Beta (Annex, #1)

Nov 07, 2012 fяσzєη rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: covergasm, dystopian, owned-ebooks, cheese, creatively-original, insta-love, love-triangles, sorry-excuse-for-a-romance, surprised-i-didnt-hate, meh-it-was-okay

This review is also available over at my blog.

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Actual rating is 3.5 stars. This will be a long ass review, by the way, I'm just warning you right now.

This book didn't turn out to be as bad as I was expecting. In fact, most of the time I actually enjoyed myself while reading. Am I a little disappointed, though? Well, not really, because I had low expectations from the start. I'm pretty pleased that it wasn't as horrible as most of the reviews I've read made it seem.

In the wo...more

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Oct 08, 2012 Giselle rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, own

While Beta has a fascinating premise of clones in a perfect world, there are a lot of elements in the plot that I found either unnecessary, or very off-putting. At first I thought I could overlook these qualms, but they kept piling up on top of one another until it toppled and became too much for my taste. The ending, however, almost brought this to a 3-stars as it actually caught me off guard for once. I would never have expected it--though this may not be the case for everyone--and it makes me...more While Beta has a fascinating premise of clones in a perfect world, there are a lot of elements in the plot that I found either unnecessary, or very off-putting. At first I thought I could overlook these qualms, but they kept piling up on top of one another until it toppled and became too much for my taste. The ending, however, almost brought this to a 3-stars as it actually caught me off guard for once. I would never have expected it--though this may not be the case for everyone--and it makes me somewhat curious about the sequel. Could other readers enjoy this one? Most definitely. If constant drug use - by adults and teens -, rapes, and slavery bothers you, however I suggest you avoid it.

Beta's world building is depicted very slow and elaborately, filled with long descriptions of the pretty, perfect island they're residing on. I enjoyed this at first as it creates a wonderful, scenic portrayal of Demesne, though after a while I found myself skipping these winded paragraphs as they began to simply bog down the plot. It was not long before I was yearning for more technical world building with all this imagery. Cloning being a very fascinating matter, we're not told nearly enough to convince me of its logic in this case; why a deceased body is needed in the first place. Then comes the addition of souls into the matter which only amounted to making me uncomfortable as I'm not sure where I stand on this way of thinking. This is the downside of adding a spiritual angle as a means of explanation--not everyone will share the beliefs, or be open to it. If one lives and breathes, how can they not have souls? Or if, like me, you take a more scientific approach, it all comes to matter and energy, therefore, if a body has a source of energy--aka life--you'd have to mess with brain function to make someone have no desire or taste. It all comes down to realism, and how much you need to suspend disbelief. Maybe my head's too thick, or maybe--and this is the story I'm going with--I'm simply too smart for this book! Ha!

All of this is not helped with the very slow pace of the book where more often than not, I was going over the logic of the story, scrutinizing it. In addition, as it takes a long while for the plot to make its appearance, we're left in the midst of winded historical happenings and flat character dynamics. Elysia's character--the Beta--starts off likeable with a fun narration since she doesn't know a lot about society. This all goes downhill after she meets Tahir, the love interest. What follows is a dispassionate romance and bizarre unraveling events that leave our protagonist erratic and rash. One could argue that her behavior is purposefully written as such for she is a dysfunctional clone, yet, her awareness and thought process is inconsistent with this theory. In the end, she simply failed to charm me. So did any and all of the supporting roles. There was a lack of heart in each of the characters, because of which they fell flat.

Having a lot of controversial subjects could make this a very hit or miss novel. The plot basically consists of buying clones for slavery. Even though these are supposedly unfeeling, no souls clones, their treatments as objects--accessories to flaunt and play with that includes sexual activity (or assault depending how you look at it)--did not sit well with me. If a clone is found to have human traits such as taste, emotion, or otherwise, they are tortured and killed. Why? For research of course... Furthermore, throughout the novel there is constant talk of "raxia", the apparent drug of choice for almost all residents of this perfect utopia. This drug--which is never particularly described--is used recreationally, regularly, and mentioned constantly. I still don't understand the need for this to have been included in the book at all. It adds nothing, neither entertainment nor substance, to the story.

As a shell, this book has great potential with its unique, exciting premise. Inside this shell, however, is whole slew of problems that go from mild to simply asking for trouble. I'm not sure who I would recommend this book to, but it would definitely need to be someone with an open mind. It does have a flair of eccentricity and exciting dramatics that I could see readers enjoy, so I will leave this up to you.

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An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.

For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads

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Nov 01, 2012 Megan (Book Brats) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: physical-review-copies

I won’t mince words and as a result I am going to spoil this book a little. If you are afraid of spoilers, please don’t read on. Fair warning.

When a book uses rape as a plot point, especially when the character was initially a supporting and caring brother-like figure, I get pissed off. When this is compounded with the rape victim getting pregnant and those around her not allowing her to get an abortion because her child is too special, then that just makes me rage. BETA has this and more, which...more

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Jun 03, 2012 Katy rated it 4 of 5 stars

3.5 stars - Gotta love a sci-fi dystopian book with a cliffhanger.

This book wasn't what I was expecting - your typical "I'm a clone, and I'm not allowed to feel" type of book. Yes, that was what this book was about, but I hadn't realized that Elysia was purchased to serve as a member of a privileged family and a companion to her siblings and their friends.

I will say it took a while for me to get into the Book. Cohn uses a lot of description - which I have yet to decide if it is a good or a bad t...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Hayden Casey marked it as wishlist

I would LOVE to read this on NetGalley . . .

. . . but apparently, Disney-Hyperion "isn't accepting blogger requests at this time."

It's okay, Rachel. I'll own your book . . . eventually.

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Oct 17, 2012 Nafiza rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, books-for-review, 2012, favourites

The cover of this book is so amazingly beautiful that I spent a few minutes being creepy and caressing it. The satin finish of it complements the colours and the model is so incredibly beautiful and the cover merges so very fantastically with the content in the novel. I went into this book knowing that it was about clones and that’s about it. I have read other books by Cohn and liked them so I was reasonably confident that I would appreciate the writing if not love the story. I didn’t start the...more The cover of this book is so amazingly beautiful that I spent a few minutes being creepy and caressing it. The satin finish of it complements the colours and the model is so incredibly beautiful and the cover merges so very fantastically with the content in the novel. I went into this book knowing that it was about clones and that’s about it. I have read other books by Cohn and liked them so I was reasonably confident that I would appreciate the writing if not love the story. I didn’t start the novel and love it immediately. No – well okay, let me restart this review so I don’t sound so fractured.

In Beta Rachel Cohn presents readers with a utopian society existing on an island engineered to be paradise on earth. From the rejuvenating waters of the sea immediately surrounding the island to the fresh and pure air pumped in the atmosphere to the aesthetically pleasing clones manufactured to serve humans in all capacities. Our protagonist, Elysia, is one of these clones but she’s a Beta, that is, one of the first teen clones ever manufactured. Now, I do not know much about science but I felt that the explanation and the process of clone-making is thought out but obfuscated from the readers for reasons that become clear at the end. Cohn does a remarkable job in world building though and her world actually makes sense – it could have been a dystopian setting – maybe it is but somehow, I doubt it. The entire novel takes place on Demesne, the human-engineered paradise, with brief mentions of other cities that, waterlogged though they may be, still exist.

There are two major reasons I loved this book. The first one is Elysia. At the beginning, she is more machine than human and I was so impressed by Cohn’s ability to successfully portray a being who is a girl but not a girl. It is way more difficult to do than it seems. There is a definite growth in Elysia as the book grows and you can almost see her begin to cohere into something, someone, more than what (and who) she is created to be. Her questions are endless as she seeks to learn more about this world she has emerged in, as she gradually realizes the concept of personal freedom, of owning herself rather than being owned by someone else. She is not a shade of the person from whom she was cloned, she is her own person and Elysia seeks to prove that once and again, in her thoughts and her actions. She takes what little agency she has and she utilizes it. She avenges herself and she saves herself. She is not ashamed of her sexuality and she is not apologetic of her desires. For a being who was born perfect, she is charmingly flawed but at the same time, there is this sense of innocence about her that reminds you that no matter what she behaves or looks like, she is not human. She is something other.

“What’s a slut?” I ask him.
“A girl who puts out too easily.”
“Puts out what?” I imagine Greer putting put dinner and don’t understand what Ivan wouldn’t like about that.
“Puts out, you know…” His face, already beet red from our run, turns a darker scarlet. “Sex.”
I wonder where Greer puts the sex out. (pg. 59)

The second reason I really liked this novel is the plot. Oftentimes, I can predict what’s going to happen next but this was definitely not the case with Beta. I won’t say too much about it because I don’t want to give anything away but I would definitely love to discuss the book with you once you’re done because Cohn makes some brave narrative decisions that leave me curious as to where the story is going to go. The book ends in a cliffhanger and while I am a bit nonplussed by that (as opposed to being annoyed), I am more than curious to know what happens next. Because Cohn takes what I thought I knew about the world, the clones and the humans and turns it upside down so all I have are questions and no second book to answer them. It’s a good cliffhanger though. I liked it.

The novel deals with themes of greed, rampant materialism and rigid class system. It asks the reader what it means to be human and asks whether you have to be born and created in a womb to be human. It asks how you can quantify souls and how you can say something that has never even been seen or measured can be said to exist in one person and not in another. Demesne could easily exist in the world. Highly exclusive, highly illegal and highly coveted – the island where just breathing makes a person feel better is perhaps the ultimate vacation destination of the future. What are the implications of a society so bent towards leisure and pleasure that they would manufacture humans to be little more than slaves – no worse than slaves?

I could go on and on about this book – talk about the relationships, the power dynamics and so much more. But I think it would be more fun for you to go and find out for yourself how awesome this book is. Strongly recommended.(less)

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Jun 25, 2012 Bonnie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya

Ready for a new heroine? Katsa, Katniss, and now Elysia, the clone. Water Wars have changed the earth, but the richest people have managed to create a special island, Demesne, with pure air, lovely violet water, and a population of clones to do all the work. Most of the clones are fully adult, but the doctor in charge is now experimenting with teen clones, still in the Beta stage. The governor's wife buys one for her family and is delighted with the beautiful, compliant, young woman. But Elysia...more

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Mar 04, 2013 Bücherfresser rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012, dystopie

"Rebellierende Klone auf einer exotischen Insel …"

Inhalt:
Beta ist die neue Generation von Klonen auf der exotischen Insel Demesne. Elysia ist eine von zwei Beta Klonen und sollt reichen Menschen auf Demesne Freude bereiten und ihnen ihre Wünsche erfüllen. Für ihr neue Familie ist Elysia ein Produkt, ein Spielzeug. Sie soll den Platz der ausgezogenen Tochter einnehmen und der ganzen Familie Freude bereiten. Allerdings verändert sich Elysias Wahrnehmung im Laufe der Zeit und sie beginnt eigene Wün...more

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Dec 08, 2012 Lara rated it 1 of 5 stars

This book wasn't too bad. It's just near the end of it that I really didn't like. Actually, the ending's so absurdly horrible that I can't imagine myself reading the next few books. The girl's brother assaults her and she becomes pregnant, but she still regrets killing him?? I think just by that development I just really want to go throw the book away. It's just. wrong. I'm sorry but it's wrong. And she wants to proceed with an abortion for her unborn child, the other characters just tell her sh...more

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Sep 07, 2012 Eileen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, owned, physical-book, romance, science-fiction, young-adult, traded

Check out more of my reviews at ***Singing and Reading in the Rain***!

As a serious sucker for a gorgeous cover, I fell for Beta; I'll be open about it. However, looks can deceive. I traded it with a friend, so I'm not too upset about not enjoying it that much, besides the fact that it was not an enjoyable read. In the end, Beta didn't live up to par.

In Beta, we were first introduced to Elysia and her first moments waking up as soon as expert scientists created her. She's a Beta, a test drive of...more Check out more of my reviews at ***Singing and Reading in the Rain***!

