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A review by kyouen
The Blemished by Sarah Dalton
1.0
This had potential. It did not meet it.
Considering that the idea of designer babies comes up frequently enough (at least in things I consume), this book should have been more scary than it was. Seriously. A company gives rich people the option to create babies with no problems and then makes so much money that they're able to oust the government and establish them as a new regime? It should be terrifying because people are concerned that this could potentially happen in the future. I just watched the episode of Bill Nye Saves the World where designer babies are talked about (episode 12). Instead, I feel like I got a shoddy dystopian novel with a concept that probably has been done better in other books. (If anyone can give me a recommendation, please send them my way!)
Between the boring, flat characters (but remember, the MC is special!), the plot moving at a breakneck pace (you have a secret that could mean your death and your father's, but you just blab it on your first day? Girl, we need to talk...), and the love triangle attempt ("There was something about Sebastian that made me want to be around him. But then there was something about Daniel too, and I found that I couldn't be around one of them without thinking about the other."--I said "Ugh" at my desk), I just couldn't move past the 35% mark. That was when I DNFed it because there's books that I'm far more interested in. I don't have the patience to waste my time trying to get to the part where it gets exciting. I really couldn't stand the main character either.
It's always disappointing DNFing a book that sounded interesting. If you just like dystopian novels but don't mind a novel saturated with overdone tropes (and in my opinion, no attempt at making the trope your own), you may like this one. Check out the 4 and 5 star reviews for their opinions. It was just not for me.
Considering that the idea of designer babies comes up frequently enough (at least in things I consume), this book should have been more scary than it was. Seriously. A company gives rich people the option to create babies with no problems and then makes so much money that they're able to oust the government and establish them as a new regime? It should be terrifying because people are concerned that this could potentially happen in the future. I just watched the episode of Bill Nye Saves the World where designer babies are talked about (episode 12). Instead, I feel like I got a shoddy dystopian novel with a concept that probably has been done better in other books. (If anyone can give me a recommendation, please send them my way!)
Between the boring, flat characters (but remember, the MC is special!), the plot moving at a breakneck pace (you have a secret that could mean your death and your father's, but you just blab it on your first day? Girl, we need to talk...), and the love triangle attempt ("There was something about Sebastian that made me want to be around him. But then there was something about Daniel too, and I found that I couldn't be around one of them without thinking about the other."--I said "Ugh" at my desk), I just couldn't move past the 35% mark. That was when I DNFed it because there's books that I'm far more interested in. I don't have the patience to waste my time trying to get to the part where it gets exciting. I really couldn't stand the main character either.
It's always disappointing DNFing a book that sounded interesting. If you just like dystopian novels but don't mind a novel saturated with overdone tropes (and in my opinion, no attempt at making the trope your own), you may like this one. Check out the 4 and 5 star reviews for their opinions. It was just not for me.