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Gemma has been in and out of hospitals since she was born. 'A sickly child', her lonely life to date has revolved around her home, school and one best friend, Alice. But when she discovers her father's connection to the top secret Haven research facility, currently hitting the headlines and under siege by religious fanatics, Gemma decides to leave the sanctuary she's always known to find the institute and determine what is going on there and why her father's name seems inextricably linked to it.
Amidst the frenzy outside the institute's walls, Lyra - or number 24 as she is known as at Haven - and a fellow experimental subject known only as 72, manage to escape. Encountering a world they never knew existed outside the walls of their secluded upbringing , they meet Gemma and, as they try to understand Haven's purpose together, they uncover some earth-shattering secrets that will change the lives of both girls forever...
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Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Indigo
Review:
Replica is two stories in one book. The two stories are split into two different POV's, Lyra and Gemma. Both stories were so complex and different compared to other YA books. It focuses on each character and what they going through; Lyra is dealing with hospitals and replicas (clones), whereas Gemma is dealing with the secrets her family has been keeping from her. You can read Replica any way you want to (i.e. alternating between the stories, reading them separately, etc). I personally chose to read the novel through alternating chapters between both main characters.
Lyra grew up living on the island, Haven Institute, where replicas were created, grown, and later experimented on. Gemma grew up with two parents that hardly payed any attention to her except to make sure her health wasn't declining, since she was born she had a lot of health issues. Getting the chance to find out what her parents are hiding, why they seem paranoid and on edge, and what exactly is her father's involvement in the whole thing.
Both characters, Lyra and Gemma, were enticing to read. Lyra's POV had a lot more action and we got to see how she interacted with the replicas and come to terms with a lot of the things that were unknown. When an explosion blows up the facility, Lyra sees her chance to finally escape. Lyra's POV reminds me of The Island, a movie about a mercenary who goes after two clones that escape a research facility. Gemma's POV was more in depth and explained a lot more about what was going on. Through both POV's we get a lot of information on what was happening at the facility and what each character was personally going through.
The only negative thing I can think of is the ending. I dislike cliffhangers but absolutely hate open endings. It doesn't leave you wanting to throw the book at the wall and stalk the internet trying to find out the release date of the sequel. No. It doesn't wrap the stories up or make you want more. It just ends. Another thing I didn't really like is the whole two separate points of view debacle. I felt like the novel would have been a lot more engaging and appealing to readers, including myself, if it had focused on Gemma's POV and added a few chapters of Lyra's POV. Though the major twist affects both characters, Gemma is the one it affects the most. Other than that, the rest of the novel was such a blast to read.
Sidenote: I managed to get a copy of this book in my goodie bag from the HCC Frenzy Presents Fall 2016 & Winter 2017 Event. I definitely had a fangirl moment when I saw that I got it.
Rating:
★★★★
About The Author:
Lauren Oliver is the cofounder of content development company Paper Lantern Lit. She is also the New York Times bestselling author of the YA novels Replica, Vanishing Girls, Panic, and the Delirium trilogy: Delirium, Pandemonium, and Requiem, which have been translated into more than thirty languages. The film rights to both Replica and Lauren's bestselling first novel, Before I Fall, were acquired by AwesomenessTV; a major motion picture adaptation of Before I Fall was announced by Open Road Films in 2016. Her novels for middle grade readers include The Spindlers, Liesl & Po, and the Curiosity House series, co-written with H. C. Chester. She has written one novel for adults, Rooms.
A graduate of the University of Chicago and NYU's MFA program, Lauren Oliver divides her time between New York, Connecticut, and a variety of airport lounges. You can visit her online at www.laurenoliverbooks.com
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