M. D. WatersReseñas
Autor de Archetype
Reseñas
Pick it up for sure if you like strong females, tragic romance, and/or dystopian futures.
Emma's tale had me guessing from start to finish and while some of my theories were correct others, not so much, which I find is the perfect blend for a good novel. It is written in first person POV and I know a lot of people have issues with that in books but seriously- it was so perfect for Archetype because it backs up the authenticity of Emma's cluelessness to herself- we find out more and more about her when she does herself.
The plot line itself was mostly psychological rather than action orientated. Usually I am always craving more action in novels but it was so not necessary for this. It was an amazing blend of genres- science fiction, mystery, and a bit of romance- which all together made for the most compelling read.
Honestly, I don't think I can even properly put into words how much I loved this book. It will definitely be a 'Rachael' staff-pick and I am craving the sequel like mad!
I don't want to give anything away so I'll just say if you like good sci fi romance you need to read this.
Thank goodness the second book is out and I can pick it up today.
Overall I have mixed feelings about the book, mainly because I never understood what had happened to lead to a world where
I've seen this book compared to Margaret Atwood's Handmaid's Tale, but when I read that book, we were living in a time when the religious zealotry that led to the subjugation of women seemed frighteningly plausible. In other words, I could see how we as a society might get from here to "there." But I have no idea how we'd get from here to the "there" of Archetype.
The ending was interesting, as I didn't see that coming, but I'm not sure the promise of
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PerpetualRevision | 36 reseñas más. | Oct 25, 2015 |
PerpetualRevision | 36 reseñas más. | Oct 25, 2015 | I really enjoyed the story - it started off with a lot of gaps but these were filled in as the story developed. Kinda in parallel with the main character's development, actually. It was thoughtful and depressing at the same time... it's a fantasy/sci-fi story (the fundamental premise requires a suspension of disbelief) but the human concerns and underlying social issues are very realistic.
I will be reading the next book in the series.
If you’re a hater, I mean. If you’re not, do please stay. Here! Have a cup of tea. Darjeeling or English Breakfast? I’d offer you some chocolate, but I’m hiding it. I MEAN, we’re all out. Completely. Sorry.
Anyway. This book.
It grabbed me and pulled me through and kept me up too late until I emerged, blinking in the sunlight.
I realize there are weak spots in the plot. The world-building is weak, although that can perhaps be forgiven in a story narrated by an amnesia victim. I liked the frequent flashback visions, but I can understand why my friend found them annoying. And there’s at least one scene in which the main character is face to face with the man who can answer all her questions and she doesn’t ask him anything.
I’ve been running into this a lot lately, and it makes me want to smack someone. Stop being lazy, authors. And don’t think readers don’t notice this sort of thing. Unless your name is Jane Austen, you’re not allowed to write a book that would be over in two pages if the main characters had one blunt, straightforward conversation. And if those characters do find themselves alone together and it would be inconvenient for your plot if they have a heart-to-heart chat, don’t have them start talking about the weather, or the interesting color the sky is this time of year. Throw a hand grenade in the room with them or something.
But none of this ruined the book for me. I found the story absorbing. I loved one scene where the author made it look as if the narrator would need a big fat deus ex machina or at least some manly man to save her (and gave a broad hint as to whom that dude might be), and then – surprise!
And I love that the writer had enough faith in her readers to include a really odd detail without ever directly addressing it. I’m a word-nerd, so it struck me right away that the narrator never uses contractions. I thought this might be her way of implying the future – have you ever seen that in science fiction? Everyone speaks very formally, because apparently that’s what we’re all headed towards. But in Archetype, all the other characters speak normally, contractions and all, except the narrator. Call me a dork with adorable blue eyes, but I loved trying to figure out what the heck was up with that. And I love that the author doesn’t answer that question in so many words. She just supplies enough information for readers to be able to figure it out for themselves.
I was worried when I learned this book was the first of a projected two-parter. So many authors seem to be starting their first novels with intriguing questions, spending the book reminding you of how mysterious it all is, and then saying at the end, “Boy, I’ll bet you really want some answers NOW, don’t you? Better buy the next book!” And I never do, because I hate that.
This book ends when it ends. I really want to know what the main character goes on to do, and how much she ends up able to remember. I already have the sequel on hold at the library (and I’m first in line, woohoo!). But the author answers the big questions while leaving plenty of room for a next novel.
