I don't know what it was about this (and Replica as well), but when I was reading it, I was loving it and super into the story, and when I had put it down, I always dreaded going back to it. But it's such a good story and I enjoyed it so much!!! ( )

I wasn't as captivated by this one as I was with Replica (the first one), but I think that may have more to do with the order in which I read the stories. Each of these books is actually written as two books, telling the parallel stories of Lyra and Gemma. It's an intriguing way to present a book because the two storylines interact only slightly, but inform one another a great deal. The problem was that though I think I chose the correct one to read first with Replica (Lyra), I think I chose poorly with Ringer. I decided to start with Lyra's story first since that's what I'd done the last time. The problem was that I then already knew the resolution of Gemma's story and so when it was supposed to be really intense, it lost a lot of that for me. I already knew how it ended. I think the same thing would have been a problem if I'd read Gemma's story first in the first book. I would have already known about surprises that gave interesting twists to Lyra's story.

So, I really liked these books, but I do think they require a particular order if the story is going to be most effective. I attended a reading with Laruen Oliver for one of her other books and when I asked her to sign my son's copies of Replica and Ringer, she signed both front and back (the two stories are printed upside down from one another, starting from different ends of the book, each with a title page and end material) and expressed her desire not to dictate the reading experience to the reader. I think that was a mistake. Order matters.

The books are intriguing and play with some fascinating ethical questions. Definitely worth reading, but in my opinion, read Lyra first in Replica, and Gemma first in Ringer. ( )

“Words could make anything: that was their great power, and their great danger.”

I loved Ringer just as much as I loved Replica - and I’m so happy about it. Ringer builds on the momentum of Replica, and we look even deeper at what it means to be human, and what rights are given to those who meet that definition. Gemma and Lyra have both escaped the Haven Institute, but the troubles they face are just beginning. Lyra and Caelum begin searching for a cure to heal her, and uncover a shocking connection to their past. When Gemma and Pete go to warn the newly freed replicas that Gemma’s father, Geoffrey, might not have been as altruistic as he seemed, the two are mistaken for the escaped replicas and taken to a Haven holding. Trapped and alone. With even more suspense and thrills, Ringer is a fantastic conclusion to this thought-provoking science fiction duology.

Things I Liked
Gemma and Lyra’s journey is once again emotional and compelling. We see each girl trying to move forward from the life-changing events that happened over Spring Break. Each girl is going through a sort of fish-out-of-water experience, where they are forced to grow and evolve. We really see each girl’s strength and determination. Where even in the face of the unknown , they continue to move forward. We see both girls deal with feeling powerless and fear, and move to a confidence in themselves and a hopefulness that was really easy to connect to.

I LOVED seeing Lyra and Caelum learning about the outside world. It was heartbreaking and frustrating seeing them having to figure out everything on their own.

There were a few chapters with side character POVs and I absolutely loved them. I think this is just a feature I love in books, because I’ve never not liked them. They help establish the world outside of our main characters and give this full-world feeling to the story.

We actually get to see Dr. Saperstein, or God as Lyra calls him, for more that just passing moments. I really liked getting to see things from his perspective and learning his reasoning behind his drive and dedication to his research. Seeing him elevated him from the boogeyman of book one, to a person with values and beliefs, that while they might not match our own, drive him toward his goals.

There was even more suspense in this book than the previous one! There’s this environment of uncertainty and uneasiness that draws you in. I think reading in alternate chapter helps further elevate the tension as well.

Quotes

“Maybe there was nothing to being normal except the decision to do it.”

“You can’t make people with science. We’re all born a collection of cells and senses and chemical patterns, we have to become human.”

“Maybe all people were the same - they all wanted different things. But they all demanded the right to want whatever it was they wanted. They all thought of it as their birthright.”

“That was the true gift: to have a story that was still unfolding…”

“They could have been anyone, going anywhere. There was a joy in that, in the absorption: they were caught up in the great big heartbeat of the world. They were infinitely large and infinitely small. They were a single vein of feeling, an infinitely narrow possibility that had somehow come to be.”

Things I Didn’t Like
I felt like Gemma’s dad was a little too absent in the story. It seemed like he was connected to everything, even if only tangentially, but I wanted him physically present.

I wish another character had more of a presence in the story as well. They play a pretty important role, especially in Lyra’s journey, but they was pretty underwhelming overall. I liked everything we saw of them, but I wanted more

I love how much this duology makes me think - it really just grabs me from page one and I don’t want to stop! I love seeing the replicas and how their experiences have changed how they view the world and morality, I love the emotional journey and the parallel struggles we see in Gemma and Lyra. While I would have liked more from some characters, I was satisfied with the story as a whole. This is just a great finale that left me feeling hopeful, happy, and peaceful.

I received a copy of the book from HarperCollins via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. All quotes are taken from an ARC and subject to change. ( )

Superfluous action. I would have liked to have learned more about the characters and their experiences, but the whole book just added more action seemingly just for the sake of action. I'm giving it 4 stars because it did keep me enthralled. ( )

This was a fascinating 2 book series. The books are seen through the eyes of Gemma and Lyra. The chapters alternate or you can read each story separately. The first book I read them separately and this book I alternated. From the Kindle version I found the switching hard to do. I would lose track of which chapter I was on for which person and I would switch to the other and found out I had read that chapter. That being said, this is kind of a scary idea. Cloning humans. Who knows what would go wrong with this. Something could happen physically, emotionally or thought and problem solving. There is a lot of danger and action happening in Ringer. Gemma is mistaken for a replica and Lyra is learning the world is bigger than she knows. Calliope is one scary replica. I think cloning cells for medicine would be fine if it cures a disease, but to clone an entire person just seems so wrong. You know there are things like this happening out there or trying to happen. Very well written. I cared about the characters and I was hoping they would succeed. I was hoping Gemma and Pete would survive and I was hoping Lyra and #72 survived and would get adopted so they could have a normal life.

This 2 book series is well worth your time! ( )