As a serious sucker for a gorgeous cover, I fell for Beta; I'll be open about it. However, looks can deceive. I traded it with a friend, so I'm not too upset about not enjoying it that much, besides the fact that it was not an enjoyable read. In the end, Beta didn't live up to par.

In Beta, we were first introduced to Elysia and her first moments waking up as soon as expert scientists created her. She's a Beta, a test drive of a teenage clone. Beta's opening was intriguing, to say the least. I was intrigued, and I thought I'd be one of those people who would end up giving this one a high rating. However, that was completely wrong on my part. Elysia was really annoying because of her perfectness. She could sing; she could dive; she was smart; she was an athlete; she was nice; she was polite; she was whatever. It was extremely annoying and I wanted to throw the book against a wall. Characters are not perfect. Elysia was the only perfect Beta, as far as I knew. The excuse that was given to explain why she WASN’T perfect was because she could feel human feelings. Last time I checked, feeling joy and excitement was a good thing. Also, Elysia was selfish. When she fell in love with this hot surfer boy, she wanted to use drugs just because he noticed her when he was under the drug. That isn’t healthy. It really isn’t. I couldn't get over how she was willing to go so far just so a boy would like her. And the boy wasn't even remotely appealing or swoon-worthy that a girl would go that far. Contrary to that, something that did save this novel from completely crashing and burning was that Elysia did have positive intentions. She displayed it in an odd way, but I appreciated her well being.

Speaking of which, the romance was a complete turn-off. First of all, insta-love. By the second date they were telling each other they loved each other. By the third date they were making plans to run off together. By the fourth they were ready to do "the deed." There was no foundation behind the romance and most of it was drug-induced anyway. Forgive me if I'm not too sympathetic towards this aspect of this book. When another guy came into the picture (don't worry it's not a love triangle, thank God), the romance picked up so quickly. I didn't even feel the chemistry between them, even though the love was supposedly organic instead of caused from illegal drug use.

Also, the idea of this was...a little odd. I felt like these humans were so unsympathetic to these clones, just because they were synthetically created. Like Giselle from Xpresso Reads brought up, this was like a slave business. I really hated how these clones were treated like the latest fad. As soon as they went out of style, they went in the trash. These owners really weren't sympathetic at all to clones, which honestly got to me. I wish that Beta's social classes weren't built like the 1800s when slaves were whipped and horribly under-treated.

Annoying, undermining, and a little frustrating, Beta did have its pluses that I could have grown to enjoy but in the end, the shocking amount of insta-love, manipulation of drugs, and shallow characters really got to me.

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Dec 11, 2012 Scott Pilgrim rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: big-disappointments, dystopia-post-apocalyptic, cheesy-romance, science-fiction

Seen at Scott Reads It!

**I would like to thank Disney-Hyperion for providing me an ARC on NetGalley.**
Beta is one of those books that came with alot of hype and publicity. I read many mixed reviews for Beta but I didn't let that stop me from reading it. Beta has a super interesting concept but I don't think it was executed well. This a book where there is an extremely slow paced plot where throughout the majority of the book nothing seems to happen. There was way too much dialogue and not nearl...more Seen at Scott Reads It!

**I would like to thank Disney-Hyperion for providing me an ARC on NetGalley.**
Beta is one of those books that came with alot of hype and publicity. I read many mixed reviews for Beta but I didn't let that stop me from reading it. Beta has a super interesting concept but I don't think it was executed well. This a book where there is an extremely slow paced plot where throughout the majority of the book nothing seems to happen. There was way too much dialogue and not nearly enough conflict. Beta joins the ranks of books like Matched where the romance is way too overwhelming and slows down the plot. To say I'm disappointed with Beta would be an understatement.

Beta takes place on Demense, an island that is considered by it's wealthy residents to be flawless. The air on Demense even gives the residents an ataraxic high. Clones are employed by the residents of the island as servants who fufill the residents of Demense's every whim. These clones are replicated from dead humans who are called Firsts but clones do not have memories of their Firsts.

In addition to not having memories of their Firsts, clones are not supposed to have emotions otherwise they are considered defects. Defects are illegal due to the fact that they aren't the mindless zombies the residents of Demense want them to be. Clones also have a tattoo that reveals what their occupation is on Demense. I really enjoyed the descriptions and anecdotes about the clones on Demense.
Our protagonist is Elysia was adopted by a general's family and lives on Demense. She is a Beta, an experimental teen clone which makes her unique on Demense. Elysia begins to realize that she isn't the mindless clone everyone thinks clones should be. I did like Elysia but her perfection became extremely annoying. She was extremely athletic, social, smart, pretty and the list goes on and on. The fact that she displayed emotion didn't make her anyless perfect in my opinion. The emotions made her stronger as a character and helped her face challenges.

I wasn't a fan of the romance of Beta at all because it seemed superficial. When I read romance I like it to feel that the characters have a connection but Tahir and Elysia didn't have any connection. Their so-called romance was superficially built on looks and I feel like they barely knew each other. As soon as Elysia meets Tahir it's insta-love and she begins to swoon over Tahir. I really liked Elysia until this point because she felt very strong and independent. As soon as she met Tahir she was extremely reckless, rash, and ignorant and I felt like she was too smart to be so brainwashed into believing that it was true love. Seriously you know nothing about him at all and you still think you're in love? That's not love at all it's purely ridiculous infatuation.
The plot of Beta seemed to be almost conflict-less and bereft of any action. Beta moved at a very sluggish pace that I struggled to keep reading. At a certain point there way too much swooning and insta-love until I couldn't take it anymore. For 85% of the novel there was so little tension and eventful things that I could have just skipped it all. If I had just read the last 15% of Beta after reading the beginning it wouldn't have made any difference because virtually nothing happened at all. I became so extremely bored with Beta that I kept putting off reading it and at a point each page felt like a struggle. By the time I reached the ending where something finally happened, I was too bored out of my wits to care at all. Also Beta was way too predictable and I knew what was going to happen 99% of the time. Beta was way too cliche for me and predictable for me.

Rachel Cohn decided to explore very controversial topics such as sexual abuse and drug use in Beta. I didn't really think she handled these topics well in Beta at all because everything felt so nonchalant. The teens on Demense are constantly using a drug 'raxia to achieve ataraxia. Doing 'raxia really had no importance in the book at all and it just felt extremely unnecessary. There was no deeper meaning where people are warned that drugs are bad for you at all so I am not sure why this was included in Beta. Why are clones sexually abused? There are cases of sexual abuse in this book but they didn't feel serious at all. I think these scenes were way too casually executed because sexual abuse is a serious issue. The mentioning of sexual abuse in Beta seems just randomly added in because it doesn't even feel like an issue. Rachel Cohn doesn't even make us have empathy for the character who got sexually abused. The sexual abuse in this novel didn't appear to have any significance at all and it bothered me how it felt just effortlessly thrown in.

Beta wasn't the book for me at all. If you enjoy reading sluggishly paced books with no conflict at all, Beta may be your fix. I don't really enjoy romances when I can't even like the male romantic interest at all. Beta has a serious case of insta-love to the point where it is extremely painful to read. I really felt like Beta had a ton of potential but Rachel Cohn focused way too much on romance. The chances of me reading Beta's sequel is as likely as the world ending in 2012.
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Jul 26, 2012 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Elysia is a new beta, one of the first trial teenage clones. She is sold to the Bratton family to be a replacement for their daughter Astrid who moved away. Elysia is to play with her new "brother and sister" Ivan and Liesel. She must also call the woman who bought her "mother." Clones are made and sold to work on the island. They have different tattoos on their face according to their jobs. They have no feelings so the drugged air does not affect them and they will work hard. Demesne's island h...more

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Oct 19, 2012 Evie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-ya, ya, wish-list, october-2012

A provocative, intellectually stimulating and emotionally engaging tale of humanity, identity, ethics and free will, BETA is, in a word, fascinating. In this fun to read, absorbing and unique novel, Rachel Cohn addresses some interesting ethical issues about the pitfalls of cloning and bio-genetics. She introduces us to a great new heroine that, engineered to serve the wealthy residents of Demesne, is forced to either obediently follow all the rules or die. Disquieting, thrilling and haunting,...more A provocative, intellectually stimulating and emotionally engaging tale of humanity, identity, ethics and free will, BETA is, in a word, fascinating. In this fun to read, absorbing and unique novel, Rachel Cohn addresses some interesting ethical issues about the pitfalls of cloning and bio-genetics. She introduces us to a great new heroine that, engineered to serve the wealthy residents of Demesne, is forced to either obediently follow all the rules or die. Disquieting, thrilling and haunting, BETA is the first book in what quickly became one of my new favourite YA dystopian series!

Set on an idyllic island inhabited by only the wealthiest, most powerful people in the world (Demesne), BETA tells the story of Elysia, a first in a new generation of teenage clones. Elysia's life is not her own. She is a clone and therefore she does not experience emotions or desires. She is merely an expensive toy, a servant, a valuable possession designed to do whatever she's asked to do. While she's a novelty that her owners like to show off to their friends, she's also totally expendable and even the smallest hint of being a "defect" will result in her immediate termination. What will happen to Elysia when she'll discover that she might be, indeed, a defect? Will she find it in herself to fight for her life and freedom? In a world where clones are nothing more than slaves, and emotions and desires - a sign of imperfection, is there any hope for this unwanted clone who so desperately wants to live?

BETA has a lot to offer. It's well-written, fast-paced, filled with jaw-dropping twists and unexpected - at times even shocking - plot developments. From the first page to the last, it's a wild, breathtaking ride that is sure to surprise you at least a few times. The captivating and convincing prose ensures that even its most bizarre futuristic themes and improbable situations remain believable, the characters - relatable. Rachel Cohn created a world that, though a little bit underdeveloped and sketchy on the details (and possibly purposefully so!), is simply fantastic. Unsettling, cold and emotionless, yet beautiful and undeniably compelling. It's not a flawless book, but Cohn's greatly enjoyable writing style makes the few flaws and shortcomings easy to overlook and results in a perfectly satisfying, exciting story. Moreover, BETA is not only an action-packed and highly entertaining futuristic noir, it's also a multi-dimensional and thought-provoking morality tale. An affecting picture that is rich with metaphor, ambitious, and thematically relevant. Featuring themes such as discrimination, search for identity, equality, free will and slavery, it's an insightful examination of what it means to be human - to live, feel and want.

I enjoyed Elysia's first-person narrative and thought it worked way better than a third-person narrative would. I thought she was a great, likeable protagonist and while some of her decisions made me raise my eyebrows a little, overall I found her character quite realistic (as much as a clone could be) and relatable. In the end, I can say that I grew attached to her and enjoyed cheering her on. It was compelling to see the world through her eyes and watch her explore, learn, and experience all the new things for the first time. Her inexperience often lead to many funny situations and hilarious misunderstandings. At the same time, though, while some parts of the story were amusing, even heart-warming, the overall tone of the story was serious, quite unsettling and dark.

Another aspect of this book that I really loved was its mysteriousness. There is so much going on within the pages - from cloning and rebellious movements against it to Elysia's personal experiences and adventures - yet most of that is covered with a veil of mystery and secrecy. And while we do get some answers at the end, many of the questions are left unanswered. For the most part, the story line was positively unpredictable. The tension never let up and kept me on my toes all throughout the book. The only thing I could possibly complain about is that I now have to wait so long to find out what happens next! And that ending?! Oh. My. Gosh. Talk about a killer cliffhanger!(less)

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Sep 01, 2012 Patsy Frey-Davis rated it 2 of 5 stars

After reading (and enjoying) many others by this author I came to my egalley of Beta with high expectations that the book utterly failed to live up to. While the world is interesting the character development felt poorly paced. This would have normally still earned 3 stars from me but for two major issues: a race of characters in the book that are genetically modified to be the "best elements of human kind" and are therefore utterly Aryan and worshiped by normal people for their beauty AND a na...more

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Apr 22, 2013 Mimi rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: dsytopian

I picked up Beta after flipping through the first chapter. What struck me first about the book is the clinically cold and awkward way in which it is written. I'm pretty sure this is to mimic the way these clone characters would actually think and talk, which brings me to my next point: I'm confused about how these clone characters work. Elysia tells us that clones cannot feel and are emotionless, but I had a really hard time actually visualizing that throughout the book because I thought most of...more I picked up Beta after flipping through the first chapter. What struck me first about the book is the clinically cold and awkward way in which it is written. I'm pretty sure this is to mimic the way these clone characters would actually think and talk, which brings me to my next point: I'm confused about how these clone characters work. Elysia tells us that clones cannot feel and are emotionless, but I had a really hard time actually visualizing that throughout the book because I thought most of the clones acted like humans anyways. Namely Tahir. When Tahir came on the scene half-way through the book I was so desperately confused about who was clone, to what extent clones experience humanity, and how the concept of "mimic" works that I just gave up trying. Which is bad for the novel, considering the second half is devoted to Elysia trying to help Tahir.

