BOOK REVIEW | This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada

Title: This Mortal Coil
Author: Emily Suvada
Series? Yes, a trilogy!
Pages: 432
Publication Date: November 7, 2017
Publisher: Simon Pulse (imprint of Simon & Schuster)
Source:I received a copy of This Mortal Coil via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my own. :)

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?

Goodreads

This Mortal Coil was on my radar for quite some time before I requested it from Netgalley. I kept flip-flopping if I should request it or not. Would I connect with the characters? Am I just saying I'm interested and I'm not? Would I even understand anything about this book? Well let's just say that the answers were yes, you are, and yes. I'm so happy that I finally requested and downloaded This Mortal Coil. The book is inventive, thrilling, haunting.

This Mortal Coil follows Cat, a 17 (18?) year old teenager living during the apocalypse. Three years ago, a huge plague decimated the human population, and only the human population. Cat was left stranded at her father's house as her father, Lachlan, and his assistant, Dax, were taken by Cartaxus. Cartaxus is a corporation Lachlan told Cat over and over again not to trust. So when Cole, a Cartaxus soldier, comes knocking at her door telling her he needs her help to unlock a vaccine, she doesn't know who to trust. The story takes off from there, the book really picks up. 

This image is from Jennifer @ Never Too Many To Read! Check out her review here!

The exposition of This Mortal Coil wasn't long and boring; while there is some info-dumping in the first part of the novel, a lot is revealed throughout as well. There is a lot of information slowly revealed as the novel progresses. I loved this about the book; not only was I reading a post-apocalytpic action novel, I was also reading the start of it all. By having these plot twists and reveals throughout the novel, I was always kept at the edge of my seat and fully immersed in the story.

One of the more daunting aspects of This Mortal Coil was it's plot. Like I said, I was worried that I wouldn't completely understand what was happening. However, this is not the case. I easily followed the plot while reading. Even though I have no understanding of coding and little to no knowledge about genetics, I was able to comprehend all the science and math talk. I might not be able to code, but I was able to understand what was happening. This Mortal Coil is basically a constant action novel, and the plot is delivered at such. There's never a semblance of peace, and as a reader, I thought it was thrilling. I loved reading a book that didn't let me relax and instead always kept me on my toes, anticipating and trying to guess what would happen next.

As I've mentioned, there are reveals and plot twists throughout this whole book. If you are a reader who tries to figure out the mystery behind everything, you will have a ton of fun with this book. I always try and guess the huge plot twists, so This Mortal Coil was perfect for me!

This Mortal Coil also breathes originality. While we do have your standard perfect snowflake trope, as well as some others, the world is executed so brilliantly that I paid no mind. I wasn't thinking "Oh my god, yet another protagonist who doesn't think she's pretty enough". Instead, I found myself sympathizing with Cat instead, and wondering about the damages of having so much technology could have on a person if they couldn't use it (there are apps in this world that can change appearance and many other things, but Cat can't use any of it due to a rare genetic disease. And no, this is not a spoiler, it's mentioned very early on in the book). If you look for tropes in this novel, you will find them. However, the world-building and character development was so strong that I didn't mind that the book fell into some of the YA conventions.

Once again, from Jennifer's review! Make sure to check out her blog! :)

I also loved the characters in this novel! We once again see some tropes: special snowflake protagonist, mysterious bad boy, reserved/crazy scientists, etc. So if you look, you will find them . But the characters were written with such depth, that I didn't mind. Suvada adopts these tropes, and then spins them on their heads. The writing of these characters is so smart. Suvada knew her characters looked conventional at first, and then as the reader learns more about them and the world, we see there is much more to these characters than their titles, and they got these titles through original experiences. The interpersonal relationships are so well done and so complex. While the plot is thrilling, if you are a reader that reads for the characters, you will also enjoy this novel.

So as you can tell, I loved this movie. The tropes are always spun on their heads, and it was so refreshing. The writing is so smart, and so compelling. The plot is thrilling, the characters are developed, and the plot twists left me fully immersed in the story. While the beginning did info-dump a little bit, most of the world-building and throughout the novel. I did also guess the huge plot twist (do NOT look at my goodreads updates if you don't want to be spoiled!), but I was so shocked I was right. This Mortal Coil is one of my favorite novels I've read this year. Go read it!

With that, I give this book

4.5 out of 5 Stars!