Replica

Replica Trilogy #1

by Jenna Black

Breathtaking new YA SF from the author of the Faeriewalker series

Sixteen-year-old Nadia Lake comes from a high-class Executive family in the Corporate States. Her marriage has been arranged with the most powerful family in her state, which means she lives a life of privilege but also of public scrutiny, followed everywhere by photographers, every detail of her private life tabloid fodder. But her future is assured, as long as she can maintain her flawless public image — no easy feat when your betrothed is a notorious playboy.

Nathan Hayes is the heir of Paxco — controller of the former state of New York, and creator of human replication technology, science that every state and every country in the world would kill to have. Though Nadia and Nate aren’t in love, they’ve grown up close, and they (and the world) are happy enough with their match.

Until Nate turns up dead, and as far as everyone knows, Nadia was the last person to see him alive.

When the new Nate wakes up in the replication tanks, he knows he must have died, but with a memory that only reaches to his last memory backup, he doesn’t know what killed him. Together, Nadia and Nate must discover what really happened without revealing the secrets that those who run their world would kill to protect.

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Mystery, Fiction, Romance, Fantasy

368 pages, Paperback

First published July 16, 2013

About the author

Jenna Black is your typical writer. Which means she's an "experience junkie." She got her BA in physical anthropology and French from Duke University.

Once upon a time, she dreamed she would be the next Jane Goodall, camping in the bush making fabulous discoveries about primate behavior. Then, during her senior year at Duke, she did some actual research in the field and made this shocking discovery: primates spend something like 80% of their time doing such exciting things as sleeping and eating.

Concluding that this discovery was her life's work in the field of primatology, she then moved on to such varied pastimes as grooming dogs and writing technical documentation. She writes paranormal romance for Tor and urban fantasy for Bantam Dell.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/jennab...

Reviews

[Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had two misgivings when I started reading this book.

1. The genre: YA dystopian is a topic that has always drawn me in; I love the idea of the world falling into chaos and the renewed society that forms from its remnants, but more often not, the YA dystopian novels I've read have left me completely cold, and more often than not, extremely regretful of the time I wasted in reading it.

2. The author: no, this is NOT an attack on the author. I will never personally attack an author. I mean that while I try my best not to judge an author by her previous works and to let each book stand on its own, my previous experience with Jenna Black's Faeriewalker YA series was not an altogether positive one. As I said, I try to begin each book without preconceptions, but I am only human; despite my best intentions, I still had my reservations. I am glad to say that my worries about this book were utterly destroyed. Her writing, and particularly, her characterization have grown so tremendously as to be unrecognizable from what I previously read. This book, I am happy to say, exceeded my expectations.

The premise: it is a futuristic New York, controlled by corporations. The United States is now the Corporate States. Paxco controls New York, the Empire State Building is now Paxco Headquarters Building. Nathan Hayes (Nate) is the Chairman Heir to Paxco, and Nadia Lake is his best friend and fiancée. Their future marriage is an arranged one, a business agreement. Nate is murdered right off the bat, and I suppose you could say he is "rebooted" as a Replica. You know how we have computer backups? In the future, we are backed up, and Paxco is the sole manufacturer of this technology. It is expensive to be Replicated, and Nate is only the third to be awakened as a Replica, every few months, his memory and body is backed up, but Nate dies before he could save his current memories, so his new Replica doesn't have a clue what is happening since the last backup 3 months ago. The new Nate doesn't retain the current memories, but takes over his life just the same. He and Nadia both set out to discover who killed him. Although they have the same purpose, their reason for uncovering his murderer is different; as their investigation progresses, their paths converge.

This book shocked me. In a perfect world, it shouldn't. In a perfect world, I wouldn't even bat an eye to encounter a gay character, much less a leading gay character in a book. However, it is not a perfect world by any means, and this book did a wonderful job of not only incorporating a gay character in it, but did so in a manner that I felt was completely non-stereotypical. Others may disagree with me, but in my personal opinion, Nate is one of the best gay characters I have read in an YA book. He's not a gay character. He is a normal guy, a spoiled brat of a douche, to be sure, but he is just a normal guy who just happens to like guys. He's not into fashion, he's not fruity, he doesn't act "gay." He's an asshat because it's how he was raised; he's not an asshat because of his sexuality. His sexual preference is not a big deal to him, Nadia accepts it, even if she's not happy about it because it's an arranged marriage. Nate knows it would be frowned upon if his sexual proclivities is found out, and guess what? He doesn't care. Nate loves who he loves; everyone else can shove it.

Nate is not a perfect character. Ok, I understated that a little bit. Nate is an asshole. He is wealthy, he is spoiled, he is the Chairman Heir, and as such will inherit a fortune and a tremendous amount of power when the time comes. Nate is a jerk, he is selfish, manipulative; everyone has catered to him his whole life. Nobody speaks back to him for fear of retribution. He manipulates and pulls Nadia into his childish plans, but he grows up. Even in his moments of utter selfishness, Nate is self-aware. He knows he's not a good person, he's frustrated at himself for the way he acts, but he doesn't really know how to behave any other way. Nobody thus far has stood up to him before, and he's just not used to people denying him answers.

"'I'll try to stop being such a jackass,' he said. 'But I miss him. And I'm scared for him. And I'm...angry. That’s no excuse for taking it out on you, I know. You’re the only true friend I have right now.'"

Nate's mission is to find out who killed him, and the suspect so far is his former lover, Kurt Bishop, who is on the run. If there is any character in this book who is TSTL, it is Nate. Nate is singlemindedly determined to get answers regarding his death, and he willing to do whatever it takes to get answers. This includes getting himself into all sorts of really dangerous places and situations, and more than once, he gets the crap beaten out of him. And it takes more than a few beatings to grind some sense into his head. Lest I make Nate into a villain, I have to emphasize that he's not. He is selfish, but he learns from his actions, he becomes more aware of the world around him, of the people around him who are less privileged. His sole forays into the "Debasement" opens his eyes to the danger and depravity into the world that the less privileged (or rather, the completely unprivileged) inhabit, and while he is not the fastest learner, he does grow as a character.

Nadia is a complete surprise of a character for me. I expected insta-love. I expected stupidity, I expected shallowness. Nope. The first few pages were not promising, because I saw her as a weak, stupid, insipid doormat who gets pulled into schemed by her adored best-friend and fiancé. Nope, false first impression. Instead, I got a very sheltered, innocent girl who has to deal with some difficult issues, and while her actions are not altogether perfect, her sheltered upbringing has to be kept in mind. It is a contrary world; while older sisters can and do inherit empires and the Presidency (like her older sister does), second daughters are treated like they're straight out of a 19th century Regency novel. They are, indeed, expected to be like their 19th century counterpart, demure, smart but not too educated, and all they can hope for, really, is to make an advantegeous marriage. Nadia certainly has; everyone thinks she's won the lottery since she is going to be the future Chairman Spouse with all the power, privilege, and money that comes with it.

The summary of the book makes it sound like Nadia is a Paris Hilton-type of socialite. She is not. She is shy, quiet, and hates all the attention paid upon her for being a privileged daughter of the premier Executive family. She is softspoken, and can be a doormat at times (especially when it comes to dealing with the manipulative and controlling Nate), but when it counts, she actually has a backbone, and she is more than able to stand up for herself. More than once, she calls Nate out on his selfishness and his inconsideration when he thinks to bully her into doing what he wants.

"'You selfish, spoiled, entitled bastard!' she snarled at him, and she looked like she wanted to slap him. 'After everything I've gone through because of you and your stupid little games, you’re going to condemn me without even listening to me? How dare you? I’m not one of your servants, living to fulfill your every desire. I have my own life, my own needs, my own issues, but you never have given a damn about that, have you?'"

