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abaugher's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing. Clones created to serve the extremely wealthy on their island paradise. Clones are soulless, they should not be able to feel, they should only desire to serve their humans. A Beta is a teen clone, and not yet fully tested. The Beta in this story, Eleysia, does her best to be a good clone, but there are many things she's learning are not fair or just, and maybe she feels that sense of injustice. And maybe she needs to act on it.
Events quickly get out of control and Eleysia has a lot more to learn about her world, and how to survive in it. There are excellent plot twists, but the end? I never saw that coming.
Take out the word clone and insert black, or poor, or uneducated, or immigrant, and you have a story of the inequality and injustice of human nature. Why must we always strive to hold down others so that we can be the privileged?
Events quickly get out of control and Eleysia has a lot more to learn about her world, and how to survive in it. There are excellent plot twists, but the end? I never saw that coming.
Take out the word clone and insert black, or poor, or uneducated, or immigrant, and you have a story of the inequality and injustice of human nature. Why must we always strive to hold down others so that we can be the privileged?
mollywetta's review
4.0
Rachel Cohn is best known for Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist and Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares, two popular contemporary and realistic young adult novels. When I saw she was coming out with a science fiction dystopian novel, I was intrigued.
Beta is set on the otherworldly island of Demesne, where the air is so full of oxygen, the environment so lush, it seems like paradise. The island is staffed by clones made from the bodies of those who have died, and these clones serve the elite humans who make Demesne their home. Elysia is one of the first teen clones, making her a Beta. Despite the risk, she is purchased by the wife of the governor of the island as a sort of replacement for her daughter who has gone to study on the mainland. Elysia wants nothing more to please her new owners so she can keep her coveted role as one of the family and avoid the manual labor and servitude that is the lot of others of her kind. But Elysia slowly realizes that Demesne is not a paradise for everyone on the island. She experiences emotions and sensations that clones are not supposed to feel, not to mention strange flashbacks of a beautiful boy that can only be memories of her First.
The narration is believable and immediate. I was completely swept away in Elysia’s point-of-view. Her reaction to this world seems fitting of someone who has only just recently become a part of it. The world-building is subtle yet complete. It seems very believable that this technology could be developed in the future, and that the rich and famous would use their power to construct an ideal offshore community after the mainland has been ravaged by war and natural disasters. I felt that from the very beginning, Cohn was planting the seeds of rebellion. The plot twists at the end hit you in quick succession—Bam! Bam! Bam! and left me dying for the sequel. Ultimately, the character of Elysia and her strong voice are what will bring me back for the rest of the trilogy.
This book is definitely mature YA. While some books I’ve reviewed recently, like Tiger Lily and The Shadow Society, I feel are appropriate for those as young as 12, Beta is not one of those books. While not gratuitous or inappropriate, this is a novel best suited to more mature teen readers.
If you enjoy Beta, you might also like What’s Left of Me by Kat Zhang, Glitch by Heather Anastusiu, and Origin by Jessica Khoury.
I received a copy from the publisher for review via Netgalley.
Beta is set on the otherworldly island of Demesne, where the air is so full of oxygen, the environment so lush, it seems like paradise. The island is staffed by clones made from the bodies of those who have died, and these clones serve the elite humans who make Demesne their home. Elysia is one of the first teen clones, making her a Beta. Despite the risk, she is purchased by the wife of the governor of the island as a sort of replacement for her daughter who has gone to study on the mainland. Elysia wants nothing more to please her new owners so she can keep her coveted role as one of the family and avoid the manual labor and servitude that is the lot of others of her kind. But Elysia slowly realizes that Demesne is not a paradise for everyone on the island. She experiences emotions and sensations that clones are not supposed to feel, not to mention strange flashbacks of a beautiful boy that can only be memories of her First.
The narration is believable and immediate. I was completely swept away in Elysia’s point-of-view. Her reaction to this world seems fitting of someone who has only just recently become a part of it. The world-building is subtle yet complete. It seems very believable that this technology could be developed in the future, and that the rich and famous would use their power to construct an ideal offshore community after the mainland has been ravaged by war and natural disasters. I felt that from the very beginning, Cohn was planting the seeds of rebellion. The plot twists at the end hit you in quick succession—Bam! Bam! Bam! and left me dying for the sequel. Ultimately, the character of Elysia and her strong voice are what will bring me back for the rest of the trilogy.
