Reviews for This Cruel Design and This Mortal Coil!
This Cruel Design
by Emily Suvada
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: October
30, 2018
Genre: Young Adult --
Science Fiction
Goodreads Summary
Catarina Agatta is a hacker. She can cripple mainframes and crash through firewalls, but that’s not what makes her special. In Cat’s world, people are implanted with technology to recode their DNA, allowing them to change their bodies in any way they want. And Cat happens to be a gene-hacking genius.
That’s no surprise, since Cat’s father is Dr. Lachlan Agatta, a legendary geneticist who may be the last hope for defeating a plague that has brought humanity to the brink of extinction. But during the outbreak, Lachlan was kidnapped by a shadowy organization called Cartaxus, leaving Cat to survive the last two years on her own.
When a Cartaxus soldier, Cole, arrives with news that her father has been killed, Cat’s instincts tell her it’s just another Cartaxus lie. But Cole also brings a message: before Lachlan died, he managed to create a vaccine, and Cole needs Cat’s help to release it and save the human race.
Now Cat must decide who she can trust: The soldier with secrets of his own? The father who made her promise to hide from Cartaxus at all costs? In a world where nature itself can be rewritten, how much can she even trust herself?
My Take
I was definitely a bit hesitant to try this one because it's another sci-fi about a virus and I just recently read one and loved it so I was hesitant to read another one so soon. However, I am extremely glad that I did! I think I'm really taking a liking to Sci-Fi!
Though there were a few slow parts but I don't think there were as many as some other reviewers may have thought. The characters were well developed and the emotions ran high. The main character Cat, is super likeable and I loved watching her grow and develop more throughout the story. I wasn't too happy that another story had a scientist father who isn't able to complete work and so the daughter needs to finish it, though. The story itself had a lot of action and a lot of emotion which is a perfect combination for a YA Sci-Fi.
I got a little lost in the coding and Technology jargon; my mind doesn't work that way but it was still really neat to read about Cat experiencing these things. I don't think the romance was too heavy which also made it a much more engaging Sci-Fi. All in all I think readers that have more of an interest in science and technology will definitely enjoy This Mortal coil more, though I think it is a great book for all.
DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THIS MORTAL COIL
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
This Cruel Design
by Emily Suvada
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: October 30, 2018
Genre: Young Adult -- Science Fiction
Goodreads Summary
Cat thought the Hydra epidemic was over, but when new cases pop up, Cat must team up with an enemy to fix the vaccine before the virus spirals out of control in this thrilling sequel to This Mortal Coil, which New York Times bestselling author Amie Kaufman says “redefines ‘unputdownable.’”
The nightmare of the outbreak is finally over, but Cat’s fight has only just begun.
Exhausted, wounded, and reeling from revelations that have shaken her to her core, Cat is at a breaking point. Camped in the woods with Cole and Leoben, she’s working day and night, desperate to find a way to stop Lachlan’s plan to reprogram humanity. But she’s failing—Cat can’t even control her newly regrown panel, and try as she might to ignore them, she keeps seeing glitching visions from her past everywhere she turns.
When news arrives that the Hydra virus might not be as dead as they’d thought, the group is pushed into an uneasy alliance with Cartaxus to hunt down Lachlan and fix the vaccine. Their search takes them to Entropia, a city of genehackers hidden deep in the desert that could also hold the answers about Cat’s past that she’s been searching for.
But when confronted with lies and betrayals, Cat is forced to question everything she knows and everyone she trusts. And while Lachlan is always two steps ahead, the biggest threat to Cat may be the secrets buried in her own mind.
My Take
This Cruel Design starts off right where This Mortal Coil ends. I love that everybody is together and recuperating from everything that had happened before and now they're getting ready to set out to see if they can find Lachlan. I was immediately immersed back into their world and taken on another action packed adventure.
The pacing of the first book was great but the pacing of the second book is excellent. I'm not dragged around listening to the same story for too long but also not rushed into the technological elements too quickly. I love that the old characters are still with us but also some new ones are added. Anna quickly became a favorite. I always seem to like characters that are meant for people to dislike.
I think this cruel design had even more plot twists and the gene technology was even more elaborate then in the first book. I also really enjoyed the diversity added for characters to manipulate their gender using the technology that Suvada created. This book spoke about acceptance even if that wasn't its main purpose and a lot of people, myself included will appreciate that. I knew that I would love This Cruel Design even more than the first and I was right!! I can't wait for the next book!
About the Author
Emily Suvada was born and raised
in Australia, where she went on to study mathematics and astrophysics. She
previously worked as a data scientist, and still spends hours writing
algorithms to perform tasks which would only take minutes to complete on her
own. When not writing, she can be found hiking,
cycling, and conducting chemistry experiments in her kitchen. She currently
lives in Portland, OR, with her husband.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/emilysuvada
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emily.suvada/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emilysuvada
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/emilysuvada/
Website: http://www.emilysuvada.com/
TOUR SCHEDULE
http://fantasticflyingbookclub.blogspot.com/2018/09/tour-schedule-this-cruel-design-by.html
GIVEAWAY
Prize: 2 copies of This Cruel Design by Emily Suvada (USA only)
Starts: 10/22/18
Ends: 10/31/18
BOOK LINKS
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38316465-this-cruel-design
Amazon:
https://amzn.to/2zNUucW
Barnes
& Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/this-cruel-design-emily-suvada/1127922693#/
Book Depository:
https://www.bookdepository.com/This-Cruel-Design-Emily-Suvada/9781481496360
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makes his own mistakes. I found it hard
to forgive him but in the end found no other alternative. Chase Andrews was the other guy we meet in
this story, and I feel that we all have met a real life Chase at one time or
another. I absolutely hated him from the
beginning to the end but loved that he was a character in this story because it
needed him. Our lives need a Chase Andrews
so we can learn from them. Most of us
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be dealt a broken heart and learn how to put the pieces back together again and
do our best to move on. 
So many other side characters in this novel, made this story
so heartwarming and gut-wrenching all at the same time. Jumpin’ and Mabel are
protectors I think we all wish we could have had and I don’t think I realized
just how big Jumpin’s impact on Kya was until later in the story. With touches on abandonment, isolation,
survival, science, and love, Where the Crawdads Sing touched my heart in many
different ways, with Kya taking a little piece of my heart along the way.
