Surrogate Code: Book Two of Surrogate Colony

by Boshra Rasti

Defying the odds, Adriana and Zach have escaped MicroScrep's extermination institutions - Adriana, the Surrogate Colony, and Zach, the Eunuch Colony. They've found the off-grid Scientists committed to destroying MicroScrep and should be happily living in matrimony, but there is a problem: the Scientists don't trust them yet.

Worse still, the Scientists’ protective technology is failing.

Much to Adriana's shock, Zach and her must go on separate missions to prove their loyalty to the off-grid Scientists and ultimately to each other.

252 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 29, 2022

About the author

Boshra Rasti was raised in British Columbia, Canada and works as an expatriate teacher in Qatar. She received a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership at Royal Roads University, which proved a fateful blow to her belief in anything hierarchical. However, it did spark her desire to flee from the real world and start writing about other ones. When she is not working to earn a living, she enjoys the escape that reading and writing lend her. She also enjoys physical running, even if it is of the sadistic variety in Qatar.

Reviews

[Shannon Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Realistic, Thought-Provoking, Thrilling, Compelling Page Turner!

It's a Rollercoaster ride!  Your gonna be all white knuckles & no finger nails left by the time your finished reading.  Then your gonna be wondering when book 3 comes out!! (is there an ETA?)

I believe that this second novel, in which I seriously hope is at least a trilogy was incredibly strong.  I believe it was brilliant having the two main characters go on separate missions, by doing this Boshra opens the storyline up for more action, adventure and a chance for us to get to know a few secondary characters a bit better as well.  I also believe that in doing so there is more speculation & suspenseful twists and turns! 
 
Surrogate Code picked up right where Surrogate Colony left off, there were no crazy plot changes or slips by the writer that fans like myself picked up on.  Boshra Rasti is a strong, passionate writer that is very consistent & conscientious in my opinion.  I am so incredibly happy that I found Surrogate Colony & was then lucky enough also to be able to read Surrogate Code because I am such a huge fan of Boshra Rasti I honestly feel so involved & invested while reading her work it's refreshing.

This book was much the same as Surrogate Colony was for me in the aspect of grabbing ahold of me in the first chapter and not letting go till long after the last page was read! I loved the fact that the two main characters in this story are human, by this I mean they make mistakes, they have self doubts, they wonder if the people they love are falling in love with someone else, they have insecurities & trust issues plain & simple just like "normal" every day people.

I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys sci-fi, post pandemic, dystopian fiction.  While reading this book I was transported to another time & place.  I went along for all the adrenaline fueled adventures that Zach & Adriana went on, my pulse was pounding my heart was racing and I'm not ashamed to say that I actually cried my eyes out at one point! 

I will be rating this novel a 5/5 because it's got it all action, adventure, thrills, chills, suspense, true love, amazing character development, the bad guys your just hoping to beat, the twists n turns, the ending that you so don't see coming!

I just wanna add that I absolutely love the characters of both Sinora & Tigara, the love & respect between the two the chemistry it's great in my opinion! Tigara is so strong & feisty the amount of both physical and emotional abuse that she takes in this book is simply astonishing.  She is also very intelligent & observant which is all I can say without a spoiler accidentally popping out.

I would like to sincerely thank Booksirens, Atmosphere Press and of course Boshra Rasti for the ARC of this outstanding novel.  I was under no obligation, I wrote this review voluntarily because I genuinely enjoyed reading this story, all of the opinions and feelings expressed are my own.

[Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a solid continuation in the world of MicroScrep, Adriana and Zack must prove they are loyal to the off grid village, for them to be accepted by the off grid scientists, it feels very weary, and strange since they’re keep in the dark to almost all decisions, without spoilers, I really think if you did like the first volume, you will like this one, but that nagging feeling, that something is wrong here, in this world, will follow until the last page, and hopefully will reach an end in what comes next, I just cant wait…

I really enjoy that we can see the story through the eyes of 3 key characters, Zack, Adriana and Angler (Angler being a depraved sociopath MicroScrep scientist that wants to change their world, yeah you’ll need to look into it, because I wont tell ahah)

Just keep in mind that this book ends in a very open tone, its a cliffhanger, love is very present and gives a reason why to keep on, sexual violence is mentioned, but no details, so it keeps the book for all ages really.

I received a free ARC from the Author and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Ellie Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

~About

Zachary and Adriana have escaped from their respective prisons (Surrogate and Eunuch centres) which are controlled by the corrupt Microscrep corporation. Now, they have finally reached the safety of the off-grid scientist’s village, where not a single shred of Microscrepian influence is felt. Meanwhile, high-ranking members of Microscrep hunt for the courageous pair who have escaped their grasp.