This book is definitely mature YA. While some books I’ve reviewed recently, like Tiger Lily and The Shadow Society, I feel are appropriate for those as young as 12, Beta is not one of those books. While not gratuitous or inappropriate, this is a novel best suited to more mature teen readers.
If you enjoy Beta, you might also like What’s Left of Me by Kat Zhang, Glitch by Heather Anastusiu, and Origin by Jessica Khoury.
I received a copy from the publisher for review via Netgalley.
thelibrarylady42's review
3.0
*Copy provided by Net Galley*
I go back and forth about this book because on the one hand I get what it was trying to say and I think it's a hugely important message. On the other hand I'm not entirely sure it was successful.
Elysia is a clone, a teen beta, supposedly one of the first successful teens. We follow Elysia as she awakens and works her way through training and into the home of a wealthy family. Only the very wealthy can afford clones and live on the island paradise where Elysia was created.
Elysia starts out as a blank slate and she is perfect at everything, part of her programing of course. She has access to all sorts of information via her data chip including how to react like she has human emotions without actually feeling emotions. She is a little too perfect at first almost annoyingly so. However as time goes by Elysia realizes that she is not just replicating feelings she is actually feeling them. She enjoys swimming and she LOVES chocolate. (Who doesn't?) This means she is a defect, a clone that is malfunctioning and must be destroyed. She must keep her defect hidden so that she isn't sent away. As she meets and gets to know other clones she realizes that maybe more clones are defects than not.
One of the things that I simply didn't understand was the whole process of cloning. A lot of emphasis was put on "removing the soul." When a person is cloned they must be dead or dying already then the soul is removed and clones are left emotionless shells. How do they know they are removing the soul? What exactly is a soul? What happens with the soul when it is removed? Maybe we will find out more in the second book based on the surprising twist at the end.
These questions didn't bother me as much as the rampant drug use and seemingly lack of moral character for most of the cast. I think I understand where Cohn was going with the whole slavery/equality thing but the drug use and sex caused some of the message to get lost.
Elysia meets a boy and immediately is drawn to him for some inexplicable reason.
The ending while slightly disturbing was intriguing enough for me to pick up the second one.
Verdict: Be cautious of rampant drug use, sex, and. Definitely not for middle school. If these thing are not a problem I can see a fairly large audience in high school.
I go back and forth about this book because on the one hand I get what it was trying to say and I think it's a hugely important message. On the other hand I'm not entirely sure it was successful.
Elysia is a clone, a teen beta, supposedly one of the first successful teens. We follow Elysia as she awakens and works her way through training and into the home of a wealthy family. Only the very wealthy can afford clones and live on the island paradise where Elysia was created.
Elysia starts out as a blank slate and she is perfect at everything, part of her programing of course. She has access to all sorts of information via her data chip including how to react like she has human emotions without actually feeling emotions. She is a little too perfect at first almost annoyingly so. However as time goes by Elysia realizes that she is not just replicating feelings she is actually feeling them. She enjoys swimming and she LOVES chocolate. (Who doesn't?) This means she is a defect, a clone that is malfunctioning and must be destroyed. She must keep her defect hidden so that she isn't sent away. As she meets and gets to know other clones she realizes that maybe more clones are defects than not.
One of the things that I simply didn't understand was the whole process of cloning. A lot of emphasis was put on "removing the soul." When a person is cloned they must be dead or dying already then the soul is removed and clones are left emotionless shells. How do they know they are removing the soul? What exactly is a soul? What happens with the soul when it is removed? Maybe we will find out more in the second book based on the surprising twist at the end.
These questions didn't bother me as much as the rampant drug use and seemingly lack of moral character for most of the cast. I think I understand where Cohn was going with the whole slavery/equality thing but the drug use and sex caused some of the message to get lost.
Elysia meets a boy and immediately is drawn to him for some inexplicable reason.
Spoiler
We find out later that he is also a teen clone created because his mother couldn't bear to bury another child. This brings me back to my earlier questions about souls. Did they preserve his soul and transfer it over? After she meets him they are drawn together and do drugs because it will help him be more human. Now they can't wait to do them again. They are professing love and ready to have sex within a week. It's all just a little too much for me.The ending while slightly disturbing was intriguing enough for me to pick up the second one.