By the time Elysia gets to living at Fortesqueiu's the novel is going downhill fast. Everything is happening super quickly, as opposed to the dragging out of the plot in the first half. The Governor's Ball happens and then from there on out it's bam, bam, bam, end of novel. Too rushed. And way to disorienting. We are left with Elysia escaping Demesne, ending up on an island with the clone from Dr. Lusardi's orientation video and the Aquine who her First loved, and pregnant after being raped by her "brother". Meanwhile, Tahir has disappeared from the story line completely. WTF.

I understand the main premise of the book was to introduce the reader to the plight of the clones and the idea that the clones are now taking a human drug to "wake up" to their imprisonment. But I feel like there was a lack of an overall plot, rather it bounced from one experience to the next. Maybe this is because we as readers are experiencing everything from Elysia's narrow view? I also felt there were a lot of important questions that came up right at the end, and were glossed over...especially when M-X could have answered them. Some things I would like answered include: what is the story behind Dr. Lusardi being a clone, what happened to M-X, what is the Defect army and the Insurrection, and how is Elysia pregnant? It would also have helped if there was more information about the Mainland government in this book. I'd also like to know more about Astrid...I think she will be a key player in the future of this series.

I guess the only answer to the questions arisen by horribly rash ending of this book is to read the next in the series. I'm not quite sure where the story could possibly go from here, it seems to have already reached an atrocious climax. I can't see three more books dragging out Elysia's story. (less)

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Apr 20, 2013 Suneha rated it 4 of 5 stars

4 STARS!!!!

Beta is a such a capturing novel! It had so many twists and turns which managed to baffle me every time. I could easily relate to Elysia and I found myself attached to this book. The way the book progressed was amazing.
The first half of the book was very slow and boring. It felt like the book couldn't get any slower but the second part was very interesting especially after Tahir's entry. It managed to make up for the first half.
I generally thought that i couldn't love water any more...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Elizabeth rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 04, 2013 Sayu rated it 3 of 5 stars

"Beta" erzählt die Geschichte von Elysia, einem Beta-Klon, der eine absolute Neuentwicklung ist, weil Grundlage dieses Klons ein Teenager war. Auf einer paradiesischen Insel mitten im Meer soll sie nun einer reichen Familie dienen. Doch Elysia merkt schnell, dass sie keine so vollkommene Betaversion ist, wie die Menschen um sie herum gehofft hatten. Sie kann Gefühle empfinden, Nahrung schmecken und sieht ab und an Erinnerungsfetzen ihrer First, der Person, aus der sie geklont wurde. Doch bald er...more "Beta" erzählt die Geschichte von Elysia, einem Beta-Klon, der eine absolute Neuentwicklung ist, weil Grundlage dieses Klons ein Teenager war. Auf einer paradiesischen Insel mitten im Meer soll sie nun einer reichen Familie dienen. Doch Elysia merkt schnell, dass sie keine so vollkommene Betaversion ist, wie die Menschen um sie herum gehofft hatten. Sie kann Gefühle empfinden, Nahrung schmecken und sieht ab und an Erinnerungsfetzen ihrer First, der Person, aus der sie geklont wurde. Doch bald erfährt sie, dass es nicht nur ihr so geht und dass hinter der paradiesischen Fassade ihrer Heimat nicht alles so friedlich ist, wie es scheint.

Elysia beschreibt die Insel in etwa so, wie sich das Buch liest – sehr schön, ruhig, auf allem scheint etwas … fast Träges zu liegen. Das ist auch der Grund, warum Klone als Diener auf dieser Insel nötig sind. Menschen scheinen sich nach einer Weile auf der Insel einfach nicht mehr zum Arbeiten aufraffen zu können. Das Buch erzählt Elysias Geschichte ebenfalls in ruhiger Art, langsam und anfangs ohne größere Wendepunkte. Nach und nach summieren sich die kleinen Dinge auf, zum Ende hin häufen sich die Überraschungen dann an. Je schneller das Tempo wurde, desto weniger überzeugte mich aber das Buch. Auf die letzten Kapitel hätte ich gern verzichtet, denn hier wird es für mich unglaubwürdig, sowohl was einzelne Wendungen, als auch Reaktionen der Charaktere angeht.

Ich habe noch gar nicht nachgeschaut, das Ende lässt mich aber nicht daran zweifeln, dass es eine Fortsetzung zu diesem Buch geben wird. Ich weiß noch nicht, ob ich sie lesen werde. Einerseits würde ich gern mehr über die Rebellen erfahren. Auch darüber, wie genau das Klonen funktioniert, warum ein Mensch (angeblich) tot sein muss, um geklont zu werden und warum einige Klone Defekte haben. Die hier erstellte Welt bietet viel Potenzial. Andererseits konnten mich die Charaktere nicht überzeugen. Ich mochte Elysia und ihre Entwicklung, aber ihre Gefühle für Tahir und Alexander konnte ich nicht nachvollziehen (auch mit der jeweiligen "Art" wie sich diese Liebe entwickelt). Mit diesen beiden konnte ich beim besten Willen nicht warm werden und die meisten anderen Nebencharaktere konnte ich nie wirklich einschätzen. Einerseits war das spannend und da die Geschichte aus Elysias Sicht erzählt wird, vielleicht nicht so ungewöhnlich, aber es wäre doch ganz nett gewesen, wenn am Ende nicht jeder Nebencharakter enttäuscht hätte. Einzig Liesel fand ich sehr sympathisch.

