This Cruel Design by Emily Suvada Series: This Mortal Coil #2
Published by Simon Pulse (10.30.2018)
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult
Format: Hardcover, 394 pages
Source: I own it
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 thoughts
There’s still hope as long as we’re alive.
Okay so this one didn’t quite wow me like This Mortal Coil did, I’m afraid. I struggled a lot in the first half – I was feeling slumpy already and I wasn’t loving it like I did the first book. I was bored. So, I decided to put it down for a while. I read something else (Ship of Smoke and Steel, which I did NOT like), and the break was just what I needed because I ended up loving the second half! I’m so glad I stuck with it!
Other than it being a little slow in the first half, my other issue with this was the introduction of a love triangle. Or kind of love triangle, anyway? View Spoiler » It bugged me a lot. I thought I was going to like Mato at first, because I was intrigued by him, but he ended up creeping me out a bit. I didn’t care much for him in the end. Plus, I want Cat to be with Cole! View Spoiler »
The shit really hit the fan in the second half. I wish the first half would have been as intense and explosive! There were bombs dropped left and right – the shock and awe factor was insane! View Spoiler »
“If there is a design that underpins us, Catarina, then it is cold, it is violent, and it is cruel.”
The concept of this series is really astounding, and unlike anything I’ve ever read before. I love the idea of coding your DNA! And the virus was just disturbing. The books also take a close look at humanity – what it means to be human and what we would do to survive. It’s quite chilling!
View Spoiler »Sooo, that ending?! For some reason I thought this was only a duology, and that ending left it very much open for another book. View Spoiler » I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Overall Assessment
Plot: 4/5
Premise: 5/5
Writing style: 4.5/5
Originality: 5/5
Characters: 3.5/5
World-building: 5/5
Pace: 3/5
Feels: 3.5/5
Cover: 4.5/5
Overall rating: 4/5
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