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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
I started this book thinking "OK, yeah, a smart scientist heroine who gets totally jilted by her awful husband." But... I can't really call her a heroine. As the book goes on, she becomes more and more unlikeable. This book made me super uncomfortable, and I believe that was actually the author's aim. It's really well written (except for a few areas where I had to work extra hard to suspend disbelief), and it moves at a pretty good clip. It just took me three weeks to finish because it made me feel so icky.
The afterword is really worth a close read. For me, it really helped solidify what the author was trying to do with their main character. This is objectively a really good book, just... I can't say I entirely enjoyed it. I don't know if anyone is meant to enjoy it, or if I'm just not quite the target audience. I picked it up because it was rated highly by Modern Mrs. Darcy, and because the author is an established sci-fi author. But nope, I'm really not into domestic thrillers.
The afterword is really worth a close read. For me, it really helped solidify what the author was trying to do with their main character. This is objectively a really good book, just... I can't say I entirely enjoyed it. I don't know if anyone is meant to enjoy it, or if I'm just not quite the target audience. I picked it up because it was rated highly by Modern Mrs. Darcy, and because the author is an established sci-fi author. But nope, I'm really not into domestic thrillers.
mysterious
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
Super fast read, twists at every turn, very enjoyable, BUT…I always have a hard time believing cloning at this level can be possible, let alone not having authorities involved. How can people just ‘appear’ and live life in the city? When a person goes missing, how is the police not involved? I understand it’s a work of fiction, but I love when books make me believe it’s real and this didn’t do it for me. Still, I’d recommend it for the thrill ride!
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-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
An interesting character study, wrapped within a sci-fi story involving clones and discussing human intelligence and consciousness. Lots of stuff here to like. I think it ultimately falls a little flat by the end, but there's a lot to love here.
I think if you’re a science fiction fan you’ll enjoy this but it got a little too bogged down in the science explanations/descriptions for me. I also was expecting more of a fast paced thriller and this is a very slow moving novel
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is one of those books that makes your brain go "!!!!!!!" as you're reading it.
The most wonderful thing about this is that every time you thought the plot was done unfolding, a new little twist was revealed. Some of them were easy to guess, but that is more because the path was well-paved than because the plot was simplistic, and the big twists were so, so good. Especially--by the gods was that devastating!
I also really liked both Evelyn and Martine. Evelyn was great as the PoV character; her practical, "cold" way of handling things was well-written, and it fit her to a T. I like how Martine at first seem to be her exact opposite, but as they get to know each other, it becomes clear that they both are what they have been forced to become, and when the walls start coming down, they find out that they do overlap--not completely, but in the natural way that two friends do. I loved the ending they got, though I think I also would have liked to see them be... closer? Somehow? Even if I can also admit that more closeness probably would not have suited Evelyn's arc at all.
Something I got caught up by (in a good way) is their names: Evelyn, the career-driven non-motherly character, echoes "Eve". A soft name, a "motherly" name, in a Christian context. Whereas "Martine" is of course a feminine form of "Martin", from the Roman "Mars"--aka, the God of War. I really like how those two are "switched around"--and yet, at the end, it's also clear that Evelyn's ruthless practicality does have room for being a caretaker, even if that caretaker is emphatically not aimed at becoming a mother, and Martine, motherly, caring, soft Martine, is every inch the warrior that Evelyn is. They are survivors.
Finally, I would've liked to see just a little bit more of Nathan; while he made an entirely believable and wonderful antagonist, I'd have liked to see when and how he went from the man Evelyn fell in love with to the he became. While there are hints of his changes, I would have liked just that one last inch, that last reveal. And, of course, it would've been hard to explore the specifics, given
The most wonderful thing about this is that every time you thought the plot was done unfolding, a new little twist was revealed. Some of them were easy to guess, but that is more because the path was well-paved than because the plot was simplistic, and the big twists were so, so good. Especially
Spoiler
Martine finding the clone cemetery in her gardenI also really liked both Evelyn and Martine. Evelyn was great as the PoV character; her practical, "cold" way of handling things was well-written, and it fit her to a T. I like how Martine at first seem to be her exact opposite, but as they get to know each other, it becomes clear that they both are what they have been forced to become, and when the walls start coming down, they find out that they do overlap--not completely, but in the natural way that two friends do. I loved the ending they got, though I think I also would have liked to see them be... closer? Somehow? Even if I can also admit that more closeness probably would not have suited Evelyn's arc at all.
Something I got caught up by (in a good way) is their names: Evelyn, the career-driven non-motherly character, echoes "Eve". A soft name, a "motherly" name, in a Christian context. Whereas "Martine" is of course a feminine form of "Martin", from the Roman "Mars"--aka, the God of War. I really like how those two are "switched around"--and yet, at the end, it's also clear that Evelyn's ruthless practicality does have room for being a caretaker, even if that caretaker is emphatically not aimed at becoming a mother, and Martine, motherly, caring, soft Martine, is every inch the warrior that Evelyn is. They are survivors.
Finally, I would've liked to see just a little bit more of Nathan; while he made an entirely believable and wonderful antagonist, I'd have liked to see when and how he went from the man Evelyn fell in love with to the
Spoiler
cruel murdererSpoiler
the fact that he dies so early, and thus isn't available to answer any questions, so we can only speculate.
I wish I hadn't read the end note, because now I feel bad disliking someone's attempt to come to terms with identity and trauma. But...I really disliked this attempt at coming to terms with identity and trauma. It felt rather bland and lost in a sea of very similar mainstream near-future thrillers. Do love a not very likeable MC, however. Netflix's "The One" vibes.