Alles in allem ist das Buch eine nette Unterhaltung mit einem sympathischen Hauptcharakter, der eine interessante Entwicklung durchmacht, aber auch einigen Schwachstellen.
(less)

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Apr 01, 2013 Tessa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Tout d’abord, j’ai adoré l’univers de l’île de Demesne. Ce côté brillant, unique, paradisiaque et parfait. Tout, jusqu’à l’eau où l’on se baigne et l’air que l’on respire est sublimé pour le bon plaisir des riches habitants.
L’île a tout l’air d’un monde utopique où tout est beau, tout est gentil mais tout en passant un message sur le clonage, on se rend compte qu’elle cache bien des secrets!

Elysia, notre héroïne, est celle qui nous mènera à nous poser des questions sur cette île et sur ceux qui...more

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Mar 29, 2013 Anna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopian, kick-ass-protagonists, young-adult

Dear Ms. Rachel Cohn,

I am reviewing your book "Beta" in this following rant/rave/whatevs, so please follow carefully as no train of thought is going to make sense what-so-ever.

SERIOUSLY?! I understand the whole aspect of being an author is to make people enjoy their lives and that having a huge twist ending/cliffhanger is a big part of it but - DUDE! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED WITH THAT ENDING?!?! It was SOOOOOO uncalled for!!

And creepy.

And weird.

Like it was on crack. And speed. And drunk on alcohol...more

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Mar 28, 2013 Joana Hill rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopian, sci-fi

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Read more reviews at my blog, Words and Tea Bottles.

I had mixed feelings about Beta. On the one hand, the concept itself is great, and for a lot of the book, it's carried out beautifully. Even when it takes a darker turn it's not bad. I'd say it's average, but 'average' means it certainly didn't live up to the apparent hype that was around it, or to the name of the author. Rachel Cohn is pretty well-known in YA book circles by now.

I think most of the problem I had was with the ending. I don't no...more Read more reviews at my blog, Words and Tea Bottles.

I had mixed feelings about Beta. On the one hand, the concept itself is great, and for a lot of the book, it's carried out beautifully. Even when it takes a darker turn it's not bad. I'd say it's average, but 'average' means it certainly didn't live up to the apparent hype that was around it, or to the name of the author. Rachel Cohn is pretty well-known in YA book circles by now.

I think most of the problem I had was with the ending. I don't normally put spoilers into reviews, but I'll say what I want to emphasize my point. After Elysia's raped by her brother, strung-out on drugs at the time, she escapes to an island at the end of the chain Demesne is in, where she meets up with M-X, who turns out to be the clone who was in her orientation video at the start of the book. This is the first thing I wondered about: M-X rebelled, saying she escaped after they found out about her healing powers. Why? She isn't shown to have magical powers. She just uses some herbs from the jungle to help Elysia heal. Anyone with knowledge of plants could do that.

Then we find out Elysia is pregnant, presumably from when her brother raped her. We find this out because M-X apparently did a blood test? If I'm remembering correctly, blood pregnancy tests involve testing for elevated estrogen levels. How in the world could they do that in the middle of nowhere?

Finally, the biggest twist of all at the end. I won't say it, but it makes me wonder about several things in the book, including Alexander supposedly imprinting on her if she's not really her First.

I guess what I'm saying here is that it was a good concept and a good start, but it slowly descended into madness. I might read the sequel just to see how she explains the very end. Although I'm a little tired of authors continually putting huge, rough cliffhangers at the ends of their books. It's happened in three I've read now! The kind of cliffhangers that make you flip forward and think "Wait, that's it?" because it's not really an ending.(less)

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Mar 26, 2013 Juju rated it 4 of 5 stars

Elysia ist ein Klon. Sie lebt auf einer kleinen Insel, in der den Menschen jegliches Luxusgut zusteht. Elysia ist eines dieser Luxusgüter und dient nur dazu den Menschen zu dienen. Sie hat keine eigenen Bedürfnisse und keine Gefühle. So sollte es zumindest sein – doch Elysia hat Gefühle. Das bringt Probleme mit sich, denn wer aus der Reihe tanzt und nicht nur zum dienen da ist, der ist defekt und muss ausgeschaltet werden. Wir Elysia es schaffen sich eine eigene Zukunft aufzubauen?

Fazit:

Der Sch...more Elysia ist ein Klon. Sie lebt auf einer kleinen Insel, in der den Menschen jegliches Luxusgut zusteht. Elysia ist eines dieser Luxusgüter und dient nur dazu den Menschen zu dienen. Sie hat keine eigenen Bedürfnisse und keine Gefühle. So sollte es zumindest sein – doch Elysia hat Gefühle. Das bringt Probleme mit sich, denn wer aus der Reihe tanzt und nicht nur zum dienen da ist, der ist defekt und muss ausgeschaltet werden. Wir Elysia es schaffen sich eine eigene Zukunft aufzubauen?

Fazit:

Der Schreibstil ist jugendlich frisch und schnörkellos. Die Sätze sind nicht kompliziert und das Buch liest sich recht flüssig und schnell. Eine besondere Spannung gibt es nicht, allerdings ist es so als ob man mit der Protagonistin auf Entdeckungstour geht. In Ich-Perspektive erlebt man Elysias Start in eine merkwürdige Welt in der es allein darum geht dem Menschen zu dienen und erlebt dazu wie es ihr geht und was sie denkt.

Die Charaktere sind durchaus interessant. Elysia wurde am besten beschrieben und es geht auch hauptsächlich um ihre eigene Entwicklung. Man erlebt wie sie die ersten Gefühle an sich erkennt, aber sich weigert diese auch als Gefühle anzusehen, denn sie darf keine haben. So versteht sie am Anfang selbst nicht was mit ihr vorgeht und warum sie bestimmte Erinnerungen hat, die sie ebenfalls nicht haben dürfte. Erst im Laufe des Buches festigt sich dann ihr Charakter und das Bedürfnis eine eigene Person zu sein, und nicht nur Abklatsch der Vorherigen, steigt.
Die anderen Charaktere sind nur Nebenspieler und teilweise recht sympathisch gemacht aber nicht viel weiter ausgearbeitet. Sie spielen jedoch alle an einer bestimmten Stelle eine Schlüsselrolle, die sich schon von Anfang an ankündigt, aber man noch nicht genau weiß, was genau passieren wird.