Verdict: Be cautious of rampant drug use, sex, and
Spoiler
a rapeserru's review
2.0
All throughout reading this, I couldn't help but think how much more awesome this book would have been had it been written by [a:Margaret Atwood|3472|Margaret Atwood|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1282859073p2/3472.jpg] or [a:Karin Lowachee|107732|Karin Lowachee|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1282963779p2/107732.jpg] or [a:Suzanne Collins|153394|Suzanne Collins|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1394819770p2/153394.jpg]. Rachel Cohn just doesn't have the writing chops to pull off well-developed, well-executed, and thought-provoking science fiction. Or maybe I am expecting too much of YA. The premise is interesting but I got the feeling this story was so clearly produced to ride on the success of The Hunger Games and other dystopian YA novels.
Beta is about a clone who begins to exhibit human emotions. Clones are supposed to be unfeeling, completely stripped of their soul-- but the author fails to clearly define what this means or what a human soul actually is. There's very little emotional depth, even when the clone main character begins to feel. The second half of the book devolves into darker themes-- scandals, rape, murder-- none of which were handled with any sort of sensitivity or depth. Overall, I thought this was a very superficial book.
Beta is about a clone who begins to exhibit human emotions. Clones are supposed to be unfeeling, completely stripped of their soul-- but the author fails to clearly define what this means or what a human soul actually is. There's very little emotional depth, even when the clone main character begins to feel. The second half of the book devolves into darker themes-- scandals, rape, murder-- none of which were handled with any sort of sensitivity or depth. Overall, I thought this was a very superficial book.
squirrelsohno's review
2.0
I won’t mince words and as a result I am going to spoil this book a little. If you are afraid of spoilers, please don’t read on. Fair warning.
When a book uses rape as a plot point, especially when the character was initially a supporting and caring brother-like figure, I get pissed off. When this is compounded with the rape victim getting pregnant and those around her not allowing her to get an abortion because her child is too special, then that just makes me rage. BETA has this and more, which made me struggle with giving this one even two stars. It gets bonus points for one reason – it is compulsively readable and fast paced. But other than that, this book deserved one star for a number of reasons, and it’s why BETA will probably go down in infamy as my most disappointing read of 2012.
BETA follows a soulless clone, a girl named Elysia that comes off strongly as a stereotypical robot – a slave, unfeeling, uncaring, focused solely on her duty. When a soulless clone is narrating a first person present tense story, though, you are running into a big issue. Elysia oftentimes felt very, very flat, as if she was the victim of a 6 year old’s fanfiction. “I did this and this and went here and saw him and this and this.” If this story had been told instead in a third person past tense, it might have been more successful, even if at times this personality-less visage disappeared – it was inconsistent at best.
Elysia’s love interests are pretty much stock characters, and each fall victim to instalove in their own right. Tahir is the boy with secrets, handsome and compelling but just as bland as Elysia. Alex is the boy we don’t meet for several hundred pages, but a boy with a deep connection to Elysia. And then Ivan, the boy who is apparently head over heels in love with Elysia while making drugs and preparing to enter the military.
The secondary characters are generally bland. Mother and the Governess are stock rich characters you might find in the backdrop on Revenge. The Fortesquieus (Tahir’s parents) are slightly more relatable, given more of a back story that allowed me to connect with them more than any other character than possibly sweet Liesel, the daughter of the family that owns Elysia. When we meet the other teenagers of the story – bland Greer, sexed up ditz Demetra (aka Dementia – a rather intellectually impaired girl used as a sex object throughout the story – and as an object to make fun of her intelligence), among others – we do not delve very deeply into this world more than into tales of parties and rule breaking and general disobedience, nothing that adds to this dystopian world of man versus clone.
But where this story lost all credibility for me was the point where Elysia reveals to her brother-like figure Ivan that she has feelings for Tahir. Up until this point, Ivan had felt like a calm, conscientious figure that trusted Elysia and wanted to be her friend. She put her trust in him and he did the same with her. Then suddenly he morphs into a devious figure that assaults her, choking her and raping her to lay his claim to what he thinks is his property. And then she kills him and runs off, saved by the good graces of Alex.
