3.5 ( )

I received a free ARC copy from Month9Books to provide an honest review.

Genesis Girl takes a few pages to get into and understand the world Bardsley built. Blanca is a 18 year old girl who is pure from the internet, technology and virtual image. In this world there was a brain cancer epidemic caused by cell phones and other wireless technology and some parents wanted their children to be raised without it, making them Vestals. Vestals are harvested by companies to be their models and construct their public image for the masses to follow, or they are harvested by private citizens, also known as going Geisha. Blanca's future is at risk when a viral (journalist/paparazzi) breaks into the school, takes her picture and uploads it on his website. She ends up being harvested by a private citizen, who's estranged son was the viral who took her picture. She must now confront this viral in order to make her purchaser happy by reuniting them. Blanca is very obedient, but upset that she didn't get the typical Vestal life. She learns a little about technology and the Vestal history through the story, making her question everything she believes.

The story takes on the extreme of tech addiction and tech avoidance showing both are not the right answer, but a happy between is possible. The pace is fast and the story builds/moves fast. It keeps the reader hooked. A lot happens in the last 80 pages or so and it was a bit confusing until it's explained better at the end. There was some short unnecessary subplot reveals that at this point feels unnecessary, maybe in the future books it will play a bigger role, but it just felt stacked onto everything else that was going on in the end. I really enjoyed the book, it was a fast read and kept me wanting to find out more about this world. ( )

This was a new and interesting concept for me. I thought about the book for a couple days afterwards and I really enjoyed it. I thought the writing could have been better and there were some parts that had romance that was so cheesy that I cringed. On the other hand, there were parts that made me so uncomfortable (which I believe was the author's intention) and I thought it was done very well. In all, great concept, cool idea, the romance was meh. ( )

“Until about two minutes ago, I was a Vestal postulant. A blank slate. An Internet virgin. There were no images of my moniker floating around cyberspace. My parents hadn’t blogged about my every poop. It had been planned that way from the beginning. They had castrated my virtual identity for the promise of a better life.”

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I received a free advanced reader’s copy of Genesis Girl by Jennifer Bardsley from Month9Books in exchange for an honest review.


At first, I was a little unsure how I felt about Genesis Girl. At times, the words that Bardsley wrote felt a little too accusatory and just generally rubbed me the wrong way. This world where a select few exist without digital fingerprints while the rest of the population feens for a little taste of the internet, constantly enthralled by their finger chips seemed almost too harsh to read about. But I’m glad that I pushed through my feelings of frustration and distress because the story that Bardsley has presented us with is just fantastic.

The world that we live in no longer exists. Many years ago, there was a Brain Cancer Epidemic caused by cell phones and technology that wiped out a good chunk of the population. Tabula Rasa School was the result of this. Blanca, an eighteen year old Vestal, has been raised at Tabula Rasa with no access to the internet, no digital fingerprint, and basically no chance to experience the world on her own and form her own opinions. She has been taught since she was a young girl to do what she is told, to stay away from technology and Viruses and to protect her privacy.

When Blanca’s photo is taken without consent right before her Harvest, it causes her to go to the highest bidder - an individual named Calum McNeal who has his own personal agenda. This seemingly small event completely changes the lives of Blanca, Cal and Seth, Cal’s son. It leads to Blanca learning to make her own decisions - despite how much she resists and refuses. It brings three people who have been in need of a family together. It sheds light on what has really been going on behind the scenes - at Tabula Rasa and in the world. It changes absolutely everything.

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“For a Vestal, a clear Internet history is the most important thing. Without that, I’’m nothing. Our elusive privacy is what makes us valuable.”

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In all honesty, it wasn’t until I was halfway through the book that I decided that I liked it. It was confusing with it’s pace that was either too fast or too slow and frustrating with it’s depiction of how technology affects humanity in the long run. Okay, I will admit that it made me think about how I am constantly attached to my phone and definitely made me feel guilty about how much time I spend connected to the Internet. But I have always felt that technology and social media in moderation isn’t a bad thing (which is actually something that Blanca herself touches upon near the end of the book). The way that Bardsley presents Viruses and the rest of the population with their inability to disconnect is basically the extreme.

Besides my aversion, I ended up genuinely enjoying reading Genesis Girl. I thought that the world was unique and incredibly intriguing. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, especially Blanca and Seth. Although there were times when I felt the story was underdeveloped or the way something was phrased or the pace of the story was bad, I found the book as a whole to be well executed and exciting. It took many twists and turns that were completely unexpected and kept me hooked page after page. Because of Bardsley’s truly fantastic talent with words, I would definitely recommend Genesis Girl to anyone who enjoys Dystopian novels.

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“I’m a survivor, I’ve got good instincts, and I can think for myself.”

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Blanca is very special. She’s spent her entire life sequestered in a special school, where there is no Internet technology and students are kept hidden from the outside world and even from their families. They don’t ever see the outdoors and have been trained to follow all commands, without any thought to their personal feelings or desires. Access to any Internet is forbidden and the students are protected from the contamination of online exposure. Once the students come of age, they are auctioned off to the highest bidder. Usually it’s corporations who pay for these young adults who are called Vestals. They buy them for promotional purposes and advertising, showcasing the untainted in conjunction with their products. The Vestals are highly sought after and they bring financial rewards to the companies that buy them. When Blanca’s auction date approaches, she finds herself accidentally exposed to the media and she fears this may prevent her from ever becoming a Vestal spokesperson. Blanca and her other Vestal friends have been thoroughly indoctrinated and appear to believe everything they have been taught. Blanca herself has difficulty if asked to make up her own mind. She’s terrified of not having a direct command to follow. The paparazzi are even more outrageous than in real life. They will go to violent extremes to get photographs of the Vestals. In Blanca’s new placement following the auction, she must get close to one of the very photographers that she has been trained to hate. Bardsley’s book is a quick read that moves along at a swift pace. The idea of raising children in an environment totally free of the Internet is a fascinating concept in today’s world of instant access and self–absorption. It’s virtually impossible to have no online presence today when even babies are immediately shared through social media. What seems strange is the manipulation of these online virgins by the companies that buy them. Life for Vestals is so tightly controlled and their life after the auction (also called harvesting) is almost like victims of Stockholm Syndrome. Thank goodness for some interesting developments with the tattooed journalist, or Virus, as he’s called. Bardsley has hit upon some interesting concepts with her online virgins and the Tabula Rasa school that treats students like a blank slate to be brainwashed and molded. The writing is simple but the action carries the book. Blanca’ behavior is not always consistent but she is still an interesting character. ( )