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A review by hobbitualreader
The Blemished by Sarah Dalton
4.0
'As I followed degraded streets the sky turned to black in shadowy degrees, as though God had pulled a dark cloak above my head, except I knew that it was impossible because this world was Godless. It had to be.'
Plot
In a world full of beautiful clones, Mina Hart is Blemished. Her genes aren't perfect, which makes them useless. In this world, being Blemished takes away your rights to an education, a normal life, and even to have a child.
Mina has a dark and dangerous secret that she's never shared with anybody until now. Angela is the first real friend that she's had, and she feels like she can trust her straight away. However, that friendship is put to the test when Mina meets Daniel, Angela's adoptive brother.
Mina finds herself drawn to Daniel's mysterious power and his impulsive nature. Then there's Sebastian, a gorgeous clone that Mina is forbidden to even talk to. But something keeps drawing her to him, and she will suffer consequences for her rebellion.
My thoughts
I read this book for a group read through December and was provided with a copy of the book by the Author. Although this was for the group read, I'd been interested in reading this before, as I'd read a novella by the same Author and enjoyed her work.
This book is set in a frightening Dystopian world in the near future. Britain has been taken over by the Genetic Enhancement Ministry, who are obsessed with perfection. Anybody with faulty genes were declared Blemished, and as such were banned from having children. People with perfect genes were chosen to have perfect children, cloned from perfect DNA. The GEM children are considered superior over the Blemished children, and they have access to education and wealth. The Blemished only learn how to serve the GEM's.
What made this book so real to me, is the fact that elements of this could very well happen in the future. We know that it's possible to clone genes now, so this book really gave me something to think about. Of course, cloning people to keep society perfect is ridiculous, as human beings aren't meant to be perfect. Having flaws is what makes us human, so for me, the clones in this story are not human at all.
Mina has a hard enough life already, being Blemished. She lost her mother when she was young, and has grown up only knowing her father. Blemished girls are expected to wear a uniform, and cover their hair with a headscarf around GEM's, as well as keeping their head down and not drawing attention to themselves. This is made all the more difficult for Mina, as she has a power that must be kept secret at all costs. If she is discovered, it could not only mean death for her, but also her father and friends.
As if this wasn't enough, there are boys on the scene too. Blemished girls are forbidden to look at boys, so it's bad enough that she starts to develop feelings for Daniel, who is also Blemished, but Sebastian, a GEM, is another matter altogether.
I really enjoyed this story and thought that it had everything to keep me entertained. It was fast paced and exciting and had me turning the pages frantically to see what happens to Mina and her friends. There were shocks and revelations that I wasn't expecting at all, which definitely made the story even more enjoyable. Just as you think they're safe from harm, something else comes bursting into the story and puts them in danger again.
If I had to say that there was anything wrong with this book, it would be that I didn't get to know the characters as well as I would have liked. While I enjoy a fast paced story, this didn't seem to leave enough time for the characters to develop in my opinion. However, I loved the story, and definitely want to read the next in the series.
In a world full of beautiful clones, Mina Hart is Blemished. Her genes aren't perfect, which makes them useless. In this world, being Blemished takes away your rights to an education, a normal life, and even to have a child.
Mina has a dark and dangerous secret that she's never shared with anybody until now. Angela is the first real friend that she's had, and she feels like she can trust her straight away. However, that friendship is put to the test when Mina meets Daniel, Angela's adoptive brother.
Mina finds herself drawn to Daniel's mysterious power and his impulsive nature. Then there's Sebastian, a gorgeous clone that Mina is forbidden to even talk to. But something keeps drawing her to him, and she will suffer consequences for her rebellion.
My thoughts
I read this book for a group read through December and was provided with a copy of the book by the Author. Although this was for the group read, I'd been interested in reading this before, as I'd read a novella by the same Author and enjoyed her work.
This book is set in a frightening Dystopian world in the near future. Britain has been taken over by the Genetic Enhancement Ministry, who are obsessed with perfection. Anybody with faulty genes were declared Blemished, and as such were banned from having children. People with perfect genes were chosen to have perfect children, cloned from perfect DNA. The GEM children are considered superior over the Blemished children, and they have access to education and wealth. The Blemished only learn how to serve the GEM's.
What made this book so real to me, is the fact that elements of this could very well happen in the future. We know that it's possible to clone genes now, so this book really gave me something to think about. Of course, cloning people to keep society perfect is ridiculous, as human beings aren't meant to be perfect. Having flaws is what makes us human, so for me, the clones in this story are not human at all.
Mina has a hard enough life already, being Blemished. She lost her mother when she was young, and has grown up only knowing her father. Blemished girls are expected to wear a uniform, and cover their hair with a headscarf around GEM's, as well as keeping their head down and not drawing attention to themselves. This is made all the more difficult for Mina, as she has a power that must be kept secret at all costs. If she is discovered, it could not only mean death for her, but also her father and friends.
As if this wasn't enough, there are boys on the scene too. Blemished girls are forbidden to look at boys, so it's bad enough that she starts to develop feelings for Daniel, who is also Blemished, but Sebastian, a GEM, is another matter altogether.
I really enjoyed this story and thought that it had everything to keep me entertained. It was fast paced and exciting and had me turning the pages frantically to see what happens to Mina and her friends. There were shocks and revelations that I wasn't expecting at all, which definitely made the story even more enjoyable. Just as you think they're safe from harm, something else comes bursting into the story and puts them in danger again.
If I had to say that there was anything wrong with this book, it would be that I didn't get to know the characters as well as I would have liked. While I enjoy a fast paced story, this didn't seem to leave enough time for the characters to develop in my opinion. However, I loved the story, and definitely want to read the next in the series.