Within what feels like 3 days, they have pledged their undying love for one another after a rather ludicrous explanation of his hardcore eco-warrior religious society’s mating for life deal when SURPRISE! Elysia is pregnant. She demands an abortion, but Alex and her other savior refuse. They force Elysia to carry her rapist’s child, saying that the child is too precious, too special to abort, and use the same tactics of hardcore pro-life groups to convince Elysia to carry the child that she does not want.
What. The. Fudge.
I will admit, I am VERY pro-choice. Then again, I am a hardcore left wing nutso, so that could explain things. I do not agree with using rape as a plot point, followed by a propaganda-ish demand that a rape victim carry the rapist’s baby for no real reason other than plot. Mixed with pointless drug use, including helping drug a boy so that he loves her back, and the dreaded use of suicide threats when the boy of her dreams (that she has known for two weeks) is taken away from her, I began to seethe.
This rarely happens except when domestic abuse, rape, and damaging relationships are promoted heavily. Elysia’s baby is treated as a gift from God, and with the smattering of biblical passages and revenging eco-religious warriors, I wonder how much of this novel is some weird pro-life propaganda tool. I mean, that’s probably not the case, but when it hits me in a side thought that it seems like something a conservative Christian would foist on their child, that is not a good sign.
I cannot recommend this book. I want to so badly – the plot on paper is amazing and unique, and could have so many opportunities to explore the relationship between the rich and poor, between humans and clones/robots, between science and humanity. Instead, it became an instalove fest of drugs, rape, and the underlying message that a girl should not abort a child thrust upon her by a rapist, even if that child threatens her emotional health and wellbeing.
VERDICT: Featuring rape, drug use as a tool of control, and an anti-abortion message, BETA thrashed my hopes for an epic story. At least it was fast-paced.
1.5/5
When a book uses rape as a plot point, especially when the character was initially a supporting and caring brother-like figure, I get pissed off. When this is compounded with the rape victim getting pregnant and those around her not allowing her to get an abortion because her child is too special, then that just makes me rage. BETA has this and more, which made me struggle with giving this one even two stars. It gets bonus points for one reason – it is compulsively readable and fast paced. But other than that, this book deserved one star for a number of reasons, and it’s why BETA will probably go down in infamy as my most disappointing read of 2012.
BETA follows a soulless clone, a girl named Elysia that comes off strongly as a stereotypical robot – a slave, unfeeling, uncaring, focused solely on her duty. When a soulless clone is narrating a first person present tense story, though, you are running into a big issue. Elysia oftentimes felt very, very flat, as if she was the victim of a 6 year old’s fanfiction. “I did this and this and went here and saw him and this and this.” If this story had been told instead in a third person past tense, it might have been more successful, even if at times this personality-less visage disappeared – it was inconsistent at best.
Elysia’s love interests are pretty much stock characters, and each fall victim to instalove in their own right. Tahir is the boy with secrets, handsome and compelling but just as bland as Elysia. Alex is the boy we don’t meet for several hundred pages, but a boy with a deep connection to Elysia. And then Ivan, the boy who is apparently head over heels in love with Elysia while making drugs and preparing to enter the military.
The secondary characters are generally bland. Mother and the Governess are stock rich characters you might find in the backdrop on Revenge. The Fortesquieus (Tahir’s parents) are slightly more relatable, given more of a back story that allowed me to connect with them more than any other character than possibly sweet Liesel, the daughter of the family that owns Elysia. When we meet the other teenagers of the story – bland Greer, sexed up ditz Demetra (aka Dementia – a rather intellectually impaired girl used as a sex object throughout the story – and as an object to make fun of her intelligence), among others – we do not delve very deeply into this world more than into tales of parties and rule breaking and general disobedience, nothing that adds to this dystopian world of man versus clone.
But where this story lost all credibility for me was the point where Elysia reveals to her brother-like figure Ivan that she has feelings for Tahir. Up until this point, Ivan had felt like a calm, conscientious figure that trusted Elysia and wanted to be her friend. She put her trust in him and he did the same with her. Then suddenly he morphs into a devious figure that assaults her, choking her and raping her to lay his claim to what he thinks is his property. And then she kills him and runs off, saved by the good graces of Alex.
