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Shell
What if you thought you had died, only to wake up to find that your brain and eyes had been transplanted into someone else's body?
When Lucy, a teen diagnosed with terminal cancer wakes up cancer-free, it should be a dream come true. But faced with a life she didn't choose and trapped in a new body, Lucy must face the biggest question of all . . . How far would you go to save the one you love?
When Lucy, a teen diagnosed with terminal cancer wakes up cancer-free, it should be a dream come true. But faced with a life she didn't choose and trapped in a new body, Lucy must face the biggest question of all . . . How far would you go to save the one you love?
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 4, 2018
19 people are currently reading
442 people want to read
About the author
Paula Rawsthorne
9 books20 followersPaula Rawsthorne is one of the winners of the Undiscovered Voices 2010 competition and the 2004 winner of the BBC’s ‘Get Writing’ competition. Her comedy THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT was read by Bill Nighy on BBC Radio 4 and chosen for Pick of the Week. Her unsettling story IN ATTENDENCE was published by Route in an anthology of contemporary fiction called IDEAS ABOVE OUR STATION (reviewed in The Guardian). In 2008 Route also published her short story THE ACCESSORY in an anthology entitled BONNE ROUTE which also received good reviews. She lives in Nottingham with her husband and children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
January 20, 2018
I received a copy of this from the publisher for review. This does not affect my opinion of the book. It is my true opinion only
When I first read the synopsis I was like "A Frankenstein retelling with a YA twist? Hell yeah!".
This is the story about a girl with terminal cancer and she's dying. One day she wakes up in a different body. Her brain and eyes have been moved. Lucy then has to deal with being in this body as well as this new information her parents and the doctor have kept from her.
Lucy is then told she has to have a new identity and must not tell anyone about the operation. So Lucy has to now struggle with a new life and massive secret. Until one day a boy recognises the donor body on a video released online.
In honesty, was umming and ahhing what to rate this book.
When I was 1/4 in I was getting annoyed and frustrated at the characters, but when I sit here and think about it, I can understand why they reacted the way they did.
This really is a story about how far would you go for someone you love.
I felt the struggles of Lucy.
I felt anger towards her parents and the doctor.
I felt sorry for Lucy struggling with her new life.
My boyfriend always says if an author can make you feel intended anger towards a character, then they're doing a good job, and Paula did an amazing job!
I loved the fact that there is a thriller aspect to this book.
Throughout the book I was feeling like something isn't quite right.
I liked how the book ended.
In honesty, I was hooked into this book, and if it wasn't for life commitments, I would have read this in one sitting.
When I first read the synopsis I was like "A Frankenstein retelling with a YA twist? Hell yeah!".
This is the story about a girl with terminal cancer and she's dying. One day she wakes up in a different body. Her brain and eyes have been moved. Lucy then has to deal with being in this body as well as this new information her parents and the doctor have kept from her.
Lucy is then told she has to have a new identity and must not tell anyone about the operation. So Lucy has to now struggle with a new life and massive secret. Until one day a boy recognises the donor body on a video released online.
In honesty, was umming and ahhing what to rate this book.
When I was 1/4 in I was getting annoyed and frustrated at the characters, but when I sit here and think about it, I can understand why they reacted the way they did.
This really is a story about how far would you go for someone you love.
I felt the struggles of Lucy.
I felt anger towards her parents and the doctor.
I felt sorry for Lucy struggling with her new life.
My boyfriend always says if an author can make you feel intended anger towards a character, then they're doing a good job, and Paula did an amazing job!
I loved the fact that there is a thriller aspect to this book.
Throughout the book I was feeling like something isn't quite right.
I liked how the book ended.
In honesty, I was hooked into this book, and if it wasn't for life commitments, I would have read this in one sitting.
December 22, 2021
neber again this was the most fake deep book ever im shaking and cryinng
January 8, 2018
Review originally posted on The Bibliophile Chronicles
This book was so freaky. Imagine waking up in someone else’s body, but with your personality and all your memories? All your friends think you’re dead and you have to pretend to be someone else. Could you do it?
2018 marks the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and I couldn’t think of a better celebration than this fantastic retelling. This book is quite fast paced, developing quickly as Lucy adapts to her new life in a new body. I really like Lucy as a main character, she was flawed and at times difficult, but that made her all the more realistic. I also found her parents really complex and fascinating, attempting to understand their motivations and looking at how far they will go to keep their daughter alive.
Shell touches on a lot of different themes, doing what’s right, finding yourself, friendship, bravery and family are just some of them. These really help to hook you in, and I definitely felt for Lucy and her struggle to keep going despite everything she’s been through. She has to make a lot of tough decisions, but the book is all the more intense and gripping for that reason.
Shell definitely also has some twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. The ending is quite a surprise and definitely gives you some food for thought. At times I found the book pretty dark and gory, but also dramatic and addictive. This is a superb modern retelling, and if you’re looking for something different to read, or you’re a fan of Mary Shelley’s version, you definitely need to give this a try.
This book was so freaky. Imagine waking up in someone else’s body, but with your personality and all your memories? All your friends think you’re dead and you have to pretend to be someone else. Could you do it?
2018 marks the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and I couldn’t think of a better celebration than this fantastic retelling. This book is quite fast paced, developing quickly as Lucy adapts to her new life in a new body. I really like Lucy as a main character, she was flawed and at times difficult, but that made her all the more realistic. I also found her parents really complex and fascinating, attempting to understand their motivations and looking at how far they will go to keep their daughter alive.
Shell touches on a lot of different themes, doing what’s right, finding yourself, friendship, bravery and family are just some of them. These really help to hook you in, and I definitely felt for Lucy and her struggle to keep going despite everything she’s been through. She has to make a lot of tough decisions, but the book is all the more intense and gripping for that reason.
Shell definitely also has some twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. The ending is quite a surprise and definitely gives you some food for thought. At times I found the book pretty dark and gory, but also dramatic and addictive. This is a superb modern retelling, and if you’re looking for something different to read, or you’re a fan of Mary Shelley’s version, you definitely need to give this a try.