However, Zachary and Adriana now have new problems to contend with. While the scientists seem to half-trust Adriana (having been a surrogate), they are far less trusting of Zachary. As such, they send him on a dangerous mission (alone) to test his loyalty to them. He is to venture out to the Surrogate Colony, to find out what new plans Microscrep is hatching against the scientists.

Meanwhile, Adriana is sent to scout out the Eunuch Colony with the Chief’s son, Anthony, all the while worrying about her and Zachary’s future once their respective missions are over.

Furthermore, an insidious doctor, Dr Angler carries out devious new plans, which he hopes will aid Microscrep in conquering the scientists once and for all.

The biggest question for our two young heroes is this: who can they trust once this is all over? And will they ever be free to live as they want, or will their lives be forever subjected to some form of coercive control?


~Characters

For this review, I have chosen to focus on the following characters: Zachary, Adriana, the Scientist Village’s Chief, and Dr Angler.

-Zachary

Zachary is a brave young man, whose loyalty to those he cares for knows no bounds. As a former eunuch, he is treated with fear and suspicion by those in the scientist’s village. Personality-wise, he is a reserved and diplomatic individual, always trying to mediate difficult situations, a feeling a deep sense of compassion for the suffering of others. Zachary does all he can to prove himself to the scientists and is a kind and committed young man, who is determined to achieve his goal of helping others.


-Adriana

Adriana is a courageous and headstrong young woman. However, I found her less likable as a character in book two. Instead of the risk-taking young woman I remembered, who endured terrible pain to be free of Microscrep’s grasp, she seemed a bit more juvenile and lost, with her part of the story focusing primarily on how much she feared losing Zachary’s love. While I understood that she was genuinely worried about losing his affections now they had left Microscrep’s influence, her lack of trust in him was sad to see, and I felt that her part of the story could have been fleshed out more.


-Scientist’s Chief

The chief of the scientist’s village seemed kind and compassionate at first. In addition, he appeared cautious and wise, wanting to put his people’s safety and wellbeing above all else. He showed a great care for people and would go to great lengths to protect those in his village. However, there was something peculiar about him from the start which I couldn’t quite pinpoint. Furthermore, his deep distrust for Zachary and Adriana as ex-Microscrepians, even when proving themselves as loyal, felt far from reassuring. While this sense of distrust seemed understandable at first, the fact that it persisted felt worrying, leading me to wonder whether the chief’s actions were in the lead character’s best interests after all.


-Dr Angler

Finally, we come to Dr Angler, a sadistic doctor working for Microscrep in one of the Eunuch centres. It was plain to see that he thought of himself as God-like, crafting heinous plans for how to control other’s minds through his unique technological creations. While he sought to prove himself as worthy to Microscrep’s leader, he was also more than happy to plan to go against him, to enact his own plans in the hopes of gaining more control and power for himself. However, despite this power-hungry exterior, there were also brief moments where I witnessed a glimmer of vulnerability in Dr Angler, where he seemed to feel genuine care for another, however fleeting. This led me to think that maybe, if he weren’t forced to remain working in the eunuch centre, that even Dr Angler could have worked to redeem himself.


~Positive Aspects

There were many positive aspects to Surrogate Code, which I have detailed below:

-Firstly, the story is told in the first person, present tense, switching between Zachary and Adriana’s perspectives. This was executed well and provided alternate perspectives of the same events, with the present tense giving the story a sense of immediacy, as if it were happening in real time.

-Secondly, the characters were well developed and I enjoyed being privy to their inner-most thought processes: the way the lead character’s thoughts shifted with incoming information felt very realistic.

-Furthermore, the plot itself was gripping and full of tension, keeping me interested at every turn.

-In addition, this sequel provided a stark contrast with book one, where Zachary and Adriana were once controlled with drugs, societal brainwashing, and algorithms. Now, they are permitted to experience the world with their own individual emotions and thoughts. It was a beautiful, heart-warming contrast, which allowed me to see what they were really like as individuals, absent from Microscrep’s corrupt influence.

-Finally, the author explores a range of important themes throughout the narrative, e.g. the true nature of love vs what people are led to believe love is by their society/culture.


~Memorable Quotes

Of all the quotes I identified in this story, the following five stood out the most.

1) ‘Distraction is a very strong political game’.
2) ‘The most important aspect of survival is that the majority is more important than the minority’.

3) ‘Love is the enemy to all those who want ultimate power, as without it, it is easy to mould and indoctrinate with the fire of hatred’.

4) ‘Love isn’t limited; it is a living and breathing entity that must be fed. Love is an exchange, a relationship – it is a lived experience’.

5) ‘– we both realize the vulnerability of being human, the absolute certainty that there is an end and that this end is a mystery’.


~Overview

Overall, I found Surrogate Code to be a phenomenal sequel to Surrogate Colony. Its gripping plot, emotive writing style and complex characters came together to form a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Themes included love, individuality vs conformity, survival, technology, ideology and indoctrination, control and power, and deception.

My Rating: 5 stars.
Recommended to: lovers of eerie, young adult dystopian series.

[TaniaRina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ooooh! A third POV really adds another layer to this story as the reader can get a slight glimpse into the minds of madness.
Betrayal and duplicity reign, so who does one trust?


I really felt for Adriana when she confessed to wondering if the MicroScrep drugs were what kept her parent together (rather than real affection). Poppin’ extra pills when situations arose doesn’t sound like a good role model for the kids.
The village Elders aren’t just being mean when they send Zach off to fight MicroScrep without Adriana. He can’t sleep and is told:
‘Insomnia is a psychological state brought on by conflict.’
Plus, he and Adriana both go through a Restorative Education process that helps them heal from their previous indoctrination. If only the murders and terrorists of our day had such a system!

[Jamie Park · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so weird and so much fun. Gross scary fun.
These poor kids have been through so much!

[Kat M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm glad I was able to read this book after reading the first book, it was so well done and it was just as strong as the first. It had great plot and great characters in it.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[PAR · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Surrogate Colony is a perfect look at how our world could change when we allow science and politics to converge at the end of a pandemic and to build a world that they feel can no longer proceed in a happenstance manner. Adriana and Zach were a perfect protagonists for a tale such as this, individuals filled with self-doubt who under the right circumstances create an opportunity to reveal the strength of character underneath. The story is filled with exciting and dynamic twists and turns that keep the reader on the edge of their seat The investment that Boshra Rasti manages to create in the Surrogate Colony draws us into the emotional stakes of the story.
Defying those powers, Adriana and Zach (who are introduced to us in the first novel) escape MicroScrep's extermination institutions. Having escaped they look for others like themselves, they join with a group off-grid Scientists committed to destroying MicroScrep. While they have been allowed to join with the scientists they have found that they are not trusted. They find that the Scientists don't trust them yet. To prove themselves the scientists send them out on separate missions to prove their loyalty. This is where Boshra Rasti demonstrates her talents as an author. You will find yourself hoping that she will continue to write either by continuing this series or creating another. I received this story from BookSirens. This is my true and honest review.

[Charlotte Kane · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I really enjoyed this book, and was happy to have a sequel to see what would happen. The book immediately follows the first and shows us how Adriana and Zach are coping after they have escaped what they believed to be a 'perfect' world. However, things are not as they seem off-grid, and they find themselves fighting for their lives again as they start to bring down Microscrep. I loved the intensity in this book, and each chapter brought more twists and turns and secrets. The book is written in the POV of Zach, Adriana, and another character - Angler, who comes across as a complete psychopath who wishes to create androids of citizens.

There is a lot of drama in this book, along with heartache, betrayal, love, and laughter. There was a shocking ending, which leaves room for a third (maybe more) books in the series. Boshra has created a wonderful, addictive read, which is suitable for all young adult fans. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Michele Benchouk · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel follows up on Surrogate Colony, continuing the fight against MicroScrep. The world building is interesting; you can stand back from reading and imagine yourself there. Much of the plot follows traditional good versus evil tropes, mashing this book was less exciting and unique than the first. However, we get a couple of really unexpected twists and turns which bring back the author's excellent abilities to surprise. Recommended reading... And now I'm wondering if another book is on the way.

I received a free copy of this book and am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jacquetta Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. As this is a new Author to me, I wondered about the book and how I would like it. Books that make me feel I have stepped into a door to a room where friends are, are the ones I read.

I will be following this Author and hope you all enjoy the book as much as I did.

I received this book as an ARC for an honest review from the Author.

[João Aparicio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't decide which one I like the most.
Loved it.

[Glitter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this dystopian (essentially) nightmare. MicroScrep has legitimately taken the world and turned it on its head in order to produce a more perfect.... "product" (no spoilers!)

[Lilla Petra · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / 5 ⭐️

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.
This book was so good (I think it’s better than the first one)! I really liked how the story was evolving, the world-building, the actions. It was fast-paced, unputdownable, thought-provoking, the new (3.) POV is fantastic, it adds so much meaning and insight to the story! Can’t wait for more! 😉😁

[Taylor Stoni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! This book was a 5 star read for me due to the amazing character development, action, and suspense. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys sci-fi and dystopian fiction. I was interested throughout the whole story and I was not able to put this book down.

I would like to sincerely thank Booksirens, Atmosphere Press, and Boshra Rasti for the arc copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.