
The stories are loosely connected, but I still had to shift gears as each ended and a new one began, but it didn’t take me long at all to get deeply involved in the lives and challenges of each character. I will definitely be thinking about this for a while.
The only drawback with this book is its content. There are right around 10 instances of strong language and more uses of mild and moderate language. Sexual content is present in about half of the stories. Teens have sex, with detail varying from almost none to a few paragraphs’ worth of information. Violence itself is fairly minimal, but there are a number of spots that are somewhat disturbing or more disturbing, with characters being forcibly changed physically or facing other treatment that will make you feel a bit sad and sick for them.
I think the language and sexual content could have been toned down just fine while still conveying the impact of some of the possibilities that lie ahead if ethics aren’t agreed upon early on.
* I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/stronger-faster-more-beautiful-young-adult-book-review/
Arwen Elys Dayton writes in an author’s note that she had been “poring over articles about gene editing, methods of growing human organs outside the human body, changing the body’s structure and function using bioelectronics interfaces and microscopic mechanical devices” and thought at first that these would be a miraculous cure for disease and aging and so on. Then she thought, “We will definitely find some way of messing this up in spectacular fashion.” Thus the book was born.
Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful explores what it means to be human, how these advances could affect how we see each other and the world, and how it would be just to live our lives in the ways we’ve always done when so much about “life” is changed.
The book for a number of segments really reminded me of Neal Shusterman’s Unwind series, with the young people whose parts are harvested for organ and tissue transplants for adults and “wanted” children. The tone was similar as it explored social mores and ethics surrounding bodily improvements.
The stories are loosely connected, but I still had to shift gears as each ended and a new one began, but it didn’t take me long at all to get deeply involved in the lives and challenges of each character. I will definitely be thinking about this for a while.
The only drawback with this book is its content. There are right around 10 instances of strong language and more uses of mild and moderate language. Sexual content is present in about half of the stories. Teens have sex, with detail varying from almost none to a few paragraphs’ worth of information. Violence itself is fairly minimal, but there are a number of spots that are somewhat disturbing or more disturbing, with characters being forcibly changed physically or facing other treatment that will make you feel a bit sad and sick for them.
I think the language and sexual content could have been toned down just fine while still conveying the impact of some of the possibilities that lie ahead if ethics aren’t agreed upon early on.
* I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/stronger-faster-more-beautiful-young-adult-book-review/
pantsreads's review against another edition
4.0
A strange, sometimes frightening, sometimes hopeful, read about an all-too-possible future.
Check out my full review at Forever Young Adult.
Check out my full review at Forever Young Adult.
libreroaming's review against another edition
3.0
Six interconnected stories that speculate on the future of human modification. The throughline being a hypocritical minister was not strong enough or relevant enough to really need its appearance in all the stories. And the stories did not feel like continuations of the same world, but separate entities dealing with separate topics. On their own, the later stories were more interesting for their concepts, with the "near future" ones being a little awkward in weaving the science fiction with the cultural makeup of our science fact.
The fifth story, "California," seemed the one that would work best as an expanded story on its own, balancing the curiosity of a drastically changed world and a protagonist who is emotionally as well as physically changed by his journey. Readers who are well-versed in speculative fiction would not find anything groundbreaking in this book, but it might be worth giving to someone who loves YA and would find Paolo Bacigalupi and China Mielville too dense to start with.
The fifth story, "California," seemed the one that would work best as an expanded story on its own, balancing the curiosity of a drastically changed world and a protagonist who is emotionally as well as physically changed by his journey. Readers who are well-versed in speculative fiction would not find anything groundbreaking in this book, but it might be worth giving to someone who loves YA and would find Paolo Bacigalupi and China Mielville too dense to start with.
lkenyon2015's review against another edition
2.0
So disappointed. I wish that the last section was what the entire book was about, just expanded and continued. The way that the characters and setting changed every section made me crazy. Very interesting concept, but I think that it could have been done in a better way.
juliab24's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
emellis59's review against another edition
3.0
Think is is one I should have read and not listened to - I think some concepts got lost on me where seeing the actual words would have helped. Felt like a Black Mirror about biology and genetics.