June 20, 2018
A brave girl
Lucy Burgess is sixteen and dying of cancer. Although her body is almost completely destroyed by the disease, her brain remains unscathed and works well. Her parents, without Lucy knowing, allow Dr Leo Radnor, a professor of neurological surgery, to perform a whole-body transplant operation on her. It is successful and, when Lucy wakes up, she is gradually informed by her parents and Dr Radnor that she has now been cured of her terminal cancer and that she has a new body; the body of a donor of her age, who had died of a brain aneurysm. Lucy´s personality has remained intact as she keeps her own brain (the eyes are also her own). It takes a long time for her to come to terms with her new body. As she tries to go back to normal life, she finds that her old friends, the people and animals that meant everything to her (her best friend, Makayla; her grandmother, Charlotte; her dog, Arthur; and her mare, Moonshine), shun her company. She has to seek new friends in unexpected quarters.
Lucy´s ups and downs, and her attempts to make sense of her new situation, turn this novel into a psychological thriller. As the truth of her new life becomes clear to Lucy, her mother tries to encourage her by saying: “You are not a freak. You´re still Lucy. We´ve always got to remember that this body you were given is just a shell”. Lucy then tells her: “You of all people don´t believe that. A body isn´t just a shell. It´s part of who you are, how you feel about yourself; how others see you, even how they treat you...”. So the question arises as to whether our personality can be defined by our brain or, to put it another way, whether our soul is lodged in the brain. An old philosopher, Descartes, who has had a great impact on modern philosophy, was of Lucy´s opinion. He wrote: “I am not lodged in my body, like a pilot in his ship, but I am joined to it very closely and indeed so compounded and intermingled with my body, that I form, as it were, a single whole with it”.
However, this book is much more than a psychological thriller. When Lucy discovers the truth about the circumstances that made her transplant possible, she is faced with a moral dilemma. It is then that we really find out who Lucy is. For her, it is not right to do something bad in order to achieve something good. She will go to extraordinary lengths to defend this belief of hers. The historian-cum-journalist Paul Johnson once said: “A lifetime´s work as a historian has convinced me that we human beings are masters of our fates. Nothing is won or lost in advance: the game is to be played by each one of us ………… with the counters of love, forbearance, fidelity, compassion, patience, acceptance of suffering and imagination, not least with courage”. Lucy exhibits all those qualities, but this reader was struck mainly by her courage.
This is Paula Rawsthorne's third novel for young adults and it shows that she is a writer of genius.
Lucy Burgess is sixteen and dying of cancer. Although her body is almost completely destroyed by the disease, her brain remains unscathed and works well. Her parents, without Lucy knowing, allow Dr Leo Radnor, a professor of neurological surgery, to perform a whole-body transplant operation on her. It is successful and, when Lucy wakes up, she is gradually informed by her parents and Dr Radnor that she has now been cured of her terminal cancer and that she has a new body; the body of a donor of her age, who had died of a brain aneurysm. Lucy´s personality has remained intact as she keeps her own brain (the eyes are also her own). It takes a long time for her to come to terms with her new body. As she tries to go back to normal life, she finds that her old friends, the people and animals that meant everything to her (her best friend, Makayla; her grandmother, Charlotte; her dog, Arthur; and her mare, Moonshine), shun her company. She has to seek new friends in unexpected quarters.
Lucy´s ups and downs, and her attempts to make sense of her new situation, turn this novel into a psychological thriller. As the truth of her new life becomes clear to Lucy, her mother tries to encourage her by saying: “You are not a freak. You´re still Lucy. We´ve always got to remember that this body you were given is just a shell”. Lucy then tells her: “You of all people don´t believe that. A body isn´t just a shell. It´s part of who you are, how you feel about yourself; how others see you, even how they treat you...”. So the question arises as to whether our personality can be defined by our brain or, to put it another way, whether our soul is lodged in the brain. An old philosopher, Descartes, who has had a great impact on modern philosophy, was of Lucy´s opinion. He wrote: “I am not lodged in my body, like a pilot in his ship, but I am joined to it very closely and indeed so compounded and intermingled with my body, that I form, as it were, a single whole with it”.
However, this book is much more than a psychological thriller. When Lucy discovers the truth about the circumstances that made her transplant possible, she is faced with a moral dilemma. It is then that we really find out who Lucy is. For her, it is not right to do something bad in order to achieve something good. She will go to extraordinary lengths to defend this belief of hers. The historian-cum-journalist Paul Johnson once said: “A lifetime´s work as a historian has convinced me that we human beings are masters of our fates. Nothing is won or lost in advance: the game is to be played by each one of us ………… with the counters of love, forbearance, fidelity, compassion, patience, acceptance of suffering and imagination, not least with courage”. Lucy exhibits all those qualities, but this reader was struck mainly by her courage.
This is Paula Rawsthorne's third novel for young adults and it shows that she is a writer of genius.
April 26, 2020
Ik heb helemaal niks van dit boek gezien of gehoord en ging hier dus helemaal open in. Het idee van een lichaamstransplantatie bleek me te boeien. En ook zeker door de manier waarop het werd uitgewerkt en het hoofdpersonage ermee omging. Dit boek verraste me dus volledig en was spannend en interessant. Soms vond ik Lucy wel wat naïef maar meestal kon ik haar goed volgen. Ik moest weten hoe het zou eindigen. Hier vond ik de geloofwaardigheid een beetje wegslippen, jammer want ik was echt enthousiast.
3,5 sterren.
3,5 sterren.
August 15, 2024
this book was so messed up
January 2, 2021
I really enjoyed this book!!! It brought up some interesting questions and things to think about while still be a really good story that’s an easy read. I only wish it was a bit longer and there was more of a build up/more suspense as it was kind of easy to predict.
