Book Review - Copied

COPIED - Book Review to follow.
Author: S. M. Anderson
Publisher: Curiosity Quills
Release Date: December 11
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Target Audience: 14 and up
Book Blurb: Adopted off the black market, Alexander Mitchell, has no idea his DNA is copyrighted and property of military weapons giant Texacom Defense.
Nor that his DNA is being used to develop an army of clones. When the company discovers he was not properly disposed of 17 years ago, they send an assassin copy, BETA23, to terminate Xan and cover it up
After he narrowly escapes BETA23’s first attempt, Xan teams up with Lacey, a genetically engineered genius he’s surprised to find common ground with— only they’re awkward together. Half of the time she stares at Xan like the science project he is and the other half…let’s just say Xan can’t keep his eyes off her lips.
When they manage to capture a company copy by luck and sheer stupidity on Xan’s part, Lacey is determined to see the good in their prisoner to the point she believes BETA23 can be persuaded to give them the intelligence they need to keep the company forever off Xan’s back. Xan’s not sure if he can trust the darker version of himself, not when it means gambling with the lives of his family and the possibility of losing Lacey.

My Review: This amount of Sci-Fi was just right for me, not too heavy. I liked the YA contemporary setting with a few interesting sci-fi oddities placed in it. Anderson did a good job adding researched elements to make the plot plausible. The story makes readers think about the ethics of cloning and gratitude for individualism. She throws fun characters into the mix, some fight scenes and romance--something for everyone. I found the transition from shifting Xan's attraction off a popular girl to a geek-girl believable and refreshing--one that gives hope to similar adolescents. But Lacey has her own complicated emotions that leave the relationship unresolved and readers hungry for the next book. Anderson has a good thing going here, yet it didn't quite reach that amazing wow factor I hoped for. I'm thinking the best is yet to come. The writing is good, it kept my interest, and the direction held some surprises. A clean book that I am happy to recommend.

 Author Biography: S. M. Anderson (Sarah Anderson) was born in Lima, Peru. She has lived in seven different countries, on five continents, and speaks a smattering of languages. As a child and even young adult, writing and reading were difficult for her, so difficult that she received extra help outside the classroom and was diagnosed with a learning disability. However, she always loved stories, especially ethnic folktales from the countries she lived in. It was the desire to create stories of her own that fueled her determination to overcome the challenges that came with writing. She has a BA in Art Education from BYU, with a minor in Russian, and a love of power tools. She has a growing family of three kids and currently lives in Springville, Utah.
Find Sarah Anderson or watch her book trailer at:
http://www.smandersonfiction.com/
http://www.facebook.com/SMAndersonfiction
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rATMhz7ZMw