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Refurbished: The Clover Initiative
The end of the world came and went. Twenty years later humanity is crafting new and secretive ways to protect itself, but the atmosphere stays clear of threats . . .Eighteen-year-old academy graduate Alyssa is determined to start her military career as a GENE (Genetically Enhanced Entity) on her own terms. But after being transferred from her native London to America, she struggles to control her powers and find her place among a military unit of underdogs and other enhanced soldiers. When a rogue GENE is taken into custody, Alyssa's empathy for him forces her to choose between her carefully mapped out life plan, or a path that would put her in direct conflict with her superiors. With the promise of superpowers and a green card on the table, thirteen-year-old Miguel signs a contract to become a GENE. Enduring the enhancement process is sure to be worth it with his refugee status at stake and dazzling dreams of becoming a superhero in the mix. But when he forms a psychic connection with a mysterious girl who could die without his help, he must decide what he's willing to risk in order to save her.As Alyssa and Miguel embark on parallel journeys, their desire to choose their own individual paths transforms into a fierce battle for the rights of fellow enhanced people. The world might not be ready to find out about GENEs, but it had better brace itself. The protective barrier of secrecy will soon burst, and those called "Refurbished" will make themselves known.
254 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 15, 2020
11 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
About the author
Michelle Monárrez
3 books23 followersHispanic Heritage in American Settings
Born and raised between the border cities of El Paso and Ciudad Juárez, Monárrez grew up in a bilingual and diverse culture. With a passion for the written word, she set out to pursue a career in Fiction writing and graduated from Southern New Hampshire University with a BA in Creative Writing and English.
Monárrez considers herself a Mexican-American writer. Her roots and Fiction Crafting training in both countries gave her voice a unique flavor. Her writing aims to deliver stories placed in American settings that echo her Hispanic heritage through diverse themes, unique descriptions, and the use of magical realism.
Monárrez currently lives in Dallas, TX with her husband. When she isn’t writing and stressing over her next manuscript, she can be found baking sourdough bread, neerding out about superheroes, or avidly listening to podcasts.
Born and raised between the border cities of El Paso and Ciudad Juárez, Monárrez grew up in a bilingual and diverse culture. With a passion for the written word, she set out to pursue a career in Fiction writing and graduated from Southern New Hampshire University with a BA in Creative Writing and English.
Monárrez considers herself a Mexican-American writer. Her roots and Fiction Crafting training in both countries gave her voice a unique flavor. Her writing aims to deliver stories placed in American settings that echo her Hispanic heritage through diverse themes, unique descriptions, and the use of magical realism.
Monárrez currently lives in Dallas, TX with her husband. When she isn’t writing and stressing over her next manuscript, she can be found baking sourdough bread, neerding out about superheroes, or avidly listening to podcasts.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 23, 2022
What a great book!
This is set in a time where there are soldiers known as GENEs, which are humans who are basically experimented on and are made into half human/ half robot people to keep the peace. The story centers around a GENE who becomes erratic and doesn't know why. There are two different plotlines that intertwine and connect wonderfully at the end.
A large part of the story followed a young boy named Miguel. He was my favorite! He signed up for the GENE program and we follow his experience of becoming a superhero. The experiments involving radiation are horrendous and cause him pain, but he stays excited to see what kind of superpower he will come out with.
There is a world Miguel goes into which is known as the shadow version of the compound. It gave me Stranger Things vibes and was super eerie!
The author did a great job describing feelings and expressions, such as: "Daiyu's doll smile curled on a tired face." Little things like that add uniqueness to her writing.
I am looking forward to reading her next book!
This is set in a time where there are soldiers known as GENEs, which are humans who are basically experimented on and are made into half human/ half robot people to keep the peace. The story centers around a GENE who becomes erratic and doesn't know why. There are two different plotlines that intertwine and connect wonderfully at the end.
A large part of the story followed a young boy named Miguel. He was my favorite! He signed up for the GENE program and we follow his experience of becoming a superhero. The experiments involving radiation are horrendous and cause him pain, but he stays excited to see what kind of superpower he will come out with.
There is a world Miguel goes into which is known as the shadow version of the compound. It gave me Stranger Things vibes and was super eerie!
The author did a great job describing feelings and expressions, such as: "Daiyu's doll smile curled on a tired face." Little things like that add uniqueness to her writing.
I am looking forward to reading her next book!