Her character, like Nate, is not perfect. She keeps too much to herself, she takes on too much, and she is too naive at times. I love the fact that no romance is forced upon us in this book. I expected her to fall instantly for Dante (come on, with a name like that, how could you not expect the worst) but she doesn't, and she retains a good head on her shoulders by questioning him and his purposes. She notes that he is good-looking, but also recognizes in herself that the fact that he doesn't look like the typical Executive boys she knows is part of why he is so appealing to her. Nope, no falling headfirst in love here at all. Romance is very much an afterthought in this book, where Nadia is concerned. Hooray!

The mystery was well-done, and really did surprise me in the direction it took. Granted, I'm not the best detective ever. I'm not even a good armchair one. I'm more Aunt Dimity than Sherlock Holmes, but even so, the twists and turns in this book kept me intrigued. It didn't wrap up well, in my opinion, but that didn't keep me from enjoying 90% of the book.

Now the negative. What kept this book from being a 5?

1. The world building: it's confusing. It is beautifully written and described, in parts, particularly The Basement (Debasement), but otherwise, I didn't get a clear sense of the history of the United States in which the book is set. There's some vague references to individualism being the downfall of the states, but the history given was unclear. We're given 2 social classes, the Basement Dwellers, the Employees, the Executives. It's a little vague, but we do get a sense of disparity and anger between the social classes.

"'I guess my background isn't that important,' he conceded. 'I was just trying to explain that people like me, people like my family, have shitty, miserable lives working shitty, miserable jobs without ever being able to hope for better, and people like you have everything handed to you on a silver platter just because you happened to be born an Executive.'"

But again, no explanation of how such a social class structure came about. A little more history would have been nice.

2. Chloe: I was so excited when we first met Chloe. She is black, and one of Nadia's closest friends. It was explained right away when we meet her that her family, the Rathbones, were implicitly the subject of discrimination among the other Executive families. I love that this issue is brought up, since racism even among the upper classes is still a problem today, and I was glad this is not brushed over in this book, in this futuristic setting.

"Supposedly, racism had been all but abolished in these advanced and civilized times, but the Rathburns were the only black Executive family in Paxco, and Chloe always seemed to hover around the fringes of Executive society."

However, that's the limitation of our exposure with Chloe. She's mentioned on and off, but Nadia does not interact with her at all, due to Nadia's ostracized status of being a suspect in Nate's murder, and Chloe's reluctance to get herself involved in any sort of scandal when she's in her crucial years of trying to find an advantegeous marriage. It's sad, Chloe's relationship with Nadia could have been developed so much further. Nadia also doesn't have any female friends whatsoever; there is a decided lack of tolerable females in this book.

3. Mosely: the oh-so-evil "bad cop." He's so villainous and acts so mean that it is laughable. He hits girls, he enjoys being a bully, he threatens, he does everything short of twirling his moustache and speaking in a some sort of a Franco-Russian accent. He is altogether unbelievable as a bad guy.

4. The ending: but my mouth is sealed on that =)

[usagi ☆ミ · Rating 1 out of 5]

0.5 stars.

Oh, "Replica". How I wanted to like you. Really, I did. You had a fabulous premise - one I couldn't resist. But what I got was a serious case of blurb seduction and bait and switch - to the point where I just couldn't finish you. I'm not easy to offend, but I was pretty upset by this book. Why? We'll get into that in a bit. But if you want a more progressive, kinder LGBT mystery biopunk story, I suggest you look elsewhere. "Replica" just didn't deliver, and on top of things, really goes into a sensitive topic that it shouldn't have. I wish I could recommend "Replica", but I just can't.

Why this book bothered me so much (spoilers ahead): the "love interest" and MC's best friend is gay. His boyfriend Kurt is from "the Basement" aka the slums, whom he made his personal butler/valet in order to keep their relationship going as it's not okay for those in positions of power (or about to inherit positions of power) to be gay. Nope. MC is asked to be a lookout whilst love interest and his man get a little alone time, and she gets mad, mostly because even though they're bffs, she's also in love with him and also knows that he'll never be faithful once they DO get married because uh, she's not quite his cup of tea in terms of gender.

And then he's murdered. Boyfriend is suspected, and hunted down, while love interest is resurrected as a Replica - a very rare clone, supposedly so expensive to create that there's only been 4 ever made since its inception. But he doesn't have his latest backup of memories (kind of like "Dollhouse" there) so he and MC have to figure out who murdered his original. MC hopes that the Replica will be straight, but it's not to be - he still loves Kurt, even if he IS a Replica.

Murder mystery investigation ensues, and Kurt is looking guiltier and guiltier with each page.

Anyone else see a problem here? I do. I hate it when gay characters are killed off, I hate it when their lovers are suspects, and I doubly hate it in this circumstance in terms of "curing gays" in the guise of using cloning/Replicas. Because, let's be real here, that's exactly what our MC wants - for her bff to be cured so they can marry and pop out kids - out of love, and not out of duty.

And at that point, I was just 500% done. I don't get this incensed very easily, but Black managed to hit nearly all of my triggers with this one. While the murder mystery was interesting, it wasn't enough to keep me going. The worldbuilding was shoddy (we're not given a point in time in terms of how far we are in the future, or how the Corporate States really came to be instead of just a one-sentence explanation), and the character construction just wasn't up to snuff (no pun intended). The sensory imagery wasn't really there - way more telling over showing and that was pretty surprising, as it should have been a little more than it was at the ARC point of things.

Basically, it came down to this: I just couldn't keep going in good conscience, and it dismays me that this is being put out in the YA world - especially when we're making such good progress in terms of gender identity and sexual identity. This book is a roadblock in that progress, and it just pains me to no end. As I identify as pansexual/genderfluid, this book was painful to read, and I want the time I was reading it back.

So basically, if you want a pretty backward-thinking scifi biopunk book, "Replica" may be for you. But this is just how I feel about it - "Replica" is out July 16th 2013 from Tor Teen in North America, so check it out and see how you feel about it. I just wish it hadn't gone in the direction that it had - because if it hadn't, I probably really would have liked this book.

(posted to goodreads, shelfari, and birthofanewwitch.wordpress.com)

[CS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nadia Lake is engaged to Nate Hayes. But one night, he is murdered - and his lover (not Nadia) is implicated. But in this future world, there is a technology, owned by the most powerful corporation Paxco (of which Hayes' father is Chairman), which will create a "replica" of the person. Nate is brought back but lacks some of his most recent memories. Who killed him and why?

DNF at page 97 or chapter 6.

I'm waffling on the rating because, let's face it, this is not the worst YA dystopian out there. Not when "Shatter Me" or "Divergent" is out there. However, as I've said in previous reviews, my tolerance for YA "dystopians" is abysmally low. I'm taking something of a "Three Strikes and Yer Out" approach. But before we get to the plate, let's take a look at some of the balls that Jenna Black threw at us.

First off, kudos, Jenna Black for keeping me interested as long as you did! I gave up on "The Sea of Tranquility" after 21 pages, so the fact I stuck around so long is a testament that you have a good idea here. This dystopian world works better than the paper-thin environment of "Shatter Me" because I buy it. I buy that the world could get run by corporations, now arranged in something of a royalty, filled with servants and Employees as lesser beings. I also buy the gossipmongerers - hell, we have it today with the Kardashians, right?

I also nearly fainted when Nate, our super attractive rich boy to whom Nadia is engaged, turns out to be gay! Normally in YA, this character would be the "safe" Romantic Interest and Nadia would get introduced to a second Boy Toy. Not so in this case! Even better, Nate's sexuality, while taboo in this world (inexplicably - do corporations really care so much about who people couple up with??), isn't the stereotypical variety. He's just prefers to have relationships with men - pure and simple.

If only things kept along that pace, this would have been at least a run to first base. But unfortunately, it turned out a strikeout.