Die Geschichte ist recht einfach gestrickt. Eine Insel wurde erbaut und zwar mit den besten Eigenschaften, nur damit es den Menschen auf ihr gut geht. Da die Bediensteten zu faul wurden, mussten Klone erschaffen werden und diese dienen im Normalfall sehr gut und effektiv. Doch einige von ihnen sind defekt. Was hier als defekt bezeichnet wird sind eigentlich Gefühle und die Andeutung auf eine eigene Persönlichkeit. Da sie aber vom Menschen geschaffen sind, darf das nicht passieren und sie werden ausgeschaltet. Doch auf die Dauer schaffen es auch die Klone verdeckt für ihre Rechte zu kämpfen. Mittendrin ist Elysia, die ihre ganz eigenen Erfahrungen macht, die jedoch weitaus mehr im Vordergrund stehen als die Ereignisse um sie herum.

Insgesamt ist es ein sich langsam entwickelndes Buch. Ich hatte zwischendurch den Wunsch, dass mehr passieren möge aber ab der Mitte kam die Geschichte in Fahrt. Man hat zusammen mit Elysia erlebt wie sie ihre Gefühle entwickelte und austestete und schließlich eine eigenwillige Person wurde und einige Geheimnisse lüftete.
Das Ende fand ich sehr knapp und verstörend. Eigentlich muss da ganz fix der zweite Band her, damit man gleich weiterlesen kann.
Das Buch ist erschreckendes aber sehr interessantes Beispiel für Menschen, die zu weit gegangen sind!

Was ich besonders mochte:

Es fängt alles harmonisch und romantisch an und Stück für Stück merkt man wie falsch und verstörend das Ganze ist. Eine tolle Geschichte!

(less)

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Mar 23, 2013 Comet rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: could-be-better-reads, meh-read

Okay, this book started out beautifully! Beautifully. There's a girl, her name is Elysia. But...she's not actually a girl. She's a beta teenager, and she was "tested" to be formed as a clone. In her world, the island that she lives in, (Demesne) everything is perfect. There are humans, (who always feel at peace and love it, because the air is somehow intoxicating, in a good way) and there are clones. Elysia is a clone. She is, as stated before, a teenage beta, and she's basically a "test" subjec...more Okay, this book started out beautifully! Beautifully. There's a girl, her name is Elysia. But...she's not actually a girl. She's a beta teenager, and she was "tested" to be formed as a clone. In her world, the island that she lives in, (Demesne) everything is perfect. There are humans, (who always feel at peace and love it, because the air is somehow intoxicating, in a good way) and there are clones. Elysia is a clone. She is, as stated before, a teenage beta, and she's basically a "test" subject.

Clones were created without souls, and in order for Elyisa to be made, her "First" had to die. Which, is of course, half of the reason why this book lured me into this trap. (It sounds weird, but it makes sense, if you think about it.)

I was totally expecting a lot from this book. I had such high hopes for it, and it started out wonderfully. The story moved well, I could follow and depict each character easily...and then near the middle/end of the book, it starts getting 1.) Disturbing, and 2.) Gory.

Spoiler alert, people.

It turns out that Elysia is a Defect. Defects are clones that ended up "wrong." In other words, they developed feelings. They could taste, feel, have souls, etc. That was fine, I could totally deal with that.

Then, Elysia falls in love with Tahir, a random rich boy who was once addicted to 'raxia. (A drug, I still don't like how Cohn somehow include stupid drugs into this book, but whatever), and he also loved to surf. Unfortunately, he ended up in a really bad accident on the rocks, and he (spoiler) died. No one knows that, except Elysia. He became a clone afterwards, because his mother and father love him to pieces. The one catch? Of course, he couldn't feel! People these days.

Afterwards...bleh. Tahir loves Elysia back, because he turns out to be a Defect, too. After taking the 'raxia. (Actually, lots of these clones are defects...people suck at building these things.)

But then here comes the gory part: Elysia was originally owned by the Governor's family, and who she addresses "Mother" throughout the whole book was the one who first bought her. Her "brother," Ivan, somehow ends up crazy (probably from all the 'raxia he's taking) and becomes enraged at Elysia, since she asked him for a ride to get off the island. Elysia is desperate to escape with Tahir, but then Ivan becomes a complete creep because he says he "owns" her. And then he...makes her pregnant. Like WTP!?

I get, I get it. She had to become pregnant because her First loved an Aquine, one who mates for life, and the Aquine promised to take care of her baby, but still. That was unneeded. Not to mention the random "pervert" scenes with the Governor. It totally disgusts me.

I was so disturbed. Rachel Cohn could've just deleted all of those parts. I mean, it just randomly happened. And then Elysia stabs Ivan and it's just a mess afterwards.

Usually, whenever I start to read a book and I think it's amazing, it ends up terrible. I wasn't expecting this book to turn out THAT bad, but come on! Random gore...and ugh. I don't usually like books like that, so maybe other readers think that it's interesting, but I felt like I just read poop. Seriously. Poop.

