What do you think?
Rate this book
Cipher
Cipher Omega is sixteen years old and a failed experiment.
She is an identical clone of the brilliant, damaged woman whose genome the scientists of the Basement were trying to copy and improve. Without the modifications they wanted, she isn’t just worthless: she’s a liability, a ticking time bomb of instincts and human weakness.
All her life she has dreamed of the freedom of life outside the laboratory, on the surface world, but when her home is destroyed and she’s left the only survivor of a hundred-year human cloning project, she is forced to face the reality of the military-ruled nation that created her. Aided by the only other surviving child of the Basement, an enigmatic solider named Tor, and two rebel journalists named Bowen and Oona Rivers, Cipher finds herself searching for answers in the wreckage of a once-great city. When the time comes, will she be able to chose between freedom and love?
She is an identical clone of the brilliant, damaged woman whose genome the scientists of the Basement were trying to copy and improve. Without the modifications they wanted, she isn’t just worthless: she’s a liability, a ticking time bomb of instincts and human weakness.
All her life she has dreamed of the freedom of life outside the laboratory, on the surface world, but when her home is destroyed and she’s left the only survivor of a hundred-year human cloning project, she is forced to face the reality of the military-ruled nation that created her. Aided by the only other surviving child of the Basement, an enigmatic solider named Tor, and two rebel journalists named Bowen and Oona Rivers, Cipher finds herself searching for answers in the wreckage of a once-great city. When the time comes, will she be able to chose between freedom and love?
280 pages, Paperback
First published March 12, 2014
1 person is currently reading
393 people want to read
About the author
S.E. Bennett
3 books12 followersSE Bennett is a biology student from London with an inability to stop writing stories during genetics lectures. She grew up in the desert in Africa, where she read everything and anything she could get her hands on, and she is passionate about inspiring young people to love science and explosions as much as she does. Her debut novel, Cipher, is published by Curiosity Quills.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 1, 2015
ARC provided by Curiosity Quills Press through Netgalley
While people on the surface aren't allowed - or have to possess immense power or wealth to be allowed - to have children, in the Basement, the genomes of the world's brightest are collected and used to create improved clones. They start with the omega, and perfect the following copies until they get the perfect child.
The world above isn't aware of what's going on in the Basement, where these children, genetically engineered to lack aggression, sexual needs, and several other "undesired" traits, start working in the fields they were created for as soon as they turn ten.
Cipher, considered a failed experiment, goes through her day-to-day life longing for the world above, but somewhat content in her work in engineering.
That is, until a live feed is broadcast revealing their existence and preceding the detonation of several bombs which destroy the entire Basement, killing everyone in it... except for Cipher.
Now she has to survive the world above, the media's interest in her, and the web of intrigue that surrounds her very existence.
I liked Cipher. She's not whiny, she gets things done. She's upset over the ostracism she faces in the Basement on account of being considered imperfect, a failed first experiment. But she delights in her work and foregoes making an effort to fit in - she knows they'd never accept her anyway, she might as well be herself.
There are some inconsistencies with the world building, especially in the Basement.
Cipher tells us that:
"That smell of talc and formula always made me feel strange and sad, because I knew that no one would pick up or gentle those babies until they were old enough to sit up on their own."
This seems... counter-productive.
Babies need human contact to develop properly, if they don't get it they can display failure to thrive, or develop issues later. It makes no sense to genetically engineer perfect children and then not provide them with proper care.
Her foster-father explains that the Basement's inhabitants "don’t have the hormones that make them want to have children of their own."
...that's dangerous. The endocrine system is complex, androgens, estrogens, and their effects, have other functions besides the ones related to sexuality.
Then, of course, there is Victorious, or Tor, also created in the Basement, but his skills (he was made from the donations of a brilliant military strategist and the fittest soldier) could only be properly tested in the world above, so his mother managed to adopt him.
For someone who's the son of the most brilliant military strategist, it's jarring that he's the only character in this book I could actually label as being tstl. Yes, even with the explanation to some of his more ooc actions.
