gmcousino16's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I’m so happy I took a chance on this genre. Such an incredible read, absolutely loved the plot, characters, twists, everything. Great read!
allthebooksandi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
coni_booklover's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
secre's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I wasn't really sure what to expect when I started Constance, I certainly wasn't expecting to be so blown away by it, but I was. Not too far in the future, the miraculous discovery of cloning has been discovered. It's not immortality; the clone needs to be the same age as the consciousness and old age catches up with everyone. But it's a second, or even third chance if death strikes through accident, disease or violence. Of course, it's also for the insanely rich. Except for Constance. She has a clone policy due to her science genius aunt.
Con remembered the last sentence verbatim: I hope this small token of my affection allows you all to live long, long lives wallowing in your collective mediocrity. Apparently, Con’s mother wasn’t the only one in the family who could hold a grudge. Con alone had accepted her aunt’s gift despite, or perhaps because of, it being wrapped in an emphatic fuck you.
Only, when she finds herself awakening in a new body, they have a problem; it's been 18 months since her last update and that's unheard of. Ninety days is the limit, after that clones experience severe lag with devastating effects. Constance should not exist. But she does. And there has to be a reason for that. She might just be able to find it out if she can stay ahead of those chasing her. But more than that, she wants to find out about the missing 18 months; who she was and who she'd become. That's not an easy task either, particularly given that clones are seen as a lesser being at best and an abomination at worst.
"No, it’s human cloning that is irresponsible. It was Abigail Stickling and Vernon Gaddis who were irresponsible. A prodigal twentysomething-year-old grad student doesn’t get to unilaterally rewrite the fundamental nature of our species simply because she had an epiphany. Science belongs to the people. Particularly science that has the potential to change their lives.”
This is a really interesting tale, filled with complex world building that makes it come to life around you. I was sceptical to begin with, but quickly fell in love with the story and the characters. I found the world-building clever and intriguing. FitzSimmons doesn't just look at the science, but at the politics, the religion and fringe groups. It's very well thought out. Yet he doesn't bog the book down, the world building is explored naturally and the pace is fairly quick. I was never sure who to trust throughout the novel and it kept twisting and turning in unexpected ways that kept me on the edge of my seat.
“In this country, power doesn’t derive from defeating a threat; true power comes from the fear of the threat. And maintaining power requires a continuing threat. No one worries about causes that are already decided. When was the last time someone wrote a check to defeat prohibition?”
All in all, an excellent read. The writing style is engaging, the humour had me laughing out loud at points and the twists and turns kept me engaged. I surprised myself with just how much I enjoyed, honestly. Technically a science fiction thriller, I guess, but the humanity outweighs the science. This made me think, and made me laugh. A hidden gem that I firmly recommend.
Con remembered the last sentence verbatim: I hope this small token of my affection allows you all to live long, long lives wallowing in your collective mediocrity. Apparently, Con’s mother wasn’t the only one in the family who could hold a grudge. Con alone had accepted her aunt’s gift despite, or perhaps because of, it being wrapped in an emphatic fuck you.
Only, when she finds herself awakening in a new body, they have a problem; it's been 18 months since her last update and that's unheard of. Ninety days is the limit, after that clones experience severe lag with devastating effects. Constance should not exist. But she does. And there has to be a reason for that. She might just be able to find it out if she can stay ahead of those chasing her. But more than that, she wants to find out about the missing 18 months; who she was and who she'd become. That's not an easy task either, particularly given that clones are seen as a lesser being at best and an abomination at worst.
"No, it’s human cloning that is irresponsible. It was Abigail Stickling and Vernon Gaddis who were irresponsible. A prodigal twentysomething-year-old grad student doesn’t get to unilaterally rewrite the fundamental nature of our species simply because she had an epiphany. Science belongs to the people. Particularly science that has the potential to change their lives.”
This is a really interesting tale, filled with complex world building that makes it come to life around you. I was sceptical to begin with, but quickly fell in love with the story and the characters. I found the world-building clever and intriguing. FitzSimmons doesn't just look at the science, but at the politics, the religion and fringe groups. It's very well thought out. Yet he doesn't bog the book down, the world building is explored naturally and the pace is fairly quick. I was never sure who to trust throughout the novel and it kept twisting and turning in unexpected ways that kept me on the edge of my seat.
“In this country, power doesn’t derive from defeating a threat; true power comes from the fear of the threat. And maintaining power requires a continuing threat. No one worries about causes that are already decided. When was the last time someone wrote a check to defeat prohibition?”
All in all, an excellent read. The writing style is engaging, the humour had me laughing out loud at points and the twists and turns kept me engaged. I surprised myself with just how much I enjoyed, honestly. Technically a science fiction thriller, I guess, but the humanity outweighs the science. This made me think, and made me laugh. A hidden gem that I firmly recommend.
badwolfreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Constance
Matthew FitzSimmons
⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟 (3.75)
Con is depressed after the car accident that killed two of her band mates and put another in a coma. Her estranged and wealthy aunt offered her the opportunity to clone herself, which she took. She did a refresh to update what her clone would remember, and woke up 18 months later. Now Con needs to figure out what happened to her and what happened to her original.
It was a good story. It kept my interest and I wanted to keep reading. I liked the concept and I liked the main character, who really doesn't let anyone intimidate her throughout the book. It's a 3.75 because it got a little convoluted there towards the end. There were a lot of clones involved. Also I was really rooting for Gaddis to be one of the good guys, but I realize now that probably had to do with Peter. It seems to be the first in this series, but I think this book was sufficient.
Matthew FitzSimmons
⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟 (3.75)
Con is depressed after the car accident that killed two of her band mates and put another in a coma. Her estranged and wealthy aunt offered her the opportunity to clone herself, which she took. She did a refresh to update what her clone would remember, and woke up 18 months later. Now Con needs to figure out what happened to her and what happened to her original.
It was a good story. It kept my interest and I wanted to keep reading. I liked the concept and I liked the main character, who really doesn't let anyone intimidate her throughout the book. It's a 3.75 because it got a little convoluted there towards the end. There were a lot of clones involved. Also I was really rooting for Gaddis to be one of the good guys, but I realize now that probably had to do with Peter. It seems to be the first in this series, but I think this book was sufficient.
satashii's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
alysania's review against another edition
fast-paced
4.25
Quick paced, lots of twists and turns.. kinda fell apart towards the end, but overall a decent read.
wegmarken2006's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
2.75