Strike One: While there are many female characters (Nadia, Esmeralda, Geraldine, Jewel, Cherry, Blaire, and Chloe), none of them are very sympathetic to our protagonist. As always, she receives comfort from only the men - her father, who coddles his "sweet baby" and Nate who is her closest confidant. Her mother is ready to scold her after Nadia got pulled into a 15 hour interrogation that was undeserved. Geraldine, Nadia's older sister, scolds Nadia for her actions (even though you can hardly fault Nadia, who is kinda put between a rock and a hard place in relation to Nate). Jewel, Cherry and Blaire are of course evil girls who are subtle rude. And Chloe is "sweet" but only Nadia's friend so that Nadia could toss a proverbial middle finger at the aforementioned "Terrible Trio".

Foul Ball One: Nadia easily insults her "friend" Chloe to make a jab at Jewel; yet two pages later she says she doesn't have nearly enough malice to start rumors. WTF?!

Foul Ball Two: While the world building is better than I've seen elsewhere, I don't buy all of it. Why do these people need to get married so damn young? What IS IT with these YA dystopians having 18-year-olds marry? Why is it that in a world dominated by corporations that power is still conveyed primarily via marriages and birth order? Why is being gay wrong? Why is premarital sex wrong? Is there a religion that was developed alongside adopting corporations as the governmental powerbase?

Why is Nadia's mother not also a powerful Executive with a job? There isn't a problem with women being Execs (Geraldine will inherit her father's position), so why was a point made that Esmeralda wasn't an Exec? Why are positions passed down from parent to child in the first place? That's not typically how the business world works!

How is Paxco so powerful if the technology they developed can only be used by very few individuals and is apparently so new? They must do something else beyond just create replicas. Would that industry really become the most powerful?

This is just the tip of the iceberg; I suppose some of these questions may be answered further in the book, but I won't be reading because after this Foul, we got this lovely bit:

Strike Three: Robert Dante. The very MOMENT Gerald Lake talks with his daughter about Robert Dante, a lovely servant, spying on her, I KNEW he would be the Love Interest. And while by page 97 he had not yet become that, I saw all the signs:

+ Ripped body
+ 18 years old (way too young for his job, but just old enough to be OK for 16 year old Nadia!)
+ Smiles when Nadia insults Jewel
+ Thanks Nadia when she stands up for him to Jewel
+ Is attentive to classes because education FTW

I happened to skip ahead some 200 pages and YUP, he's holding her hand, rubbing a finger on her knuckle and making her belly do flipflops.

And yer out!

I was very close to buying most of this and moving on. I'm sure there are even more questions about the world this story is set in I could have asked but didn't because I believed it. But as SOON as this decent story had the HINT of a romantic interest, thrown sloppily in so that Nadia can get some pantsfeels. Because, goddess forbid a Young Adult novel have maybe a GAY ROMANCE. NOPE, our female has to have some boy to make her panties wet and slobber over.

Sorry again, Jenna Black - I'll probably stick to your adult books from here on out. Good luck to you in YA, and take it from me: don't stop, you DO have promise!

[Elle (ellexamines on TT & Substack)]

I tried to read this years ago and dumped it bc I thought it was going to be just a romance between the two best friends but apparently they ACTUALLY JUST STAY FRIENDS and now I really wish I finished this

[Christina (A Reader of Fictions) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Back when I requested Replica, months ago, I was still fully enthralled by the dystopian fiction trend. Sadly, by the time it arrived, I'd already hit a wall, a point where every single one I read reminds me of others, and I just haven't been wowed by any for some time, even The Fifth Wave, which has been highly praised. With that in mind, my expectations for Replica were pretty low, and, happily, Replica turned out to be much better than anticipated. Though the world building is shaky, the unique make up of the cast made Replica an interesting variant from the usual formula.

Black uses third person limited narration, switching between Nate and Nadia. Nate is the Chairman Heir, destined to inherit Paxco, the insanely powerful corporation based in New York City that runs pretty much everything. Nadia has been betrothed to Nate since they were both children, and she's always loved him, despite his increasingly drastic antics.

With his latest stunt, though, Nadia has had just about enough. That Nate is gay and the romantic part of their relationship will only ever be for show Nadia has made her peace with. She still loves Nate and she does not begrudge him other lovers, even though she wouldn't mind if his heart had turned to her. Though she supports him, she still does not want to be an accomplice to his sneaking out of a party to have sex with his boyfriend and valet, Kurt Bishop. She storms off, and the next thing she hears Nate has died. And been replicated.

There are two solid points in Replica's favor for me. First, the inclusion of an LGBT main character. While it's sad that this society still hasn't evolved to be a hundred percent okay with homosexuality, the attitude still seems more open than now and I certainly feel like Jenna Black is promoting that romance. Plus, it spoke volumes to me that the only romance of any sort in Replica is that between Kurt and Nate. Though there's an obvious impending relationship for Nadia, she has no romantic arc in this one.

Second, rather than focusing on romance, friendship is to the fore. Nadia and Nate do not have the perfect friendship, but they are there for each other when it counts. Nadia disapproves of a lot of Nate's choices and Nate's a bit too self-involved, but their affection for each other is evident in spite of all of that. There's a dearth of real friendships in YA, and even less with a male/female friendship, so that was nice to see.

Some of the minor plot elements did surprise me, but, for the most part, the plot covered pretty familiar territory. Corrupt corporation managed by untrustworthy parents. Human regeneration. Questions of whether a replica is actually human, and what that means about human nature. A plot to overthrow the evil corporation. I've been through all of that before, and it even comes with the villainous monologue because of assured victory. And, much as I appreciated the out of the box main characters, characterization was still tepid all around. Much of this is decently well done, like the replication element, but it's been done so often and didn't do anything to stand out from the crowd.

Replica entertains well enough and includes LGBT themes, putting a unique spin on otherwise familiar territory. Also, romance doesn't dominate the story, though the book still does read a bit like a CW show, with spoiled rich kids rebelling against their parents and going to party with hot poor people in the process. That doesn't sound like I enjoyed Replica, I suppose, but I did for the most part. Still, I'm not sure that I'll read the sequel, just because I feel like this one wrapped up well enough for me to be satisfied with ending there.

[Maja (The Nocturnal Library) · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the second daughter of an Executive and therefore not an heiress, Nadia Lake has one purpose in her life – to marry well and procure more wealth and an even higher standing for her family. Fortunately (or so it seems), she has been chosen to marry the Chairman’s Heir, her friend Nate. But her position means that she’s always under the limelight, ruled by the strict rules of high society, and that even the smallest mistake can cost her more than she can pay. Whatever she does reflects on her family, her sister the heiress and her aloof parents. I rather liked Nadia, to be honest. Despite being a prisoner of her circumstances, she showed spirit and impressive intelligence at every turn. Faced with extremely hard choices, she always did what she thought she had to, but she did it bravely and determinedly. I tried to imagine myself in her position – destined to marry a man who would never love her or be faithful to her, but is her friend and confidante anyway – and quite honestly, I don’t think I could do it, and yet Nadia never complained.

Nate was understandably self-centered, but I suspected he had a golden heart in addition to the silver spoon he was fed with, and I was right. His only mistake was loving someone he wasn’t supposed to, and he paid for it dearly. Although I didn’t like his taking Nadia for granted and not taking the time to think about what he was putting her through, I could sympathize with his troubles very easily.

The society in Replica is one I can easily see happening in our future as well. The state of New York has been bought off by Paxcon, a company owned by Nate’s father, the Chairman. The entire society is a direct product of capitalism, the class differences so pronounced that intermingling is simply out of the question. The poorest aren’t even considered to be human, they’re called creatures, and Nate had the misfortune of falling in love with one of them.

The mystery is Replica’s weak spot. There was one possible murderer, just one person with the motive and the resources to do it, and the solution was painfully obvious from the start. But even with the villain so predictable, Replica was a fascinating read, because it reflected one version of the future I could easily believe in. It is a strong criticism of capitalistic society and sudden technological development and as such, it has a very strong impact.

