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Skinned (Cold Awakening #1)

by Robin Wasserman (Goodreads Author)

3.55 of 5 stars 3.55 · rating details · 6,904 ratings · 767 reviews

The Download was supposed to change the world. It was supposed to mean the end of aging, the end of death, the birth of a new humanity. But it wasn't supposed to happen to someone like Lia Kahn.

And it wasn't supposed to ruin her life.

Lia knows she should be grateful she didn't die in the accident. The Download saved her--but it also changed her, forever. She can deal with...more

Hardcover, 368 pages

Published September 9th 2008 by Simon Pulse (first published September 1st 2008)

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May 30, 2009 Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!* rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Scott Westerfeld fans

Shelves: meh, young-adult, gave-up-on-series, robots-and-cyborgs, sci-fi, futuristic

Awesomesauce. It was really good. :] It started off a little confusing, but it had a very cool and sort of risky concept to it. By risky I mean that it could have failed epically; I see a lot of authors take on this kind of plot and then just sorta let it die, but Skinned pulled it off. Not only was it addicting and exciting, but it got me thinking too. There was more depth in it than I expected; it had a thought-provoking theme about identity, and what makes someone who they are – and not only...more

5 likes · like · see review

Sep 15, 2008 Karin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: youngadult, 2008-reads

Lia shouldn’t have been in the car in the first place. By doing a favor for her sister, she has changed her life forever. A one in a million chance. The navigation system in her car malfunctioned and she crashed head on with another car. Her body broken - her skin burning, Lia waited for help. Unfortunately, her body didn’t survive the trauma of the accident. However, her brain remained in tact.

Lia wakes up several weeks later to find that she is alive. She has been downloaded into a new body....more

7 likes · like · see review

Aug 08, 2008 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Sarah Bean the Green Bean Teen Queen for TeensReadToo.com

Lia Kahn was perfect. She had a perfect life, perfect friends, and a perfect boyfriend. She was popular and beautiful and everyone wanted to be with her and know her -- until the accident changed everything.

When Lia is in a fatal car accident, she finds herself awake in the hospital. She should be dead, but she knows she's alive. She can't feel her body, but she knows it's there. Lia has become the latest patient in the "downl...more

5 likes · like · see review

Feb 03, 2012 Wicked Incognito Now rated it 2 of 5 stars

Okay. I'm not going to finish this book, but it isn't because I don't think it's a perfectly acceptable book. It is. The writing is actually very good, and the author presents a lot of interesting questions about what it means to be "human."

This author has a compelling voice and the novel reads a lot like a Scott Westerfeld novel. Even the paperback size and cover look like an Uglies novel. However, Westerfeld draws the reader in much faster with rising action and character development.

I'm just...more

8 likes · like · see review

Dec 08, 2011 sylas added it · review of another edition

Recommended to sylas by: Shannon

Shelves: ya

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

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 24, 2012 Pete rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a recommended enjoyable book bordering on high end of YA Sci-Fi with the language, more adult words.

The premise of the story was good, character development was well done even though you wanted to smack Lia occasionally in her self absorbed obstinacy. Toward the end of the book she determined to start new, and leave the past behind, which then made me want to read more in this series.

The abilities in growth makes me want to see how much growth could be obtained in the following books.

1 like · like · see review

Apr 12, 2012 Vibhuti rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: so-terrible-i-couldn-t-even-finish

Okay, this book is confusing and boring. So boring that I'm not even going to bother finishing it. The beginning is kinda confusing and for the next couple hundred pages all the main character's doing is whining about her life as a machine.She describes how her life is falling apart and all I want to do is shake her and scream "GET OVER IT! YOU'RE A MACHINE! JUST ACCEPT THAT FACT AND STOP BITCHING AND MOANING ABOUT IT!" The beginning is interesting but it gets boring as the book progresses.

