Review: Replica by Lauren Oliver

Title: Replica Series: Replica #1 Written by: Lauren Oliver Published: October 4, 2016 by HarperCollins (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: Two girls, two stories, one epic novel  From Lauren Oliver, New York Times bestselling author of Before I Fall and the Delirium trilogy, comes an epic, masterful novel that explores issues of individuality, identity, and humanity. Replica is a “flip book" that contains two narratives in one, and it is the first in a duology. Turn the book one way and read Lyra's story; turn the book over and upside down and read Gemma's story. The stories can be read separately, one after the other, or in alternating chapters. The two distinct parts of this astonishing novel combine to produce an unforgettable journey. Even the innovative book jacket mirrors and extends the reading experience.  Lyra's story begins in the Haven Institute, a building tucked away on a private island off the coast of Florida that from a distance looks serene and even beautiful. But up close the locked doors, military guards, and biohazard suits tell a different story. In truth, Haven is a clandestine research facility where thousands of replicas, or human models, are born, raised, and observed. When a surprise attack is launched on Haven, two of its young experimental subjects—Lyra, or 24, and the boy known only as 72—manage to escape.  Gemma has been in and out of hospitals for as long as she can remember. A lonely teen, her life is circumscribed by home, school, and her best friend, April. But after she is nearly abducted by a stranger claiming to know her, Gemma starts to investigate her family's past and discovers her father's mysterious connection to the secretive Haven research facility. Hungry for answers, she travels to Florida, only to stumble upon two replicas and a completely new set of questions.  While the stories of Lyra and Gemma mirror each other, each contains breathtaking revelations critically important to the other story. Replica is an ambitious, thought-provoking masterwork.

I have been putting off reading this book for a very long time and I don’t entirely know why because it is definitely an interesting and engaging read. Lauren Oliver’s books tend to be hit or miss for me and this one was a hit.

One of the things I liked most about this book was the concept. And I mean that in multiple ways. For one things, this is a very uniquely written book. Multiple perspectives in YA books is nothing new, but it’s not very often that you read one person’s story and then the other. And that’s how this book was set up. I’ve heard you can read it one of two ways. You can read one perspective then the other, or you can alternate. I experienced it the first way because I listened to the audiobook and that’s how they had it. But honestly I think that’s what I would recommend. You are able to connect with one person, then they interact and you are able to seamlessly switch. And the audiobook was really good and helped the whole thing work together.

But the other cool thing about the concept here was the world that Oliver has created. I don’t want to give too much away because I enjoyed not knowing much about it before going into the book. What I will say is it was like a near-future, science fiction, dystopian kind of vibe. Oliver did a great job with unfolding things in a slow and steady way so that it pulled you into the book and into the world. Even with switching perspectives there was still a lot to learn and explore which I liked.

As far as the characters, multiple perspectives is hard for me sometimes because I typically connect with the one I meet first and then am not very interested in the next person. But here because you got more time in the head of each person it worked. Lyra was definitely a good character. She’s curious and inquisitive which works well with her storyline. She definitely doesn’t have an easy life which always makes it easy to root for her. Gemma too was easy to root for. She’s more relatable and kind of feels like the audience stand-in at first. But she’s also really complex. Both characters have amazing development and there are really cool surprises when it comes to their characters which I am curious to explore in the second book in the series.

The only thing I didn’t totally love about this book was the plot development. If you take each perspective as their own story I think the plot was fine. It was interesting and kept me wondering from beginning to end with surprises and some thrills along the way. But as a cohesive story it wasn’t perfect. There was some overlap and storylines that felt like they weren’t connected to the larger story. I liked the way it unfolded and I definitely think it was interesting but it could have been tighter for me as a plot driven reader.

This was definitely an cool and unique story. The concept is very interesting, the world is engaging, the characters are likable, and the plot is full of surprises if a little muddled.

I give Replica by Lauren Oliver 8.5 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Borrow. I really liked this one and would recommend it if you are a fan of near future dystopias with subtle sci-fi elements then I would definitely check this out. If you have a copy you've been holding onto, read it.