I also though Tor was 40-something by his description:
"warm eyes, which had smile-lines fanning out from the sides"
"His mouth, I noted for no particular reason, was a little too wide, with deep grooves on either side."
But, as it turns out, he's 18?!
Supposedly to make him closer in age to 16 year old Cipher, but still... what an odd description for an 18 year old...
He's brought in to the hospital in which Cipher is recovering, being the only other person with a similar life experience.
Now, Cipher had preciously told us that there were a "thousand people in the Basement, and [she] knew every one of them". This isn't far-fetched, that's the average number of students at a high school, and one can generally know everyone at least by sight, and that's without even living with them 24/7, since birth.
But she doesn't know Tor at all?
"“You don’t remember me, do you?” His smile faded, just a little."
Cipher seems unconcerned with this... I don't know. I wouldn't be. I found him a bit creepy, to be honest, always calling her "love" (even after she specifically told him not to call her that!) and mentioning he'd been watching her while he was in the Basement, and never forgot her, and worried about her...
However, when he tells her, "You shouldn’t trust me", Cipher refreshingly goes against YA clichés and does just that.
"Tor was a killer, bred, born, and trained. I wouldn’t allow myself to mistake his way of holding himself for gentleness."
She doesn't trust him. She doesn't trust anyone.
She also doesn't just move on from the loss she suffered. Too often we see YA protagonists losing their parents (the missing parent trope at work!) and just moving on because they have this wonderful new ~dreamy~ boy or girl to obsess over. Cipher's losses weigh on her. She may not have been close to most of the people in the Basement other than a few - but they were all the people she'd met in her entire life. It was realistic, and a welcome change to see her grieve for them.
There was a bit too much tell instead of show - Cipher's rants and monologues, for instance. But, on the whole, it was pretty good, solid writing - not so much the pacing: midway through the story it started to lag a bit.
I loved Bowen and Oona - especially Oona!
There were time lapses in the book and I think they did the story a disservice. The slow growth of the relationships portrayed should have been shown instead of just saying "it's been x time and now we're close".
There is a sort of love triangle in this book, I personally didn't even really see it as such, because I never considered any of them to be proper love interests, so I just ignored that bit. If you hate love triangles (and who doesn't?!), don't let that keep you from reading this book.
All in all, it was an entertaining dystopia, even if it lacked a bit of urgency to it.
If you're in the mood for a YA dystopia with clever protagonists and without the romantic clichés, give this book a chance!
August 22, 2014
It was sooooooo good! Where's the sequel? XD
I started reading the Amazon preview in order to bookmark it and COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN, so I bought it XD - because I simply could not help myself. Fortunately I started reading it early enough that I will be able to go to sleep only an hour late!!!
The characters and the story were riveting. The writing was excellent, and I mean FANTASTIC.
Notes: I encountered a few plot pot-holes and inconsistencies. BUT NO TYPOS, thank you, thank you oh-so-very much.
On a note that has barely anything to do with anything: I really liked the cover.
I started reading the Amazon preview in order to bookmark it and COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN, so I bought it XD - because I simply could not help myself. Fortunately I started reading it early enough that I will be able to go to sleep only an hour late!!!
The characters and the story were riveting. The writing was excellent, and I mean FANTASTIC.
Notes: I encountered a few plot pot-holes and inconsistencies. BUT NO TYPOS, thank you, thank you oh-so-very much.
On a note that has barely anything to do with anything: I really liked the cover.
Want to read
April 1, 2014Looks exciting. Like two of my favorite shows Orphan Black and Dark Angel.
didnt-finish
April 24, 2014DNF @ 38%. There's nothing offensive about this book, it's just kind of bland, and I have a giant pile of other things to read.
July 2, 2018
Should of continued the storyline. Would have loved to read more.
September 29, 2014
[I got a copy from the publisher through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]
I quite liked this novel, though I must admit I didn't enjoy it as much as I had expected.
The Basement setting and situation were intriguing, and I found the story as a whole pervaded with a feeling of oppression. It was more an impression than definite proof, but I had the nagging feeling that everyone was always being watched by someone else. Maybe because of the Feeds, maybe because Cipher remained aware that she had to watch her back at all times, and acknowledged that as soon as she'd let her guard down, it'd be the end. (And I agree she was right in thinking so!)
Cipher was a likeable character, one who was aware of the problems she was in, yet tried to keep fighting, even if it meant lying low for a while. She wasn't a whiner, she kept focused on what she wanted and hoped for, and she knew how to put her coding and engineering skills to use in order to build a few backdoors. She only allowed herself to trust a handful of people, and wasn't fooled by the shiny varnish and empty promises of the Municipality. While there were hints of a potential romance too (perhaps even a triangle), she kept her priorities straight and never let herself be engulfed into that, the way too many characters unfortunately seem to do as soon as a love interest appears. Love was an important motivator for her; however, it was 'love' in a wider sense, encompassing friendship and wanting to protect the few people she held dear—not the old-as-sin trope of True Love At First Sight Forever for a boy she had just met. And she remained 'faithful' to the Basement people, to her father, even to her sisters, in that she mourned them like the people they had been, and didn't forget about them as soon as she was out, nor no matter how dire her own circumstances.
I also liked the siblings: Oona for her entusiasm for gardening and living things, in a world so devoid of positive life and new births; and Bowen for being overall sympathetic, understanding, and ready to take calculated risks to get the truth out.
A few things bothered me nevertheless. I expected Tor to be more... impressive when it came to planning, and the same went for Sally (deemed quite the strategist, after all). Some things are explained later when it comes to Tor, but I thought his mother wasn't so foreseeing, and it seemed a little jarring. (Minor quibble about Tor: his way of calling Cipher 'love'. It's probably just me, but I can't stand that, just like I can't stand 'babe'.) I wondered about a couple of inconsistencies, too: for instance, how come Cipher didn't remember Tor from the Basement, when she was only two years younger, and she said she knew everybody there? She was rather young at the time, yet since she remembered classes she took when she was 4-5, I would've thought she would remember him as well?
At times, Cipher's thoughts also intruded too much on the narrative. They weren't useless, and contained important information, so they weren't a problem in themselves; only they tended to interrupt the flow, and made me wonder if they wouldn't have been better included elsewhere.
I wished Bowen and Oona had been given more importance, probably because of The Truth (the unauthorised Feed they broadcast in the beginning): the latter looked like a useful tool, able to ignite a lot of things, yet it just went away, and the siblings became more and more like 'people to protect', and not 'people who mattered thanks to their actions'. (Perhaps I also slightly resented how Oona was important due to ; it made sense within the context of that specific world, but I tend to find such things annoying. As a woman, I'm not at ease with the idea that what makes me important is ; I want to believe we're much more than that. This is however a very personal observation, and I doubt it'll be a problem for every reader.)
In general, I liked this novel, and if there were to be a next installment—the ending kind of begs for one, especially now that has appeared—I'd probably want to read it. I just can't push myself to give it more than 3 stars.
I quite liked this novel, though I must admit I didn't enjoy it as much as I had expected.
The Basement setting and situation were intriguing, and I found the story as a whole pervaded with a feeling of oppression. It was more an impression than definite proof, but I had the nagging feeling that everyone was always being watched by someone else. Maybe because of the Feeds, maybe because Cipher remained aware that she had to watch her back at all times, and acknowledged that as soon as she'd let her guard down, it'd be the end. (And I agree she was right in thinking so!)
Cipher was a likeable character, one who was aware of the problems she was in, yet tried to keep fighting, even if it meant lying low for a while. She wasn't a whiner, she kept focused on what she wanted and hoped for, and she knew how to put her coding and engineering skills to use in order to build a few backdoors. She only allowed herself to trust a handful of people, and wasn't fooled by the shiny varnish and empty promises of the Municipality. While there were hints of a potential romance too (perhaps even a triangle), she kept her priorities straight and never let herself be engulfed into that, the way too many characters unfortunately seem to do as soon as a love interest appears. Love was an important motivator for her; however, it was 'love' in a wider sense, encompassing friendship and wanting to protect the few people she held dear—not the old-as-sin trope of True Love At First Sight Forever for a boy she had just met. And she remained 'faithful' to the Basement people, to her father, even to her sisters, in that she mourned them like the people they had been, and didn't forget about them as soon as she was out, nor no matter how dire her own circumstances.