April 10, 2021
To review this book I first have to tell you about another book I read many years before. I grew up reading a series of books that I later discovered are known as Robert A. Heinlein's juveniles. Books such as Space Family Stone, Have Space Suit, Will Travel, Starman Jones. There was nothing juvenile about them though, other than the protagonist being young: the stories set the template for the language of modern science fiction as well as being taut, tense, thrilling tales with not a word out of place. I still have these books, and reread them with pleasure. I owe Heinlein a huge debt, both for demonstrating the art of storytelling in its pure form and for the life lessons he subtly imparted in these stories, the foremost one being his dictum TANSTAAFL ('there ain't no such thing as a free lunch').
So, as I advanced into my second decade, I was delighted to find some new books by one of my favourite authors in the adult section of the library. I was not a socially gifted child and the awkwardness had not improved as I got older - I probably knew the librarians at the library better than any of my peers. The highlight of my week remained getting home from the library with my new pile of books and deciding in what order I would read them. But that week there wasn't any difficulty in choosing. Sitting on top of my pile was the thickest Robert Heinlein book I had ever seen. Previously, the longest book of his I had read came in at about 250 pages: this one was over 500! SF heaven waited and I plunged in.
A couple of days later I emerged about as confused as a 14-year-old boy could be. The story was a bit... different. An ageing billionaire has the world's first brain transplant, but ends up in the body of his young and sexy secretary who was conveniently murdered just as the doctors were looking for a convenient donor (and no, there's no interesting plot point here involving the billionaire's minions murdering someone close at hand, just authorial arm waving). What's more, the secretary turns out to still be mentally alive in the billionaire's new body; the two of them end up cohabiting the body and talking at length - and I do really mean at length - inside the body's shared mind. So, what would do if you suddenly found yourself in a young body of the opposite sex having been slowly sliding into decripitude? Well, in this case, billionaire and secretary end up shagging everything that moves, having a baby from the billionaire's frozen sperm and, what was possibly most surprising for a 14-year-old boy with absolutely no experience of such things, having nipples that went 'sprunnnggg' at every available opportunity and sometimes completely at random. Suffering the embarrassing effects of spontaneous teenage tumescence, which also seemed to happen entirely on its own, often for no apparent reason whatsoever, it did not seem unlikely that women's nipples might behave that way too. After all, I obviously had absolutely no knowledge of such things. It was an image that engraved itself deeply into my teenage mind: testosterone and imagination can engrave each other very deeply.
It was a truly dreadful book, one that it is hard to believe a writer as good as Heinlein might actually write (and then I read some of his other late fiction and sadly realised that he had gone from being a storyteller to a didacticist). Thankfully, Paula Rawsthorne avoids absolutely all of this apart from the basic brain transplant premise in her book. In Shell, Rawsthorne examines devouring mother love, the sort of love that destroys rather than lets go, and takes it to its logical conclusion: a mother who won't let her daughter die but brings her back in a new body. This body, unlike the one in I Will Fear No Evil, does not carry the ghost of its previous soul, and is all the better for it. The protagonist, Lucy, has only to contend with the exterior, of finding herself in a body that is actually better than her old one, and the price that was paid in obtaining this new body for her. The story examines these issues in the context of the story rather than preaching them through the interminable inner dialogues of I Will Fear No Evil (normally only punctuated by 'her' nipples going 'sppprunnnggg') as well as presenting one of the best devouring mothers I have read. I'm pretty sure the author is British but she carries off the American setting with aplomb. A fine story for intelligent readers and one that will, I hope, enable me to finally leave the enduringly bad taste of Heinlein's book behind. For Rawsthorne finally, I hope, disinfecting my imagination of nipples going 'spprunnggg' I am profoundly grateful. Some books change your life, others cleanse your soul. Shell has done the latter for me.
So, as I advanced into my second decade, I was delighted to find some new books by one of my favourite authors in the adult section of the library. I was not a socially gifted child and the awkwardness had not improved as I got older - I probably knew the librarians at the library better than any of my peers. The highlight of my week remained getting home from the library with my new pile of books and deciding in what order I would read them. But that week there wasn't any difficulty in choosing. Sitting on top of my pile was the thickest Robert Heinlein book I had ever seen. Previously, the longest book of his I had read came in at about 250 pages: this one was over 500! SF heaven waited and I plunged in.
A couple of days later I emerged about as confused as a 14-year-old boy could be. The story was a bit... different. An ageing billionaire has the world's first brain transplant, but ends up in the body of his young and sexy secretary who was conveniently murdered just as the doctors were looking for a convenient donor (and no, there's no interesting plot point here involving the billionaire's minions murdering someone close at hand, just authorial arm waving). What's more, the secretary turns out to still be mentally alive in the billionaire's new body; the two of them end up cohabiting the body and talking at length - and I do really mean at length - inside the body's shared mind. So, what would do if you suddenly found yourself in a young body of the opposite sex having been slowly sliding into decripitude? Well, in this case, billionaire and secretary end up shagging everything that moves, having a baby from the billionaire's frozen sperm and, what was possibly most surprising for a 14-year-old boy with absolutely no experience of such things, having nipples that went 'sprunnnggg' at every available opportunity and sometimes completely at random. Suffering the embarrassing effects of spontaneous teenage tumescence, which also seemed to happen entirely on its own, often for no apparent reason whatsoever, it did not seem unlikely that women's nipples might behave that way too. After all, I obviously had absolutely no knowledge of such things. It was an image that engraved itself deeply into my teenage mind: testosterone and imagination can engrave each other very deeply.