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May 25, 2022I'm Michelle Monárrez and I wrote this book. Someone told me I should come to Goodreads and add a review of my own book, so here we are.
Writing this book was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I give the process of finding my voice as a writer and figuring out how to write a full story with dual plotlines while keeping my sanity a 1 star out of 5. I give the end result of years of work and endless rounds of edits a 5 out of 5. I'm very happy I wrote this book and that you have received it with such warm and kind reviews.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading.
If you like to read with music, here's the official playlist for Refurbished: The Clover Initiative.
Writing this book was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I give the process of finding my voice as a writer and figuring out how to write a full story with dual plotlines while keeping my sanity a 1 star out of 5. I give the end result of years of work and endless rounds of edits a 5 out of 5. I'm very happy I wrote this book and that you have received it with such warm and kind reviews.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading.
If you like to read with music, here's the official playlist for Refurbished: The Clover Initiative.
September 16, 2020
Refurbished: The Clover Initiative is the epic beginning of the Heroes journeys, this book have incredible characters, action and plot twists that keep us the readers immerse in the exciting writing of Monárrez.
Every fan of the sci-fi and super heroes genre should check this astonishing book, couldn’t put it down I’d had to continue reading trough the end.
The book have three point of view Crimson Thunder, Tiger and Miguel they are GENEs (Genetically Enhanced Entity) humans how DNA had been altered with alien technology.
Being an outcast in another country is not easy, Crimson and Miguel will follow the path of self discover, they will have to learn how to fight their own battles.
Every fan of the sci-fi and super heroes genre should check this astonishing book, couldn’t put it down I’d had to continue reading trough the end.
The book have three point of view Crimson Thunder, Tiger and Miguel they are GENEs (Genetically Enhanced Entity) humans how DNA had been altered with alien technology.
Being an outcast in another country is not easy, Crimson and Miguel will follow the path of self discover, they will have to learn how to fight their own battles.
September 16, 2020
What a fantastic read. The dual plotline is expertly crafted and keeps the pace going at the perfect speed. There are times when Monárrez's pairs a cliffhanger with a skip to a different plotline, effectively stretching out the time you have to worry about the characters and their plight (much longer than just a page turn)! It's a delightful type of frustrating that pays off beautifully.
The imagery is always carefully chosen, considerately placed, and brimming with beautiful detail. The reader can go a whole paragraph without a single unnecessary letter, only to be hit with a concise metaphor or wordplay that enhances the entire scene. It makes the book a fast but thrilling read because you're never overburdened with over the top description.
Finally, while the physical action is portrayed in vivid detail, the emotional and interpersonal drama is truly stunning. There are words spoken that pack more punch than the literal physical attacks, and not due to any deficiency in action. Monárrez clearly just understands how much more devastating a word can be compared to a weapon (in this case, a plasma disk.)
All in all, a wonderful tale that I look forward to reading more of!
The imagery is always carefully chosen, considerately placed, and brimming with beautiful detail. The reader can go a whole paragraph without a single unnecessary letter, only to be hit with a concise metaphor or wordplay that enhances the entire scene. It makes the book a fast but thrilling read because you're never overburdened with over the top description.
Finally, while the physical action is portrayed in vivid detail, the emotional and interpersonal drama is truly stunning. There are words spoken that pack more punch than the literal physical attacks, and not due to any deficiency in action. Monárrez clearly just understands how much more devastating a word can be compared to a weapon (in this case, a plasma disk.)
All in all, a wonderful tale that I look forward to reading more of!
October 18, 2021
Reconstruidos: La Iniciativa Clover es el primer libro de una futura saga de 5, es una historia increíble que se basa en un futuro, cuando parte de la humanidad esta siendo modificada en secreto para proteger al mundo. Una joven de 18 años llamada Alyssa junto a sus compañeros GENE (Entidades Genéticamente Modificadas por sus siglas en Ingles) se enfrentan a una entidad mas fuerte que ellos y necesitan encontrar la forma de resolver lo que a ocasionado. Pero dentro de esta historia también esta Miguel, un joven de 13 años que esta dentro del sistema de Clover para ser modificado y convertirse en GENE, habla un poco sobre lo que tiene que pasar y los extraños sueños que comienza a tener y las conexiones con una extraña chica que necesita ser salvada.