While I’ve read several of her adult books, this was my first YA by Jenna Black, and I was glad to notice that her neat and precise writing style hasn’t somehow magically disappeared. She handled this with the level of confidence that can only come from a lot of experience and I was quite happy with the result. I’ll be following Nadia and Nate’s future adventures. I can’t wait to see how they’ll dig themselves out of the hole they’re currently in.

[Jen Ryland (jenrylandreviews & yaallday)]

Replica has a cool premise and a was written by an author whose YA books I have enjoyed, but I'm sad to say I didn't completely love it.

First off, I think Replica would have worked much better if it had been written and categorized as adult fiction. Yes, Nadia and Nate -- the two POV characters -- are supposed to be sixteen, but to me they felt much older. We don't see them at school, they don't have any obvious parental supervision, they mainly seem to go clubbing and do whatever they want without answering to anyone. They're rich and privileged -- Nate is next in line to rule Paxco, some kind of corporate state. They're also engaged to each other.

But there's a small problem with their relationship, above and beyond the fact that they're engaged at sixteen. Nate is gay (this isn't a spoiler; it's revealed at the beginning of the book) and to hide that fact, Nadia has agreed to pretend to be in love with him. One night, after Nate sneaks off for a secret tryst, he turns up dead. Then Nate's rich parents replicate (clone?) him, and Clone Nate and Nadia try to find dead Nate's missing lover and solve his murder.

That sounds SO cool as I type it, and I felt like this book could have been like a futuristic version of D.O.A. (1950s film noir about guy solving his own murder) with LGBT themes and clones. But for me, this was a case where the execution never quite matched the coolness of the premise. I never felt completely engaged in the mystery. Nate was kind of a jerk and Nadia kind of a doormat, though they did improve a little as the story progressed.

As I read, I kept wanting more: more suspense, more drama, more emotion, more … something. I thought maybe Nadia would realize that her fauxmance had no future and find a secret romance of her own. There was a hint of that later on, but came too late to make a difference for me. I almost never say stuff like this, but I think that as an adult or NA book with the freedom to be more daring and edgy in the sex and violence department, this book might have been more compelling to me as a reader.

[Mandy Sickle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nadia’s life should be perfect destined to marry the Nate the heir of Paxco formerly New York. However her relationship with Nate isn’t a romantic one but they are best friends, and one day will marry even though it’s not romantic. After a party that they both attended Nate ends up dead without anyone but his lover to blame forced to flee because his father’s men are hunting him. Nate’s father has created the replication technology so even though his son is dead doesn’t stop his father from being him back to life as a Replica. Only thing is Nate doesn’t remember how he died so he can’t prove who killed him and that it wasn’t his Lover.

Nate is determined to prove that it wasn’t his lover that killed him but his father and head of security of less than sure. After all his lover was seen fleeing the building with blood on them. They think Nadia may be the key to getting the info on Nate as he searches the basement for him. After forced into spying on Nate which she doesn’t want to do Nadia tries to avoid any conversation about what happened. However Nate doesn’t know that she’s been forced to spy on him and when his attempt to visit the basement to find Bishop goes terribly wrong. Nadia learns that she may have to risk it all to help Nate.

I like Nadia she’s smart willing to do what it takes for the family even if it means marring a man who will never love her other than as a friend. Nadia comes off as the executive society girl but when it comes down to it she’s in the basement smart and cunning when it comes to it. I wasn’t sure about Nate but as the book progresses he proves he has what it takes to be the good guy. We also had Dante who kind of grew on me as his story unfolded, and I hope to see more of him in the future.

I was craving a good sci fi so Replica was a perfect choice it’s the dystopian future that I love mixed with just enough sci fi elements to create a captivating story. While the story does have Sci fi elements they don’t overwhelm it very much it’s more of an added bonus to the bigger picture. The idea behind the Replica’s really is very inventive that those with enough seniority back up their memories each month so that if they are murdered or die of unnatural causes they are recreated. I found the whole story well written it just flows from start to finish loaded with mystery and action it’s a perfect blend. The characters are easy to connect, and I really enjoyed their stories unfolding. I actually have the next one sitting on my bookshelf and know that I need to pick up the final book because I can’t wait to see how it will all unfold. This is my first book by the author but I’m a quick fan. Her writing style is beautiful it’s easy to get lose in the story and I can’t wait to check out her other books.

[Alice · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25*
So this is why people hate on dystopian. All the dystopians I read so far has been incredible so I never really got how it was overrated. Most of the characters in this book are assholes. I skimmed so much. There were quite a bit of useless scenes that were just stuck in the story. I skipped like 40 pages and just read the ending. It didn't sound very cool and what happened in the end had no relevance to the majority of the book. The mystery was really stupid also. There was a slight twist to the mystery, but that wasn't much of a shock either. It's still a 2 star because I felt slightly entertained and I feel the potential this book could have had.

[Kassa · Rating 3 out of 5]

For dystopian YA fiction, Replica is average and middle of the road. Some aspects are far superior to other books in the genre, while other elements are decidedly inferior. The plot is overly familiar but the main focus of the story – friendship between a mild mannered female forcibly turned into a formidable foe (ha) and a spoiled gay playboy – is very engaging. There is very little romance and the plot is overtly a mystery in a dystopian setting but the writing is decent and premise offers just enough surprises to keep the story from being dull. I did find my attention wavering and I appreciated that I could put the book down for days at a time until my interest peaked again. That said, I do want to continue with the series and would still recommend this story for dystopian YA fans.

Nate may be the Chairman’s only son but he’s also a notorious playboy. He bucks the system whenever possible and generally tries to make himself known as an irresponsible reprobate. He’s also selfish, thoughtless, and often cruel. However, Nadia knows her fiancé also can be charming, kind, and protective. In the top echelons of society, their every move is watched and discussed so when Nate is murdered and Nadia is questioned, their worlds are thrown into turmoil. When the replica Nate wakes up with no memories of the last two weeks, the friends are desperate to figure out what really happened. Their lives aren’t the only ones being threatened with the secrets they uncover.

The story is told in third person narrator from both Nate and Nadia’s viewpoints. Nate is the son of the Chairman, who rules the state of Paxco also formerly known as New York. In the Dystopian future the US has been torn apart and taken over by corporations that rule former states. The society is a throwback to Victorian with class divides and puritanical morals, not to mention any tolerance for homosexuality. Nate is in love with his butler, Kurt, and hides his true sexuality. He is content to marry Nadia, who knows the truth about Nate and frequently covers for him, since the two are good friends even if they’ll never be lovers. The world building here is decent to good in some spots though there are quite a few holes as well. So much time is spent on the actions of trying to find out who killed the original Nate and why that the world building definitely suffers.

Likewise the characterization is nuanced and actually pretty good. I was left thinking I didn’t know the characters that well but when I thought about their arcs, I realized they were actually pretty well realized. Nadia has a very nice progression from mild mannered, rule abiding 16 y/o to strong, tough, and risk taking. It’s not often females are afforded that kind of growth in a reasonable and understandable way. She has flaws and definitely shows her fear in the appropriate situations but she also grows from meekly agreeing with Nate to make him happy to standing up to him and for herself. Similarly Nate grows from being a spoiled, thoughtless playboy who actually became the thing he thought he was merely portraying to a more thoughtful, careful, and considerate young man. Their friendship is the highlight of the story since they both have very real flaws as well as strengths. It’s not often you see a three dimensional female not stuck into a stereotype as the tag along best friend to the gay character. Nadia is definitely not a tag along and the care her and Nate have for each other shines through. It’s a totally different relationship than Nate has with Kurt, but no less important.

The mystery of who killed Nate is interesting. I kind of guessed the culprit really early on, and cheated to see if I was right, because it really was the only option. However, the story does a decent job of prolonging the action until the inevitable villain confession at the end. The end is a bit overdone with the typical “good vs. evil” showdown and Scooby-doo’ish, idealistic kids winning out over evil corporations and their bottom line. The epilogue actually cheered me because I thought the ending was too cookie cutter until then. I liked the ending but I was glad to see a seed of discontent sown in to make it slightly more palatable.