It was a truly dreadful book, one that it is hard to believe a writer as good as Heinlein might actually write (and then I read some of his other late fiction and sadly realised that he had gone from being a storyteller to a didacticist). Thankfully, Paula Rawsthorne avoids absolutely all of this apart from the basic brain transplant premise in her book. In Shell, Rawsthorne examines devouring mother love, the sort of love that destroys rather than lets go, and takes it to its logical conclusion: a mother who won't let her daughter die but brings her back in a new body. This body, unlike the one in I Will Fear No Evil, does not carry the ghost of its previous soul, and is all the better for it. The protagonist, Lucy, has only to contend with the exterior, of finding herself in a body that is actually better than her old one, and the price that was paid in obtaining this new body for her. The story examines these issues in the context of the story rather than preaching them through the interminable inner dialogues of I Will Fear No Evil (normally only punctuated by 'her' nipples going 'sppprunnnggg') as well as presenting one of the best devouring mothers I have read. I'm pretty sure the author is British but she carries off the American setting with aplomb. A fine story for intelligent readers and one that will, I hope, enable me to finally leave the enduringly bad taste of Heinlein's book behind. For Rawsthorne finally, I hope, disinfecting my imagination of nipples going 'spprunnggg' I am profoundly grateful. Some books change your life, others cleanse your soul. Shell has done the latter for me.
January 5, 2018
I’ve been waiting for this as I really enjoyed Celia Frost & Blood Tracks. It didn’t disappoint: a gripping thriller that throws up some thought-provoking ethical issues. I read it in a couple of sittings. The plot is great and first person narrative means you really get into the ‘mind’ of Lucy, the main character. I don’t want to give away any spoilers but there are a good few ‘jaw-dropping’ moments. Early days but I can see this being my book of the year.
August 5, 2024
4,5/5
Książka mocna, wzruszająca, pełna emocji dla osób z mocną psycha, mocno mną wstrząsnęła, dawno nie czytałam o tak silnej bohaterce, której życie to jeden wielki Rollercoaster. Bardzo wkurzal mnie doktor Radnot oraz mama Lucy, ograniczający jej wolności i wolną wolę. Niesamowite było oglądać jak Lucy walczy o swoją wolność, wolną wolę, sprawiedliwoścc mimo że to nie jej wina czego doświadczyła i przeżyła.
Książka mocna, wzruszająca, pełna emocji dla osób z mocną psycha, mocno mną wstrząsnęła, dawno nie czytałam o tak silnej bohaterce, której życie to jeden wielki Rollercoaster. Bardzo wkurzal mnie doktor Radnot oraz mama Lucy, ograniczający jej wolności i wolną wolę. Niesamowite było oglądać jak Lucy walczy o swoją wolność, wolną wolę, sprawiedliwoścc mimo że to nie jej wina czego doświadczyła i przeżyła.
February 22, 2018
Really enjoyed this book, really well written and I didn't realise it was aimed at young adults but then again so was Twilight and I loved that too!!
No vampires here but certainly some food for thought on waking up in another person's body, literally a shell!
I'll definitely read more from this author
No vampires here but certainly some food for thought on waking up in another person's body, literally a shell!
I'll definitely read more from this author
December 26, 2017
I was lucky enough to get a proof copy of this book from work and pretty much all I knew was that it was a modern loose retelling of Frankenstein.Needless to say,though excited as Frankenstein is one of my absolute faves of all time and anything discussing the main themes in that is meant to be GREAT,I had little to no actual expectations regarding it.
I WAS SHOCKED.
I wasn't quite sure whether I'd end up loving the book at first,it turned out that had a lot more to do with me being exhausted when I picked it up than anything about the book itself.I was a bit iffy at the very beginning not being sure if anything in there could be considered as ableist (so I'll be looking for some more reviews discussing that in the future),but I got sucked right into the story and the proragonists' struggle.
Though I can't exactly say that I feel in love with any of the characters,I most certainly felt for them and understood them and their motives and would 100% say that they were all complex,round and very well written.
Overall,a very good book that I read in a couple of seatinfs and I look forward to reasing more fdom the author in the future.
PS: extra points for an English class discussing Frankenstein IN A FRANKENSTEIN RETELLING.Very meta,very extra,I am a fan
I WAS SHOCKED.
I wasn't quite sure whether I'd end up loving the book at first,it turned out that had a lot more to do with me being exhausted when I picked it up than anything about the book itself.I was a bit iffy at the very beginning not being sure if anything in there could be considered as ableist (so I'll be looking for some more reviews discussing that in the future),but I got sucked right into the story and the proragonists' struggle.
Though I can't exactly say that I feel in love with any of the characters,I most certainly felt for them and understood them and their motives and would 100% say that they were all complex,round and very well written.
Overall,a very good book that I read in a couple of seatinfs and I look forward to reasing more fdom the author in the future.
PS: extra points for an English class discussing Frankenstein IN A FRANKENSTEIN RETELLING.Very meta,very extra,I am a fan
June 27, 2024
Megaaaaaaa !!!!!
May 8, 2019
Great sci-fi/thriller/horror blend but suitable for older children. Really enjoyed it.
September 20, 2024
Rodzice Lucy są chorzy psychicznie. Wiadomo.
Czy podczas czytania tej książki wkurzałam się co 2 strony? Tak
Ale miałam chociaż jakąś rozrywkę
Thank you Moonshine for your service 🫶
Czy podczas czytania tej książki wkurzałam się co 2 strony? Tak
Ale miałam chociaż jakąś rozrywkę
Thank you Moonshine for your service 🫶
March 18, 2022
Naprawdę fajna młodzieżówka. Nie spodziewałam się, że pójdzie w takim kierunku i naprawdę miło się zaskoczyłam. Polecam.
October 6, 2025
Co to jest za książka i co ona ze mną zrobiła????????
To będzie długa recenzja uprzedzam ale mam dużo do powiedzenia w sprawie tej pozycji.
Zaczynamy historie od poznania głównej bohaterki. Choruję na raka. I to nie będzie spojler macie to w pierwszym rozdziale. Ona jest z tym pogodzona. Nikt poza nią nie
Lekarz zgadza się zrobić przeszczep i w dalszej części widzimy jak ona radzi sobie i jak przeżywa to co się wydarzyło ponieważ dostaje nową tożsamość. Totalnie nową.
Ja ogólnie chce naprawdę zrozumieć miłość rodziców że nie chcieli pozwolić aby ich córka umarła ale kurde....... jak mnie tutaj jej matka wkurzała.........!!!!!!!!!!! Jak ja jej nie znosiłam Boże.
