Review ~ Falls the Shadow by Stefanie Gaither

Falls the Shadow by Stefanie Gaither
Falls the Shadow
by Stefanie Gaither

Publishing date:
September 16th 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

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When Cate Benson was a kid, her sister, Violet, died. Two hours after the funeral, Cate’s family picked up Violet’s replacement. Like nothing had happened. Because Cate’s parents are among those who decided to give their children a sort of immortality—by cloning them at birth—which means this new Violet has the same smile. The same perfect face. Thanks to advancements in mind-uploading technology, she even has all of the same memories as the girl she replaced.

She also might have murdered the most popular girl in school.

At least, that’s what the paparazzi and the anti-cloning protesters want everyone to think: that clones are violent, unpredictable monsters. Cate is used to hearing all that. She’s used to defending her sister, too. But Violet has vanished, and when Cate sets out to find her, she ends up in the line of fire instead. Because Cate is getting dangerously close to secrets that will rock the foundation of everything she thought was true.

In a thrilling debut, Stefanie Gaither takes readers on a nail-biting ride through a future that looks frighteningly similar to our own time and asks: how far are you willing to go to keep your family together?

I'm not sure what exactly drew me to Falls the Shadow, but I think it would have to be the combination of the creepy cover, cloning and science-fiction. When you look at the cover, you get the feeling that this is a book with a lot of character (one face is even screaming!) but I didn't really feel what I thought I would as strongly. At some points, this book felt really blah, and there were points where I actually wondered if I should even finish the book. Now, don't get me wrong, it wasn't as horrible as I make it sound, but while reading I wasn't exactly excited to be reading it, and the pacing really got the most of the rating.

Falls the Shadow had a really intriguing storyline. It has this science-fiction/thriller kind of feel and it's about cloning. There is this new technology which enables parents to decide if they want to clone their kids at birth and in case something happens to their 'real' kids, they'll have an exact replacement. To some this sounds horrifying and unhuman, but some people are deciding to do it. Cate's parents are one of those who cloned their children. From the moment Cate and her twin sister Violet were born, they had a clone who was exactly like them, doing the exact same movements in the exact same moment. When Cate's sister dies, a couple hours later, her sister's clone joins them with all the memories, looking just like 'real' Violet. Like all the clones, Violet is stronger and faster then normal people which is terrifying to some. But the 'new' Violet is acting weird, always causing trouble and when she is accused of murder, Cate is confused and she decides to put an end to it and figure out what is really happening there.

I just can't get over the fact that this book had SO MUCH potential to be amazing, but somehow it failed to amaze me. I love science-fiction as a genre, and I pretty much like everything in it, but somehow, that wasn't the case with Falls the Shadow. I just don't have much to say about it. The relationship between Cate and her twin sister was left unexplored. We see the traces of the relationship that they have, but I didn't feel any depth, any real genuine connection between them. It's the same with the romantic interest Jaxon. I wouldn't call their romance exactly insta - but it was really close to it. I didn't feel the connection between them, it didn't feel real, and suddenly they both care so much about each other. I just didn't buy it.

I wasn't really fond of the ending either. It felt rushed and I believe that we could have gone without some things, while adding some more action. So, the question is, did I like this book enough to recommend it? Probably not. Even with a great premise, I just couldn't shake the meh feeling, but you may enjoy it more then I did.

About Unknown

Hi. I'm Anatea, a 23-year-old Croatian girl, living in Germany. I enjoy reading books, traveling, fashion and photography. Let me show you my world.
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15 komentari:

  1. Personally, I felt the same way. This book could have been awesome... but it wasn't. It was also disturbingly similar to Linked/Unravel by Imogen Howson. I LOVED that series, but this book, well, it didn't execute as nicely. Oh wellz. Fabulous review, Anatea!

    Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!

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  2. I am sorry you were disappointed, it really sounds amazing in the blurb. Creepy and SF are one of my favorite things so I was going to read this, b ut now I am not so sure.

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  3. I definitely agree with you. The premise was absolutely amazing. The actual story was just okay. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. With a synopsis like that, I shouldn't have felt apathetic, but I did. Great review!

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  4. I'm really sad to hear this girl. I have seen this one around but I think I'll stay away now. I mean I really hate it when a book has so much potential and then nothing comes out of it. I'm mostly angry on myself then even though it's not my fault always. Great review, Anatea :)

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  5. These are the first reviews I've read about this book, so I was excited. Love that cover so much. I'm sorry that you and Alyssa (below) didn't love it. It does sound a bit like Linked and also like The Lost Girl by Sangu Mandanna.

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  6. I didn't read any of those books, so I can't compare it with them, but yeah, it just gave the meh overall feeling.

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  7. Yeah, I think that's the most frustrating thing you can experience.

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  8. Yeah, I get what you mean. It's not that I didn't like it, I just felt indifferent.

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  9. Yeah, the idea itself was pretty darn amazing. That's why I chose to read it in the first place. But, for me, somehow it failed to deliver what was promised. I'm happy that you liked it though.

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  10. Yeah, but well. Let's hope the next book I read is better.

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  11. Yeah. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who felt this way about Falls the Shadow.

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  12. It sounds like an amazing story, but it also sounds like it fell through. Clones? One dies? Quickly replaced? Stronger? WHAA? I might have to pick this one up just to give it a try, but I'll keep your review in the back of my mind. Thanks for your honest review (:


    Lisa
    www.turningpages94.blogspot.com

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  13. Oh this is a shame :/ I guess this book falls short a bit, and I don't like when the ending isn't really a brilliant conclusion or anything to the book. I think I might have to pass on this one.

    http://olivia-savannah.blogspot.nl/2014/09/the-legacy-blog-tour-review.html

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  14. Like I said, maybe it was just me and I hope you like it more that I did if you decide to read it! :)

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  15. That's how I feel when there's no decent ending to a book.

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