It’s not often in fiction, let alone YA, that there is a well-written female with a strong relationship to a gay male and it’s not clichéd or a stereotype. Their friendship is the strongest, and best, aspect of the book and worth reading for, in my opinion. The mystery and decent, if slightly weak, world building add to the overall story, making it one I mostly enjoyed reading. I read it at lunch over two weeks so taken in those short bursts worked extremely well for me. I think I’ll read the sequel in much the same manner. I’m not sure it’s strong enough to hold my attention to read all at once but I liked it enough to continue with the series.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review originally posted at RabidReads.com.

It is a known fact that I don’t read many young adult novels. However, there are some authors that I’ll try. Jenna Black is one of those authors. I’ve read her adult novels and even her other YA trilogy, The Faeriewalker Series. I’ve always enjoyed her books, so I thought I would give this one a try.

The world that is built here is very interesting. It takes place in the future and the government as we know has collapsed. This story takes place in what was once New York City. There is technology to not only clone humans, but also replicate their memories into that clone. If you die, they can bring you back. You will remember everything since the last time you were scanned.

We have two main characters in this book. Nate (18) and Nadia (16). They are engaged to be married, as arranged by their parents. Nate’s father is the chairman of Paxco, the largest corporation in this city. Nate is his father’s only son and heir. He is also gay, but is friends with Nadia. Nate has fallen in love with another boy from Basement, which is the really bad part of town. Nate is hiding his sexual preferences to prevent being “reprogrammed”. Nadia is the second daughter in her family, so she isn’t really heir to anything.

At the very beginning of Replica, Nate is murdered while at a party. The murder is pinned on Kurt Bishop, Nate’s lover and valet. Nadia is the last person who saw him alive. Nate is brought back as a Replica. His last scan was two weeks prior, so he doesn’t remember anything of the past two weeks when he wakes up. Nate and Nadia both agree that Kurt Bishop is not the real killer. They set out together to solve this murder. Can you imagine trying to be a detective in your own murder case??

In this world, status is very important and being heir to a great family can determine a lot about your life. There are Executives, Employees and Basement Dwellers. The majority of our characters are Executives or part of the family. We do meet some Basement Dwellers, but very few of the middle of the road Employees.

The characters in this story are not perfect. Nate and Nadia are both raised in an elitist society. They have always gotten what they’ve wanted, but have also lived a very sheltered life. While Nate is gay, he isn’t a stereotypical gay man. He is just a guy who likes other guys. He is a bit of a brat in the fact that he has always had everyone bow down to him as he will likely become the next Chairman of Paxco Industries. He doesn’t take things well when things don’t go his way.

Nadia is a girl who was raised in a society where she is just meant to be a pretty sidekick to her future husband. She isn’t a Kardashian though. She befriended the only black girl in her school, whose family just barely makes into Executive ranks. She abhors the other more traditional society girls.

Replica is very well written with a lot of twists and turns. There isn’t much of a love interest. There is the relationship between the two boys, but that isn’t pretty down played. There is also a potential love interest between Nadia and Dante, an employee that is assigned as a personal assistant, but is really a spy for the Chairman. I liked that this book didn’t have typical YA tropes of love triangles and teenage angst. I’ve very interested to see how book two of the series goes.

[Lizzy Lessard · Rating 2 out of 5]

REPLICA tries to break the YA mold by adding a twist to the relationship between the main female and male characters. Nadia and Nathan are engaged, but one of them (very minor spoiler – find out in first chapter) is gay and in love with someone else. In order to maintain her social status, Nadia pretends like she is in love with Nathan. Their superficial relationship is tested when Nathan is killed, supposedly by the third wheel in their love affair.

The most obvious (for me) person behind the killing ended up being the person to do the deed, which is the main reason I scored this book so low. I don’t like books that I can predict the end within the first chapter or two.

The other shortfall for this novel is the lack of scientific terms and technology. The only evidence that this book takes place in the future is the cover and the concept of human cloning. There is very minimal world building. There is no science involved, which makes me very wary to even call this a science-fiction novel. I don’t think of it as a dystopian novel either, though it’s class system could allude to the genre.

Nadia’s motivations in this book appear to be one-dimensional. I was hoping that she’d develop more over the course of the story, but it didn’t happen. The story was linear, like in a MG novel. The entire book felt flat and in my mind I was looking too much into the little things that happened and hoping that there would be something beyond the obvious. I had hope that there would be some kind of unexpected twist at the end. But no.

I think tween readers might appreciate the simplistic story, but this book fails in comparison to other books on the YA level.

[Nicole M. Hewitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review and many others can be found on my blog - Feed Your Fiction Addiction

Replica reads like a dystopian sci-fi mystery - quite a unique combination!

The story takes place in a world where corporations have taken over the government. It is told from both Nate and Nadia's perspectives. Nadia and Nate are engaged - their marriage arranged at a young age - a convenient business transaction. They are both fine with this arrangement - they love each other and enjoy each other's company, but know that they will never be in love because Nate is gay. Nadia knows this and doesn't mind covering for him and acting as his girlfriend, but she draws the line one night when Nate wants her to stand watch at a Corporate event so that he can have sex with his Basement Dweller boyfriend, Kyle. Nadia refuses to help Nate with his useless rebellion and leaves him there alone with Kyle - only to find out that he is murdered that night. Luckily, since Nate is one of the most important people in Paxco (the Chairman's heir), he is replicated - his body is reproduced and his downloaded memories are placed into his mind, making him a perfect copy of the original Nate. But, Paxco officials are intent on finding Kyle, who they believe murdered Nate - and they are not above threatening Nadia into helping. Nadia is left with the choice of whether she should betray Nate, her closest friend and future husband, in order to save herself and her family from certain ruin.

The negatives:

The villains.
One issue that I had with this book was that the "bad guys" were made out to be completely villainous - Mosely, in particular, is right out of a comic strip. He seems to enjoy making threats, destroying lives and beating up young girls. And why? Um... he's a bad man? I didn't really get it. Supposedly, he would do anything for the good of Paxco and that's his motivation, but it didn't really explain why he was so evil. This is an issue with all of the villains in this book - they just weren't particularly believable because they were too one-dimensional.

Pacing.
For some reason, this book just didn't grab my attention and hold it the way I would have liked it to. For the first half of the book, I was interested in what would happen and with the mystery of the story, but I didn't feel compelled to keep reading. It wasn't until somewhere in the second half where the action really picked up and I felt truly engaged with the story. It's not that the first half of the book was bad but, for me, it just didn't have that certain spark that captures my attention and makes me not want to put the book down.

What I Loved:

The dystopian society.
I thought that the concept of this book was a really unique spin on the dystopian genre. I thought it was very interesting to imagine what the world would be like if corporations actually bought out the government and were left to rule as they saw fit (always keeping their own best interests in mind, of course). The class system that was created was also unique - with the Executives being the upper class. If you were born into an Executive family, you were expected to act accordingly - business was a way of life. People walked around wearing business attire and were expected to act with a certain sense of decorum at all times. The next class down basically consisted of the working class - the Employees. These people were considered respectable, but they didn't lead the kind of lives that the Executives led. Then, there were the Basement Dwellers - the name sums up their role in society fairly well. I loved that the Basement wasn't just slums, but instead had a funky, dangerous, club vibe where people did their best to fit in by standing out - with outrageous hair, makeup and clothing. It was as if the Basement Dwellers were trying to be the complete antithesis of what the Executives wanted and expected. The business-ruled world of Replica was quite intriguing and I hope that we get to learn more about their society in the next book!

