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Spliced by Jon McGoran (from a Two Thumbs Up reviewer)

Monday, Oct 30, 2017 at 6:58pm

Spliced

from $27.95

Spliced takes place in the somewhat-near future where (mostly) teens pay back-alley geneticists to illegally 'splice' animal genes into their own. The story follows Jimi, a sixteen-year-old girl who's desperately trying to find her best friend, Del, who went missing the night he supposedly got 'spliced.'

This book was great--until the climax/ near-ending. Some books are just meant to be on their own, and this proves to be the case. This doesn't need a sequel, or worse, drag itself into a trilogy. The climax wrapped itself up nicely and I could've seen a good suspenseful closure to this story up ahead--until the author had to write in a cliffhanger, which then opened up way too many plot-holes to just leave it at that. As for my general thoughts, I thought it was a pretty decent book. There's nothing spectacular about the writing nor dialogue, but it was still enjoyable. The whole idea was pretty fun too, it was something that I haven't seen before. But what really shone through was definitely the social problem represented in the book. Getting spliced comes at a price, and that is: some people don't consider you 'human' anymore. People who do get spliced (chimeras) are looked down upon society and riots are continuously happening to pass the law that declares chimeras as really, non-human. I thought it was tackled perfectly and I loved how the author dug deeper in the topic of minorities and fitting in.

As for every book, I always have some issues with certain aspects, and with Spliced it was first: the pacing. It was weird, since it the book takes place in such a short period of time yet it was lacking the urgency and high stakes of the situation. The author would sometimes drag out the scene to unnecessary length and add filler dialogue/description that was flat out pointless. Also what really drove me off the bridge of sanity was the horrible romance/love triangle. This to me was the most unnecessary thing of the whole book and the most cringey.  First off, this was such a cliche and horrible love triangle that it manages to completely ruin the characters for me. Instead of a quick-ass, smart, and witty main character, it redeems Jimi to an unlikable, shallow, and silly teenager with running hormones.  Now, we all know that love triangles are predictable and cliche--but this one, my god, this one is the cliche-ist of the cliches. We have the boy-next-door best friend (literally) and the dark, brooding, male-grunting bad boy as competitors to win the heart of this special, special girl. Ugh. This is Twilight all over again. With that being said (sorry for the mini rant), those are my overall thoughts towards Spliced. I give this a 7.5/10 and would recommend it to someone with a strong passion for activism and social problems happening in our world today.

- Yen Anh, a Two Thumbs Up reviewer

Categories: Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Two Thumbs Up

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Spliced

- Jon McGoran

Young adult hardcover $27.95
Reader Reward Price: $25.16

Sixteen-year-old Jimi knows people change, but nothing could prepare her for what's about to happen to her best friend, Del.

Over the years, their friendship has been evolving--and Jimi is starting to wonder if they could become more than friends. But Del is obsessed with becoming a chimera: a person with animal features, achieved by splicing animal genes into their own DNA. It's a dangerous and controversial process, provided illegally by back-alley doctors called genies.

The dramatic physical changes chimeras go through have scared lawmakers into drafting legislation to declare chimeras officially non-human-- taking away all protections under the law. When Del goes missing, Jimi is desperate to find him before he alters himself forever.

To save him, Jimi must risk her life--all while knowing that if getting spliced is the choice Del has made, it means he's leaving her behind forever.  Unlikely allies and powerful enemies clash as Jimi questions her beliefs and uncovers closely-guarded secrets about her own past.

Set in a near-future society where technology is redefining what it means to be human, Spliced is part science fiction, part political thriller, raising questions about genetic modification and how we treat each other that will stay with you long after the final page.

The hardcover and paperback editions features a striking, texturally-embossed spot gloss cover, and the paperback features a sneak-peak at the heart-pounding sequel, Splintered.

A Hal Clement Notable Young Adult Book 2018