I also liked the siblings: Oona for her entusiasm for gardening and living things, in a world so devoid of positive life and new births; and Bowen for being overall sympathetic, understanding, and ready to take calculated risks to get the truth out.
A few things bothered me nevertheless. I expected Tor to be more... impressive when it came to planning, and the same went for Sally (deemed quite the strategist, after all). Some things are explained later when it comes to Tor, but I thought his mother wasn't so foreseeing, and it seemed a little jarring. (Minor quibble about Tor: his way of calling Cipher 'love'. It's probably just me, but I can't stand that, just like I can't stand 'babe'.) I wondered about a couple of inconsistencies, too: for instance, how come Cipher didn't remember Tor from the Basement, when she was only two years younger, and she said she knew everybody there? She was rather young at the time, yet since she remembered classes she took when she was 4-5, I would've thought she would remember him as well?
At times, Cipher's thoughts also intruded too much on the narrative. They weren't useless, and contained important information, so they weren't a problem in themselves; only they tended to interrupt the flow, and made me wonder if they wouldn't have been better included elsewhere.
I wished Bowen and Oona had been given more importance, probably because of The Truth (the unauthorised Feed they broadcast in the beginning): the latter looked like a useful tool, able to ignite a lot of things, yet it just went away, and the siblings became more and more like 'people to protect', and not 'people who mattered thanks to their actions'. (Perhaps I also slightly resented how Oona was important due to ; it made sense within the context of that specific world, but I tend to find such things annoying. As a woman, I'm not at ease with the idea that what makes me important is ; I want to believe we're much more than that. This is however a very personal observation, and I doubt it'll be a problem for every reader.)
In general, I liked this novel, and if there were to be a next installment—the ending kind of begs for one, especially now that has appeared—I'd probably want to read it. I just can't push myself to give it more than 3 stars.
March 26, 2014
First of all, I would like to start off by saying:
Thank you Curiosity Quills Press (Claire Dugmore) for providing me the chance to read this amazing book!!!!
This book was AMAZING!!!!
I'm not going to lie, when I received an email invitation from the publishing company themselves, I almost died of happiness, I mean how am I going to pass up an opportunity like this???
So, I started to do my happy dance when they said that I could review it!!! xD
After I did my happy dance, I received the ebook copy, and automatically I started to read it, it took quite some time, but I finally finished it and it was NOT a disappointment, it was actually REALLY GOOD!!!!
From the moment I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down!!! (and it would've been hard to do, sense I got this book in PDF format, and all c: )
Anyway, I loved that this book was like nothing I'm used to reading, and I got to read something like it for the first time!! :)
This book I really started yesterday, and finished it literallyright now, scratch that, it was this morning... and I had to write this review so that I can recommend it to you ASAP :)
So, let me summarize what I read (don't worry its short and sweet ;)
This story is all about Cipher Omega;
She is anything but normal, because.... she's a failed experiment!!! (Shocking right??)
She was supposed to be an identical clone of a brilliant, damaged woman whose genome the scientists of the Basement were trying to copy and improve (to me that was Bizarre!) but that didn't happen (according to her being a failed experiment and all ;(
All her life she only had 1 dream.
And that is to have a life outside the laboratory, A.K.A on the surface world, but some how her home ends up destroyed and she’s the only survivor of a hundred-year human cloning project, she is forced to face the reality of the military-ruled nation that created her.
There, she is aided by another surviving child of the Basement, (an enigmatic solider named Tor), and two rebel freedom fighters (Bowen and Oona Rivers).
Here, Cipher finds herself searching for answers, even if it means dying for them :)
That is all I can give you without spoiling the book for you :)
All I can tell you is that I loved the cover
LOOK AT IT!!! ISN'T IT BEAUTIFUL!!! And that's EXACTLY how I pictured the world, and how the girl looks!! :)
This book was awesome and I'm sad that there's no sequel to this, because I would love to read more of this book :'(
Thank you Curiosity Quills Press (Claire Dugmore) for providing me the chance to read this amazing book!!!!
This book was AMAZING!!!!
I'm not going to lie, when I received an email invitation from the publishing company themselves, I almost died of happiness, I mean how am I going to pass up an opportunity like this???
So, I started to do my happy dance when they said that I could review it!!! xD
After I did my happy dance, I received the ebook copy, and automatically I started to read it, it took quite some time, but I finally finished it and it was NOT a disappointment, it was actually REALLY GOOD!!!!
From the moment I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down!!! (and it would've been hard to do, sense I got this book in PDF format, and all c: )
Anyway, I loved that this book was like nothing I'm used to reading, and I got to read something like it for the first time!! :)
This book I really started yesterday, and finished it literally
So, let me summarize what I read (don't worry its short and sweet ;)
This story is all about Cipher Omega;
She is anything but normal, because.... she's a failed experiment!!! (Shocking right??)
She was supposed to be an identical clone of a brilliant, damaged woman whose genome the scientists of the Basement were trying to copy and improve (to me that was Bizarre!) but that didn't happen (according to her being a failed experiment and all ;(
All her life she only had 1 dream.
And that is to have a life outside the laboratory, A.K.A on the surface world, but some how her home ends up destroyed and she’s the only survivor of a hundred-year human cloning project, she is forced to face the reality of the military-ruled nation that created her.
There, she is aided by another surviving child of the Basement, (an enigmatic solider named Tor), and two rebel freedom fighters (Bowen and Oona Rivers).
Here, Cipher finds herself searching for answers, even if it means dying for them :)
That is all I can give you without spoiling the book for you :)
All I can tell you is that I loved the cover
LOOK AT IT!!! ISN'T IT BEAUTIFUL!!! And that's EXACTLY how I pictured the world, and how the girl looks!! :)
This book was awesome and I'm sad that there's no sequel to this, because I would love to read more of this book :'(
May 1, 2014
Goodreads Synopsis: Cipher Omega is a failed experiment, an identical clone of the brilliant, damaged woman whose genome the scientists of the Basement were trying to copy and improve. All her life she has dreamt of life outside the laboratory, on the surface world, but when her home is destroyed and she’s left the only survivor of a hundred-year human cloning project, she is forced to face the reality of the military-ruled nation that created her. Aided by the only other surviving child of the Basement, an enigmatic solider named Tor, and two rebel freedom fighters named Bowen and Oona Rivers, Cipher finds herself searching for answers, at any cost.
My Review: Amazing book. I received a copy from Curiosity Quills Press in exchange for a review. I've gotten a couple books from them now, so I was really excited for this book. Cipher's life is.. unusual. She lives in 'The Basement', an underground lab that works on clones. Cipher is the first of her kind, cloned from an unknown 'cell mother', and a failed experiment. Her secret? She's dyslexic. Though it's not a secret to everyone else, they already know and are ashamed to know, and even when she was broken out of the basement she was ashamed to tell people. I don't why it was so bad, I'm not really sure of. Maybe it was because she was supposed to be perfect? Even someone who was created perfect isn't perfect. I don't know if that really makes sense, but that's what I'm thinking. Anyways. The characters were amazing. They really pull you into the story with their colourful personalities. Sure they're not very good friends sometimes, but it happens. They all work together and it just works. Cipher was probably my favourite character though, and not just because she was the main character. She's insanely smart. She invents things. It's awesome. She's created to be awesome. I don't know what else to say. She's cool. She's nice. She always thinks of others. Is that enough? No? Another thing is that.. Well she's a clone. So it's AWESOME. :D You should definitely check out this book if you see it somewhere. You won't regret it. Thanks for reading.