The mystery.
Most of this book was focused on the mystery of who killed Nate and why. While Nate and Nadia are fairly certain that the person accused of the crime (Kyle) isn't actually the murderer, they're never quite sure what to believe and, as the reader, I wasn't sure either. I had suspicions, but was still very surprised when we found out who killed Nate (especially with why they did it - the why took the book down a whole new path that I had no idea was coming). It was also really interesting to discover undercurrents of what was happening in The Corporate States and their society as Nadia and Nate uncovered more and more of the mystery.

Nadia.
I really connected with Nadia as a character. She wasn't a kick-butt heroine, but she did have a sort of inner strength that allowed her to do what was necessary to protect herself, her family and even Nate and Kyle. I appreciated that - it made her seem like a real person - she was rightly terrified of what would happen to her and her family and she made choices based on both fear and her own sense of right and wrong. This seemed incredibly realistic to me. I loved her sense of loyalty and dedication to both Nate and her family and I really felt for her when she had to make decisions that felt like choosing between them. Nadia may not have jumped up and attacked the bad guys, but she did use her intelligence and dedication to make a horrible situation better.

Nate.
Nate wasn't actually a particularly likable character at first. He was very self-centered and had a "bored with life" troublemaker attitude that wasn't very endearing. Yet, it was through Nadia that you got to see a bit more of the real Nate and her affection for him made me want to like him too. Also, after the replication, he became a more sympathetic character because of his struggle with whether or not he was really still Nate and his worries about how others would treat him. His character grew quite a bit throughout the book, so I was firmly on his side by the end.

Hints at romance.
Of course, there's no romance between Nate and Nadia, since it's established right away that Nate's gay. There are times where Nadia kind of wishes that he might feel something for her that way, which I've seen a few reviewers say really bothered them. But I didn't see this as her hoping to change Nate - it's more that she occasionally feels somewhat wistful about the kind of marriage that she wishes she could have - that she knows can't happen since she's engaged to a gay man. There were, however, hints at a romance that might develop between Nadia and another character. I'm not 100% sure where this was left, though, since something that the possible love interest does toward the end of the book makes him pretty unredeemable in my opinion. I guess I'll have to wait and see!

The ending.
The last quarter of the book definitely got exciting. And the book had a twist ending that, while it wasn't completely unexpected, definitely set up the next book in the series really well. I loved that the ending was told from a new and fresh perspective and left us eager to see what would happen next!

Replica is a unique dystopian sci-fi novel with a mystery twist that keeps you guessing! I rate it 4/5 stars.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

REPLICA is the first book in a promising new series by author Jenna Black. A story that combines a futuristic, dystopian setting and a murder mystery with elements of science fiction, make for an incredibly engaging read.

Told from the dual perspectives of Nadia, a member of Paxco’s Executive class and Nate, the Chairman Heir of Paxco, the plot centers around Nate’s murder and his and Nadia’s attempt to solve the crime.

As Nadia tries to come to grips with her future husband’s death and his rebirth as a Replica, she is forced to decide whether to become a spy and betray him or risk her future and her family’s lives. While the choice should be an easy one, as the risk to Nate would be small, she doesn’t want to lose the only real friend she has. And if she gives in to Mosely’s threats, she knows that Nate would never forgive her and her future with him would be over. It’s a lose-lose no matter what she decides.

When Nate wakes as a Replica and discovers that he has been murdered, he can hardly believe it. Aside from the missing two weeks of memories that led up to his death, he feels exactly like himself. At least he thinks he does. What’s even more of a shock is that the person he loves has been accused of the crime. And with the overwhelming evidence against him, it seems Bishop may actually be guilty.

But even if he isn’t, he was the last person to see Nate. He is the only one that could have answers about what happened. And finding those answers is the only way that Nate will be able to move on. He just has to find Bishop before Mosely does. And in a city where every move he makes is monitored it might prove impossible.

Jenna Black sets her story in a city that is set up like a corporation, with a Chairman, Executives, Employees and those in the Basement not deemed worthy to exist. In her future society those at the top struggle for power and those at the bottom struggle to survive. All of which provides an interesting backdrop to this story and sets the stage for future conflict in this series.

While REPLICA is billed as science fiction, the story itself does not delve too deeply into the genre. The science of replication is only briefly touched upon as are the moral and philosophical issues it presents. And despite its futuristic setting in what was once New York City, it feels very much a story set in the present day. From the characters’ clothing to the methods of transportation to the technology, the society’s advancements seem to mirror today’s.

As this is just the first book in a series and other elements germane to the genre present themselves at the story’s end, it is likely there will be more of a science-fiction focus in future books.

But for those readers who enjoy a mystery, a story told in alternating points of view, a city whose citizens are on the verge of rebellion, characters who run the gamut from brave and loyal, to timid and subservient, to arrogant and self-centered, to power-hungry and malicious, and for those who aren’t in need of a love story, REPLICA delivers a captivating read.

On a personal note...

I really liked REPLICA by author Jenna Black. Then again I’m not sure there is anything she could write that I wouldn’t like. She creates stories that are just so easy to get caught up in and the same was true for this first book in her new series.

I am not a science fiction fan when it comes to books so I liked that this story wasn’t heavily sci-fi based. I did think there would have been a little bit more of the science when it came to the Replicas so I was somewhat surprised that the scientific aspect only played a small part in this story.

I think I actually would have enjoyed reading a bit more about their creation. Though I did like the moral aspects that were lightly touched upon in this first book. I also liked the somewhat dystopian feel to the setting with the elitist ruling class, the working class and those in the Basement.

The disparity between classes seems like it will continue to be a major factor as the series progresses, given the title of the next book. But even though each of these elements played a part, most of this story revolved around solving a murder.

I don’t want to go into too many details about that, as I'd be revealing some fairly significant spoilers if I did. But I enjoyed following along as Nadia and Nate searched for the one person who could have answers about what happened.

Nadia was a likable character who grew even more likable as the story progressed. She might not have been so likable if Nate’s murder had never happened. But it did and she rose to the challenge, becoming an incredibly strong character.

I was not a fan of Nate until the very end. He was so unbelievably self-centered that it was hard for me to connect with the story at times when it switched to his point of view. I liked him so little that I didn’t sympathize with his plight and I found his actions frustrated me to no end one moment and disinterested me at another.

And while he may have started taking baby steps toward being a decent person, I still wonder if that was due to some Replica programming and that had the “real” Nate survived, he would have been the complete jerk introduced briefly at the beginning.

What I liked most about this story, aside from what was touched upon at the end that the sequel promises, is the fact that Jenna Black didn’t add in a love story to fulfill some expectation. I was glad that their arranged marriage didn’t become one from a fairytale. Though I wish the description had been bold enough to reveal who Nate was in love with and why he and Nadia would never be more than just friends.

But that aside, I thought the author touched upon some interesting topics like mortality and immortality, morality and science, abuses of power and a society living under a classist regime.

REPLICA was a very quick read with a female protagonist that I adored, a male protagonist that I grudgingly tolerated by the story’s end, a couple secondary characters who I’m still debating as to whether they are trustworthy and a couple who are just plain evil. The mystery is engaging, the premise is fascinating, the ending is all sorts of exciting and the epilogue makes me anxious as to what lies ahead.

Original notes:

Really liked this book. I think this is going to be an interesting series. Excited for the sequel.

I really enjoyed the story from Nadia's POV but not quite as much from Nate's as he didn't quite become a redeemable character until later in the story. So I found myself disconnecting at times when viewing the story from his eyes.

There was a bit less science fiction than I thought there would be and much of the story focused on the mystery and character development. The replica aspects were looked at more from a moral side vs a science one at least in this book.

The end was really exciting and left the door open for an even more action-filled sequel.

The author's writing as always had a nice flow though in the ARC there were a few redundant thoughts and ideas that were a bit redundant that may not appear in the finished version. Am curious to check that out when it releases.

