REVIEW--Beta by Rachel Cohn

Happy Monday, friends!  I'm very excited today because tonight my younger sister Lauren and I are driving a few hours to meet one of her favorite celebrities--The Pioneer Woman!  And she's kind of an author, too...right?!  I'll share more with you about it tomorrow!

But today's post is a review on the book Beta by Rachel Cohn, the first in the science fiction Annex series.  So let's get right to it!

 

• First in the Annex series
• Science fiction

The Gist:

Elysia is a 16-year-old clone.  She was created after her "First," a teenage girl, died.  She now serves a wealthy family on Demesne, an island where everything (even the air!) is bio-engineered for perfection.   Living with the Governor's family (to replace their college-bound daughter), Elysia is satisfied with her life until she stars having memories of her First.  Now she, a supposedly soulless clone, has memories, feelings, and opinions.  If she lets anyone know this, she will be terminated.  But Elysia isn't sure she can choose a clone life forever, either.

What I Loved:

• This book was very unpredictable--so many characters, like Xanthe, Tahir, and Dr. Lusardi have secrets that aren't expected.
• I could picture Demesne and loved their virtual gaming systems (especially their game called LoveStory--how cute!).

What I Didn't Love:

• So much was thrown in at the end--a pregnancy, murder, Zhara returning, Tahir disappearing--I felt like I read through the whole book just to get to all the action at the end!
• The overall plot seems a little overdone.  When I booktalk this book, my students always say "Oh that sounds like ____ movie!  This sounds like ___ book!"  And they're right--it is a lot like other books and movies.
• The characters take a drug--'raxia--all the time.  It becomes a little too much.
• There isn't much information about what happened before Demesne, such as the Water Wars.  I'd like more about it.
• I didn't buy into the romance stories in the plot (either on Tahir's end or Elysia's end with Alex).  Just didn't believe it. 

My favorite quote: 

"What does Beta mean?" I asked.

"A test model," she said.  "Still under development."  She chuckled and added, "Just like a real teenager."

So an ok book that had a more exciting ending than middle.  But I'll definitely pick up the sequel to see what happens!

 

I'll be back on Wednesday with a makeup look inspired by the book's cover--see you then!