Have you read Replica? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Book Review: Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver

Title: Vanishing Girls Author: Lauren Oliver Published: March 10, 2015 by Harper Teen (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver delivers a gripping story about two sisters inexorably altered by a terrible accident. Dara and Nick used to be inseparable, but that was before the accident that left Dara's beautiful face scarred and the two sisters totally estranged. When Dara vanishes on her birthday, Nick thinks Dara is just playing around. But another girl, nine-year-old Madeline Snow, has vanished, too, and Nick becomes increasingly convinced that the two disappearances are linked. Now Nick has to find her sister, before it's too late. In this edgy and compelling novel, Lauren Oliver creates a world of intrigue, loss, and suspicion as two sisters search to find themselves, and each other.

I was really looking forward to this book. In October I read my first Lauren Oliver book, Rooms, and loved it. I was excited to check out more of her books and when I saw that she was coming out with a YA Mystery/Thriller, a genre of books that I love, I couldn't wait to check it out. Unfortunately it wasn't quite what I was hoping for.

For me Vanishing Girls was a solid middle-of-the-road kind of read. There was nothing particularly bad about it but there was also nothing that really blew me away. I was expecting an intense and engaging mystery with some deeper themes and I got a thought-provoking read but not in the way I was expecting. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but some of it just didn't work for me.

Nothing articulates that point as much as my feelings on the characters. It was a surprisingly character-driven kind of novel, which was hard for me because I found it challenging to connect with the characters completely. I was looking forward to the story of two sisters who care deeply for one another despite their differences. That's not exactly what I got. I will say, I did find Nick and Dara's relationship and their feelings for one another to be incredibly realistic. I could completely sympathize with Nick and her feeling that her younger sister is the more pretty and popular one. At the same time I could also relate to Dara's feelings that she is outcast for being more rebellious, that she'll never be as perfect as her sister. I've been there. It made both main characters feel complex and authentic. But the lack of self-esteem also made both of them the kind of characters who are hard to like. I usually don't mind unlikable characters and it should have all worked here but something about it didn't, and I can't quite put my finger on why. I think perhaps it was just the way their story ended didn't leave me feeling very satisfied.

Another thing that didn't quite work for me was the pacing of the book. I usually count on mysteries and thrillers to be more action-packed and suspenseful and that wasn't the case with this book. Now I can forgive the slower pacing if it succeeded in making things suspenseful that what but in the case of Vanishing Girls it felt like filler. For instance, a moment mentioned in the synopsis didn't happen until halfway into the book. Most of the time I was just waiting for things to start kicking into gear.

Which brings me to the mystery of the book. I figured the main twist out pretty quickly into the read, a fact that doesn't typically annoy me. I usually take the opportunity to then search for clues and prove myself right. But in the case of Vanishing Girls, I let the writing and the slow pacing take me for the ride. Because there was so much exposition before the real mystery occurred I started to doubt my thoughts on things. It did give the big reveal a little more weight than I would have expected but it still felt a little predictable.

But what I did enjoy about Vanishing Girls was Lauren Oliver's writing. In Rooms I was so impressed with the intricacies of her plotting and the beauty of her prose. Vanishing Girls was no exception to that. Her writing is so visual and engaging. You can completely see everything she is creating and it pulls you into the story. But her writing expertise extends to the plotting of the book. Yes I know I already mentioned how the mystery of the book didn't work for me but Lauren's writing was able to redeem things a lot as the book developed. It was the kind of story where little things along the way that seem unrelated end up being a big part to the final conclusion.

On the whole Vanishing Girls was a good read despite some parts that didn't work. It was short and engaging with some complex and thought-provoking themes that left me reeling, just not in the way I expected. Lauren's writing did a great job in redeeming a lackluster mystery but my inability to connect with the characters and a slow pacing made it only an okay read for me.

I give Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver a 7 out of 10

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Borrow. If you like contemporary novels that handle more serious issues, or you like mysteries with slow pacing then check this book out. If you are looking for a quick read then I suggest taking this one out from your local library.

