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A review by libraryjen
Generation Manifestation by Steven Bereznai, Steven Bereznai
3.0
Caitlin Feral is a Dreg. There is nothing that makes her special except maybe her antagonism. Years ago during the Genetic Wars dregs like her were guilty of hunting down the Supergenics (DNA mutants with superpowers). But Caitlin doesn't accept that she's just a Dreg. When the last testing day comes, at age 16, Caitlin is determined that she will manifest and become like the superheros she reads about in the comic books from the library.
This book was advertised as a cross between Hunger Games and Divergent and it pretty much fits that description. There wasn't a whole lot here that was really original, but it was a wild ride that kept me reading. I enjoyed Caitlin's bada$$ attitude and Normand's quirkiness. The insta-love between Caitlin and Bradie was a little unbelievable, and their relationship was never developed enough to make me buy into it. I was also annoyed at the constant references to "kids who identified as male" or "those who identified as female". Now, I understand and applaud the efforts to be inclusive, but using the phrases over and over again really drew the reader out of the story. The first use was perfect, the rest of them could have been replaced with "kids were wearing either..." or "kids were stripping down in the locker room and changing into their uniforms" easily and that wouldn't have drawn the reader's attention away from the plot. It felt very forced and unnecessary.
The book was only 250 or so pages and could have easily used another 100 pages to better establish the relationships or the backstories of the characters to get the reader more invested in what happens.
Not great literature, but entertaining brain candy. It was a quick read and I enjoyed it.
Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy from the publisher through Edelweiss.com in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This book was advertised as a cross between Hunger Games and Divergent and it pretty much fits that description. There wasn't a whole lot here that was really original, but it was a wild ride that kept me reading. I enjoyed Caitlin's bada$$ attitude and Normand's quirkiness. The insta-love between Caitlin and Bradie was a little unbelievable, and their relationship was never developed enough to make me buy into it. I was also annoyed at the constant references to "kids who identified as male" or "those who identified as female". Now, I understand and applaud the efforts to be inclusive, but using the phrases over and over again really drew the reader out of the story. The first use was perfect, the rest of them could have been replaced with "kids were wearing either..." or "kids were stripping down in the locker room and changing into their uniforms" easily and that wouldn't have drawn the reader's attention away from the plot. It felt very forced and unnecessary.
The book was only 250 or so pages and could have easily used another 100 pages to better establish the relationships or the backstories of the characters to get the reader more invested in what happens.
Not great literature, but entertaining brain candy. It was a quick read and I enjoyed it.
Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy from the publisher through Edelweiss.com in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.