Within what feels like 3 days, they have pledged their undying love for one another after a rather ludicrous explanation of his hardcore eco-warrior religious society’s mating for life deal when SURPRISE! Elysia is pregnant. She demands an abortion, but Alex and her other savior refuse. They force Elysia to carry her rapist’s child, saying that the child is too precious, too special to abort, and use the same tactics of hardcore pro-life groups to convince Elysia to carry the child that she does not want.
What. The. Fudge.
I will admit, I am VERY pro-choice. Then again, I am a hardcore left wing nutso, so that could explain things. I do not agree with using rape as a plot point, followed by a propaganda-ish demand that a rape victim carry the rapist’s baby for no real reason other than plot. Mixed with pointless drug use, including helping drug a boy so that he loves her back, and the dreaded use of suicide threats when the boy of her dreams (that she has known for two weeks) is taken away from her, I began to seethe.
This rarely happens except when domestic abuse, rape, and damaging relationships are promoted heavily. Elysia’s baby is treated as a gift from God, and with the smattering of biblical passages and revenging eco-religious warriors, I wonder how much of this novel is some weird pro-life propaganda tool. I mean, that’s probably not the case, but when it hits me in a side thought that it seems like something a conservative Christian would foist on their child, that is not a good sign.
I cannot recommend this book. I want to so badly – the plot on paper is amazing and unique, and could have so many opportunities to explore the relationship between the rich and poor, between humans and clones/robots, between science and humanity. Instead, it became an instalove fest of drugs, rape, and the underlying message that a girl should not abort a child thrust upon her by a rapist, even if that child threatens her emotional health and wellbeing.
VERDICT: Featuring rape, drug use as a tool of control, and an anti-abortion message, BETA thrashed my hopes for an epic story. At least it was fast-paced.
1.5/5
hayleybeale's review
3.0
Not sure why Rachel Cohn has switched to dystopian series (but I could gue$$), and this is an OK entry into the field. It's fairly slow starting to get the world building going, and ends in a flurry of violence and cliff hanger twists. However the sci part of the sci fi seems a bit shaky - a casual aside that earth has colonized far off planets doesn't seem believable when they haven't found a cure for hangovers - and Elysia, the main character, veers from naive robot to knowing teen, so consistency is an issue. Would I bother to read the next book in the series? Probably not.
alboyer6's review
4.0
On the island of Demesne, all of the work is done by clones. There are massage clones, there are house keeping clones and then there is Elysia. She is a Beta test. The first teen clone and bought by the wife of the island's governor. She emerged at the age of 16. The only knowledge that she has is what was downloaded into her chip. Her only desire is to please her family and make them happy. But soon she starts having thoughts and desires of her own and she starts hearing tales of defective clones rebelling. Is she defective? Is there more to her than what she was designed to do? This is the first story in a great new series by Rachel Cohn. My favorite Cohn book so far. On the surface it is a fun sci-fi story of an earth recovering from water wars and a tale of a young clone realizing that she is more than what she was designed to be. But deeper, it is a book that explores humanity, slavery, class systems, genetic engineering and identity. A great story, definitely worth the read and teh end will just leave you chomping at the bit for the next book.
(ebook advanced readers copy courtesy of Netgalley)
(ebook advanced readers copy courtesy of Netgalley)
cosmic_sans104's review
2.0
I think that Beta does the best it can to immerse the reader given the protagonist's emotional differences from other characters in the story. I struggled to relate to her, but in some ways this was okay because I'm not truly SUPPOSED to relate to her. However, the reading process is even more hindered with a cast of (intentionally) unlikeable characters Minus the two sisters- they're cool.
It poses an interesting dystopian society that can interest readers. It's biggest strength is in its revelatory moments as the protagonist learns more about the world she's emerged into and her place within it. There are some unnecessary and/or predictable twists, but overall the read was quick and moderately enjoyable.
It poses an interesting dystopian society that can interest readers. It's biggest strength is in its revelatory moments as the protagonist learns more about the world she's emerged into and her place within it. There are some unnecessary and/or predictable twists, but overall the read was quick and moderately enjoyable.
christajls's review
4.0
Originally posted at More Than Just Magic
Maybe it was the all pink cover but I really wasn’t expecting that much from Beta. I mean I was expecting it to be good - it is Rachel Cohn after all, but I wasn’t expecting it to blow me away.