Review TK

[Nadine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Es klang so vielversprechend: Nadia und Nates Ehe wurde von ihren Eltern bereits besiegelt, als sie noch Kleinkinder waren. Die beiden haben sich mit ihrem schicksal arrangiert, auch wenn sie keine romantische Liebe für einander empfinden. Nadia würde ihre Familie durch die Ehe mit dem Sohn eines hochrangigen Politikers absichern und Nate könnte durch die Ehe seine Homosexualität kaschieren.Am Abend eines großen Empfangs wird Nate ermordet, doch glücklicherweise gibt es die Replica-Technologie, mit deren Hilfe Menschen, die keines natürlichen Todes gestorben sind, anhand ihres letzten Scans in einem identischen Körper mit allen bis zum letzten Scan gemachten Erinnerungen wieder hergestellt werden können. Nate ist also zurück, erinnert sich aber nicht an die Umstände seiner Ermordung.Die Geschichte wird abwechselnd aus der Sicht von Nate bzw. Nadia erzählt. Die Freundschaft zwischen Nate und Nadia hat mir gut gefallen und die Tatsache, dass einer der Protagonisten schwul war, fand ich sehr erfrischend. Leider blieb für mich jede Romantik auf der Strecke, sowohl in Nates Beziehung, als auch bei der sich SEHR langsam anbahnenden möglichen Beziehung Nadias zu einem anderen Charakter. Leider fehlte mir teilweise die Spannung und die Verbindung zu den Charakteren, dafür war es zum Teil zu überspitzt und Thriller-artig. Das wirkte auf mich leider oft eher albern, zu übertrieben. Zum Schluss hin wird es dann fast schön lächerlich.Das Buch hat eindeutig Potenzial, aber für mich hat es einfach nicht halten können, was es zu versprechen schien.

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and Sweet:

This was one of those books that the cover completely confused me. It just didn't seem to fit with the story. Similarly, the setting seems both historical and futuristic in some ways, but I think that worked for me because I could kind of overlay my perception onto the story. I actually really enjoyed the 'timelessness' aspect of Replica and would absolutely recommend it!


To Elaborate...

Replica was pretty different from what I usually read. However, I think this is exactly why I ended up enjoying it as much as I did. The pacing had me picking it up every time I had a spare 5 minutes and I was really interested in seeing what happened to Nadia and Nate. Replica also had a particularly despicable villain who I found myself very invested in seeing meet some sort of unfortunate end.

What Replica does best is the slow build. This story just got more and more interesting until it exploded with information and action. Near the end, I couldn't even set it down to eat dinner. I had to know what was going to happen! The very last few pages blew my mind again. Just so good!!!

I have to say that while I didn't feel as connected to the characters as I do some of my favorite books, I did feel super entertained. I think Replica would make a great action/murder-mystery movie. Jenna Black is an amazing story teller! :)

Originally published @ iheartyafiction.blogspot.com

[Daniella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found replica on sale at the Barnes and Noble when I first saw it and the only reason I picked it up because it was only seven dollars and my mom knew I had a soft spot for science fiction for teens. But what she didn't know that over the years I've grown bored of science fiction and dystopian teen literature because everything has been done and I can't read the same books over and over. In the end, due to the price we ended buying it anyway. As I started reading I did straight out noticed the obvious basic sy-fy plot. I mean, which of those stories don't revolve around teenage female heroine, the leading handsome guy on the side, and not to mention a resistance around the corrupt society. But what I did find refreshing was the fact the leading man was never her love interest and in fact a homosexual that was stated as a homosexual from the beginning. Also, in most of these type of books the main character is usually a tough poor girl from the streets who really only becomes important during a rebellion. Nadia, the leading lady, is a rich girl had nothing to do with a resistance until the second half of the book and in the end she became braver and stronger, but never a super crime fighting warrior. Overall I enjoyed the book thoroughly and am anticipating for a sequel or trio.

[Darcy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked the world that this book is set in. What didn't work for me was Nate, one of the main characters. He was like a petulant toddler, one who only cared about himself and would pitch a fit if he didn't get his way. I felt sorry for Nadia, for how he treated her even after things started to change. He didn't deserve someone like her in his life. I did like Nadia, thought she did a great job with the situation Nate put her in. I also loved how when push came to shove Nadia managed to out smart the unusual bad guy.

I'll check out the next book, I want to see if Nate can change and if Nadia can continue to out smart people.

[Melonie Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. Nate and Nadia are very likeable characters. I love how their characters grow and mature throughout the novel. It is a dystopia novel and science fiction as well. Also some mystery....I can't wait to see how the story unfolds in the next two novels.

[Chrystalin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good underlying story. But, when I pick a YF book at the library, I expect it to be one I would be comfortable letting my 15 year old son read. This definitely was not! And the sad part is I think it could have been done just as well or better without adding the questionable content.

[Feminista]

A plot line which involves curing the gay love interest... Not interested. Even if the author bases it on some kind of scientific replication that turns the love interest straight.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a sucker for "trying to solve their own murder" tropes so when I saw this book for free on Kobo I knew I had to give it a try.

Because there's so much going on, the book doesn't delve too far into the issues of identity that arise from the premise (is your clone also you? Is your clone a human? If you get murdered but your clone is activated right away, are you dead?) but it does bring them up and I was impressed with the way they were addressed. The twist of who actually committed the murder and why actually managed to surprise me.

I also enjoyed the two main characters, Nate and Nadia. They start out very stereotypical YA leads but grow in interesting ways over the course of the story. There's another character I found really intriguing but she's not introduced until quite late in the book so I wish we had seen a bit more of her.

The other characters are pretty thin and stereotypical: there's a hot bad boy named Dante, a few "mean girls", an obsequious British butler, and a moustache-twirlingly evil nemesis. There's also only one Black character and her entire role is to experience racism.

I also found the worldbuilding to be a bit shaky. It's a sort of cyberpunk-lite dystopia built on top of the old United States where the executive class act like characters in a Regency romance for some reason (inherited titles, arranged marriages, strict rules of propriety and gender roles, attending balls all the time) and homophobic conversion therapy still exists but religion is never brought up at all, which felt weird. The writing style was a bit awkward as well, switching around official names and slang names for seemingly no reason and often reusing words or phrases in the same paragraph.

While I enjoyed parts of this book, other parts were weak for me. I'm not sure if I'll read the other books in this series or not.

[Frog · Rating 3 out of 5]

i don't understand why all of these reviews say this book is about the straight MC "curing" the gay MC, this just isn't true.

i appreciate this book for what it is, the mystery is predictable and the plot twists aren't all that well foreshadowed, but in terms of lgbt representation i think this book holds up quite well.

(slight spoilers)
The premise is that Nate and Nadia are elite rich people in a futuristic corporate run New York City. The two are betrothed however Nate is revealed in the first chapter to be gay and having a love affair with his valet. Nate is been murdered and his lover is the only suspect, leading Nate and Nadia on a search to clear his name.

while it is pretty basic as far as YA dystopia goes, what appeals to me about this book is that it doesn't as some people claim ever give any indication of romance between the two main characters. well Nadia occasionally wishes things were different (as any teenage girl would) it's never revealed that she has any romantic interest in nate. The two are simply friends and the book explores the complexity of that friendship in the society they live in.

(MAJOR SPOILERS)
I rated it 3 1/2 stars because I was disappointed with the ending, -I have yet to read the next two books so maybe it completes the storyline- but I was disappointed that the author set up a very interesting power dynamic and opened the discussion into the politics of wealth and class divides. However instead of going further into these topics in the book instead chooses to go for the evil AI route.

[Joel Niles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Replica is a book by Jenna Black. It is about a girl named Nadia who is deeply in love with the king’s son Nate. She gets manipulated by Nate though. One night at a party they sneak off. She finds out he is gay and says she won’t be his guard. The next day Nate turns up dead. She gets involved in a murder mystery and a deep secret about the king.

I think that Nate is very manipulative but nice. Nadia is a humble sweet girl. The setting is a very far future where technology has unimaginably advanced. The theme is not very oblivious and is more of interpretation. I interpreted it as keep your enemies close but your friends closer. You might just not know when that friend becomes everything that you thought they weren’t.