So take that, trolls. Negative reviews sell books.
Tense, thrilling, and scary in its representation of Emma’s precarious position. Be warned: this is part one of a two-parter, so don’t expect a full resolution.
I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook. The story is gripping, intriguing and engaging, so much it was very difficult to stop listening it, on Saturday I listened until 5 am… Yes, the story is that good... I’m not kidding, I even dreamed about it... and to add to that, this audiobook is narrated by the amazing Khristine Hvam. You know what that means:
Gripping, intriguing and engaging story Khristine Hvam = Winner
Now, to the next audiobook, Prototype.
A great follow up and satisfying conclusion to an original and engaging series.
This audiobook is narrated by the amazing Khristine Hvam. As always, Hvam does a superb job bringing to life the characters and the story.
I have mixed feelings about this book. In the beginning, the first-person POV moved the action frustratingly slow, although given that half the story is the internal fight between our main character, Emma Burke, and the voice inside her head, Emma Wade, it makes sense to have a first person POV. It wasn't until she finally started realizing she couldn't trust her doctor (instead of just taking the other Emma's word for it) that the story got good.
The premise of this story is good, really good! It's the perfect way to create the ever-popular love triangle. We have a woman torn between two men who both claim her as his wife, but she is struggling to remember which is really her husband! And, true to the formula, she loves them both by the end of it all, but does finally make a decision which she prefers.
***Spoilers beyond this point***
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But she does not stay! She decides which man is truly the love of her life, and then just leaves!
The twist here is that she is a clone. A complete, living person created and born at the very beginning of the story with the implanted memories, or soul, of the other Emma. There are hints that this is the case throughout the book. Throughout the book, she dreams of a place that is not just a memory. She feels herself floating in water in some sort of cage or tube, but she cannot move. She can see the people in the room with her, a man and a female doctor, but they don't seem to realize she's awake, and there are moments when the things happening there are obviously happening simultaneously with her waking life.
For example, when she runs into her best friend, Foster, at an art gallery where she is considering doing a show, and then later dreams of the man, Noah, whom she thinks is her enemy looking at a tablet and discussing how unexplainable it is... How he at first thought it was just a drunken text, but this is something else... At that point it is obvious that she is jumping between bodies and that the Emma in her head, and the Emma in the water, and the Emma who is walking around living as Mrs. Declan Burke, are all the same Emma.
There are definitely some interesting ideas going on in this book as well; ideas which kept me interested in seeing how things play out. For one, this is in a future America split by a Civil War. It is never really explained what the Civil War was about, but it is hinted that it has something to do with the way men treat women. In this futuristic world, for some reason there is a shortage of women, and very few of the women that do exist are fertile. As a result, in the East women are trained to be Stepford Wives, and then sold to the highest bidder, but only if they're fertile. Infertile women just go into the workforce. But all women are expected to be docile servants of their male overlords. I found that fairly unsettling, and it created some problems for me.
My main problem with this story is that it took me nearly 100 pages to get invested in the character. In my opinion, this is too long. I was more frustrated than concerned for her, but once I did finally get invested in her, the story picked up. The speed of the action was definitely a steady crescendo until the last 10-15 pages or so, which were a little anticlimactic, and definitely a let-down! Even after it is confirmed that they are all the same Emma, and that she can pick up where the original Emma left off, she chooses not to, and leaves. There is no happily ever after ending.
Between that ending and the Epilogue, which suggests that her evil husband Declan survived or rather was himself cloned, it is obvious that we are in for a sequel. If the sequel manages to correct some of the obvious oversights in this book, I may come back and adjust my rating.
One of the things that I think needs to be worked out is the love angle. Because of the shortage of women, instead of treasuring the few there are, they have become property, like in the old days. But what about the need to be loved? In a world of primarily men, wouldn't we see a spike in homosexual relations in order to offset the lack of women? Men need to get their jollies off somehow. Understandably, the book is written in Emma's POV so she wouldn't have confirmed this, but wouldn't she have seen something that suggested that perhaps some of the members of the all male staff were into each other?
Plus, Declan says to her that other men will try to claim her because she is unmarked (they brand their women like cattle), yet even when she runs of at one point, no one tries to snatch her up. You would think that men would be eyeing her hungrily because with nefarious plans of rape or somesuch, but they don't even look at her. She is supposed to be so beautiful that Declan and Noah both fell in love with her at first sight, but not one man ogles her lustily?
