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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is the only book I have read that had my jaw dropped from chapter one all the way to the last page. An absolutely masterful cocktail of interlocking themes that manages to be consistently horrifying all the way through, this book puts discussions of scientific ethics, abuse, and trauma cycles into a washing machine and spins them around until they blend seamlessly. The writing style fits the character the audience is reading through perfectly; blunt and cold, laying everything bare with brutal yet skewed honesty. Truly refreshing to sit in the head of a female protagonist who is both victim and cause, with both standing standing tall side by side and never diminishing the other, leaving her room to be horribly human. Easily the best book I read last year, and becoming a running contender for one of the best books I have ever read.
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a slow-psychological-burn with a sci-fi twist. Yes, there are clones and a murder, but this story goes way deeper. It’s important to know this going in because I picked it up looking for an easy-fun read. Once I finished this very short book I wanted to go back and revisit parts like this:
“I wondered at the power people had over each other, to make lasting changes like that.”
Or
“They are here to see me, and I must apologize for requesting their attention, must make up for the weight of my demand by ensuing that looking at me will be a pleasant thing.”
This story can rip so many social norms and what you know about abuse, bring it to light, and make you psycho analyze the characters. You could very well wish the book was another 250 more pages but I think the author masterly wrote the story they wanted to write. Bravo!!
Buddy or book club this one!
“I wondered at the power people had over each other, to make lasting changes like that.”
Or
“They are here to see me, and I must apologize for requesting their attention, must make up for the weight of my demand by ensuing that looking at me will be a pleasant thing.”
This story can rip so many social norms and what you know about abuse, bring it to light, and make you psycho analyze the characters. You could very well wish the book was another 250 more pages but I think the author masterly wrote the story they wanted to write. Bravo!!
Buddy or book club this one!
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Some parts of this book are over explained. Some are a slow reveal. Some smack you right in the face. I like the concepts discussed about cloning ethics and what makes a person a person.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sarah Gailey has become an instant favorite author. I've devoured 3 of her books within the past month and each has been a hit. This one being no different. A standard sci fi trope of cloning but with a very different spin.
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
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
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is my third Sarah Gailey book and is by far my favorite. I always love her books, but so far each has had something about it that decreased my experience. Magic for Liars was a beautiful book, but ultimately too sad for me to read again. Just Like Home had too many mumbos. But this one just hit me.
It explores the idea of high tech clones but in a personal, small way. While the ideas contained in this book are huge, the plot is intimate. It focuses on how different people would respond to the moral and ethical quandaries of clones. It looks at what experiences might shape your original feelings about clones and what might change or influence them. While it is loosely sci fi, the science is very vague and not the main focus. It is also horror. There are truly horrific moments, ideas, and images, but they aren’t the focus. It is about women and how they respond to one another’s needs and pain, even in dire and awkward circumstances. Even when they don’t really like one another. And it is about men, what some of them want from women, and what they might be willing to do to get it.
Read this book if
1. You ever wished that Thelma and Louise, The Stepford Wives and Does He Love You by Reba McIntyre had a baby. And that baby was a book.
2. You like soft sci fi set in the familiar modern+ world
3. You like explorations of big ideas that more or less just raise the questions, pose scenarios, and allow you to try to sort it all out
It explores the idea of high tech clones but in a personal, small way. While the ideas contained in this book are huge, the plot is intimate. It focuses on how different people would respond to the moral and ethical quandaries of clones. It looks at what experiences might shape your original feelings about clones and what might change or influence them. While it is loosely sci fi, the science is very vague and not the main focus. It is also horror. There are truly horrific moments, ideas, and images, but they aren’t the focus. It is about women and how they respond to one another’s needs and pain, even in dire and awkward circumstances. Even when they don’t really like one another. And it is about men, what some of them want from women, and what they might be willing to do to get it.
Read this book if
1. You ever wished that Thelma and Louise, The Stepford Wives and Does He Love You by Reba McIntyre had a baby. And that baby was a book.
2. You like soft sci fi set in the familiar modern+ world
3. You like explorations of big ideas that more or less just raise the questions, pose scenarios, and allow you to try to sort it all out
This story had so much potential, but fell completely flat for me. The plot was so boring.