I judge books by their covers. This may not be a good practice at all times, but it generally works as far as I can tell. Let me tell you right now: under normal circumstances, I would have put this book right back on the shelf because of its cover. Sorry, but it's true. Not only is it stereotypically done in exactly the same manner as all paranormal teen lit these days (bright, visually compelling image placed on a dark background -- seriously, take a stroll through that section of the bookstore and you'll think it's an entire section of the store dedicated to a single series), but it just looked uninteresting.
Luckily, looks aren't everything. I was looking for something to read by the author because she is going to be one of the authors at LeakyCon and I want to read at least one work from each before I go this year, if at all possible. It was the synopsis that caught me and I can now inform you that I really enjoyed this book.
Skinned is the story of Lia Kahn after she dies in a car wreck. Yes, you read that right. Lia is killed when the car she is in collides with another after their navigation systems both malfunctioned at the same time (I suspect tampering). When she wakes after the crash, it's to find that her consciousness has basically been downloaded and placed into a mechanical body that looks almost human. And almost really is the key word here.
Because after Lia struggles to teach herself to control this body of hers, she is thrust back into her old life, only to find there there isn't any room for her there anymore. Her younger sister has all but slid into her place, taking over every aspect of what used to be Lia's life. Meanwhile, there is a big stigmatism associated with being a mech-head (or a skinner, as some call them). To the rest of the world, they aren't real people. They're copies, machines, and not worth anything more than a bit of scrap metal or an old computer. And not everyone is passive in their dislike of the skinners. Some take a rather aggressive stance when it comes to their hatred of the new breed.
Set in a future where nearly everything is artificial and the world has come a long way from where it is now, I found this to be a really interesting and original concept. Wasserman creates a future where the idea of a fully artificial body is frowned upon, yet parents consistently go into laborites upon learning that their pregnant, allowing doctors to tweak and alter their unborn children into exactly what they want, as long as they have enough money to pay for it. High IQ, perfect skin, ginger hair, blue eyes? It's up to them. I found the similarity in the two quite interesting when it comes to the perspective of the characters. Why do they see something wrong with a drastically changing the DNA of a person, yet the fact that the body isn't actually flesh and blood is abhorrent to them?
I really enjoyed this book. Like I said, it was very compelling and original. It's not something I've ever seen before. Wasserman does a great job in writing her character and making you sympathize with her. I don't usually identify with characters like Lia. She's not the type of person I would normally befriend, much less understand (at least before the accident), so the fact that Wasserman is able to make the reader sympathize with her is a testament to her creative ability.
The only thing I didn't enjoy about the first novel of this series (a series I will definitely be eager to finish), was her portrayal of Christians/other religious groups as they appear in that time. Believers are looked upon as simple-minded and odd by the masses. The Faithers are fanatics that take Scripture and seem to twist it to meet their own needs. They are the bad guys in this series, or so it looks like they will be, though it is made clear by one main character that believers are not all necessarily Faithers. Some cling to God because they need the certainty while others use him as an excuse to be manipulative and just plain mean. While I clearly don't like this portrayal, I won't say it isn't accurate. By accurate, however, I mean that it is something I could see religious people becoming (yes, even Christians) when they forget the point of what they believe. When Christians forget that love is everything, their faith becomes polluted and corrupted. So I could see it becoming exactly what Wasserman has portrayed.
Otherwise, I loved it. I cannot wait to read the second book in the series and will be doing so in short order. If you've got some time to kill this summer, this series seems like it will be an excellent way to do so.
Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
[Click here to see my review of Crashed: Book 2 in the Cold Awakening Trilogy]
"I'm sorry for what he said. He shouldn't have treated you like that."
I shrugged. "I'm getting used to it."
"You shouldn't have to."
True. But there were a lot of things I shouldn't have to get used to, and if I started making a list, I might never stop.
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