Bardzo dobrze że jest to książka +15. Ponieważ jest tutaj pokazane praktycznie przez cały czas jak bardzo nasza główną bohaterka jest nie pogodzona z tym przeszczepem (nie dziwię jej się totalnie ale dlaczego to przeczytajcie żeby wiedzieć co to był za przeszczep). Opisanie jej emocji jest genialne i daje wiele do myślenia. Młodsi czytelnicy mogliby po prostu nie zrozumieć wagi tej sytuacji, która ma tu miejsce.
Wątek lekarza rozwalił mnie łeb. Potwór nie człowiek. Tyle mam do powiedzenia w jego sprawie mimo że na początku wydaje się że jego intencje nie są źle w końcu chce jej życie uratować ale jakim kosztem.... Jezu Chryste co to był za wątek medyczny. Chociaz bardziej weszlabym tutaj w Science-fiction medyczne. Bo ta operacja jest nierealna do wykonywania w rzeczywistości.
Czytajcie to. Naprawdę ta książka jest warta tego
To będzie długa recenzja uprzedzam ale mam dużo do powiedzenia w sprawie tej pozycji.
Zaczynamy historie od poznania głównej bohaterki. Choruję na raka. I to nie będzie spojler macie to w pierwszym rozdziale. Ona jest z tym pogodzona. Nikt poza nią nie
Lekarz zgadza się zrobić przeszczep i w dalszej części widzimy jak ona radzi sobie i jak przeżywa to co się wydarzyło ponieważ dostaje nową tożsamość. Totalnie nową.
Ja ogólnie chce naprawdę zrozumieć miłość rodziców że nie chcieli pozwolić aby ich córka umarła ale kurde....... jak mnie tutaj jej matka wkurzała.........!!!!!!!!!!! Jak ja jej nie znosiłam Boże.
Bardzo dobrze że jest to książka +15. Ponieważ jest tutaj pokazane praktycznie przez cały czas jak bardzo nasza główną bohaterka jest nie pogodzona z tym przeszczepem (nie dziwię jej się totalnie ale dlaczego to przeczytajcie żeby wiedzieć co to był za przeszczep). Opisanie jej emocji jest genialne i daje wiele do myślenia. Młodsi czytelnicy mogliby po prostu nie zrozumieć wagi tej sytuacji, która ma tu miejsce.
Wątek lekarza rozwalił mnie łeb. Potwór nie człowiek. Tyle mam do powiedzenia w jego sprawie mimo że na początku wydaje się że jego intencje nie są źle w końcu chce jej życie uratować ale jakim kosztem.... Jezu Chryste co to był za wątek medyczny. Chociaz bardziej weszlabym tutaj w Science-fiction medyczne. Bo ta operacja jest nierealna do wykonywania w rzeczywistości.
Czytajcie to. Naprawdę ta książka jest warta tego
May 8, 2018
A teenage/young adult book. Would I have liked it if I was 13 - 15? No, I don't think so... would probably have given me nightmares! Kids these days have probably seen worse on TV or at the movies though...
September 21, 2020
Drags on a little and is fairly boring. Otherwise, good plot line and ending
December 16, 2022
Tego się nie spodziewałam
April 25, 2020
(3.5)
I don’t know how I feel about this. I thought I would love it because it’s such an interesting concept. It reminds me of the Airhead trilogy by Meg Cabot which was one of my favourites growing up. However, there were several things that annoyed the heck out of me.
What I Liked:
1. The concept
It’s a good idea. It’s about 16-year-old Lucy who is dying from cancer. Her parents try a radical new treatment that involves a procedure of transplanting her brain into a donor’s body. Upon waking, Lucy is amazed yet mostly horrified at the fact that she’s living in another girl’s body. As it’s a top secret procedure, Lucy isn’t allowed to resume her normal life. Instead, she has to take on a new identity as Renee, a girl Lucy’s parents decided to help after meeting her at a children’s fundraiser. It was a brilliant concept, one that I haven’t seen in YA for a long while.
2. The moral questions it raises
It posed many ethical and moral questions that I found fascinating. I would’ve liked it if these were explored more, but it sufficed.
3. It’s suspenseful
As a rule, I don’t do suspense, but sometime I’ll make allowances. This was definitely suspenseful and I found myself reading with baited breath. There’s an underlying tone of menace and tension that permeates throughout the novel that had me constantly asking “what’s going to happen now?”. This book could be quite chilling at times.
What I Didn’t Like:
1. Everyone was awful
(Except Mac, Lucy’s best friend)
The characters made me SO mad, especially Lucy. I understand that she was horrified at what was happening but she acted so irrationally and was very selfish and ungrateful. I mean, I understood why. I feel like her parents really could’ve asked her consent before going through with the procedure, but she was so ungrateful. She had been given another chance at life, yet she was so awful to her parents. Her mom just wanted to spend time with her and help her adjust, yet Lucy kept throwing tantrums and pushing her away. She also constantly put her life at risk, made really stupid decisions, never thought things through, and was incredibly selfish. I couldn’t deal with her sometimes.
But her parents were quite awful too. They obviously made the decision to save her despite the ethical issues it posed, as they loved her so much. I know that they didn’t know about the full horror of Dr. Radnor’s methods, but they knew what they were doing was illegal and that the repercussions would end up with them in jail and Lucy all alone. I found her parents quite terrifying towards the end. They completely disregarded her feelings and turned a blind eye towards the actual horrors behind Dr Radnor’s treatment. They locked her in their basement, they didn’t listen to her...they just became quite scary towards the end. Also, Lucy’s mother lied to her CONSTANTLY. It was terrible!
Also Dr Radnor is absolutely terrible. How Lucy’s parents barely batted at an eyelash I don’t understand...
2. The ending
What a morbid ending. It escalated very quickly and was very dramatic. I won’t say much because no spoilers, but there’s a character death yet Lucy doesn’t address it at all. I was like...are you serious right now? It was shocking and horrifying yet it wasn’t addressed.
