Virtual Amy

Replica #21

by Marilyn Kaye

Amy fears the organization is monitoring her every move. That’s what Andy tells her — before he disappears. He says they’ve both been implanted with a chip. Is there anywhere Amy can hide?

The answer seems to lie in a computer game. A game into which Amy downloads her consciousness. A game in which fantastic creatures and terrifying dangers lurk at every turn. A game that Amy suspects is being played in real life . . . by someone with sinister intentions. Amy must get to the end of the game — ahead of whoever’s trying to finish her off.

Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Childrens, Fiction

136 pages, Paperback

First published December 11, 2001

About the author

I was born in New Britain, Connecticut, and grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. I also spent a year (5th grade) in Montgomery, Alabama, and a year in Ann Arbor, Michigan(8th grade). As a child, I always wanted to be a writer, but I had lots of other ambitions too. I wanted to be a teacher, a librarian, a movie star, the president of the United States, and a ballerina.

I didn't achieve all my goals. I never became a movie star, the president of the U.S., or a ballerina. But I've been a teacher and a librarian and most of all, a writer. I've been writing for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I always kept a diary. I wrote poems, stories, plays, songs and lots of letters. Writing wasn't easy for me, but it felt natural and right.

I've always read a lot, too. I was an English major at Emory University (I love Shakespeare), and I also received a master's degree in library science at Emory. I earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Chicago, and I taught children's and teen literature at St. John's University in New York for over 20 years. Now, I'm a full-time writer, living in Paris, France - the most beautiful city in the world.

Reviews

[Lila · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one is just weird all over. And incredibly exhausting to read. I had to skim most of the book just to get through. And the book itself has so few pages, though it felt closer to thousand pages, I'm not going to lie.

[Jonathan Pongratz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll be frank, this book was a big disappointment for me. This is my least favorite of the series so far.

So in this chapter of Amy's chaotic life she receives a surprise visit from Andy one night. He's come to tell her some drastic news. The organization has implanted trackers in them and they have to find a way to disable them. Can Andy and Amy figure it out, or does the organization have them where they want them for their plans of world domination?

This book felt like a bunch of stuff was thrown against the wall in an effort for something to stick and nothing really did. To be kind, the premise was interesting since the organization has been after Amy and Andy this whole time, but that's about where things end positively for me.

I feel like the problem starts at the root. Supposedly there has been a tracker implanted in both Amy and Andy, and yet neither of them seem to recall when that happened to them. No effort is really made to understand, but they assume it was when they were all on that secret island together. From there it just gets worse.

Amy talks with her boyfriend Chris about her situation and for some reason they come to the conclusion that she should literally hide inside this popular video game. And it actually works. This felt so nonsensical and I really loathed reading the rest of the book because it just made no sense. It also gives Amy and Andy too much power.

To make matters worse, things end in a strange and abrupt way that didn't make sense. Andy extends an offer that would actually tie her closer to the main plot, and yet she refuses. I seriously hope that the next few books force her to confront the organization, because at this point it just doesn't feel like it's going to happen. Don't waste your time with this one.

[Ema · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aww what a sweet and sad ending! It is good that the end is nearing since there are very much some flaws in the organization's watching them. This computer game thing made zero sense but it sure was fun, and I enjoyed seeing the three boys interacting.

[Lara Vehar · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like this one. The interactions felt forced and I hated the fact that the clones could suddenly enter a computer game using their minds.

[meri · Rating 2 out of 5]

this series should have ended when amy and eric broke up. the plot is weird af, since when does the organization hunting amy have someone watch her back, strange ending. oh well.

[Anna Reta Maria]

Tämä taisi mennä minulla vähän yli hilseen. Huomaa, että olen jo nuorena ollut melko luddiitti enkä ole välittänyt kovin teknisistä jutuista. Vaikka replica-sarja on määriteltävissä scifiksi, tämä kirja oli menneisyyde minälleni liian scifiä.