I'm...more

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Dec 31, 2008 Laura rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008-mt-bookpile

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

2 likes · like · see review

Sep 28, 2008 Jamie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 14-16, dystopia, technology, surprise-ending, ethics

Sometimes I'm really glad I read books I'm not sure I'll like. I was predisposed not to like this for two reasons, 1. It reads too similar to The Adoration of Jenna Fox and 2. I thought of the author as a series book writer (the 7 Deadly Sins)

At first, it seemed a rip off of other similar titles, but the more I read, the more I got sucked into Lia's story. I loved the character of Auden, his origin was believable, the ending is so shocking I literally got sick to my stomach. It's so sad!! Pleas...more

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Mar 29, 2009 earthy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, sf

Interesting to read just after the dismally disappointing The Looking Glass Wars because here's another author's attempt at an awesome concept with mixed--but better--results.

The futuristic world in which our heroine Lia lives is full of technobabble and teenaged angst, but unlike in other new-world-centric novels, Wasserman doesn't waste the reader's time explaining concepts, but rather, throws you right in and expects you to keep up. Kudos for trusting that the reader has more than a few brain...more

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Jan 15, 2009 Katie rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: sci-fi fans

Lia Kahn had it all- popularity, money, & beauty. When her self-driving car malfunctioned, all that changed. Her body was so badly injured that there was only one thing that could be done to save her life. Her family opted to have her brain downloaded into an artificial body. She won't ever truly feel again. She can't really die. Lia resents being the newest recipient of the download process. The "skinners" are frowned upon in society and everyone, including her supposed best friends and boy...more

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Dec 30, 2008 edh rated it 3 of 5 stars

***SPOILERS!!!***
Alongside recently published novels like Unwind and the Adoration of Jenna Fox, Skinned is about a teen who has lost control of her own body. After a horrific freak car accident, Lia's body is un-salvageable. Her parents give the order to have her brain downloaded into a computer and she's given a newly constructed body, made of artificial materials. Uber-religious folks hate the "skinners," and believe they have no souls once their brains are downloaded. Lia agrees that she doe...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 11, 2008 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, 2008, sci-fi-fantasy

3.5 stars. I saw this book at a store and the plot intrigued me; I couldn't wait to read it: Lia, a girl in the future who is injured in an accident, has her mind transported to a new body that is impervious to pain and aging, but most people hate these new not-quite-human beings, and she is forced to try to find place to belong. Plus, the cover had a blurb from Scott Westerfeld! I figured this would be like his Uglies series - exciting, interesting, and addicting. Unfortunately, while this book...more

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Apr 15, 2013 Grace rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm going to present this review in a series of half-explained gifs.

In the beginning, I was just casually reading through it.

description

And then I started getting into it.

description

I was enjoying the story and beginning to get irritated with everyone's constant blatant disregard of Lia and the fact that she was still human...inside.

description

Then the story moved onto Zo - or Zoie the Hoie as I like to refer to her - and of course, I hated her.

But it wasn't just your regular hate.

This was deep, burning hate that even the fier...more

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Jan 27, 2013 Angelica rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopian, couldn-t-even-finish, somewhat-interesting-i-guess, failed-attempt, hate-main-character-with-passion, fell-apart-in-the-middle, creative-idea

Holy crap. The part that killed me was this book had SO MUCH PROMISE! :'( What an original idea! I was drawn to this book and the first chapter was REALLY well written. BUT THEN!

-pros-
I applaud Wasserman for having such a creative idea. I mean seriously, who would have thought of that? I like the idea of her turning into a robot. It also shows how people can be cruel to differences, which is neat. I have to say the first chapter really did capture me! :) She explained greif and death perfectly....more Holy crap. The part that killed me was this book had SO MUCH PROMISE! :'( What an original idea! I was drawn to this book and the first chapter was REALLY well written. BUT THEN!

-pros-
I applaud Wasserman for having such a creative idea. I mean seriously, who would have thought of that? I like the idea of her turning into a robot. It also shows how people can be cruel to differences, which is neat. I have to say the first chapter really did capture me! :) She explained greif and death perfectly. Wasserman is a talented writer and it was entertaining to read at times. Unfortunately there is a long list of cons.

