Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Duplicity


Duplicity 


by N. K. Traver

Synopsis:

In private, seventeen-year-old Brandon hacks bank accounts just for the thrill of it. In public, he looks like any other tattooed bad boy with a fast car and devil-may-care attitude. He should know: he's worked hard to maintain that façade. With inattentive parents who move constantly from city to city, he''s learned not to get tangled up in things like friends and relationships. So he'll just keep living like a machine, all gears and wires.
Then two things shatter his carefully-built image: Emma, the kind, stubborn girl who insists on looking beneath the surface - and the small matter of a mirror reflection that starts moving by itself. Not only does Brandon''s reflection have a mind of its own, but it seems to be grooming him for something--washing the dye from his hair, yanking out his piercings, swapping his black shirts for . pastels. Then it tells him: it thinks it can live his life better, and it's preparing to trade places.
And when it pulls Brandon through the looking-glass, not only will he need all his ill-gotten hacking skills to escape, but he''s going to have to face some hard truths about who he''s become. Otherwise he'll be stuck in a digital hell until he's old and gray, and Emma and his parents won''t even know he's gone.

My thoughts:

A mind-bending, original story that teens are going to love. Brandon is a high-school senior with a bad boy persona with a highly developed skill as a computer hacker. He spends his spare time hacking into secure accounts, stealing credit card numbers to fund his fetish for fast cars and tattoos. But one day, Brandon sees his reflection in a mirror doing things it’s not supposed to be doing. Little by little, his reflection—which he names “Obran” or Other Brandon—informs Brandon that he is getting ready to trade places with Brandon.  Brandon has been a bad boy and Obran is going to do better.  On the day Obran is successful Brandon wakes up in a prison cell-like room, where a computer voice informs him that he has been incarcerated for computer hacking, and must serve out a twenty-year sentence as part of something called Project Duplicity. In the meantime the duplicate Obran will be living Brandon’s life.  A computer entity named JENA now controls his every waking—and sleeping—moments, forcing him to work on computer codes. Brandon knows that Obran, his lookalike, has taken over his real life, and he’s desperate to get home.

Traver’s story, with its lightning-fast pace, richly imagined virtual world, and  mind-bending plot twists will keep readers glued to the page.

Things We Know By Heart

Things We Know By Heart

by Jessi Kirby

Plot: 

When Quinn Sullivan’s life gets turned upside down by the death of her boyfriend Trent, she is determined to find the recipients of Trent’s donated organs.  Many of the recipients replied to her letters, but the one she wants to find the most remains silent. The recipient of Trent’s heart. Quinn cannot take it anymore, so she takes matters into her own hands to find the beneficiary. When an unintentional encounter leads to something more, Quinn is torn.  She feels alive again around Colton, whose life has been changed completely by Trent’s death, but will the truth tear them apart or bring them even closer together?

My thoughts:

I was wandering through the library when the cover of this book caught my eye. I immediately felt sorry for the main character Quinn, I couldn’t imagine how hard it would be to lose someone that close to you.  The story seemed like it would be the kind of book that would make me happy, so I picked it up and took it out.  As I kept reading, I got more into the book and I could not put it down. I felt like I was Quinn, as if all this was happening to me. I felt every emotion she felt.  This book reminded me a lot of the movie The Fault in Our Stars at some points, the main character Quinn is a lot like the main character in the movie, Hazel. They both go through a lot in their lives, and find ways to overcome these obstacles.  All the characters in this book are fairly well rounded, although we do not learn much about the other characters besides Quinn, Trent and Colton.  

I highly recommend this book, and I think it would make a great movie as well! Anyone who enjoys romance novels with a happy twist will like this book written by Jessi Kirby.

Reviewed by A.S., Grade 10 Scona student