Cohn, Rachel. Beta. Disney Hyperion, 2012.
The island of
Demesne, created from an underground volcano, is said to be the most desirable
and exclusive place on earth. It has the
purest air; the scenery has the perfect aesthetic; and the water around it has
healing properties. It is inhabited by the
most rich, famous, and wealthy people in the world.
Clones on Demesne
are created in order to serve residents on the island and to create an
atmosphere of happiness and fine living.
The clones have been fitted with a brain chip so that they can mimic human
feelings, a GPS wrist chip for tracking, and a facial brand, which designates
their type of service. They don’t need
human food; their only nutrition is special strawberry shakes, which are loaded
with chemical components.
Elysia is a
sixteen-year-old clone—created in a lab—as a Beta, an experimental teenage
model. Elysia’s “first”, her original human, had to die and her soul had to be
extracted in order for Elysia to become a clone. Elysia is purchased by Mrs. Bratton,
the wife of the governor of the island, to replace her rebellious teen
daughter, who has gone off to college on the mainland. She is also to serve as an athletic trainer
to the Bratton’s son, Ivan, who will soon be joining the elite private army training
on the mainland Base and to help care for the Bratton’s young daughter, Leisel.
Elysia is
having flashbacks about a handsome young man from her first’s past and thinks
she may be defective. However, she
doesn’t want to tell anyone because she feels she has many privileges other
clones do not. What she eventually figures
out is that clones are actually an oppressed society ruled and owned by the
wealthy; clones can be forced to do anything and are easily disposed.
There is
growing tension on Demesne. The
privileged teenagers are secretly using ataraxia, an illegal drug that gives
its users a profound feeling of dreamy happiness and contentment. There are growing protests against using
clones as servants and rumors of a group of clone “Defects” planning an
insurrection so that they can gain their freedom.
Elysia’s
choice about what she should do with her life is ultimately made easier by the
events unfolding on the island and how she feels about her adoptive “family”
and her relationship with a boy. Although
she has done some planning, some last minute decisions could end up causing her
death. I don’t want to say more than
that for fear of revealing too much!
What a wonderful
new dystopian series this is! The lush
world- and character-building that Rachel Cohn has created gives the reader wonderful
descriptions of the luxurious Demesne, its surroundings, and its
inhabitants. I so want to visit this
island; unfortunately, I could not afford it!
Beta’s main character, Elysia, is a very
strong female protagonist. Since she
doesn’t understand context, she takes everything very literally, which only
adds to her likability. Her character grows
from someone who is innocent and unsure of herself into a mature, self-assured
young woman.
The humans on
the island take the clones for granted and think they are quite superior to
them. There is also another group,
aquines, which have been genetically engineered to produce a new kind of human
race. They are peaceful, religious
zealots and mate for life. Demesne
citizens also look down upon these aquines as inferiors. It’s no wonder that there is such strife on
the island! The author is able to
capture the disdain that the privileged feel toward both groups. Readers will feel it oozing from the story.
Beta is a wonderful book, filled with a
caste hierarchy, greed, wealth, control, and class warfare. There are some real surprises thrown in—things
that were extremely unexpected. The novel
slows down a little near the middle, but gradually picks up speed and ends in a
cliffhanger! Readers will not be able to
put the book down!
There are
three additional books planned for this series.
I recommend it for high school and public libraries.
**Reviewer’s
note: The copy reviewed was an ARC received
from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