-cons-
- Lia. Lia, Lia, Lia. She has it all- beauty, popularity, rich family, hot boyfriend, then- BAM! She dies in a car crash and is upploaded into a robot body. If I were her, I'd be hugging my parents and being so, so grateful I have the rest of my life to live. But no, all Lia can do is complain. Sniffle sniffle, I cant do this, I want to do that, everyone pity me!
Before we go on, I would like to list a few things I dislike about oh-so-miserable Lia.
1. In case you haven't caught on, SHE IS THE MOST WHINEY PROTAGONIST I HAVE EVER COME ACROSS. Every other paragraph went little like this- "something something about something I can't do. People hate me because I'm different. I hate my sister. I hate life. I miss, oh, FEELING! some uncalled for, sarcastic remarks." And she expects everyone to pity her! I even remember once she said "Thursdays are the Kahn family dinner. Even though one of them can't eat," or something like that. Well what do you expect them to do, not eat on Thursdays?
2. She hates everyone, especially those who are trying to HELP her. Auden was only one who stood up for her at school. And what does she do? she yells at him and calls him a loser and she doesnt want to be ASSOCIATED with him. Well in case you haven't learned Lia, popularity didn't work out for you! "OH mom and dad, what have you done to me?" what, save your life? "I LOATHE the doctors and mechs and rehab. You know, just because," Like, what's your problem?
3. To put it simply, she's kinda mean. She was so quick to judge others looks and I found her sarcasm plain rude sometimes. She was too wrapped up in herself to think "how will others feel?"
4. EVERYONE LOVES LIA!!!!!!!! Didn't her cousin tried to kiss her or something? And why was Quin so exited to meet her? Am I not seeing that magical aura Lia Kahn has that attracts people?
Okay, I know that was what the author was aiming for, an unlikable character. And that's okay. I actually like that she took that risk because its intersting when you love-hate a character. Unfortunately, it was more of an eh-hate with Lia.
*sighs*
- The plot just kind of fell apart, I'm sorry. It got so boring and slow paced that I had to stop reading it about halfway through. It did keep me interested at first though.
- SETTING. I coldn't tell they were in the future until some obvious clues Lia said about wars or something. I have no idea where she lives, what the rest of the world is like, nothing.

This was good idea and the writer had skills, but unfortunately, Lia ruined it for me. Even if she changed at the end, I will never know because I stopped reading about halfway. The story just kind of went flop, and Lia was one of the most annoying characters I ever had to read about. I'm sorry if I offended anyone, I can go on long rants sometimes :)(less)

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Dec 31, 2012 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was really fascinating. Reading the way others could possibly think, getting a taste of their society. Lia is the main character, and she gets into an accident that changes her life forever. This accident changes her into a whole other person, well she wouldn't really call it person. What she becomes after her accident is something she would have never imagined for herself.Before she had everything, her life was perfect which made having to live without all that harder since it was all...more

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May 16, 2012 Alyssa rated it 5 of 5 stars

The book was awesome and the ending was even better. Skinned was full of suspense and intrique, the whole book was really well thought out.

First of all, I love the cover picture. (Not that that really implies anything to writing, but, you know..)

Lia is a character that you first feel pity for. Then, you get slightly annoyed, (she is quite whiny) and then you're like: uhm, you were what? A superficial bitch? Yep.

Then she changes...and you learn that she can care, except, she really can't because...more

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Apr 19, 2012 Paula Phillips rated it 5 of 5 stars

I had previously read the first book in this series about three years ago, but when I saw that the library had finally gotten around to purchasing books #2 and #3 , I just had to re-read it and of course the books have been reprinted and re-released with not only new covers but also new titles. In Skinned , it almost reminded me of the book Airhead by Meg Cabot when the main character dies and her body is replaced but her brain and personality is still her etc. In Skinned , we meet Lia Kahn - sh...more

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Apr 01, 2012 Livi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Wow, dieses Buch ist echt ... anders! Klar, mal wieder eine dystopische Geschichte, aber wirklich mal etwas neues. Die Kleidung ist digital, man postet quasi sein ganzes Leben in einer EgoZone und die Auto fahren von allein. Doch dieses Werk ist total tiefgründig, es geht darum wie man dem Tod entkommen kann.
Das Buch hat mich aufgrund des Klappentextes sofort angesprochen:

Lia Kahn ist tot.
Ich bin Lia Kahn.
Deshalb - denn das ist ja wohl ein
logisches Problem, was sogar ein
minderbemitteltes Kind
kö...more Wow, dieses Buch ist echt ... anders! Klar, mal wieder eine dystopische Geschichte, aber wirklich mal etwas neues. Die Kleidung ist digital, man postet quasi sein ganzes Leben in einer EgoZone und die Auto fahren von allein. Doch dieses Werk ist total tiefgründig, es geht darum wie man dem Tod entkommen kann.
Das Buch hat mich aufgrund des Klappentextes sofort angesprochen:

Lia Kahn ist tot.
Ich bin Lia Kahn.
Deshalb - denn das ist ja wohl ein
logisches Problem, was sogar ein
minderbemitteltes Kind
kösen könnte - bin ich tot.
Da ist nur eine Sache: ich bin es nicht.

Der Schreibstil war angenehm zu lesen, nicht sonderlich kompliziert, dennoch fand ich manchmal, wenn auch nur ganz selten, dass mit der Jugendsprache ein bisschen übertrieben wurde. Sonst konnte ich mich aber wunderbar in Lia hineinversetzen und auch verstehen was sie fühlt und warum ... trotzdem: sie war auf irgendeine Weise irgendwie unnahbar, sodass ich mich nicht ganz mit ihr identifizieren konnte. Der innere Konflikt ist aber völlig nachvollziehbar und gut beschrieben.
Das Buch fängt auch gleich klasse an, wie beschrieben wird wie Lia in ihrem neuen Körper lebt, aber ihn nur wie eine Hülle empfindet und keinerlei Kontrolle über ihn hat, bis sie Schritt für Schritt alles erlernt. Die anderen Charaktere haben alle etwas geheimnisvolles, merkwürdiges, was jeden auf seine Weise anders und einzigartig war, wenn ich auch mit ein paar wenigen nicht so viel anfangen konnte. Auden, ein "Org" (das bedeutet in der Sprache der Skinners "Organischer"), und Jude, auch ein Skinner, wie Lia, fand ich besonders beeindruckend und hätte beiden an manchen Stellen in den Hintern treten und an manchen Stellen einfach nur trösten können.
Immer wieder werrden auf Lias Weg, sich damit abzufinden, Hürden eingebaut, wie eine Gruppe die sich die "Erleuchteten" nennen und diese Art von Leben als "Einpfuschen in das Handwerk Gottes" nennen. Das Buch hat mich sehr zum Nachdenken angeregt, denn anfangs fand ich auch, dass Lia nun mehr eine Maschine ist, aber ihr denken und das Schicksal der anderen Skinner, haben meine Meinung schließlich ins Wanken gebracht bis sie ganz kippte. Ein einer Stelle - relativ am Ende, zwischen Lia und ihrer Schwester Zoie - hatte ich sogar Tränen in den Augen! Das Ende fand ich relativ unbefriedigend, da man nicht recht weiß was nun ist. Also unbedingt Band 2 lesen!
Alles in allem ein Buch, was einen nachdenklich hinterlässt, mit witzigen Dialogen, tiefgründigen Gedanken aber einer Protagonistin, der ich mit gemischten Gefühlen gegenüber stand.(less)

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Mar 24, 2012 Jaydan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Perfect!
Its a lovely and Heart touching tale... Completely Flawless in my eyes, save small parts in the story that seem to go on and on...

(SPOILER ALERT!!!)

Lia in my point of veiw is a Spoilt brat who was just torn from her social balcony and FORCED to live against the High-standard humans of her time...
Eventually she gets it, but she cant help but feel a slight Homesickness to her former life... Parties, Boys, Love, Feeling 'Normal'...

