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A review by kaylielongley
Brave New Girl by Rachel Vincent
1.0
I stayed up to read this "sci-fi light" YA book (author Vincent's description, not mine). And I can't wait to read its followup. What's wrong with me? The entire plot is contrived, from one teenager happenstance meeting another slightly older teenager in a not-quite-like-our-own world, and boom, insta-love. Sound familiar? It doesn't help that the protagonists, Dahlia and Trigger, are whiny (Dahlia) and narcissistic (Trigger) and not all that special In fact, Dahlia's told she's not. There's probably the biggest problem of dumbing down sci-fi: the environment is clearly bad and require labels as such, instead of readers (or citizens) discovering it for themselves. Her discoveries feel real, though redundant. And there's clearly a caste system in place, without the actual label. Why else would some people get to feel sexual urges while others can't even prepare the food they grow?
Since I already have book 2 from the library, and how much is left unshared in this first installment, it feels like Vincent wanted more money, instead of a typical flow of world building, character development, and plot. I feel she's not a particularly careful writer, so some of the book is inconsistent or just doesn't quite make sense: 1. Dahlia 16 shares the DNA of 5000, many of whom are fellow gardeners. So, Poppy, Violet, etc. do the same tasks as her, are the same age as her, have the same genome. Yet our "brave new" Dahlia 16 also looks in awe at Dahlia 17. Does that mean she ages? Does that mean the names keep getting reuses? 2. If Dahlia truly loved her sisters, then why does she spend so much time with Trigger? I understand that's he a novelty in an entirely routine life, but when their world is destroyed, it's hard to empathize because there's more page time on staring at each other than moving life along. So, if you do read this, lower your expectations, expect formula.
Since I already have book 2 from the library, and how much is left unshared in this first installment, it feels like Vincent wanted more money, instead of a typical flow of world building, character development, and plot. I feel she's not a particularly careful writer, so some of the book is inconsistent or just doesn't quite make sense: 1. Dahlia 16 shares the DNA of 5000, many of whom are fellow gardeners. So, Poppy, Violet, etc. do the same tasks as her, are the same age as her, have the same genome. Yet our "brave new" Dahlia 16 also looks in awe at Dahlia 17. Does that mean she ages? Does that mean the names keep getting reuses? 2. If Dahlia truly loved her sisters, then why does she spend so much time with Trigger? I understand that's he a novelty in an entirely routine life, but when their world is destroyed, it's hard to empathize because there's more page time on staring at each other than moving life along. So, if you do read this, lower your expectations, expect formula.