Summary:
This novel is a dystopian novel, meaning this novel takes place in the future. Our main character is named Matt, and he is actually a clone and he has some "identity" issues when it comes to being a clone. Matt was born into a country that is ruled by a ruthless drug lord named El Patron, and what makes this country worse is that clones are seen as "less-than human" and definitely face a lot of prejudice to them. It turns out that El Patron created our protagonist as a clone so he could be an organ harvest for him later in life. Matt lives in seclusion with his caretaker and on the Alacran estate. He faces imprisonment, judgement, illness, and a threat of death before he is even fourteen! Will El Patron get a hold of Matt's organs? Will Matt ever be able to escape this country and go somewhere in which he isn't judged harshly? Read and find out!
Evaluation:
I really like the line that's featuring the first line of Genesis, I thought that was an interesting way to start the whole novel. This book doesn't waste any time on getting all "science fiction-y," even in the first chapter it starts off that way. It has a cell that survives, turns into a baby, the baby is growing in a cow's stomach? It just gets even odder from there throughout the whole novel. In the second chapter, we really meet Matt. I feel for him. He's begging his caretaker, Celia, not to leave him. He is always stuck at home alone and these kids see him but leave quickly. I know I started to feel for him and how lonely he was.
I was definitely surprised by Matt's actions when he broke the window with the pot to his neighbor's house, that was definitely not normal. Matt passes out, Steven and Emilia head to the Big House with Matt and maids help him. I thought it was weird how Matt had "Property of the Alacran Estate" written on the bottom of his foot. It reminded me of Toy Story and Andy's toys having his name on the bottom of their shoes. Steven's dad burst into the Big House and starts yelling over Matt, calling him an animal. That is just the start of the prejudice that Matt faces throughout the novel. In case you are wondering, El Patron is in charge of the Big House that I mentioned. I am definitely not a fan of Rosa, she seems to treat Matt more like an animal and less than a human. The only part I really liked about El Patron was when he let Matt have the choice of a bodyguard, and Matt picked Tam Lin. When I mentioned illness, Matt after being out of the house for a while, gains asthma as an illness.
Chapter 8 was probably one of my favorites, I'm always a sucker for a good connection and a horse feature. We find out about how different their horses are to ours, they are taught to literally obey every single thing their owner tells them too! They won't even drink water on their own unless their rider instructs them to do so. This is also the same chapter we find out about eejits. I find eejits interesting because they are like the horses there. The eejits are also programmed to obey any thing they are told to do, just like the horses. We find out something important later in the book that Matt is the only one with a brain, I really liked that idea too!
In all, Matt was a really good character. I think kids could relate, especially those odder children who probably get made fun of for how they act. The target audience would be around 14? I definitely think young adult. Unlike the last book we read, I wasn't really confused in this and I think it is easy to understand. I'm not sure if all adults would enjoy, because I'm not sure if they can keep an open mind about it. I am not a big fan of science fiction, so no, I didn't really like this book all that much, but I guarantee someone who likes the weirdness of science fiction would really enjoy this. I think this book is a good book in all, and the theme of identity is so important! I think young adults would see how important having their own identity and being their own person is! This is definitely a good read!
Mischief Managed.
No comments:
Post a Comment