Esta es una excelente historia de Ciencia Ficción y acción, que involucra temas de inmigración, secretos del gobierno y personas con super poderes, y si eres amante de los super héroes, esta será una buena elección para una lectura emocionante. Esta historia me gusto mucho y debo decir que al final me quede con ganas de seguir leyendo más y saber qué va a pasar con algunos personajes.
Esta es una excelente historia de Ciencia Ficción y acción, que involucra temas de inmigración, secretos del gobierno y personas con super poderes, y si eres amante de los super héroes, esta será una buena elección para una lectura emocionante. Esta historia me gusto mucho y debo decir que al final me quede con ganas de seguir leyendo más y saber qué va a pasar con algunos personajes.
October 27, 2020
Enhanced teen causes a ruckus, and the police aren't able to deal with it. That's not all. In this world, you can accept to become a superhero, but as a superhero, your choices are just starting. Great for fans of X-men, Gene 13, and a pinch of Minority Report.
Author Monárrez did a great job creating her universe of enhanced superheroes. She gives us something relatable and recognizable by us, comic book readers, and fans.
Her characters have strong individual personalities from the start, and the balance between them creates an excellent rhythm for the story.
Even if this is not a standalone novel, you can read it as a one. It shows us different characters solving a crime situation and dealing with it. It also becomes an excellent Origin story for one of the enhanced characters.
My favorite characters are Miguel's and Shadow's. Their chapters bring a lot to some of the heavy politics of some of the other chapters. I am looking forward to learning more.
Author Monárrez did a great job creating her universe of enhanced superheroes. She gives us something relatable and recognizable by us, comic book readers, and fans.
Her characters have strong individual personalities from the start, and the balance between them creates an excellent rhythm for the story.
Even if this is not a standalone novel, you can read it as a one. It shows us different characters solving a crime situation and dealing with it. It also becomes an excellent Origin story for one of the enhanced characters.
My favorite characters are Miguel's and Shadow's. Their chapters bring a lot to some of the heavy politics of some of the other chapters. I am looking forward to learning more.
November 3, 2021
Enhanced teen causes a ruckus, and the police aren't able to deal with it. That's not all. In this world, you can accept to become a superhero, but as a superhero, your choices are just starting. Great for fans of X-men, Gene 13, and a pinch of Minority Report.
Author Monárrez did a great job creating her universe of enhanced superheroes. She gives us something relatable and recognizable by us, comic book readers, and fans.
Her characters have strong individual personalities from the start, and the balance between them creates an excellent rhythm for the story.
Even if this is not a standalone novel, you can read it as a one. It shows us different characters solving a crime situation and dealing with it. It also becomes an excellent Origin story for one of the enhanced characters.
My favorite characters are Miguel's and Shadow's. Their chapters bring a lot to some of the heavy politics of some of the other chapters. I am looking forward to learning more.
Author Monárrez did a great job creating her universe of enhanced superheroes. She gives us something relatable and recognizable by us, comic book readers, and fans.
Her characters have strong individual personalities from the start, and the balance between them creates an excellent rhythm for the story.
Even if this is not a standalone novel, you can read it as a one. It shows us different characters solving a crime situation and dealing with it. It also becomes an excellent Origin story for one of the enhanced characters.
My favorite characters are Miguel's and Shadow's. Their chapters bring a lot to some of the heavy politics of some of the other chapters. I am looking forward to learning more.
December 20, 2020
Refurbished es el primer libro de una futura saga de 5, es una historia increíble que se basa en un futuro, cuando parte de la humanidad esta siendo modificada para proteger el mundo. Una joven de 18 años llamada Alyssa junto a sus compañeros GENE (Entidades Genéticamente Modificadas por sus siglas en Ingles) se enfrentan a una entidad mas fuerte que ellos y necesitan encontrar la forma de resolver lo que a ocasionado. Pero dentro de esta historia también esta Miguel, un joven de 13 años que esta dentro del sistema de Clover para ser modificado y convertirse en GENE, habla un poco sobre lo que tiene que pasar y los extraños sueños que comienza a tener y las conexiones con una extraña chica que necesita ser salvada.
Esta es una excelente historia de Ciencia Ficción y acción, si eres amante de los super héroes, esta será una buena elección para una lectura emocionante. Personalmente me gusto bastante, y debo decir que al final me quede con ganas de seguir leyendo más y saber qué va a pasar con ciertos personajes.
Esta es una excelente historia de Ciencia Ficción y acción, si eres amante de los super héroes, esta será una buena elección para una lectura emocionante. Personalmente me gusto bastante, y debo decir que al final me quede con ganas de seguir leyendo más y saber qué va a pasar con ciertos personajes.
October 19, 2021
Finally, Latine(x) representation as the hero!
Refurbished is a beautifully-written sci-fi novel with a diverse set of characters unlike anything I’ve ever read. The depth of representation is done with such honor and respect, I couldn’t help but get invested in every single character and their journey.
The author’s global perspective enriches the world built in this novel to an entirely different level. But it’s Miguel, the young Chilean boy who wants nothing more than to see himself as the hero, that melted my heart and forced me to keep turning the pages.
Refurbished is a beautifully-written sci-fi novel with a diverse set of characters unlike anything I’ve ever read. The depth of representation is done with such honor and respect, I couldn’t help but get invested in every single character and their journey.
The author’s global perspective enriches the world built in this novel to an entirely different level. But it’s Miguel, the young Chilean boy who wants nothing more than to see himself as the hero, that melted my heart and forced me to keep turning the pages.
October 23, 2020
What immediately kept me turning the pages was the immersive world the story takes place in. The concept of human emhancement has always been a topic of interest, especially for military purposes. But to let the young protagonists faces this hard-hitting issue is compelling. What they choose to do with their new abilities and the consequences of those choices keeps me hooked.
To avoid making any spoilers! I highly recommend you read this for yourself.
To avoid making any spoilers! I highly recommend you read this for yourself.
September 5, 2021
Un excelente libro adecuado para una nueva saga. Este libro pose una gran trama ambientada en el futuro, con personajes complejos, entrañables,y fascinantes. Este esta es una gran historia que te deja con ganas de continuar de leer el siguiente libro de esta gran saga.
September 2, 2021
Es ese tipo de libro que te mantiene al borde del asiento. La forma en que intercala entre historias hace la lectura mas llevadera y entretenida. El misterio y la ciencia ficcion se complementan de manera tan natural que maravillan a la imaginacion. Las emociones y acciones de los personajes son realmente comprensibles. Personalmente quede maravillado.
June 21, 2021
I really liked the premise of this book. Set in a dystopian post-war future, GENEs are engineered soldiers with super powers created and employed by The Clover Corp, (queue ominous music), to keep the peace. However, if you can imagine, this mega-corporation isn’t up to all good, and naturally, The Refurbished don’t have much control over their own lives, or how they’re treated when Clover’s experiments go sideways. The author examines some Big Questions and difficult moral quandaries here, I was impressed.
Well-written and full of twists, the tale unfolds from several points of view, and I loved the multi-cultural inclusion. I think young Miguel was my fav. So full of bravery, a survivor and an immigrant all the way from Chile, he’s already the stuff superheroes are made of BEFORE he gets his powers. I felt like this was a prequel to a fictional universe that has A LOT of potential for more adventures, which I am looking forward to!
I recommend this book for fans of Marvel, the X-Men, and even The Nevers. It had some serious Falcon & The Winter Soldier Vibes—and Monarrez definitely wrote this WAAAY before that was released.
Well-written and full of twists, the tale unfolds from several points of view, and I loved the multi-cultural inclusion. I think young Miguel was my fav. So full of bravery, a survivor and an immigrant all the way from Chile, he’s already the stuff superheroes are made of BEFORE he gets his powers. I felt like this was a prequel to a fictional universe that has A LOT of potential for more adventures, which I am looking forward to!
I recommend this book for fans of Marvel, the X-Men, and even The Nevers. It had some serious Falcon & The Winter Soldier Vibes—and Monarrez definitely wrote this WAAAY before that was released.
May 1, 2022
Incredible! For her first time out, this is a home run of a novel.
March 21, 2022
Fascinating world-building, with a disquieting and foreboding sense of possibility. I originally shelved this as a dystopia, and after finishing it, I'm still not sure that is wrong though I can't be sure it was the intention.
December 30, 2020
Stoked to know more about this book’s world
The story kept me hooked, and left me pumped for the next book.
The writing was amazing, the word selection and the style just captivated me from the first pages, I absolutely loved it I can’t emphasize this enough.
The story kept me hooked, and left me pumped for the next book.
The writing was amazing, the word selection and the style just captivated me from the first pages, I absolutely loved it I can’t emphasize this enough.
February 27, 2021
Action packed story and characters with depth I felt I could really connect with. A real page turner!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews