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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
This Mortal Coil tells the story of Catarina Agatta, who is a gene hacker and was tasked to develop a vaccine for the Hydra virus upon her father's death. The idea of gene technology and gene hacking sounded really interesting so immediately, it caught my eye.
Overall, I felt that it was an enjoyable read. It was well-paced and there wasn't a lot of jargon so I didn't get lost in the language. It was heavier on the romance too. But I think that the story was missing a little body, for lack of a better word, and that the twists were thrown in a lot, making it feel not very well integrated. With that said, the plot was pretty intriguing and had me flying through the pages! Definitely a delightful quick read.
Overall, I felt that it was an enjoyable read. It was well-paced and there wasn't a lot of jargon so I didn't get lost in the language. It was heavier on the romance too. But I think that the story was missing a little body, for lack of a better word, and that the twists were thrown in a lot, making it feel not very well integrated. With that said, the plot was pretty intriguing and had me flying through the pages! Definitely a delightful quick read.
As far as the skeleton of the plot goes, this is pretty typical YA fare. What sets it above the pack is the use of tech. It felt brilliant and different and smart. We've got a female lead who is smart in her own right, solving problems, saving herself (most of the time). I also loved the ethical questions this book introduces about genetics, the advancements of tech, and just what it means to be human.
Really liked this a lot!! I can't believe this hadn't been on my radar before bc it's very me. Genome/bio stuff plus coding made for such a fascinating world. I also had no idea some of the twists either and I loved that. Can't wait for the sequel!!
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
slow-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
Reading this back makes me question whether I actually want to read the other two books in the trilogy, or if I just want to look up spoilers and call it a day, because I feel a level of disappointment that confuses me. A part of me wants to jack up the writing to 3.5 or maybe even 4 stars solely because of the fact that Emily Suvada actually knows what she's talking about when it comes to programming (which most authors don't), but compared to the flaws this book has, it wouldn't be fair.
MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD.
See, this book had an amazing premise. I loved the beginning. I loved the rawness and desperateness that fueled the first part of the book. The idea of the humans exploding from the virus, that people had to eat infected flesh to develop immunity, that Cat was an absolute genius, and the terrifying fact that Cole was more programmed machine than human—I loved it. But what happened?
If I had to list all my issues with this book, I'd go on forever, so I'll just elaborate on the ones that bothered me the most:
- All the plot twists were essentially the same. They all followed the, "We did it! We solved it! Wait, oh no, we actually messed up really bad and are playing right into a trap." Every. Single. Time. And it happened so many times my eyes glazed over. Way too repetitive.
- The whole Cat is actually Jun Bei thing? What was that? I get that Cat is disgusted by this and it was forced on her, but really? Changing a POC into a white person? Maybe the author didn't think it through, but it rubs me the wrong way. I've been feeling uncomfortable since I figured out that this is what happened.
Those two are the ones that bothered me to the point where I wanted to scream. Now, listing out all the other issues:
- Love triangle?? What love triangle? It was so pointless.
- That was not romance. It was 100% sexual tension. Doesn't even cut insta-love criteria.
- What happened to all the cool visuals and creepiness from the Hydra explosions? It's literally on the cover but only shows up a handful of times.
- Way too many for-convenience plot points. See: Agnes' messages at the end warning Cat about Lachlan, which she, for some reason, couldn't figure out on her own.
- How many chapters are there of Cat and Lachlan arguing with each other? This happened with other characters too.
- This went from creepy, raw, coding to pure trope-y dystopia.
- By the end this was more DNA than coding. I know it's about genehacking, but what happened to the actual hacking part?
- How many times did Cat mention she would die? I am so tired of it.
There are a lot of smaller issues too, but I'll leave it at that. I'm disappointed because of the potential, but oh well. Maybe I'll spoil the rest for myself instead of reading. From the looks of it, this is headed straight into 2012-level trope dystopia, and I'm so not here for that.
If you wanna read about cool concepts and don't care much for execution, this book is for you. I appreciate that this book exists though— we need more books with tech-y STEM girls. I live for them.
MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD.
See, this book had an amazing premise. I loved the beginning. I loved the rawness and desperateness that fueled the first part of the book. The idea of the humans exploding from the virus, that people had to eat infected flesh to develop immunity, that Cat was an absolute genius, and the terrifying fact that Cole was more programmed machine than human—I loved it. But what happened?
If I had to list all my issues with this book, I'd go on forever, so I'll just elaborate on the ones that bothered me the most:
- All the plot twists were essentially the same. They all followed the, "We did it! We solved it! Wait, oh no, we actually messed up really bad and are playing right into a trap." Every. Single. Time. And it happened so many times my eyes glazed over. Way too repetitive.
- The whole Cat is actually Jun Bei thing? What was that? I get that Cat is disgusted by this and it was forced on her, but really? Changing a POC into a white person? Maybe the author didn't think it through, but it rubs me the wrong way. I've been feeling uncomfortable since I figured out that this is what happened.
Those two are the ones that bothered me to the point where I wanted to scream. Now, listing out all the other issues:
- Love triangle?? What love triangle? It was so pointless.
- That was not romance. It was 100% sexual tension. Doesn't even cut insta-love criteria.
- What happened to all the cool visuals and creepiness from the Hydra explosions? It's literally on the cover but only shows up a handful of times.
- Way too many for-convenience plot points. See: Agnes' messages at the end warning Cat about Lachlan, which she, for some reason, couldn't figure out on her own.
- How many chapters are there of Cat and Lachlan arguing with each other? This happened with other characters too.
- This went from creepy, raw, coding to pure trope-y dystopia.
- By the end this was more DNA than coding. I know it's about genehacking, but what happened to the actual hacking part?
- How many times did Cat mention she would die? I am so tired of it.
There are a lot of smaller issues too, but I'll leave it at that. I'm disappointed because of the potential, but oh well. Maybe I'll spoil the rest for myself instead of reading. From the looks of it, this is headed straight into 2012-level trope dystopia, and I'm so not here for that.
If you wanna read about cool concepts and don't care much for execution, this book is for you. I appreciate that this book exists though— we need more books with tech-y STEM girls. I live for them.
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes