Summary:
Eva's life is not her own. She is a creation, an abomination--an echo. She was made by the Weavers as a copy of someone else, expected to replace a girl named Amarra, her "other," if she ever died. Eva spends every day studying that girl from far away, learning what Amarra does, what she eats, what it's like to kiss her boyfriend, Ray. So when Amarra is killed in a car crash, Eva should be ready.
But sixteen years of studying never prepared her for this.
Now she must abandon everything and everyone she's ever known--the guardians who raised her, the boy she's forbidden to love--to move to India and convince the world that Amarra is still alive.
What Eva finds is a grief-stricken family; parents unsure how to handle this echo they thought they wanted; and Ray, who knew every detail, every contour of Amarra. And when Eva is unexpectedly dealt a fatal blow that will change her existence forever, she is forced to choose: Stay and live out her years as a copy or leave and risk it all for the freedom to be an original. To be Eva.
From debut novelist Sangu Mandanna comes the dazzling story of a girl who was always told what she had to be--until she found the strength to decide for herself.
But sixteen years of studying never prepared her for this.
Now she must abandon everything and everyone she's ever known--the guardians who raised her, the boy she's forbidden to love--to move to India and convince the world that Amarra is still alive.
What Eva finds is a grief-stricken family; parents unsure how to handle this echo they thought they wanted; and Ray, who knew every detail, every contour of Amarra. And when Eva is unexpectedly dealt a fatal blow that will change her existence forever, she is forced to choose: Stay and live out her years as a copy or leave and risk it all for the freedom to be an original. To be Eva.
From debut novelist Sangu Mandanna comes the dazzling story of a girl who was always told what she had to be--until she found the strength to decide for herself.
Summary & Photo taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 432 pages (Hardcover)
Source: Toronto Public Library
Publication Date: August 28th 2012 by Balzer + Bray
So I waited months to read this book but to me it felt more like an eternity. So when I finally got to read it in October I could hardly open the book fast enough to begin reading it. I'm not sure what I was expecting from the book but what I got was a good read that I finished in a few hours.
The book focuses around Eva who is an Echo or a clone if you will that was made to replace Amarra if anything should happen to Amarra. Well of course something does and the life that Amara has been training for since the day she was "weaved" has come and she must insert herself into a dead girls shoes but this is not without danger since Amarra lives in India where Echos are outlawed.
So, Eva is fighting what she is supposed to do with what she wants for herself which is to go home to the boy she loves Sean. However, she comes to care for Amarra's family and tries to keep up appearances but one day her secret gets out and sets off a chain of events where she almost gets murdered twice, kidnapped and leads her running away back to the U.K.
For a debut novel I would say that Sangu Mandana's The Lost Girl was a success. There was a lot going on in the novel but somehow she managed to make all the different components work well. I liked the whole "weave" concept that lead to Eva's creation I thought it was pretty unique because unlike a lot of other novels like this she gave Eva a lot of spirit which I loved. I hate when authors write the main characters with little to no personality and Eva had a lot of personality. I really liked her character and I thought that she was the most developed and realistic character.
The plot of the novel was good too. The fact that if she faced being "unraveled" if the "Weavers" deemed her to dangerous to keep on the street added a lot of intrigue to the story but I think that the main premise of the novel was that sometimes you have to fight the world to be the person you wish to be and I think that was a great moral to work into her story.
The novel is a mixture of romance, sci-fi, dystopian, action and a wee bit of romance thrown into the mix. I really enjoyed the writing and the story but at times I wish things have been a little more structured, and flowed a little better. I also think the whole Weaver thing could have been explained in a lot more detail throughout the book. It was 432 pages and very little of it spoke about the weavers and I wish I had known more about them. Also all the other characters with the exception of Eva were pretty one dimensional. I wish there had been a little more life to them and to the book itself. It was like I said a good read but it was such a somber read and I wish it had been a little lighter in parts and I think that would have benefited the whole book.
Overall, I thought it was an enjoyable read despite my issues with the other characters and the plot holes. Plus, it was a really quick read even at a length of 432 pages I read it in something like 4 hours one night and as a debut novel it could have been better but it could have been way, way worse.