Replica was a very good book. However, Nadia and Nate didn’t become a thing like I was hoping. I thought they would have been cute together. However i did very much so enjoy the plot twist. I never thought that person would betray Nate. However, I am glad Nate and Nadia are at least friends and they solved who did it.

[Bree Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

So the Pop Sugar book challenge says to read two books with the same title. I read Replica by Lauren Oliver and this served as a "book of the same name." And it SOOOO surpassed the Lauren Oliver version.

We are plopped into a New York that is in a distant time period from our own - where the USA is now a conglomerate of corporate states, including the one where Nate and Nadia live. Nadia is 16, wealthy, and an Executive (meaning first class). She is betrothed unofficially to Nate - 18, Executive, and the Heir to the Company. But, Nate is also hiding a deep, dark secret. They argue and Nadia wakes the next morning to the news of Nate's death.

But, never fear dear audience, Nate's father is known for his Replica technology and we have an instant new-Nate, but without the memories of the previous night.

From there, we get to discover this new world as Nate and Nadia delve into the underbelly of society and fence with the upper echelon to discover the truth of who killed Nate.

A riveting story and WAY better than the first. :) Can't wait to read book 2.

[Tricia V · Rating 1 out of 5]

Actual rating: 0.5 stars
In my opinion, there are many better YA distopian books out there that you can read if that's the kind of book you're into. I don't think that this book aged well as there were a bunch of things I found problematic throughout.
On top of that, the book feels like it's a really read but in reality it's only 365 pages. This issue is due to the fact that the majority of the chapters are long winded and not broken down properly (in my opinion). The first 15 chapters took up 268 pages in a book that contained 25 chapters and an epilogue. This means that the final 10 chapters (plus the epilogue) only took up 97 pages.
Black also had a habit in restating facts the reader had already been given throughout this book. I don't think that a reader needs to be given the same clue 5 or 6 times to progress the plot. If the reader didn't catch the clue the first or second time it was given, then the reader will just need to be surprised by the reveal. By restating the clues so often I feel like Black ruined most (if not all) of the reveals in this book.

[Gracie Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will pre-curse this review by noting that I've never been much of a sci-fi/dystopian future fan but after reading the back cover of REPLICA, I decided "why not" and gave it a whirl. I initially thought that this would have a romance plot of some sort but honestly, it really doesn't, unless you count the relationship of Nate and his (mild spoiler alert) lover Kurt Bishop. The book is well written and thought out though I do think that there is more world building left to be done by the author. I really appreciated that there was a gay main character who's homosexuality didn't alter his personality at all. He wasn't a stereotype or a place holder. He was just an annoying as hell prick. Even so I did like him as a main character and almost wished that everything had been in his perspective but Nadia was certainly an intriguing character as well. I would definitely read more of this series :)

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Also posted at Oops! I Read A Book Again*

Thank you to Angie of Tor Teen for the review copy! This in no way affected my views of the novel.

Uhm, WHERE. IS. THE. NEXT. BOOK? Seriously. I was up until the wee hours of the night because I was so engaged in reading REPLICA. I didn't even glance at the clock the whole time and was so shocked that I stayed up so late because I just couldn't not finish it. I read this in one sitting, you guys.

Right from the first page, I was hooked. I'm not usually up for rich girl characters but Nadia got to me immediately. A filial daughter who'll do everything for her family even though she's pushed over in the way. You might think that that's an irritating trait and I usually think so as well but Jenna Black was able to make me see through her character. Even though she seems like a doormat, you can immediately tell that Nadia is smart and courageous. The author was able to introduce to us the characters just with the right plots and insightful dialogue.

Even with just the first chapter, the world with which REPLICA is set has been successfully built and described by the author. That's another reason why this novel reeled me in. The United States of America, now called Corporate States, is owned by several company owners who bought out the different states. Then, there's also the class hierarchy present, which divides the citizens into three classes: Executives, Employees and Basement-dwellers. Paxco, which was once New York, is owned by Chairman Hayes, Nate's father. Because of their Replica technology, which allows humans to be replicated in case of death, Paxco is raking in the money. To me, the world I gleaned on at the first chapter instantly grabbed me in.

And then we get a shocker as the first chapter reveals that Nate is gay. HOLYMOLY THAT ROCKED ME. No questions asked, this novel was either going to be a 4-star or a 5-star read for me. A dystopian tackling homosexuality? Not only tackle but make one of the main characters a homosexual? Damn, sweet. I am in all the way.

Nate ends up murdered and so we get a mystery. My mystery-loving ears definitely clapped with joy with this. Oh yes, mystery in YA, extra gravy please? After his murder, his replica immediately took over him. Now, this replica is missing two weeks of memories and therefore doesn't know who killed him. At first, replica!Nate feels exactly like the real Nate but he can't help but feel and think that he's fake. Still, he pushes this thought away at first until the entirety of the book but I'm sure the differences of the real human and the replica will be delved on in the next books.

Moreover, unlike most novels where the protagonists are in love with each other or will be in due time, REPLICA shoves all the cliches away and makes us see that it can be the other way. Nate is in love with another person and only sees Nadia as a friend. It's actually Nate who has a romance arc in this novel. Sure, Nadia had the trappings of a soon-to-be romance but as far as REPLICA is concerned, there's no romance for Nadia in here.

The character development was HUZZAHMAZING. From a pushover, Nadia ends up standing against just about everyone and risking her once very sheltered and safe life to protect Nate and the one Nate loves. She ends up being such a brave person and I applaud her for it. Nate's change from being a big asshole by realizing everything he'd done wrong and changing his ways gradually was also commendable. I know some people are irritated with Nate as he's an arrogant, pompous and privileged dick but I never got my hackles up over him because I get where's he's coming from and it's just a defense mechanism. It's his version of a wall, to be a rebel. And of course, I can't wait to read more and get to know Nadia's love interest, Dante. To say I look like I was trying to force a dimple to show in my cheek from smiling even when I've never had a dimple all my life is an understatement. He's sweet and nice and I JUST NEED MORE OF DANTE AND NADIA.

Lastly, awesome writing! The novel was written in the third person POV and mostly alternates with Nadia and Nate's perspective. At first, I had doubts with the narration style because I'm used to first-person POVs especially when we have dual perspectives. But fear not as Jenna Black used this narrative style to ultimately propel the story forward and even though we only have a limited insight to the thoughts of the characters, the style of writing never felt like a hindrance. Moreover, Jenna Black's way with words is definitely interesting and intriguing. With the perspective she used, the story was written in a passive way. Some readers found it boring and draggy at times but I didn't quite find the book in any way boring. Sure, as I said, it was written passively but for me, it didn't fail to bring out the adrenaline rush I long for when reading dystopian and sci-fi novels. However, for those who want a novel that is heavy on the sci-fi, REPLICA definitely isn't that. The technology of creating replicas aren't explained much and so, for those who are a bit iffy with sci-fi, don't fear as REPLICA is light on the science.

Think you've read everything the dystopian genre can offer? Read REPLICA and think again. REPLICA pushes the boundaries of its genre and dwells in unconventionality. I cannot wait for RESISTANCE!

[Ryan S · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Typical first book in a YA sci-fi/dystopian series. I like her premise, and personally enjoyed the ending twist. I like the character of Nadia, but Nate is an insufferable twit. I hope, at some point, we see some redeeming qualities. I don't yet understand Nadia's unflinching devotion.

The plot and idea aren't particularly revolutionary, but I still bought the rest of the series, so I guess that says something.

[Elzbeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I really enjoyed the book: the premise was good, it was fast paced, it was interesting...but the problem came in that it was TOO fast paced. It was great right up until the end, then I felt like they tried to shove several more chapters worth of plot into the last couple chapters and nothing was tied up quite as neatly as it could have been.