3. Darker than I thought it would be
I had to skip paragraphs here and there, as it was quite dark in some places. Lucy’s hysterical behaviour leading to her crashing cars and almost drowning, having fits because she refused to take her medication, having to be force fed pills, trying to escape the basement...so just a warning about that.
Overall, I thought this was a compelling read that posed interesting questions on morals and ethics. However, the main character was quite stupid and selfish, pretty much every other character was awful, and it was darker than I was expecting. That being said, there were quite a few twists that had me horrified and I thought the author did an excellent job of creating an atmosphere charged with tension and suspense that was palpable.
I don’t know how I feel about this. I thought I would love it because it’s such an interesting concept. It reminds me of the Airhead trilogy by Meg Cabot which was one of my favourites growing up. However, there were several things that annoyed the heck out of me.
What I Liked:
1. The concept
It’s a good idea. It’s about 16-year-old Lucy who is dying from cancer. Her parents try a radical new treatment that involves a procedure of transplanting her brain into a donor’s body. Upon waking, Lucy is amazed yet mostly horrified at the fact that she’s living in another girl’s body. As it’s a top secret procedure, Lucy isn’t allowed to resume her normal life. Instead, she has to take on a new identity as Renee, a girl Lucy’s parents decided to help after meeting her at a children’s fundraiser. It was a brilliant concept, one that I haven’t seen in YA for a long while.
2. The moral questions it raises
It posed many ethical and moral questions that I found fascinating. I would’ve liked it if these were explored more, but it sufficed.
3. It’s suspenseful
As a rule, I don’t do suspense, but sometime I’ll make allowances. This was definitely suspenseful and I found myself reading with baited breath. There’s an underlying tone of menace and tension that permeates throughout the novel that had me constantly asking “what’s going to happen now?”. This book could be quite chilling at times.
What I Didn’t Like:
1. Everyone was awful
(Except Mac, Lucy’s best friend)
The characters made me SO mad, especially Lucy. I understand that she was horrified at what was happening but she acted so irrationally and was very selfish and ungrateful. I mean, I understood why. I feel like her parents really could’ve asked her consent before going through with the procedure, but she was so ungrateful. She had been given another chance at life, yet she was so awful to her parents. Her mom just wanted to spend time with her and help her adjust, yet Lucy kept throwing tantrums and pushing her away. She also constantly put her life at risk, made really stupid decisions, never thought things through, and was incredibly selfish. I couldn’t deal with her sometimes.
But her parents were quite awful too. They obviously made the decision to save her despite the ethical issues it posed, as they loved her so much. I know that they didn’t know about the full horror of Dr. Radnor’s methods, but they knew what they were doing was illegal and that the repercussions would end up with them in jail and Lucy all alone. I found her parents quite terrifying towards the end. They completely disregarded her feelings and turned a blind eye towards the actual horrors behind Dr Radnor’s treatment. They locked her in their basement, they didn’t listen to her...they just became quite scary towards the end. Also, Lucy’s mother lied to her CONSTANTLY. It was terrible!
Also Dr Radnor is absolutely terrible. How Lucy’s parents barely batted at an eyelash I don’t understand...
2. The ending
What a morbid ending. It escalated very quickly and was very dramatic. I won’t say much because no spoilers, but there’s a character death yet Lucy doesn’t address it at all. I was like...are you serious right now? It was shocking and horrifying yet it wasn’t addressed.
3. Darker than I thought it would be
I had to skip paragraphs here and there, as it was quite dark in some places. Lucy’s hysterical behaviour leading to her crashing cars and almost drowning, having fits because she refused to take her medication, having to be force fed pills, trying to escape the basement...so just a warning about that.
Overall, I thought this was a compelling read that posed interesting questions on morals and ethics. However, the main character was quite stupid and selfish, pretty much every other character was awful, and it was darker than I was expecting. That being said, there were quite a few twists that had me horrified and I thought the author did an excellent job of creating an atmosphere charged with tension and suspense that was palpable.
August 4, 2018
As Shell is a YA book its difficult for it to explore all the themes I really wanted it to explore. Lucy is dying of cancer and gets her conscious imported into another body. This concept alone makes me squeal with joy. This sort of science fiction is really interesting as it explores what makes us really us. Is it our body, our mind or a combination of the two. Shell explores this idea and ultimately tells us our body is pretty important to what makes us us.
We follow Lucy as she goes back to her old life but as someone entirely new. Honestly, I think her parents choice to return her to her old setting was an odd one as there is no way Lucy would be able to not act like Lucy! But I guess if they hadn't done this we wouldn't have had any of the drama that ensued.
Shell's drama is mainly orientated around school, so we have typical boyfriend, bullying, and best friend dramas. The most heartbreaking is that her dog doesn't like her anymore. This setting did sadden me as we didn't get to explore the really interesting parts of this concept as Lucy was too busy worrying about her best friend which didn't really interest me.
The most interesting part of this story is about the doctor that performed her operation. He is shady and working off the books. He is actually super interesting and I enjoyed the parts which were spent focusing on his arc. As Lucy is a patient and a teenager there weren't too many of these sections as she is pretty clueless for most of the book about her doctor's dodgy dealings.
Despite my criticisms, Shell is still really good. The middle sags a little but the end and the start are explosive and you will find yourself whipping through the pages with suspense. I think this is a really good book for getting YA readers into the sci-fi genre and getting them interested in these sorts of concepts and ideas. For adults, I would recommend 'Altered Carbon' but for YA this does the job perfectly.
We follow Lucy as she goes back to her old life but as someone entirely new. Honestly, I think her parents choice to return her to her old setting was an odd one as there is no way Lucy would be able to not act like Lucy! But I guess if they hadn't done this we wouldn't have had any of the drama that ensued.
Shell's drama is mainly orientated around school, so we have typical boyfriend, bullying, and best friend dramas. The most heartbreaking is that her dog doesn't like her anymore. This setting did sadden me as we didn't get to explore the really interesting parts of this concept as Lucy was too busy worrying about her best friend which didn't really interest me.
