Sci-Fi & Scary

The synopsis for Genesis Girl doesn’t really do it justice. Genesis Girl is a thought provoking look at our obsession with technology. Also, obviously, on our obsession with sharing every thing that happens in our lives. It does make a good point on how people can take stances to the extreme on things. Tabula Rasa is a school from practically from the Dark Ages. It keeps its students completely sheltered from the internet. In the process, it also ensures that they aren’t allowed to experience differing views or opinions. Its creepy at best, and brain-washing at worst. However, it does a very good job selling all it’s downfalls as positives to make people extremely rich.

Right from the beginning, it’s obvious something isn’t right with Bianca or the situation. Blanca is the ultimate good student. She tows the company line with almost blind fervor, and watching the McNeals try to help her is extremely frustrating at times. I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to reach into the book and give her a good hard shake. It was also kind of scary to think about. That someone could be that brain-washed.

Genesis Girl, book 1 in a planned Blank Slate series, will please a lot of YA readers. The idea of the Vestals is interesting. I can see this being something that could actually happen in our not-too-distant future. Everything is online, so the idea of someone being completely private and only getting allowed glimpses into their life could become an encompassing craze. There’s a bit of familial drama, and external intrigue to ratchet up the tension. Bardsley lays everything out very logically, and it’s no surprise when things get revealed to be what they are, but there was a twist at the end that readers probably won’t expect. I know I didn’t.

Genesis Girl fell just short of being a fantastic read. There were a couple of scenes that just didn’t feel well-executed. There’s a development near the end that just seems to happen a bit too suddenly for me to easily buy it. Relatively minor nitpicks, overall, but just enough to keep me from raving about how awesome the book is. Overall, this is a great debut work from Jennifer Bardsley, and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.