Instead, we have a world that is devoid of sex and love, for the most part. The exceptions being Noah, her other husband, Declan who, while totally manipulative and power hungry does seem to be honestly enamored with her (and lusts after her hungrily), and the doctor, who began his research on cloning in order to clone the woman he loved and make her fertile. It failed, but the research has obviously been perfected.
Overall, I did enjoy the book, once I got invested in the character. I will definitely read the sequel to see how Emma fares on her own, and to see if she comes to her senses and goes back with the man who is obviously her soul mate... But, given the lack of development of the history of this world, and the unrealistically over-masculinization of the males in this reality, I can't bring myself to give it more than a 3 out of 5.
We begin with an introduction to Emma, our protagonist who wakes up in a hospital with no memory of who she is. A kind and patient caretaker introduces himself to her as Declan Burke, and BOOM! also drops the bombshell on her that he is her husband. Declan helps with her recovery, filling in more blanks, but Emma finds herself having strange, vivid dreams of a traumatic past. Sometimes, her subconscious mind also remembers happier times with another man, a man who is not Declan – and these dreams fill her with both love and fear.
Emma tries to put it all behind her and get her life back on track, assured by Declan’s presence and protection, until one day she comes face to face with the other man in her dreams. And just like that, the illusion is shattered.
The dystopian future of Archetype is believable and well written, with several features that make it sufficiently intriguing yet disturbing. Humanity is on the path to extinction, with fertile women being a tiny minority of the population. This has led to serious social implications, especially for women, who are guarded very fiercely and in many cases are treated like rare commodities to be bought and sold.
But while this provides a fascinating backdrop for the story, the setting – and in fact the world-building in general – is probably not the novel’s strongest aspect, nor do I think it was meant to be. Instead, the focus is on characterization, particularly when it comes to Emma’s personality and the way she deals with her amnesia. The main draw of the story for me was the progress of her recovery and regaining her memory. Her transition from a scared, trusting newly awakened patient to a wiser and more questioning skeptic made her feel very real to me, because I imagine these are the logical steps someone in her position would go through. Towards the end, Emma is no longer content to take everything at face value or accept Declan’s words as the truth, especially when the inconsistencies start piling up. Declan is also much too perfect, which raised alarm bells for me early on, and Emma eventually begins to grow suspicious as well.
I probably wouldn’t call Archetype a Romance, or at least I don’t believe it fits in the traditional sense of the genre, even though much of the story is charged with very passionate feelings and there are a couple very hot and heavy sex scenes. Needless to say, the relationship dynamics between the various characters are paramount to the plot and its themes. It made for an emotional novel, and that along with the fantastic development of Emma’s character had my heart going out to her at as certain revelations came to light in the climax and conclusion.
Granted, this is not a terribly complex book, and despite the many dream sequences and flashbacks, the plot and themes don’t vary too much. But for all of that, it worked for me. The world building and probably wouldn’t be enough for hardcore Science Fiction fans, and not surprisingly there were many moments where I was left wishing there were more details about the technology and history of the world of Archetype. Still, Waters wrote a great book here, and it’s my feeling that she was not aiming for hard sci-fi, instead going for atmosphere and a more character-driven novel. What you end up with is a straightforward book that knows where it wants to go, and I thought it was actually quite effective. I am looking forward to the conclusion of this two-book series in the sequel Prototype.
Archetype beings with Emma Burke waking up in a hospital with no idea who she is or what happened in the accident that took away her memories. Her handsome and rich husband, Declan, works patiently with her to help her remember, and doesn’t push her to resume her role as his wife. But gradually, being a wife to Declan is what Emma wants for herself.
However, something is strange about Emma’s recovery: she keeps hearing a voice inside of her head, a voice Emma refers to as She or Her, who guides Emma and provides her with memories that her husband and doctor do not. They are disturbing memories, and what they reveal is at odds with everything Emma has been told to believe. Moreover, many of these memories involve a man who is not Declan, but who Emma comes to understand she loves fiercely. She becomes determined to find out the truth about her life.
