Kathryn Evans
Series: n/a
Genre: Young Adult, SciFi
Publisher: Amulet Books
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Teva goes to school, studies for her exams, and spends time with her friends. To the rest of the world, she’s a normal teenager. But when she goes home, she’s anything but normal. Due to a genetic abnormality, Teva unwillingly clones herself every year. And lately, home has become a battleground. When boys are at stake, friends are lost, and lives are snatched away, Teva has a fight on her hands—a fight with herself. As her birthday rolls around, Teva is all too aware that time is running out. She knows that the next clone will soon seize everything she holds dear. Desperate to hang on to her life, Teva decides to find out more about her past . . . and uncovers lies that could either destroy her or set her free.Teva, version 16, is well aware of her fate. She knows she has one year to be the Teva who interacts with the outside world. She has one year to live her whole life before she is replaced by Teva version 17, and is then forced to spend her days locked away with her previous versions. But it appears the later version Tevas are not happy with this arrangement, and they are willing to fight for the right to live their lives, but will Teva survive long enough to accomplish this task?
When I first discovered this book, I thought the concept sounded really interesting. I love science, and genetics is an ever-evolving and growing field. I have to admit, when I started reading this book, it was a little weird, but then I remembers, SciFi books not set in space are a little weird, therefore, I kept reading. I am glad I gave this book a chance, because the story did hit its groove, and I grew to enjoy reading about all the Tevas.
Something I really liked, was trying to figure out if this was legit or if we were dealing with an unreliable narrator. Evans did a great job keeping me in that grey area. I was vacillating between the two scenarios, and found myself analyzing past passages to figure out if there were really clones or was it all in Teva's head. Well play, Ms. Evans.
I also thought Evans blended these out-of-the-ordinary parts very well with the ordinary parts of every day life. These Tevas never came across as science experiments or less than human. In fact, the two oldest versions, fifteen and Teva, were preoccupied with such average teen girl issues, that it read almost like a contemporary (my favorite genre). That SciFi twist added an extra layer to the story and brought up the intrigue factor.
The story was interesting, and there were some great characters supporting this story. Two of my favorite were Maddy, Teva's best friend, and Tom, Teva's classmate. Maddy was a fun and faithful friend, who challenged and supported Teva. Tom provided most of the comic relief, in my opinion. His character was quite amusing, but we did get to see that he had some depth later on, and I really loved where Evans went with him.
Now, I am going deep. When I was trying to decide if the multiple versions were real or not, I started thinking of them metaphorically. This idea, that each year you shed your younger self, thus emerging with some of your former thoughts and beliefs, but also open to forming new ones. I even saw some symbolism in the physical pains Teva experienced as her new, older self was battling to emerge. Growing up is hard and can be painful, and I thought this was illustrated in an interesting way throughout the book. OR that was totally not the author's intention, and I am reading into it too much. Either way, I love that it made me think so much.
Overall: An interesting portrait of growing up sprinkled with romance, mystery, drama, and humor.
**I would like to thank the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. Quotes are from an ARC and may change upon publication.
In one of my favorite parts of this book, one of the characters talks about how they will get coffee, lots and lots of coffee. It was a very sweet declaration in its context, but it made me think, that would be wonderful, because I love coffee.
Do you like coffee?
Let us know in the comments!
This one is new to me. It sounds like such a cool concept!! I might have to try it. Great review!!
ReplyDeleteOnce I got all the Tevas straight, I enjoyed it. Another blogger called it sci-fi light, which is probably why it worked for me
DeleteWow, what a concept. The possibility on an unreliable narrator makes me a tad hesitant (since I avoid those like the plague) but even so I'm intrigued by the synopsis. And your theory on the concept is such a good one - whether it's what the author intended or not, it's a great point.
ReplyDeleteI felt like I was digging really deep when I came up with that analysis. Maybe it's my age talking. =P
DeleteThis sounds incredibly unique---I like the fact that it really made you think and that you saw metaphors in the story, even if you're not sure it was the author's intention.
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
That is the one thing I love, that we can find something meaningful to us when we read a book. I also love hearing other people's ideas regarding a story, which is why I read so many blogs. =)
DeleteThis one sounds very interesting. I like the it was hard to tell if the narrator is unreliable or not. I am glad it got into a groove. Great review!
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of Tevas to get straight, since she was 16 during this story. But I got a handle on it, and it worked for me from then on out. I am really curious to see where Evans will take this story.
DeleteI think the concept sounds really interesting too. I want to give this one a read and see what I think!
ReplyDeleteI requested the book because it sounded interesting, and was sort of happy when it was not too sic-fi. Maybe the next book will delve into the how and the why more, but this one really focused on the Tevas trying to beat the system and retain control of their lives.
DeleteI haven't heard of this book before and it sounds really different and interesting. Great review!
ReplyDeleteAnother debut. I sought out lots for a reading challenge, and so far, so good. I have no DNFs, and I believe in DNFing a book that I am not enjoying, so it actually means something.
DeleteHmmm, this sounds very unique and strange. Was there a love of drama? I feel like I probably wouldn't enjoy this book, even though it is sci-fi. Great analysis there. Wonderful review overall, Sam!
ReplyDeleteHave a fantastic week. =)
Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!
****a lot of! LOL!
DeleteThe drama was primarily between the last two Tevas, as Fifteen had fallen in love and did not want to give up her life or the boy. There was a lot of Teva trying to figure out how she could keep her outside life, and not become another version to be hidden away, while the new version takes over. I don't like too much of anything in a book, (except romance, there is never enough romance) and this had a good balance of elements for me.
DeleteWhat an unusual concept this is -- I was stuck on how the cloning happened more than anything for a bit. And I didn't even think about it being a metaphor for growing up -- that makes total sense!
ReplyDeleteIt is briefly explained in the book with respect to cell replication, but the metaphor really called to me, and there are so many places in the book that seemed to fit it.
DeleteSci-fi stories about genetics are some of my favourites because they just feel so plausible. The field is growing and changing every day, so who knows? Maybe these things will be a reality in the not-so-distant future. Strong friendship between two girls is also a plus!
ReplyDeleteMy undergrad is Chem Engineering and my masters is in physical science education, so, I really like science, and genetics was pretty much the only thing from bio I liked, and I liked the little bit of it we got in this book. The book had a lot of interesting relationship dynamics, and I am a character driven reader, so I loved all that.
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