The Similars by Rebecca Hanover
Release date: January 1, 2019
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pages: 352
Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction
Source: NetGalley
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
When six clones join Emmaline’s prestigious boarding school, she must confront the heartbreak of seeing her dead best friend’s face each day in class.
The Similars are all anyone can talk about at the elite Darkwood Academy. Who are these six clones? What are the odds that all of them would be Darkwood students? Who is the madman who broke the law to create them? Emma couldn't care less. Her best friend, Oliver, died over the summer and all she can think about is how to get through her junior year without him. Then she comes face-to-heartbreaking-face with Levi—Oliver's exact DNA replica and one of the Similars.
Emma wants nothing to do with the Similars, but she keeps getting pulled deeper and deeper into their clique, uncovering dark truths about the clones and her prestigious school along the way. But no one can be trusted…not even the boy she is falling for who has Oliver's face.
Review:
I really enjoyed THE SIMILARS! It was a unique concept and kept me engaged all the way through. The main setting of the story is Darkwood Academy. The school is meant for the best and the brightest young scholars and is also considered one of the most inclusive schools in the world. So, it makes sense that this would be the school to welcome six (controversial) young clones. I haven't read any books (that I can recall) about clones and while this one only touched the surface of the science behind their creation, I am interested in seeing more of that in the sequels. Cloning is already controversial now, so it makes sense that there would be such diverse opinions about actual clones attending school. The main character, Emmaline, has recently lost her best friend and is shocked when she realizes one of the clones is of her late best friend, Oliver. Emma is quickly caught up in the mystery surrounding the six clones and who they actually are.
For me, the first thing I thought of with the clones is Twilight. They were all raised by a foster father in the middle of nowhere and are basically siblings even though they aren't related. Thus, it seems weird that some of them are couples. The six clones all hang out together and are very mysterious. It all just made me think of the Cullen family and people's reaction to them at school. Anyway, beyond that, I found the idea very new and intriguing. The clones all have a "twin" at Darkwood and while some of the students welcome their clones, others are hostile and worried about how to handle this new version of themselves. There is romance, but it's not the main focus until closer to the end. Friendships have more of a key role. There were quite a few twists and turns in the plot and Emmaline quickly realizes many of the adults and peers in her life are not what they seem. The ending left me with a lot of questions, but I know a sequel is already in the works.
Maybe I missed it, but I'm not entirely sure what year this is supposed to be. There were mixes of new technology beyond the clones such as self driving buses, but I'd be interested in seeing more of this new world in future books. I definitely recommend checking out Rebecca Hanover's debut especially if you enjoy futuristic settings with a strong female character.
I really enjoyed THE SIMILARS! It was a unique concept and kept me engaged all the way through. The main setting of the story is Darkwood Academy. The school is meant for the best and the brightest young scholars and is also considered one of the most inclusive schools in the world. So, it makes sense that this would be the school to welcome six (controversial) young clones. I haven't read any books (that I can recall) about clones and while this one only touched the surface of the science behind their creation, I am interested in seeing more of that in the sequels. Cloning is already controversial now, so it makes sense that there would be such diverse opinions about actual clones attending school. The main character, Emmaline, has recently lost her best friend and is shocked when she realizes one of the clones is of her late best friend, Oliver. Emma is quickly caught up in the mystery surrounding the six clones and who they actually are.
For me, the first thing I thought of with the clones is Twilight. They were all raised by a foster father in the middle of nowhere and are basically siblings even though they aren't related. Thus, it seems weird that some of them are couples. The six clones all hang out together and are very mysterious. It all just made me think of the Cullen family and people's reaction to them at school. Anyway, beyond that, I found the idea very new and intriguing. The clones all have a "twin" at Darkwood and while some of the students welcome their clones, others are hostile and worried about how to handle this new version of themselves. There is romance, but it's not the main focus until closer to the end. Friendships have more of a key role. There were quite a few twists and turns in the plot and Emmaline quickly realizes many of the adults and peers in her life are not what they seem. The ending left me with a lot of questions, but I know a sequel is already in the works.
Maybe I missed it, but I'm not entirely sure what year this is supposed to be. There were mixes of new technology beyond the clones such as self driving buses, but I'd be interested in seeing more of this new world in future books. I definitely recommend checking out Rebecca Hanover's debut especially if you enjoy futuristic settings with a strong female character.
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