Soon throughout this amazing book, Lia finds friendship in a...more

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Feb 26, 2012 A.M. Supinger rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

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Jan 03, 2012 Tess rated it 5 of 5 stars

Book review

Skinned is a dystopian society book it is written by Robin Wassermen I really enjoyed reading this book it is about Lia Khan she is a high school student how had a perfect life she was popular rich and she was pretty. Then she gets in a almost deadly car accident she was in the hospital for many months are leaning everything walk talking she was in a hole new body she was skinned which means she was a plastic body so she look almost the same and human but she was plastic everything an...more

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Dec 04, 2011 Jessi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Rezension vom 04.12.2011

Du bist tot und gleichzeitig lebst du weiter. Dein Körper ist eine Maschine aber deine Gedanken und Gefühle leben weiter. Sinne werden für dich simuliert und du bist gefangen in etwas das nicht mehr so aussieht wie du und sich auch nicht mehr so anfühlt. Aber du bist noch da.
Die Welt wie wir sie kennen gibt es nicht mehr. Die Städte sind verseucht und die Menschen die es sich leisten können sind aufs Land gezogen. Das Leben wird vom Netz bestimmt und man kann virtuelle G...more
Rezension vom 04.12.2011

Du bist tot und gleichzeitig lebst du weiter. Dein Körper ist eine Maschine aber deine Gedanken und Gefühle leben weiter. Sinne werden für dich simuliert und du bist gefangen in etwas das nicht mehr so aussieht wie du und sich auch nicht mehr so anfühlt. Aber du bist noch da.
Die Welt wie wir sie kennen gibt es nicht mehr. Die Städte sind verseucht und die Menschen die es sich leisten können sind aufs Land gezogen. Das Leben wird vom Netz bestimmt und man kann virtuelle Genüsse erleben, es gibt keine Bücher mehr und auch kein Kino, usw. Lia hat es gut, ihre Eltern sind reich, Lia ist schön und lebt das perfekte Leben, doch dann wird ihr Leben durch einen Unfall zerstört und sie wacht in einem künstlichen Körper auf. Lias Gehirn lebt weiter, doch Lias Körper ist für immer und ewig tot.

Die Geschichte rund um Lia hat mich einerseits fasziniert und andererseits schockiert. Mich erinnerte dieses Buch an den Film "A.I. Künstliche Intelligenz". Und wirft bei mir die Frage auf, ob diese Art des Lebens vielleicht Wirklichkeit werden könnte. Ich für meinen Teil wünsche mir das nicht und würde mich niemals damit abfinden können in einem künstlichen Körper gefangen zu sein. Und so geht es auch Anfangs Lia. Ihre Geschichte wird mit sehr viel Gefühl und Melancholie beschrieben und ins sich sehr ruhig und stimmig. Hier kommt es nicht auf die großen Effekte drauf an oder auf starke Spannungsbögen, sondern auf die Gefühle von Lia und ihr Leben mit und in einem künstlichen Körper.
Zudem werden in diesem Roman vorallem der gesellschaftliche Druck der Randgruppen beschrieben. Es gibt zwei Gruppen, die "Orgs" die menschlichen, sterblichen Menschen und dann die "Mechs" oder auch "Skinner"genannt, die Menschen die mit einem künstlichen Körper weiterleben. Diese werden von den Sterblichen einerseits gemieden aber auch andererseits bestaunt und das hatte für mich so einen kleinen Effekt wie im Zoo - Das Tier hinter der Glasscheibe!

Vorallem die Sprache des Buches hat mich sehr angesprochen. Für mich ist es ein Jugendbuch das sie zwar einfach, in der Art des Schreibstils lesen lässt aber auch mit einer großen Portion Schwere in der Art der Gesamtgeschichte daher kommt. Es ist kein Buch das sich innerhalb von ein paar Stunden weglesen lässt. Für dieses Buch benötigt man Zeit und Ruhe zum Nachdenken und Staunen.

Dieses Buch ist der erste Teil einer Trilogie in der dystopische Züge mit viel Gefühl und interessanten Aspekten gemischt wurden. Ich bin gespannt darauf wie es mit Lia weiter geht und wohin sich alles entwickeln wird. Denn vorallem das Ende des Buches lässt für den Leser alles offen und hat für mich einen kleinen Cliffhanger Touch!!!!(less)

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Nov 03, 2011 Lothfleur rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopia

Pour les références, ce livre m'a fait penser à Dollhouse, notamment l'épisode où les souvenirs d'une morte sont implantés dans la tête d'une doll car on retrouve le même fonctionnement dans Skinned, même si, dans ce cas, l'hôte est humain et non pas bionique... Puis il m'a rappelé Pretties pour le côté futur pas si beau, superficiel mais en beaucoup mieux (à mon avis!) parce qu'on se concentre plus sur les émotions, même si Lia est sensée ne plus en avoir.