Prototype begins over a year after Archetype. Emma is now on the run, looking for her parents, or at least, the parents of the woman from whom she was cloned. She now understands that she was made from the cells of Emma Wade, a former officer in the Resistance, wife of Noah Tucker, and mother of Adrienne. The original Emma was fatally injured, but kept alive until Adrienne was born, and now only cloned Emma remains. She no longer has the thoughts of the original Emma to guide her and provide memories, and she is trying to make a new life for herself for who she is. She left Noah because she knew she was not really the woman he loved.
Declan locates Emma and tries to recapture her, so she takes a step she was trying to avoid, and returns to the safety of the Resistance headquarters and to Noah. But Noah is now with Sonya, the doctor who kept Emma live until the baby was born, and who has stepped in to be a partner to Noah and mother to Adrienne. Although Emma is devastated, she decides not to leave Adrienne again, and reenlists with the Resistance.
She continues to look for her parents though, and Declan continues to look for Emma. Emma and Noah grow close, and Sonya tells Noah she will leave, so everything seems like it might work out for the best. But then a betrayal in the Resistance threatens everyone, and it turns out the clones aren’t the only ones who aren’t really who they appear to be.
Discussion: The storyline in these books falters from some of the scaffolding, including an awkward attempt to tie the science of cloning to a problem with female fertility. The author also adds a motif similar to Atwood’s A Handmaid’s Tale about captive girls living in guarded compounds and destined for purchase by men seeking fertile mates. These subplots are not fully developed and somewhat muddled.
What I did like about the story is the relationship between the original Emma and her clone. To me, this is the true romance of the book, and what makes them worth reading. As the clone Emma says about her original:
"One thing She got right that I never learned is that family is what you make it. It has nothing to do with blood and everything to do with the connections we nurture throughout our lives.”
The original Emma is in fact “related” to her clone, but theirs is a relationship that is unique and exceptional, and one of the most interesting part of these books. The other friendships were well-drawn as well.
I also liked the fact that the usual romance triangle is a bit inverted. It is not a matter of two males vying for a female, but a female who is conflicted over two males in a complex manner. I think that this is an area the author could have expanded upon even more. The clone Emma had to negotiate not only her own feelings, but also the feelings from her original donor. Neither male was simply good or bad, and both Emmas had a complicated history with each of them. Was the resolution justified? Worth considering.
Worst aspect? The way the author gives the clone Emma a distinctive voice by having her speak in a stilted manner, never using contractions. There is absolutely no justification for this. First of all, we know when the original Emma speaks (as opposed to the cloned Emma) because italics are always used. Second, since the clone Emma is a clone, there is no reason her language would be different. And after a year and a half living in the world, even had the clone Emma started out speaking awkwardly, she would not continue to do that after all that time.
Evaluation: I found both good and bad points about these two books which, as mentioned above, should be read together. Overall though, I think the author was able to add enough distinctive elements to her dystopia to make it an interesting and at times even gripping read.
However, something is strange about Emma’s recovery: she keeps hearing a voice inside of her head, a voice Emma refers to as She or Her, who guides Emma and provides her with memories that her husband and doctor do not. They are disturbing memories, and what they reveal is at odds with everything Emma has been told to believe. Moreover, many of these memories involve a man who is not Declan, but who Emma comes to understand she loves fiercely. She becomes determined to find out the truth about her life.
Much of Emma’s story revolves around identity. What makes Emma Burke unique to the Emma Wade she once used to be is a major theme in Prototype. There are also the legal and political ramifications of certain medical processes, but those issues are somehow less important than the question of Emma’s present and future identity. She posits some intriguing questions and faces scenarios that make a reader pause for reflection. It makes the story more personal and Emma highly empathetic.
It must be stated that it is not a perfect story. Noah’s securities company allows him convenient access into many places, but key information the Resistance needs tends to be difficult to access. There are also some issues with some of the characters and their lack of development. These characters play essential roles in certain elements of the story but never move beyond the fringes of identification. Still, the story is so fun/exciting/sexy, it is easy to ignore these minor deficiencies and enjoy Emma’s transformation.
Prototype more than lives up to the high expectations fans of the first novel will have. Emma is a fabulous main character in that she is strong, compassionate, has lost everything but will never give up to regain what she lost. Her relationship with her daughter is poignant, while sparks continue to fly between Noah and her. It is a true joy to watch Emma come into her own, and the ending will leave readers completely satisfied at a story well-told.
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Seriously, read this book. It's worth the time, especially if you loved Archetype. This author is talented and will go a long way. Keep an eye for more from her!