"The Twins on Thursday" is reserved for the Twins' joint reviews. It is a special feature of our blog that discusses books that we either both like, dislike, or have mixed feelings about. This is also the day where we post reviews for books (and ARCs/Galleys) that have been sent to us by authors/galley sites/publishing houses. And because we don't believe much in uniformity, we'll be trying to mix things up a bit by adding random stuff in relation to our review (well, mostly for books we purchased anyway).
Title: The Originals
Author: Cat Patrick
Format Acquired: Paperback
Because of that summary, we were expecting The Originals to deliver a sci-fi novel served with a side of romance. But no. The Originals pans out more like it's made for a TV show. The focus is directed more on how the "sisters" alternate to live one life, just speculate on what "Mom" is actually doing, and how Lizzie is seeing Sean Kelly, instead of giving readers interesting sci-fi bits - something which we were really looking forward to. Maybe it's difficult to compress all that big science hoopla into a standalone novel, but nevertheless, it's still disappointing.
If you prefer your science fiction very, very light and you like shows like Pretty Little Liars or The Vampire Diaries, maybe you'd want to read The Originals. It's basically borderline fluff, so if you're not looking for anything heavy, this will be perfect.
Author: Cat Patrick
Format Acquired: Paperback
Publication Date: May 7, 2013
Publishing House: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780316219433
Source of Copy: Fully Booked + Tour Copy
Summary:
17-year-olds Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey Best grew up as identical triplets... until they discovered a shocking family secret. They're actually closer than sisters, they're clones. Hiding from a government agency that would expose them, the Best family appears to consist of a single mother with one daughter named Elizabeth. Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey take turns going to school, attending social engagements, and a group mindset has always been a de facto part of life...
Then Lizzie meets Sean Kelly, a guy who seems to see into her very soul. As their relationship develops, Lizzie realizes that she's not a carbon copy of her sisters; she's an individual with unique dreams and desires, and digging deeper into her background, Lizzie begins to dismantle the delicate balance of an unusual family that only science could have created.
Review:
Lizzie, Ella and Betsey used to think they were triplets until they discovered that they're actually clones of a dead girl. Now they hide from the government agency that wants to expose them by posing as a girl named Elizabeth and taking turns playing the role of one normal high school girl. Their life is shaken when Lizzie meets a boy and decides that she's tired of posing as one-third of Elizabeth and wants a life of her own.
The Originals is told in the point of view of Lizzie. She's a normal enough teenage girl if you discount the fact that she's a clone. It's thanks to Lizzie that the girls were able to change their life and we can't help but approve of her gumption and courage to take that step forward. Lizzie hit the jackpot with Sean Kelly, while some people would cringe in fear at the idea of Lizzie being a clone, Sean didn't. He took everything in stride and even went out of his way to help Lizzie out. She's one lucky girl and we're glad that she knows it. It's also a nice touch, how Patrick has incorporated the idea that just because these girls are clones didn't mean that they had the same personalities. Lizzie, Betsey, and Ella couldn't be any more different, and like any siblings, do fight a lot. But when push comes to shove, these girls will go to great lengths to protect each other.
Source of Copy: Fully Booked + Tour Copy
Summary:
17-year-olds Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey Best grew up as identical triplets... until they discovered a shocking family secret. They're actually closer than sisters, they're clones. Hiding from a government agency that would expose them, the Best family appears to consist of a single mother with one daughter named Elizabeth. Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey take turns going to school, attending social engagements, and a group mindset has always been a de facto part of life...
Then Lizzie meets Sean Kelly, a guy who seems to see into her very soul. As their relationship develops, Lizzie realizes that she's not a carbon copy of her sisters; she's an individual with unique dreams and desires, and digging deeper into her background, Lizzie begins to dismantle the delicate balance of an unusual family that only science could have created.
Review:
Lizzie, Ella and Betsey used to think they were triplets until they discovered that they're actually clones of a dead girl. Now they hide from the government agency that wants to expose them by posing as a girl named Elizabeth and taking turns playing the role of one normal high school girl. Their life is shaken when Lizzie meets a boy and decides that she's tired of posing as one-third of Elizabeth and wants a life of her own.
The Originals is told in the point of view of Lizzie. She's a normal enough teenage girl if you discount the fact that she's a clone. It's thanks to Lizzie that the girls were able to change their life and we can't help but approve of her gumption and courage to take that step forward. Lizzie hit the jackpot with Sean Kelly, while some people would cringe in fear at the idea of Lizzie being a clone, Sean didn't. He took everything in stride and even went out of his way to help Lizzie out. She's one lucky girl and we're glad that she knows it. It's also a nice touch, how Patrick has incorporated the idea that just because these girls are clones didn't mean that they had the same personalities. Lizzie, Betsey, and Ella couldn't be any more different, and like any siblings, do fight a lot. But when push comes to shove, these girls will go to great lengths to protect each other.
Because of that summary, we were expecting The Originals to deliver a sci-fi novel served with a side of romance. But no. The Originals pans out more like it's made for a TV show. The focus is directed more on how the "sisters" alternate to live one life, just speculate on what "Mom" is actually doing, and how Lizzie is seeing Sean Kelly, instead of giving readers interesting sci-fi bits - something which we were really looking forward to. Maybe it's difficult to compress all that big science hoopla into a standalone novel, but nevertheless, it's still disappointing.
If you prefer your science fiction very, very light and you like shows like Pretty Little Liars or The Vampire Diaries, maybe you'd want to read The Originals. It's basically borderline fluff, so if you're not looking for anything heavy, this will be perfect.
Rating:
I thought I already commented on this! First, thanks Nicole for joining the tour and thank you to the both of you for featuring it on The Twins on Thursday! I do agree that this is fluff even though I gave it 5 stars. I just love how absorbed I was into the story but that might have been because I was swooning because of Sean. I do mentioned in my review that Mason at the end felt like such a deus ex machina in the flesh with all the solutions but I still enjoyed it. Thanks for the honest review, girls!
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting us join the tour Dianne! Although yes, we expected more sci-fi than teenage drama but it wasn't so bad. :)
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