C'est tout le paradoxe : elle ne ressen...more Pour les références, ce livre m'a fait penser à Dollhouse, notamment l'épisode où les souvenirs d'une morte sont implantés dans la tête d'une doll car on retrouve le même fonctionnement dans Skinned, même si, dans ce cas, l'hôte est humain et non pas bionique... Puis il m'a rappelé Pretties pour le côté futur pas si beau, superficiel mais en beaucoup mieux (à mon avis!) parce qu'on se concentre plus sur les émotions, même si Lia est sensée ne plus en avoir.

C'est tout le paradoxe : elle ne ressent plus rien alors que si, elle a toujours des émotions... Mieux vaut que je vous explique : Lia a eu un accident de voiture, son corps est mort mais elle a été « skinned » dépouillée, c'est-à-dire qu'on a retiré son cerveau de son ancien corps pour le télécharger dans un nouveau, mécanique.
Le début très déprimant, difficile à lire car Lia se fait trahir par tout le monde mais après qu'elle ait laissé Auden l'approcher, c'est bien mieux. Je me suis énormément attachée à ce personnage qui j'espère va refaire une apparition dans la suite, parce qu'il est important, parce qu'il a une vision beaucoup plus large du monde que les autres... (Pour la comparaison avec Pretties, il a quelque chose de David mais en mieux, plus torturé dans un sens, plus réel, plus proche de nous)
La deuxième moitié du livre est aussi intéressante à cause de Jude et de son gang de “mech”, de machines, qui ont décidé de simplement cesser d'essayer de prétendre être toujours humains.
Et là se trouve le nœud du problème : Lia est prise entre les deux, proche de son ancienne vie avec Auden, mais vide à l'intérieur et face à la possibilité de ressentir quelque chose mais en n'étant plus tout à fait humaine, elle doit faire un choix, elle va être obligée de faire un choix et c'est cette thématique qui nous tient en haleine pendant toute la seconde moitié du livre.
J'ai beaucoup aimé même si j'étais perplexe au début. Mais vu comment j'ai dévoré la deuxième moitié du livre, c'est que ça devait être vraiment pas mal, mais je crains que si dans la suite, on ne parle pas d'Auden, je vais être déçue... Et puis j'attends la suite pour savoir que vraiment penser de ce livre, il me laisse toujours un peu perplexe.(less)

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Sep 17, 2011 Dine rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Lia Kahn ist tot ... und lebt trotzdem weiter ...
Bei einem Autounfall erleidet sie Verletzungen, die irreparabel sind. Als sie zu sich kommt, kann sie weder sprechen noch die Augen öffnen. Nur ihr Hörsinn ist noch intakt.
Nachdem einige Tests an ihr durchgeführt wurden, dämmert ihr langsam, wie schlimm ihre Verletzungen wirklich sind und was aus ihr geworden ist!
Da Lia in einer Zeit lebt, in der Knochen und Organe wie Ersatzteile ersetzt werden können, ist natürlich alles möglich.
Gleichzeitig lau...more

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Aug 30, 2011 Claire rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read this book in a single sitting, while the power was out due to Hurricane Irene, and I have to say, though I enjoyed it, it left me a bit wanting. The book is the story of Lia, a rich and popular teenage girl who is in an unlikely car accident, and wakes up from it in a mechanical body, which was the only way to save her life (or at least, her brain and memories). Of course, skinners, as they are known, are looked down upon as being not human, and she struggles in trying to regain her old l...more

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Jun 10, 2011 Emily rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: bad-books, never-finished

