Saturday 22 June 2013

Book Review: The Originals by Cat Patrick

So I literally read this entire book in the bookstore this afternoon. (take note that this was written on Tuesday night. I'm queuing this.)
Yes. I know. I also wrote the majority of this review while spazzing about the new Homestuck update. Unfortunately, I'll be in Australia when this is posted.

Title: The Originals
Author: Cat Patrick
Genre: Sci-fi (sorta), YA romance
Publication date: 7 May 2013
Warnings: Nil. Pffft.





Synopsis:

17-year-olds Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey Best grew up as identical triplets... until they discovered a shocking family secret. They're actually closer than sisters, they're clones. Hiding from a government agency that would expose them, the Best family appears to consist of a single mother with one daughter named Elizabeth. Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey take turns going to school, attending social engagements, and a group mindset has always been a de facto part of life...

Then Lizzie meets Sean Kelly, a guy who seems to see into her very soul. As their relationship develops, Lizzie realizes that she's not a carbon copy of her sisters; she's an individual with unique dreams and desires, and digging deeper into her background, Lizzie begins to dismantle the delicate balance of an unusual family that only science could have created.


Review:

So yeah. I sped-read this entire book. I probably missed a lot of the details. But I don't think I missed that much.

For some reason this book didn't make much of an impact on me. I can't really find any particular problems with it, neither can I say I disliked it in any way, but I didn't feel an overwhelming like for it either. Is it just me? *looks at long list of 5-star reviews on Goodreads* I guess it is. So I'm going to sit quietly here and gather my thoughts. Let me have a moment of silence.

Okay let's start with the plot. The plot was interesting and pretty unique to start with, but eventually it turned cliched. The characters, which I will speak of later, didn't drive the plot along much. The climax was sort of rushed and it was resolved too quickly and too easily. However it did wrap up the loose ends.

Let's talk about the characters.

CAN WE PLEASE MENTION THE NAME SEAN KELLY?
IT IS LITERALLY THE MOST MUNDANE NAME I COULD POSSIBLY THINK OF.
AND I DONT KNOW WHY BUT IT SOMEHOW FEELS LIKE A BAD THING??

Lizzie, Ella and Betsey are pretty underdeveloped. They're supposed to have different personalities, and sometimes that's obvious, but other times they just seem to blend together, especially Ella and Betsey. Even Lizzie, sometimes, despite her being the POV character! And Lizzie's motivations for suddenly wanting change were both selfish and shallow, really. She just wanted to have a boyfriend. Because they pretend to be one person (yes. The synopsis from Goodreads is misleading) they can only date one boy, and the reason she suddenly demands change is because they have to date the boy Ella likes instead of the boy she likes. While I guess it's an ok and sort of realistic situation, come on. She's all like nuh-uh I can't deal with pretending to like the guy Ella likes even though she would have done it for me because ooh Sean is so cute and such a perfect guy. *frustrated groan*

And Sean was kind of too perfect. You know? Too...Augustus Waters +the leg -the cancer. Bam. Nailed it. And seriously, again? Motivations. Driven by his hormones. Wonderful. He was too stereotypical a male love interest for me.

And the mother, wo was pretty much a huge mystery, was too flat and her storyline was way too quickly resolved for me to be left satisfied with how the book ended. She was too much like Disney Rapunzel's mother for me. *shudder* and the whole mysteery surrounding the girls was a bit confusing and weird and totally and completely random for me. So generally no. Just...no.

So I guess this book was alright, though too superficial. Too bad, the story itself had a lot of potential.

Grade: B. Not bad, not the best, though.

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