I would recommend this book to fans of YA novels with a dystopian twist or people who just like YA novels that are a little different with a unique heroine but if you're unfamiliar with these types of novels I suggest borrowing it from the library first just to make sure it's the book for you. I do think though that Sangu Mandanna is an author to watch because I can't wait to read her next novel.
The book focuses around Eva who is an Echo or a clone if you will that was made to replace Amarra if anything should happen to Amarra. Well of course something does and the life that Amara has been training for since the day she was "weaved" has come and she must insert herself into a dead girls shoes but this is not without danger since Amarra lives in India where Echos are outlawed.
So, Eva is fighting what she is supposed to do with what she wants for herself which is to go home to the boy she loves Sean. However, she comes to care for Amarra's family and tries to keep up appearances but one day her secret gets out and sets off a chain of events where she almost gets murdered twice, kidnapped and leads her running away back to the U.K.
For a debut novel I would say that Sangu Mandana's The Lost Girl was a success. There was a lot going on in the novel but somehow she managed to make all the different components work well. I liked the whole "weave" concept that lead to Eva's creation I thought it was pretty unique because unlike a lot of other novels like this she gave Eva a lot of spirit which I loved. I hate when authors write the main characters with little to no personality and Eva had a lot of personality. I really liked her character and I thought that she was the most developed and realistic character.
The plot of the novel was good too. The fact that if she faced being "unraveled" if the "Weavers" deemed her to dangerous to keep on the street added a lot of intrigue to the story but I think that the main premise of the novel was that sometimes you have to fight the world to be the person you wish to be and I think that was a great moral to work into her story.
The novel is a mixture of romance, sci-fi, dystopian, action and a wee bit of romance thrown into the mix. I really enjoyed the writing and the story but at times I wish things have been a little more structured, and flowed a little better. I also think the whole Weaver thing could have been explained in a lot more detail throughout the book. It was 432 pages and very little of it spoke about the weavers and I wish I had known more about them. Also all the other characters with the exception of Eva were pretty one dimensional. I wish there had been a little more life to them and to the book itself. It was like I said a good read but it was such a somber read and I wish it had been a little lighter in parts and I think that would have benefited the whole book.
Overall, I thought it was an enjoyable read despite my issues with the other characters and the plot holes. Plus, it was a really quick read even at a length of 432 pages I read it in something like 4 hours one night and as a debut novel it could have been better but it could have been way, way worse.
I would recommend this book to fans of YA novels with a dystopian twist or people who just like YA novels that are a little different with a unique heroine but if you're unfamiliar with these types of novels I suggest borrowing it from the library first just to make sure it's the book for you. I do think though that Sangu Mandanna is an author to watch because I can't wait to read her next novel.
Liked It!
★ ★ ★ 1/2
★ ★ ★ 1/2
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It sounds like an interesting read, and I might have to give it a try. The secondary characters role makes me iffy though, I like strong characters whether they're main or not. So, we'll see..
ReplyDeleteI think you should give it a try especially if you can get it from your library if you're unsure :)
DeleteGeez! I have this on my to-read. :)
ReplyDeleteYour review makes me want to read it now. :)
I'm glad Sandee! It's worth it!
DeleteI have heard so many good things about this one but since you recommend a library read, I will go check my library first.
ReplyDeleteAnd your reading speed is amazing, girl!
Good idea about checking to see if your library has it first but I think you may like this one a lot!
DeleteThere are certainly a lot of details like that to take into consideration. That is a great point to bring up. I offer the thoughts above as general inspiration but clearly there are questions like the one you bring up where the most important thing will be working in honest good faith. I don?t know if best practices have emerged around things like that, but I am sure that your job is clearly identified as a fair game. Both boys and girls feel the impact of just a moment’s pleasure, for the rest of their lives.
ReplyDeleteClick Here
Lajamjournal.org
No Doubt! Sangu Mandanna is a very good writter, He write so many magical books and amazing novels for us. Thanks for sharing this article. Now it's time to avail vacuum sealer bags for more information.
ReplyDelete