The most interesting part of this story is about the doctor that performed her operation. He is shady and working off the books. He is actually super interesting and I enjoyed the parts which were spent focusing on his arc. As Lucy is a patient and a teenager there weren't too many of these sections as she is pretty clueless for most of the book about her doctor's dodgy dealings.
Despite my criticisms, Shell is still really good. The middle sags a little but the end and the start are explosive and you will find yourself whipping through the pages with suspense. I think this is a really good book for getting YA readers into the sci-fi genre and getting them interested in these sorts of concepts and ideas. For adults, I would recommend 'Altered Carbon' but for YA this does the job perfectly.
December 19, 2018
This book started off very well, however her parents could have given her the decision of having life in another body rather than thrusting her into it. They should have also told Mak and the grandma about this plan rather than cause confliction and hostility. Lucy should just be grateful her parents obviously love her and want the best for her but she is so selfish, I don’t even think she was trying to seek justice but rather “win” over her parents. Her parents have been through a lot especially her mother who lost her own mother. The author kept killing people off it was rushed and done almost desperately. I may be sadistic but I think lucy was complaining over nothing, yeah murder is wrong but really come on. Just live on, I don’t approve of murder but she put her parents through so much stress that she made me so annoyed.
If she was rich wouldn’t she have been popular due to the fact that her parents are millionaires. She didn’t even seem upset about the death of her dad and the ending was rubbish, her mum woke up from a coma wow cliche. The ending was unbelievable and how she got the police involved without getting charged for murder,oh and the dog only starts to love again at the ending. like it doesn’t even correlate. I only gave an extra star due to the fact that I like the bit when she was a teenager and actually dealing with stereotypically “normal” to an American standards. Cheerleading and jocks etc.
She’s too rich for me to believe that she wasn’t the mean, popular girl. And those tantrums, breaking her dad’s sign records. Wow. Just wrecked a “perfect” life.
From the blurb I thought it would be a delicious horror or even a thriller, but no we get a rich girl complaining and throwing tantrums throughout the book then the author quickly wrapping the story up with a ridiculous ending.
If she was rich wouldn’t she have been popular due to the fact that her parents are millionaires. She didn’t even seem upset about the death of her dad and the ending was rubbish, her mum woke up from a coma wow cliche. The ending was unbelievable and how she got the police involved without getting charged for murder,oh and the dog only starts to love again at the ending. like it doesn’t even correlate. I only gave an extra star due to the fact that I like the bit when she was a teenager and actually dealing with stereotypically “normal” to an American standards. Cheerleading and jocks etc.
She’s too rich for me to believe that she wasn’t the mean, popular girl. And those tantrums, breaking her dad’s sign records. Wow. Just wrecked a “perfect” life.
From the blurb I thought it would be a delicious horror or even a thriller, but no we get a rich girl complaining and throwing tantrums throughout the book then the author quickly wrapping the story up with a ridiculous ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 26, 2018
The premise of this book really intrigued me - I love science fiction, and the idea of swapping bodies as a way of surviving cancer is fascinating.
From the blurb:
When Lucy wakes up cancer-free, it should be a dream come true.
But trapped in a new body and faced with a life she didn't choose, Lucy begins to question whether living as somebody else is really living. And as her new life unfolds, she discovers that cheating death comes at a price...
How far would you go to stay alive?
Sounds really interesting right? The book was nothing like the blurb, I was completely disappointed.
Lucy knows she's about to die. Her parents and best friend Mak are in denial and refuse to accept that Lucy won't go into remission again.
Then Lucy wakes up in a new body; she is told that her brain has been transplanted into a donor body. The surgery was experimental, and highly illegal, so she can never tell anyone that she is Lucy.
After she has recovered, Lucy goes back to live with her mum and dad as "Renee", a foster kid who needs help. The rules are simple- don't tell anyone who you are, or about the surgery. Lucy gets to live as Renee, healthy and within the vicinity of the people she loves. At first they treat her like a stranger, but to them she is a stranger. If Lucy committed to her new life as Renee things would have been fine.
The problem with this, is that Lucy is one of the most annoying protagonists I've ever read. It's like someone handed her a list of things she can do to destroy her life, and she went "Awesome, that's what I'll do". I cannot excuse any of her behaviours, they were just stupid and thoughtless.
Lucy gets to keep living- yes it means her friends and family will treat her like a stranger, but if she had a bit of patience and stopped acting like a crazy stalker, she would have got through it.
Lucy seemed completely nonplussed about the fact that she didn't have cancer, and was no longer in pain. As someone who lost a relative to cancer, I was infuriated by her attitude. As a character, she was whiny and was generally annoying.
The only realistic part of the novel in my opinion, was when the popular kids turned on Lucy and ostracized her in the space of 24 hours.
The whole " ooh where was Renee's donor body from, her parents are hiding something" plot was completely unnecessary.
I have this book 2.5 stars on Goodreads. It started out okay, it was a brilliant idea, but I hated the character of Lucy and it got a bit soap opera-y towards the end.
Cheerio!
Stephani Xx
From the blurb:
When Lucy wakes up cancer-free, it should be a dream come true.
But trapped in a new body and faced with a life she didn't choose, Lucy begins to question whether living as somebody else is really living. And as her new life unfolds, she discovers that cheating death comes at a price...
How far would you go to stay alive?
Sounds really interesting right? The book was nothing like the blurb, I was completely disappointed.
Lucy knows she's about to die. Her parents and best friend Mak are in denial and refuse to accept that Lucy won't go into remission again.
Then Lucy wakes up in a new body; she is told that her brain has been transplanted into a donor body. The surgery was experimental, and highly illegal, so she can never tell anyone that she is Lucy.
After she has recovered, Lucy goes back to live with her mum and dad as "Renee", a foster kid who needs help. The rules are simple- don't tell anyone who you are, or about the surgery. Lucy gets to live as Renee, healthy and within the vicinity of the people she loves. At first they treat her like a stranger, but to them she is a stranger. If Lucy committed to her new life as Renee things would have been fine.
The problem with this, is that Lucy is one of the most annoying protagonists I've ever read. It's like someone handed her a list of things she can do to destroy her life, and she went "Awesome, that's what I'll do". I cannot excuse any of her behaviours, they were just stupid and thoughtless.
Lucy gets to keep living- yes it means her friends and family will treat her like a stranger, but if she had a bit of patience and stopped acting like a crazy stalker, she would have got through it.
Lucy seemed completely nonplussed about the fact that she didn't have cancer, and was no longer in pain. As someone who lost a relative to cancer, I was infuriated by her attitude. As a character, she was whiny and was generally annoying.
The only realistic part of the novel in my opinion, was when the popular kids turned on Lucy and ostracized her in the space of 24 hours.
The whole " ooh where was Renee's donor body from, her parents are hiding something" plot was completely unnecessary.
I have this book 2.5 stars on Goodreads. It started out okay, it was a brilliant idea, but I hated the character of Lucy and it got a bit soap opera-y towards the end.
Cheerio!
Stephani Xx
May 27, 2019
This is definitely the strangest and thought provoking books I have read this year. It leads me to question whether advances in medicine will ever go 'too far' like in this book. I understand why the characters did what they did, but sometimes the repetitiveness and defiance is infuriating. The ending seemed rushed and unfulfilled however I did overall enjoy the book
Lucy Burgess, a daughter of wealthy parents has terminal cancer, but what if this wasnt the end? How far will someone go for love and is keeping someone alive no matter the consequences selfish? It is such an original plot which is strikingly terrifying as I am afraid we may enter into this all-powerful god-like attitude to medicine if not in my lifetime, the next generation. Lucy must learn to hide the truth and adapt to her new body, new personality and new challenges. But how easy can it be when you are standing in front of your grandparent's or your best friend and you cant tell them who you really are ... their dead loved one. The consequences for keeping your loved one close and alive may be enough to tear your family apart ...
Lucy Burgess, a daughter of wealthy parents has terminal cancer, but what if this wasnt the end? How far will someone go for love and is keeping someone alive no matter the consequences selfish? It is such an original plot which is strikingly terrifying as I am afraid we may enter into this all-powerful god-like attitude to medicine if not in my lifetime, the next generation. Lucy must learn to hide the truth and adapt to her new body, new personality and new challenges. But how easy can it be when you are standing in front of your grandparent's or your best friend and you cant tell them who you really are ... their dead loved one. The consequences for keeping your loved one close and alive may be enough to tear your family apart ...
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April 15, 2020DNR
Don’t make the same mistake that I did going into this book. IT IS NOT A DYSTOPIAN NOVEL. Don’t expect a YA rendition of Altered Carbon or Elysium, because this is far from it.
In short, a girl called Lucy has cancer, almost dies (which is what she wants) and her brain is instead transplanted into another girls body without Lucy’s permission. Lucy is pissed because she wanted to die, hates the drop-dead gorgeous body she is now in, and resents her parents. Its angsty, there’s teen drama and even bitchy cheerleaders at a preppy school. Seriously, what is it with author’s not understanding how high school’s and colleges work, and what teenagers are really like?
So, if you like teen angst with a poor understanding of medical ethics and psychology trauma, then read Shell. If not, STEER CLEAR.
Don’t make the same mistake that I did going into this book. IT IS NOT A DYSTOPIAN NOVEL. Don’t expect a YA rendition of Altered Carbon or Elysium, because this is far from it.
In short, a girl called Lucy has cancer, almost dies (which is what she wants) and her brain is instead transplanted into another girls body without Lucy’s permission. Lucy is pissed because she wanted to die, hates the drop-dead gorgeous body she is now in, and resents her parents. Its angsty, there’s teen drama and even bitchy cheerleaders at a preppy school. Seriously, what is it with author’s not understanding how high school’s and colleges work, and what teenagers are really like?
So, if you like teen angst with a poor understanding of medical ethics and psychology trauma, then read Shell. If not, STEER CLEAR.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 16, 2018
I enjoyed this book the premise remind me a lot of me can't runway series girl who ends up waking in somebody else body after they thought they where going to die. though in runway the book is far more dramic and less plausible than this book they both have the doctor doing experiment placing the parent in situation they can never tell they're child is alive.
the premise of this book is interesting imagine coming to peace with dying but then being trapped living a half life knowing your secrets leave your family worse off. you can't communaicte with your past.
The way technology advances today this is a great great and bring up lots of philophical topic that were in a age of technology aren't that far of this possible medical inventions could possibly happen but should they.
the premise of this book is interesting imagine coming to peace with dying but then being trapped living a half life knowing your secrets leave your family worse off. you can't communaicte with your past.
The way technology advances today this is a great great and bring up lots of philophical topic that were in a age of technology aren't that far of this possible medical inventions could possibly happen but should they.
April 11, 2020
The book was very gripping. My friend was reading this book and when she told me what it was about, I knew I had to read it! The author does a very good job at describing what characters feel like and what was going on in their individual minds. Despite the captivitaing way that the author writes, I did find it sad that there wasn't a very happy ending: no moral of the story or something that cheers Lucy up. Both the parents get shot in the end, leaving the dad dead and the mother barley living when all Lucy wanted was to do good. Altogether, four people die in the story. Quite disappointed about the ending but the author did write the book very well, barely ever putting "said" after dialogue but replacing it with something fantastic.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2018
The protagonist, Lucy, is dying from cancer so her rich parents - in particular her mum - take her to a fancy clinic where she's transplanted into another body. The premise was interesting enough that I had to get this after reading a sampler to see where it was going, but unfortunately the execution is lacking. I expected more body dysphoria exploration than just bolded her and hers when the writer wanted to put distance between the character and her body, Lucy and her mum were not the best written of characters, little time was dedicated to the side plot, and the ending was abrupt.
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