Hello and welcome to my tour stop for FACSIMILE by Vicki L. Weavil! I am really excited to share my review for this book with you guys. As well, check out the bottom of this post for a giveaway!
First, let's learn more about the book...
FACSIMILE
Author: Vicki L. Weavil
Series: Facsimile #1
Publisher: Month9Books
Publication Date: March 8, 2016
Summary:
For a ticket to Earth, seventeen-year-old Anna-Maria “Ann” Solano is willing to jettison her birth planet, best friend, and the boy who loves her. Especially since all she’s required to do is escort Dace Keeling, a young naturalist, through the wilderness of the partially terraformed planet Eco. Ann‘s determination to escape the limitations of her small, frontier colony never falters, until Dace’s expeditions uncover three secrets. One offers riches, one shatters Ann’s perceptions of herself, and one reveals that the humans stranded on Eco are not its only inhabitants.
Ann’s willing to sacrifice friendship and love for a new life on Earth. But when an entire species is placed in jeopardy by her actions, she must make a choice – fulfill the dream that’s always sustained her, or save the planet she’s never considered home.
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Rating: 3.5*
This was an honest-to-goodness science fiction novel and I loved it for that. There is lots of science, but not too much that it is difficult to understand. A lot of what we learn is already things we have at least a bit of basic knowledge of if you paid even minimal attention in science class. And that was great because I hate when things get too technical that the common person can't understand it. The one thing I love about Science Fiction is that it is for everyone, even if you don't have a vast knowledge of STEM. FACSIMILE really delivers on this front because you can completely understand everything that is happening without having to stop and think too much.
The characters were all really well developed, although I would say that at some points it felt like the dialogue didn't feel very real. But the interactions and the relationships all were well developed. I liked Emie and Ann's friendship the best -- they would support one another no matter what, but still held secrets. They felt like real best friends. I also really liked that Ann was so willing to do what she thought was best for herself and for others, even if it meant she would be hurt in the process. I also really liked her relationship with Raiden. I thought he had such an interesting personality and that Ann really took him for granted sometimes.
One of the highlights of this novel is that it was diverse. A colony like this is bound to have a lot of people with diverse backgrounds. It was nice to have that shown in this world because it was nice to have that diversity but still show that people are still just people. However, I thought the inclusion of Emie wanting to help the cybers was nice but a little over the top and cheesy at times. There were better ways of handling it IMO, but it was good to have it in there. It made the plot that much more deeper to have this other problem of who is considered human and not.
My one complaint is that the pacing was a bit off: at times it felt like things were moving too slowly and then other times it was as though a week had passed when it was really a day. It was difficult to get the concept of time in this one, tbh. As well, I was REALLY hoping that even though there were two eligible dudes that there would not be a love triangle, but alas there was. And like I'm okay with that but it just felt a bit forced as though BECAUSE there are two eligible dudes that means there must be a love triangle. Like no thanks.
Otherwise I really liked the plot and am looking forward to continuing with this series. I think it will be a good one from start to finish as it has interesting characters, situations, and I really like Raiden. So there's also that.
Vicki L. Weavil was raised in a farming community in Virginia, where her life was shaped by a wonderful family, the culture of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and an obsession with reading. She holds a B.A. in Theatre from the University of Virginia, a Masters in Library Science from Indiana University, and a Masters in Liberal Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. After working as a librarian at the NY Public Library at Lincoln Center, and the Museum of Television & Radio (now the Paley Center for Media) in NYC, she is currently the Director for Library Services at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
Vicki loves good writing in any genre, and has been known to read seven books in as many days. She enjoys travel, gardening, and the arts. Vicki lives in North Carolina with her husband and some very spoiled cats. A member of SCBWI, Vicki is represented by Fran Black at Literary Counsel, NY, NY.
Connect with the Author:
This sounds very interesting and has grabbed my attention for sure. As usual though, I'm going to wait for reviews on the next book before I decide to then wait for the whole series to be complete before I purchase it. I'm not usually into sci-fi much either so I'm even more glad/excited that you reviewed this book! (It's nice to read outside your genre of choice every once in a while, ya know?)...(of course you know,you're a book blogger.duh.) ANYWAY. Thanks, Jaime! :)
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