Strange New World by Rachel Vincent

Title: Strange New World

Author: Rachel Vincent
Publisher: Delacorte Press 

Publishing Date:  

Pages: 357
Genre:  YA Science-Fiction

Series:  Brave New Girl 
Source:  Audio

 

Dahlia 16's life is a lie. The city of Lakeview isn't a utopia that raises individuals for the greater good; it is a clone farm that mass-produces servants for the elite. And because Dahlia breaks the rules, her sisters--the 4,999 girls who share her face--are destroyed. She and Trigger 17, the soldier who risked his life for hers, go on the run, escaping into the wild outside the city walls. But it turns out Dahlia has one remaining identical, one who shouldn't even exist.

Waverly Whitmore is teenage royalty, a media sensation with millions of fans who broadcasts her every move--including every detail of her wedding planning, leading up to the day she marries Hennessy Chapman. Waverly lives a perfect life built on the labors of clones like Dahlia. She has no idea that she too is a clone . . . until she comes face to face with Dahlia.

One deadly secret. Two genetic sisters. And a world that isn't big enough for both of them.

One of my favorite read this year was Brave New Girl, I was not so patiently waiting for the second book. This is a dualogy and I am sad to know that there won't be any more to this series. This was a very good set of reads. I love the story, the characters, and the writing. I really wish there was more. 

At the end of the last book, Dalia and Trigger escaped and found that there was a world with individuals. We also meet a clone of Dalia living in the individual's world. Unlike all the other clones, this one is not working in a trade that is taught back at Lakeview. They are now in Mountainview and life here is not what Dahlia and Trigger were led to believe. 

Waverly lives with her parents in Mountainview. She has a great life. She is famous on the net, she is engaged to a great guy, and she lives privileged. Everything is about to change because she learns there is another of her in the world. Someone she never knew about. She is about to learn all the secrets of her life. 

Together all four of these teens needs to work together to save all their lives and all the other lives of the clones back at Lakeview and in Mountainview. 

I really loved everything in this book. I so adored the characters and the storyline and the writing. They all flowed together so flawlessly and I was hooked from the very first page until the very last page. 

The new characters, Waverly and her finance Hennessy were just a fresh breath of air for me. At the end of the last book, Brave New Girl, I just didn't know where the story would leave Waverly as a person. The last book ended with a party with some individuals, friends of Waverly, Hennessy included. I wasn't sure what kind of people these individuals would be. I come to find in this book that both Waverly and Hennessy were such lovely people. People who had money and strong socialite parents, but they were people who were sweet and truly cared for others. This I think surprised the most. 

Not only were Waverly and Hennessy great people, their relationship was so sweet and loving and respectful. I loved seeing them interact and they were very honest about their feelings towards each other. 

Waverly also formed a relationship with Dahlia. This also surprised me. I really though this story would be Waverly the bad guy, the spoiled girl who just couldn't let Dahlia have anything. It was quite the opposite. Dahlia opened Waverly's eyes to an entirely new world, one she didn't know existed. Waverly wanted to do right by Dahlia and all the clones. I really loved Waverly and adored the relationships she invested herself in. 

Dahlia was a stronger person in this story and Trigger well was Trigger and I still adored him. I really felt Dahlia and Trigger faded into the background a bit. This was more Waverly and Hennessy's story. But where they shined they shined and I loved them still. 

The story was great, a story about friendship, love, loyalty, family, freedom, respect, and humanity.  What makes a human and who should have the rights of a human. What really is humanity? It wasn't preachy on the subject of clones at all. I know this can be a controversial topic. Instead, this book just focuses on the heart subject. 

Great story, great characters, great writing, great pacing, great relationships, great ending. It was just phenomenal. LOVED IT!

A resident of Oklahoma, Rachel Vincent has a BA in English and an overactive imagination, and consistently finds the latter to be more practical. She shares her workspace with two black cats (Kaci and Nyx) and her # 1 fan. Rachel is older than she looks-seriously-and younger than she feels, but remains convinced that for every day she spends writing, one more day will be added to her lifespan.