Well, that's about it. Sorry for the spoilers. And I would've rated this a 4.0, but then I thought 3.0 would be better. It's more like a 3.5.(less)

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Mar 21, 2013 Manja rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Kurzbeschreibung:
Sie hat, was sie nicht haben soll: Gefühle...
Elysia ist eine Beta, ein geklonter Teenager, und sie lebt als Dienerin der Menschen auf der paradiesischen Insel Demesne. Ihr einziges Ziel ist es, ihren »Eltern« zu gefallen – bis sie entdeckt, dass nichts so ist, wie es zu sein scheint. Die heile Welt auf der Insel wird von Klonen gestört, die Gefühle und eine eigene Meinung haben, sogenannten defekten Klonen. Und dann entdeckt Elysia, dass auch sie Gefühle hat. Sie verliebt sich u...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Hikari rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Beta ist der Beginn einer Tetralogie von Rachel Cohn. Und damit ein sehr ehrgeiziges Projekt. Die Hintergrundideen und die Welt, mit den Klonen, Water Wars, der Technik, der Besiedlung im All usw ist theoretisch unheimlich faszinierend. Da der erste Band aber ausschließlich auf der perfekten Insel Demesne spielt, verspielt das Buch meines Erachtens leider ein paar Chancen. An sich ist die Idee, aus der Sicht des neuen Klons Elysia zu schreiben nicht schlecht, denn so erfährt der Leser Schritt fü...more

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Mar 07, 2013 Michelle rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: abandoned, teen

Elysia is a clone of a teenage girl that died. She is created to serve the wealthy citizens of Demesne. She is treated alternately like a slave or a pet. Despite the perfect exterior the inhabitants aren’t really happy and there are all sorts of secrets. Elysia keeps one of those secrets, she feels emotion even though she is not supposed to. She has to struggle to navigate these confusing emotions without giving herself away, and discover if there is more out there for her.

I was just not able t...more

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Feb 18, 2013 BAYA Librarian rated it 4 of 5 stars

In a paradise designed for the extremely wealthy, finding people to work is a problem. The solution is to create human clones that are beautiful but have no feelings. These clones serve every whim of their owners. Elysia, a Beta, is an experimental teenage clone. She also may be defective because she experiences emotions. Elysia is bought by the wife of the governor to become their replacement daughter. Elysia can tell that everything is not as peaceful as it seems in the governor’s home but she...more

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Feb 14, 2013 Edmund Leow rated it 3 of 5 stars

BETA (the 1st of 4 planned books) is a story set in a Utopian island engineered to be paradise on Earth, to give their inhabitants ataraxia. It is so relaxing that no human would want to work. So it is staffed with unfeeling clones whose only purpose is to serve these wealthy people as either labourers or companions. If the clone is discovered to have his own desires or feelings, he is labelled a 'Defect', and quickly tortured and killed. It is basically the slavery business all over again set i...more BETA (the 1st of 4 planned books) is a story set in a Utopian island engineered to be paradise on Earth, to give their inhabitants ataraxia. It is so relaxing that no human would want to work. So it is staffed with unfeeling clones whose only purpose is to serve these wealthy people as either labourers or companions. If the clone is discovered to have his own desires or feelings, he is labelled a 'Defect', and quickly tortured and killed. It is basically the slavery business all over again set in the future.

The way cloning works in this book seems rather different from our current perception of it, so a more detailed explanation should be given. However, we are told hardly anything other than that it requires recently deceased persons for the extraction of their souls. And that the clones have an implanted chip in their brain that to mimic human feelings and also contains data on the world and everything they require in their roles. They may look human, but they cannot reproduce, do not have menstrual cycles, cannot make jokes and cannot taste etc. Though towards the end of the book, we realise that what little we know about the cloning may also be false!

The protagonist is Elysia, a teen Beta clone, who from the start seems to be different from the other clones. She soon discovers that she can feel and taste and even has memories of her First (the person she was cloned from). She soon decides that she is also a 'Defect', since she exhibits characteristics present in other 'Defects'. However, the author seems to hint towards the end that she may actually be engineered to be entirely different from the rest. This twist, together with many others towards the end of the book, helps redeem the plot from multiple weaknesses and shallowness in characterisation, and even makes you want to read the next book in the series!

The world created in BETA has a lot of potential, and I hope that as the series progresses, more of this world such as Biome City and characters such as Astrid and events such as the Water Wars can be explored further.

Ah! The author Rachel Cohn has a website with a video introduction of BETA. (less)

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Feb 13, 2013 Telarni rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 07, 2013 Naberius rated it 2 of 5 stars

While I liked some of the ideas in this book, I just didn't feel connected to the main character at all. I felt like she was .... flat. I understand that as a clone, her reactions to the people and the world around her are based on the fact that she doesn't really have any life experience. The author does a good job of getting that across, and making Elysia learn and grow as the story progresses. Some of her reactions to her experiences were well-written (like her first taste of chocolate). Howe...more While I liked some of the ideas in this book, I just didn't feel connected to the main character at all. I felt like she was .... flat. I understand that as a clone, her reactions to the people and the world around her are based on the fact that she doesn't really have any life experience. The author does a good job of getting that across, and making Elysia learn and grow as the story progresses. Some of her reactions to her experiences were well-written (like her first taste of chocolate). However, I just never felt like she was completely realistic. Her reactions to things, especially as the story continues and she becomes more self-aware, sometimes seem forced.

And speaking of characters, I also felt like the supporting characters were flat. There are two other girls (non-clones) who are different, but they both felt unrealistic. The male characters weren't any better -- and there's a plot turn involving one of them that was pretty awful. I'm not putting any spoilers in here, but what I will say is that when that plot turn occurred, I felt like it was predictable, based upon the boy's previous behavior and personality. When the incident occurs, it felt like the author was just forcing another element into the story to give Elysia a big push into doing something drastic .... but it didn't feel natural to the story.

What I did find interesting was the author's approach to cloning, and also, the world that she created in this story. It's a cool concept to have this luxurious, exclusive island for the wealthy, complete with clones as their servants. It's a good setup to have this, because it makes you think about the moral implications of not only cloning, but of how in this story, the clones are made into servants. The clones also are not supposed to have souls, which is an interesting idea all by itself. After all, who can tell what comprises a soul? However, this is a science fiction novel where the science isn't really explained fully or supported, which left me with a lot of unresolved questions. While I don't mind having some questions, or things to think about in a story, in this book, it just felt like it was a bit unfinished. I think I wanted to like it a bit more than I did, and while there were some interesting concepts here, it wasn't enough to make the book that great of a read for me.(less)

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Should I finish this book?	5	8	May 09, 2013 07:57pm
Erudite Readers: Beta by Rachel Cohn	90	42	Dec 05, 2012 07:10pm
Book swap	1	18	Sep 07, 2012 11:44am

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