Author: Rachel Vincent
Genre: Science Fiction/Dystopia
Series: Yes (2 book series)
Brief Summary:
The city of Lakeview is set up for maximum efficiency. Gone are the antiquated ideas of individualism, self-expression, and physical attraction. The society is made up entirely of different castes, each bred from a certain genome that ensures they will be successful at whichever job the city’s administration creates for them to do. It is a society made up of clones, with each caste having a certain prototype. Every male and every female in that particular role wear the exact same face. They are taught to be a unit working for the glory of the city and notions such as pride are strictly forbidden.
Dahlia16 has been bred to be a hydrophobic gardener. She has lived all of her life with girls that look exactly like her. It is the only life she has ever known. And then, one fateful day, Dahlia16 gets stuck in an elevator with a boy, Trigger17 a Special Forces clone bred for defense of the city. The two castes are not supposed to mingle, nor even speak save for a greeting that has been drilled into them since birth. There is absolutely no reason that Dahlia16 should be curious about Trigger17, and vice versa. Yet, on that day, everything changes…
To be flawed in Lakeview means recall, or what the antiquated society called ‘murder/extermination’. Dahlia16 and Trigger17 start a dangerous journey that day, one that could destroy not only them, but all of those who wear their faces as well. When conformity and curiosity clash, it creates a storm that no one saw coming. Life in Lakeview may never be the same again.
Here is what Goodreads had to say:
My take:We have brown hair. Brown eyes. Fair skin. We are healthy and strong and smart. But only one of us has ever had a secret.
Dahlia 16 sees her face in every crowd. She’s nothing special—just one of five thousand girls created from a single genome to work for the greater good of the city.
Meeting Trigger 17 changes everything. He thinks she’s interesting. Beautiful. Unique. Which means he must be flawed. When Dahlia can’t stop thinking about him—when she can't resist looking for him, even though that means breaking the rules—she realizes she’s flawed, too. But if she’s flawed, then so are all her identicals. And any genome found to be flawed will be recalled.
Destroyed.
Getting caught with Trigger would seal not only Dahlia’s fate, but that of all five thousand girls who share her face. But what if Trigger is right? What if Dahlia is different?
Suddenly the girl who always follows the rules is breaking them, one by one by one…
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s rather a cross between Brave New World and The Handmaid’s Tale, both of which are Dystopian Fiction at its finest. For fans of the genre, I would strongly suggest giving this one a try. The characters are well written and even though the outcome is pretty predictable, the story is well-written enough to keep it interesting.
edit - Septem-bean beans sent! - Tarma