ARC Review: Rooms by Lauren Oliver

Title: Rooms Author: Lauren Oliver Published: September 23, 2014 by Ecco Books (Harper Collins) (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: The New York Times bestselling author of Before I Fall and the Delirium trilogy makes her brilliant adult debut with this mesmerizing story in the tradition of The Lovely Bones, Her Fearful Symmetry, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane—a tale of family, ghosts, secrets, and mystery, in which the lives of the living and the dead intersect in shocking, surprising, and moving ways.  Wealthy Richard Walker has just died, leaving behind his country house full of rooms packed with the detritus of a lifetime. His estranged family—bitter ex-wife Caroline, troubled teenage son Trenton, and unforgiving daughter Minna—have arrived for their inheritance. But the Walkers are not alone. Prim Alice and the cynical Sandra, long dead former residents bound to the house, linger within its claustrophobic walls. Jostling for space, memory, and supremacy, they observe the family, trading barbs and reminiscences about their past lives. Though their voices cannot be heard, Alice and Sandra speak through the house itself—in the hiss of the radiator, a creak in the stairs, the dimming of a light bulb. The living and dead are each haunted by painful truths that will soon surface with explosive force. When a new ghost appears, and Trenton begins to communicate with her, the spirit and human worlds collide—with cataclysmic results. Elegantly constructed and brilliantly paced, Rooms is an enticing and imaginative ghost story and a searing family drama that is as haunting as it is resonant.

*** I received an advance copy of this book free from the publisher at BEA for an honest view in return. This fact has not changed my opinion ***

I'm so glad I waited to read Rooms until the very end of October. This was the perfect book to read this time of year. The writing, the complex and mysterious characters, the intricate and exciting plot all screamed fall to me.

This is the first book I have read by Lauren Oliver and I was extremely impressed by her writing style. It flowed with grace and beauty. Sometimes when I'm reading I'll find quotes that strike me as interesting or deep and I'll want to write them down on a post-it note to remember later. It has been awhile since I've done that, but Rooms had me writing down more than a few quotes. I wouldn't have predicted that a book about ghosts would have had such a deep commentary about life, but it did. The book will keep you awake at night but not in the traditional scary story sense. It will keep you awake thinking and reflecting in a way that you didn't quite anticipate. But more than that, Lauren's prose perfectly established the mood of this story. It was atmospheric and mysterious. It was spooky but not scary. Throughout the book, I felt this sense of uncertainty and wonder, all established by Lauren's style of writing.

But in addition to her prose, when I say Lauren's writing I also mean her expert handling of the intricate plot of the story. This book is extremely layered. The pacing is a little slow at times, but it is also the kind of book that you can read 50 pages without even realizing it. I wasn't sure I was enjoying it until I got about three-quarters of the way in when I didn't want to put it down. That is the point where Lauren starts to peel back the layers and reveal truths she had been keeping under wraps. From there it's like a downward (upward?) spiral. It's big reveal after shocking twist, and the last 50 pages had me gasping audibly and holding back tears on a crowded bus. If you can be patient with this book, there is a big payoff at the end.

However, it may be a little too intricate. The book is told from a lot of different perspectives and from characters both living and dead. And while I understand it was a big part of the story, it was a little confusing. At the beginning of the book I would have said that this is more character-driven than plot-driven. It was more about learning the characters to establish the basis for the story. We need to be able to slowly learn from them their story and history, to see what they are holding back and what they don't want us to know. At least a few of them were unreliable narrators and I wasn't sure who to believe and that wasn't necessarily a good thing at times. I would also forget who was talking, I would mix characters and back stories up, and I would wonder why we were hearing from that character at that time. But then when the plot started to kick into high gear then it started to all make more sense. In the end it all ended up tying together and making sense. 

Exploring old houses is something that I have always been extremely interested in. I always wonder what the house was like when it was first built, what certain rooms were used for, and what had happened there throughout it's history. I have wanted to read a book like that for some time and I found that in Rooms. It's not your typical haunted house story nor is it your typical mystery. It effortlessly combines elements of the two to make something unique and interesting. It's a book more about the secrets of a house and the people who have inhabited it. If you are looking for a "scare your pants off" Halloween story then keep moving. But for me it was perfect. It was an interesting combination of supernatural and mysterious. It was the perfect kind of mystery where the whole thing was so expertly planned that in the end little things made a huge difference. The end built to a thrilling climax that shocked me more than once. It was the essence of fall for me. It was a cold wind blowing by a dark and mysterious house full of secrets.

I give Rooms by Lauren Oliver a 9 out of 10

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy! If you are looking for an atmospheric novel that takes you on the mysterious exploration of an old house then I definitely suggest this book. It will appeal to fans of mysteries and thrillers more than fans of horror despite the supernatural elements. And while this is an adult book with sexual content and swearing it does have some crossover appeal. If Rooms isn't already on your list, add it!