But boy was I wrong.
Beta is not your run of the mill young adult novel. It is pure science fiction gold. In quite literally a perfect world (or a perfect island if we’re being specific) humans have created clones to wait on them and take care of daily tasks like cooking, cleaning, party planning etc. Though this practice is fairly common, Elysia is different. She’s a Beta, a prototype if you will, of a teenager and she’s brought into one of the influential family who are looking for a kind of replacement for their daughter who has gone off to university.
Instead of making this world simplistic in it’s perfection, Rachel Cohn does an amazing job, layering in the detail. And she does so in such a seamless way, you almost don’t notice all the information you’re absorbing. The island Elysia lives on, didn’t spring up out of no where and the author gives us a brief history of Demesne (the island) and the people, without simply dumping information on the reader. But in addition, she also shows us the cracks. What problems the society has, how it’s viewed by those internally, how it’s viewed by those externally, their treatment of others etc. It may not be a solid foundation for a society but it is a solid foundation for a novel.
I also didn’t expect Beta to be as deep and meaningful as it was. I found the text was constantly asking questions about what perfection really means, and who has to suffer/sacrifice for that perfection to come about. I also found that I spent a lot of time thinking about what it is exactly that makes someone “human” during my reading of Beta. How would clones fit into our society and how would be treat them? As a vegetarian I often think about how we treat other creatures on our planet and this book really hit a nerve with that part of me.
Being a Beta, however, Elysia is quite a regular clone either. We’re led to believe she experiences things a bit differently than other clones on the island and I found this a great way to frame her character because it allowed you to really watch her grow throughout the novel. She goes from knowing almost nothing about the outside world, to question all that she is confronted by. I liked watching this transition and it made Beta an interesting character study on top of everything else.
Recommendation: As you can probably tell from this review, I loved Beta. I thought it was beautifully written and incredibly thoughtful and I recommend it to anyone who wants a science fiction novel they can talk about for days.
Maybe it was the all pink cover but I really wasn’t expecting that much from Beta. I mean I was expecting it to be good - it is Rachel Cohn after all, but I wasn’t expecting it to blow me away.
But boy was I wrong.
Beta is not your run of the mill young adult novel. It is pure science fiction gold. In quite literally a perfect world (or a perfect island if we’re being specific) humans have created clones to wait on them and take care of daily tasks like cooking, cleaning, party planning etc. Though this practice is fairly common, Elysia is different. She’s a Beta, a prototype if you will, of a teenager and she’s brought into one of the influential family who are looking for a kind of replacement for their daughter who has gone off to university.
Instead of making this world simplistic in it’s perfection, Rachel Cohn does an amazing job, layering in the detail. And she does so in such a seamless way, you almost don’t notice all the information you’re absorbing. The island Elysia lives on, didn’t spring up out of no where and the author gives us a brief history of Demesne (the island) and the people, without simply dumping information on the reader. But in addition, she also shows us the cracks. What problems the society has, how it’s viewed by those internally, how it’s viewed by those externally, their treatment of others etc. It may not be a solid foundation for a society but it is a solid foundation for a novel.
I also didn’t expect Beta to be as deep and meaningful as it was. I found the text was constantly asking questions about what perfection really means, and who has to suffer/sacrifice for that perfection to come about. I also found that I spent a lot of time thinking about what it is exactly that makes someone “human” during my reading of Beta. How would clones fit into our society and how would be treat them? As a vegetarian I often think about how we treat other creatures on our planet and this book really hit a nerve with that part of me.
Being a Beta, however, Elysia is quite a regular clone either. We’re led to believe she experiences things a bit differently than other clones on the island and I found this a great way to frame her character because it allowed you to really watch her grow throughout the novel. She goes from knowing almost nothing about the outside world, to question all that she is confronted by. I liked watching this transition and it made Beta an interesting character study on top of everything else.
Recommendation: As you can probably tell from this review, I loved Beta. I thought it was beautifully written and incredibly thoughtful and I recommend it to anyone who wants a science fiction novel they can talk about for days.