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)
My Review: Amazing book. I received a copy from Curiosity Quills Press in exchange for a review. I've gotten a couple books from them now, so I was really excited for this book. Cipher's life is.. unusual. She lives in 'The Basement', an underground lab that works on clones. Cipher is the first of her kind, cloned from an unknown 'cell mother', and a failed experiment. Her secret? She's dyslexic. Though it's not a secret to everyone else, they already know and are ashamed to know, and even when she was broken out of the basement she was ashamed to tell people. I don't why it was so bad, I'm not really sure of. Maybe it was because she was supposed to be perfect? Even someone who was created perfect isn't perfect. I don't know if that really makes sense, but that's what I'm thinking. Anyways. The characters were amazing. They really pull you into the story with their colourful personalities. Sure they're not very good friends sometimes, but it happens. They all work together and it just works. Cipher was probably my favourite character though, and not just because she was the main character. She's insanely smart. She invents things. It's awesome. She's created to be awesome. I don't know what else to say. She's cool. She's nice. She always thinks of others. Is that enough? No? Another thing is that.. Well she's a clone. So it's AWESOME. :D You should definitely check out this book if you see it somewhere. You won't regret it. Thanks for reading.
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)
April 1, 2014
(I received a free copy of this book from Curiosity Quills in exchange for a review).
(This review may contain spoilers).
I was a bit surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Young adult books can sometimes be a bit hit and miss with me, but this one definitely succeeded in holding my attention.
Cipher was a character I found really easy to identify with. I'm quite happy to read books written in the first person, but most of the time, the first-person character changes. I was... really glad that didn't happen here.
The storyline of this book was really intriguing and was enough to keep me reading throughout. It was really good to read a book about clones - they're not something that feature too much and although Cipher was a unique character, it wasn't in a way that made her an irritating heroine.
I have mixed feelings about the love triangle here. As a rule, I have gone off love triangles. However, this was one time I felt it had been done in a particularly good way. I liked both of the males and even by the end, I wasn't sure who I was rooting for Cipher to end up with.
I do think that periods of time were skipped over a bit too much. There were some things that I would have liked to see develop - like the relationships between the characters.
I didn't have a particular favourite character, except perhaps for Oona. The main characters came across as real, realistic people, with strengths and weaknesses that made sense. The first scene was enough to drag me into the book and as the events progressed, I kept reading. I could experience how Cipher felt along with her.
The writing was very good and I could picture a lot of the events happening in my mind. The ending wasn't exactly satisfying, so I'm hoping there will be at least a sequel to this - I think there's so much more of the story that could be explored.
I would definitely be interested in reading more books by this author in the future. If you're looking for a young adult book that doesn't have vampires, demons, angels or witches in it, this is more realistic science fiction.
(This review may contain spoilers).
I was a bit surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Young adult books can sometimes be a bit hit and miss with me, but this one definitely succeeded in holding my attention.
Cipher was a character I found really easy to identify with. I'm quite happy to read books written in the first person, but most of the time, the first-person character changes. I was... really glad that didn't happen here.
The storyline of this book was really intriguing and was enough to keep me reading throughout. It was really good to read a book about clones - they're not something that feature too much and although Cipher was a unique character, it wasn't in a way that made her an irritating heroine.
I have mixed feelings about the love triangle here. As a rule, I have gone off love triangles. However, this was one time I felt it had been done in a particularly good way. I liked both of the males and even by the end, I wasn't sure who I was rooting for Cipher to end up with.
I do think that periods of time were skipped over a bit too much. There were some things that I would have liked to see develop - like the relationships between the characters.
I didn't have a particular favourite character, except perhaps for Oona. The main characters came across as real, realistic people, with strengths and weaknesses that made sense. The first scene was enough to drag me into the book and as the events progressed, I kept reading. I could experience how Cipher felt along with her.
The writing was very good and I could picture a lot of the events happening in my mind. The ending wasn't exactly satisfying, so I'm hoping there will be at least a sequel to this - I think there's so much more of the story that could be explored.
I would definitely be interested in reading more books by this author in the future. If you're looking for a young adult book that doesn't have vampires, demons, angels or witches in it, this is more realistic science fiction.
