Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Book Review: This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada

Hello everyone! I recently read This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada, and I can’t wait to share it with you! If you like YA science fiction and post-apocalyptic worlds, this is the book for you.

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?


First of all, I love the concept of This Mortal Coil. In this futuristic world where gentech can manipulate DNA, apps and devices exist with the ability to amplify the senses, accelerate healing, or, at the other end of the spectrum, shut down the entire body. Needless to say, I found the science behind this book fascinating. With gentech, you could code yourself cures to rare diseases, hack your genes, etc.- just imagine the possibilities. And not only is the world futuristic, but it's post-apocalyptic as well. A cruel and devastating plague is decimating the earth, which creates an intriguing backdrop and a much more dark and complicated side to the story.

I also love how this novel makes you reassess the line between right and wrong. In dire circumstances (e.g. deadly plague), what would you be willing to do to survive? To ensure the survival of humanity? To what extent should individual people be allowed to decide what the best course of action is? And finally, should we tamper with what makes us fundamentally human? These are all fine lines to walk, and ultimately, who the heroes and villains are all depend on which side you’re on. 

In the end, This Mortal Coil is about a fight for survival. Power is constantly shifting, the people you’re rooting for are constantly changing, and so many plot twists… If you like post-apocalyptic worlds with science, humor, and romance, or novels such as Angelfall by Susan Ee or Warcross by Marie Lu, you’ll love This Mortal Coil. And the sequel, This Cruel Design, is out already, so you can look forward to that too!  

-Amy

Find This Mortal Coil in the Monroe County Library SystemGoodreadsBarnes & Noble, or Amazon.

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