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. While the plot line and the book's blurb were interesting enough for me to pick this book off of the shelf, the execution was severely lacking. The characters, namely Lia Kahn and her vapid friends, weren't interesting. Lia Kahn had about one personality trait: selfishness. It seemed that everything she did or talked about had something to do with herself. Even once she was downloaded and had supposedly "changed," she was still the same, self-absorbed person she was before. The only thing that h...more While the plot line and the book's blurb were interesting enough for me to pick this book off of the shelf, the execution was severely lacking. The characters, namely Lia Kahn and her vapid friends, weren't interesting. Lia Kahn had about one personality trait: selfishness. It seemed that everything she did or talked about had something to do with herself. Even once she was downloaded and had supposedly "changed," she was still the same, self-absorbed person she was before. The only thing that had changed was that now everyone hated her. Including me, the reader. But not because she was a skinner or a mech or whatever. Because she was dull and obnoxious, and was a terrible narrator for a story that could have otherwise been interesting.

The only character in the entire book that I enjoyed reading about was Auden. He was different, involved in more than just himself and he didn't really fit in anywhere. I could easily empathize with him and it was clear that he wasn't a flat character like many of the others in this weak story. Most of the time, when I was reading about Lia and her struggle to figure out who she was now, I wanted to be reading about Auden. In fact, if this story had been about Auden, it would have been much better. But, of course, because he was an org (organic) and didn't even fit into the initial plot line, he had to be axed out of the story.

Then there are the mechs led by Jude. The one problem I had with them, and probably the only explanation I need to support my utter dislike of them, is this: they hated everyone who wasn't like them. They hated orgs, of course. They hated mechs who couldn't let go of the past. In fact, I'm pretty sure they just hated mechs who weren't in their group, and who weren't exactly like them. Remind you of anything? Even Jude's background story, which was told to us by Ani because Jude and his brainwashed followers don't discuss the past, wasn't enough to redeem him for all of the terrible things he had done throughout the book. Sure, it's great that he can engage Lia in a battle of wits and cleverness, but that doesn't really count for anything.

Honestly, this book was just an utter disappointment for me and I think I liked the blurb better than the book. Will I be reading the books following Skinned? No, absolutely not. (less)

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Jun 05, 2011 Karen Ball rated it 3 of 5 stars

Set in the far distant future, after a nuclear war and the reorganization of human society, this is a story about what it takes to be a human being. Lia is the perfect daughter of one of the most powerful corporate leaders, and has spent her life with every privelege available. Her sister hates her for being perfect, as she is more of a disappointment to the family. Lia is in a terrible accident, and her father decides to have Lia "downloaded" into a new body: her brain is removed and all memori...more

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Mar 02, 2011 Paula Griffith rated it 4 of 5 stars

I cannot think of any set of sci fi sequels that have hooked me, but I think I am hooked on this one. Skinned so fits that stage of maturation (teens) of the development of a social conscience and personal values. It really hits hard at what society deems important and how superficial some of our values can become, and that is only the tip of the iceberg. Lia Kahn is "Miss Popularity" and a trend setter until she is not. Until the day of the accident. When she is on an errand for her sister, Zo,...more

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Jan 04, 2011 Amanda Croley rated it 2 of 5 stars

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

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Discusted or fascinated by skinners?	7	25	May 31, 2012 03:27pm
While reading this book did any one feel like an outcast just like Lia? I know I did.	1	6	Apr 25, 2012 05:17pm
Discusted or fascinated by skinners?	1	2	Apr 02, 2012 01:27am
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About Robin Wasserman

I'm the author of the Cold Awakening Trilogy (Skinned, Crashed, and Wired), Hacking Harvard, the Seven Deadly Sins series, and the forthcoming Book of Blood and Shadow. I'm also a crazed Stephen King fan and David Foster Wallace evangelist with an embarrassing list of Important Books I've Never Read But Can Bluff About Well Enough to Discuss at Cocktail Parties. I'm working on it.

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“Nor did I need anyone's pity, but I would accept it with grace, because I have been well trained. Rudeness was a sign of weakness. Grace stemmed from power, the powere to accept anything and move on.” — 25 people liked it

“Rudeness was a sign of weakness. Grace stemmed from power, the power to accept anything and move on.” — 12 people liked it

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Skinned (Cold Awakening #1)

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