May 29, 2014
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley (and Curiosity Quills) in exchange for an honest review.
I was immediately drawn in by the book synopsis and was excited to read the book. I was especially eager because I have thoroughly enjoyed everything that curiosity quills has given me the privilege of reading/reviewing so far.
As soon as I started reading, I was engaged with the character and the story. I'm a sucker for books that hook me fast, and this book managed to keep me interested the whole way through. I started reading less than 24 hours ago as I write this review, and aside from a brief pause here and there for sleep or hygiene, I read straight through to the end.
There were one or two things about the writing that rubbed me the wrong way (mostly word choices, really) but other than that I really liked reading about this world and these characters. I would very much like to read more! I will be waiting and hoping that another installment comes out, because I think these characters will be stuck in my head for a while.
I was immediately drawn in by the book synopsis and was excited to read the book. I was especially eager because I have thoroughly enjoyed everything that curiosity quills has given me the privilege of reading/reviewing so far.
As soon as I started reading, I was engaged with the character and the story. I'm a sucker for books that hook me fast, and this book managed to keep me interested the whole way through. I started reading less than 24 hours ago as I write this review, and aside from a brief pause here and there for sleep or hygiene, I read straight through to the end.
There were one or two things about the writing that rubbed me the wrong way (mostly word choices, really) but other than that I really liked reading about this world and these characters. I would very much like to read more! I will be waiting and hoping that another installment comes out, because I think these characters will be stuck in my head for a while.
April 25, 2014
In general, I liked this novel. It was a page-turning mystery who needed to be solved. Who was Cipher cloned from? What is the Municipality really about?
It made me reading the book faster than usual. Cipher is a likeable character, one who is aware of the problems she’s in and keeps fighting. The storyline was really great, but I have really mixed feelings about the love triangle. I have gone off love triangles as a rule, I believe. They are everywhere, in any story and it's just ... I am a little tired of it.
But otherwise it was a really good story!
It made me reading the book faster than usual. Cipher is a likeable character, one who is aware of the problems she’s in and keeps fighting. The storyline was really great, but I have really mixed feelings about the love triangle. I have gone off love triangles as a rule, I believe. They are everywhere, in any story and it's just ... I am a little tired of it.
But otherwise it was a really good story!
May 5, 2014
I like the idea for this book of a futuristic society that controls births and is secretly cloning smart people. I'm not sure it really lived up to what I thought it could. It was not poorly written or developed, I just didn't really make a connection with Cipher, the main character. I was not bad, but not spectacular.
I received this for free through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
I received this for free through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
April 13, 2014
Cipher Omega was created, born, and raised in the Basement. Now she is above-ground and fighting to learn and survive. Who is she cloned from? What is the Municipality really about?
A fast-paced, action-packed narrative leads characters and readers through the mysteries of this world. Characters are varied, mysterious, and intriguing.
Overall, an exciting read.
A fast-paced, action-packed narrative leads characters and readers through the mysteries of this world. Characters are varied, mysterious, and intriguing.
Overall, an exciting read.
March 22, 2016
Cipher was a very good read. You are quickly drawn into the character and her predicament. The characters have flaws and are realistic, even as you're wishing they'd just speak up sometimes. It's a unique and interesting plot, with twists and uncertainties. It was a good read and I would definitely be interested in reading more of this series.
July 10, 2016
I received a copy of this free from Netgalley in return for a review!
I really enjoyed this book, there were loads of twists and turns that I didn't see coming! The main character was great and really relatable.
I hope that I get to read more from this author soon!
Plus I love the cover!
I really enjoyed this book, there were loads of twists and turns that I didn't see coming! The main character was great and really relatable.
I hope that I get to read more from this author soon!
Plus I love the cover!
May 3, 2014
Cipher is a well written and thought out story. It reminded me of Ender's Game with its dealing with attempting to mold young genius's for other peoples uses and of The Hunger Games with the minority elite dominating the population and willing to go to extremes to stay there. I enjoyed it.
August 7, 2014
I won this in a goodreads giveaway. Took me a while to get into it, but glad I did. great read!!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews