Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Review: Skinned


This is a YA novel by Robin Wasserman.

Book Blurb:

Lia Kahn was perfect: rich, beautiful, popular. Until the accident that nearly killed her. Now she has been downloaded into a new body that only looks human. Lia will never feel pain again, she will never age, and she can't ever truly die. But she is also rejected by her friends, betrayed by her boyfriend, and alienated from her old life.

Forced to the fringes of society, Lia joins others like her. But they are looked at as freaks. They are hated...and feared. They are everything but human, and according to most people, this is the ultimate crime - for which they must pay the ultimate price.

Skinned is a good book - but it made me very angry.

Lia Kahn was in a horrible accident. The doctors could not save her body - but her brain was salvageable. Lia's father makes the decision to have her brain downloaded into a new body - and the results are a disaster.

Skinned is set sometime in the future. Technology has been invented that, with enough money, anything is possible. You can stop the ravages of time and disease, fix almost all imperfections in the womb and even order DNA sequences that guarantee the eye and hair color, sex, IQ and athletic abilities of your unborn children.

With all of this technology - the family dynamic is lost. I felt awful reading Skinned - my heart went out to Lia. Against her will she was altered in a way that made it impossible for her to fit in anywhere....even in her own home.

I am looking forward to finding out what happens to Lia in the next book - Crashed, which is available now.

I give Skinned 4 out of 5 stars. :)

M

9 comments:

Blodeuedd said...

I do like these futuristic YA books so this one is on my radar now, thanks :)

Anna said...

Glad to enjoyed this one. I have book two for you.

Michelle Greathouse said...

B,

I look forward to your thoughts. :)

Anna,

Yay!!

M

The_Book_Queen said...

I know what you mean, Michelle! I love reading futuristic books such as this one (read it earlier this year), but I hope that our world never turns out this way! And if it does, I hope I'm long gone. :D

Great review!

Enjoy,
TBQ

Michelle Greathouse said...

TBQ,

I agree. I want no part of a society like the one featured in Skinned. :) But I love reading about future worlds and the strange goings on the author comes up with.

M

Abigail said...

I'm not sure about the scifi element, but thanks for your review.

Just wanted to let you know I gave you award on my blog

http://allthingsurbanfantasy.blogspot.com/2009/11/you-like-me-you-really-really-like-me.html

Michelle Greathouse said...

Abigail,

You're welcome and thank you! :)

M

Naamah said...

In 2003 the Human Genome Project was finished by U.S. scientists and researchers after 13 years of mapping out every strand of DNA in the human body. Some of what you fear is already possible. Taking the DNA from two parents, scientists can already determine whether or not any future children will have biological mental defects (such as Downs Syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome, Autism, etc.) It also makes it possible to not only know, but change children's build, hair and eye color. IQ is still up for grabs.

Just thought you'd want to know....

Unknown said...

Thanks for the heads up on this one, I'll give it a look too. I enjoy a futuristic read!

Dottie :)