Disappointing
I love the concept behind Wassermans story, teenager injured so badly that her mind is placed in an artificial body making her what, machine or man? Somehow, even with a great Sci-fi/dystopoian theme the book was very slow, downright boring.
Lia was/is a self absorbed teen, as the reader you go along with her mental process of awakening to a totally different life. The struggles she faces with adjusting, her friend and family adjusting and discovering others like herself. The thing that made it drag is that everything is internal. There isnt much dialog and I felt like I kept getting bashed over the head with the same mental themes.
This was not an establish the dystopian society and tell an action filled story weaved into the society (Like The Hunger Games Trilogy or The Uglies Trilogy). This was a, you are locked in her mind and her struggles and they dont seem to be developing at all.
I am hoping the next book in this trilogy has more action and not so much stuck in Lias mind but from the description I dont have much hope.
I love the concept behind Wassermans story, teenager injured so badly that her mind is placed in an artificial body making her what, machine or man? Somehow, even with a great Sci-fi/dystopoian theme the book was very slow, downright boring.
Lia was/is a self absorbed teen, as the reader you go along with her mental process of awakening to a totally different life. The struggles she faces with adjusting, her friend and family adjusting and discovering others like herself. The thing that made it drag is that everything is internal. There isnt much dialog and I felt like I kept getting bashed over the head with the same mental themes.
This was not an establish the dystopian society and tell an action filled story weaved into the society (Like The Hunger Games Trilogy or The Uglies Trilogy). This was a, you are locked in her mind and her struggles and they dont seem to be developing at all.
I am hoping the next book in this trilogy has more action and not so much stuck in Lias mind but from the description I dont have much hope.
Reviewed by Sarah Bean the Green Bean Teen Queen for TeensReadToo.com
Lia Kahn was perfect. She had a perfect life, perfect friends, and a perfect boyfriend. She was popular and beautiful and everyone wanted to be with her and know her -- until the accident changed everything.
When Lia is in a fatal car accident, she finds herself awake in the hospital. She should be dead, but she knows she's alive. She can't feel her body, but she knows it's there. Lia has become the latest patient in the "download process" -- a way to download your memories and brain functions into a computer-based body that is made to look and act human. Lia is angry about the download process. She doesn't want to be a "skinner" -- the awful nickname for download recipients. But she also isn't ready to give up on her life.
Being a skinner isn't easy, though. Groups of people have rallied against the download process, calling it unethical and saying the skinners are without a soul. Lia's friends seem to have turned on her and her boyfriend can't stand to be near her anymore. She's Lia, but she's not the same Lia, and she's not sure how to handle her new life.
Add in the mysterious group of skinners that Lia encounters, plus humans that would do anything to be part of the download process, and Lia isn't sure anymore what exactly it means to be human.
SKINNED presents an interesting look at what really makes us us. Are we human when we have flesh and blood, or is it our memories that make us who we are? Can we ever have the same life again? An interesting and engaging look at medical ethics and humanity, SKINNED is the beginning of a new trilogy.
Lia Kahn was perfect. She had a perfect life, perfect friends, and a perfect boyfriend. She was popular and beautiful and everyone wanted to be with her and know her -- until the accident changed everything.
When Lia is in a fatal car accident, she finds herself awake in the hospital. She should be dead, but she knows she's alive. She can't feel her body, but she knows it's there. Lia has become the latest patient in the "download process" -- a way to download your memories and brain functions into a computer-based body that is made to look and act human. Lia is angry about the download process. She doesn't want to be a "skinner" -- the awful nickname for download recipients. But she also isn't ready to give up on her life.
Being a skinner isn't easy, though. Groups of people have rallied against the download process, calling it unethical and saying the skinners are without a soul. Lia's friends seem to have turned on her and her boyfriend can't stand to be near her anymore. She's Lia, but she's not the same Lia, and she's not sure how to handle her new life.
Add in the mysterious group of skinners that Lia encounters, plus humans that would do anything to be part of the download process, and Lia isn't sure anymore what exactly it means to be human.
SKINNED presents an interesting look at what really makes us us. Are we human when we have flesh and blood, or is it our memories that make us who we are? Can we ever have the same life again? An interesting and engaging look at medical ethics and humanity, SKINNED is the beginning of a new trilogy.
This one had a great sci-fi plot that makes me interested in reading more by this author. The characters are well-described and it's easy to relate to them, especially when it comes to the pettiness of teenagers. This one leaves you at a bit of a cliff-hanger, so I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
