This book is so damn cool. It was such a geekfest, but it also had plenty of badassery and action, with a sprinkling of romance. Yes, just a sprinkling.

This is a long book, but I was pulled in right from the beginning and swept along by the action and mystery and just cool sci-finess of it all. It was filled with action and a lot of OMG WHAT moments. Plus, Cat was just clever. Except not all the time. There were some moments where I could see why she did what she did, but honestly, I wouldn't have made the same choices. (AND THAT'S OK. Enough with the hating on book characters when they don't behave like you would. They are not you.) Personally, I would have been a lot more spiteful if someone had cut me up, so well done, Cat, for being the bigger person.

Another thing about the story that I want to applaud Suvada for is how she kept me guessing. Because she used Cat as the narrator, everything was coloured by Cat's beliefs, which in turn was coloured by what Cat was taught by her genius father. For a long time, I couldn't figure out what was real and what was someone's opinions, so I was just suspicious of everyone. And constantly intellectually stimulated.

The science was awesome. To be fair, I'm a science geek with a particular interest in evolution and genetics (I really should have studied it at university), so this book really was right up my alley. And because I do work in tech and love gadgets and apps, the talk of embedded tech that runs off your own calories (UM HELLO GUILT-FREE CHOCOLATE) was freaking awesome. Imagine being able to change your hair colour with some code, or see in the dark. (Look, I'm scared of the dark, ok.) My concern, not with the book itself, but with what would happen if this technology was available, is how it would affect the environment and evolution and food chains. Being able to play god with not only your DNA, but designing plants and animals, is a dangerous path to go down.

So the premise of an apocalyptic virus is nothing new. We have countless stories of viruses that wipe out large swathes of humanity. This one has a taste of zombie-ness to it, with the virus causing first a fever and then a slow destruction of the body (with a sudden end) over a few weeks. BUT Suvada adds a scary awesome twist to the whole zombie thing which I will not spoil but is gruesome and clever. But gruesome. Ew. You quickly learn about this twist at the start of the book, and it blew my mind, along with what the red mist on the book's cover represents.

Now, I can understand that this won't be to everyone's liking. I have seen some other reviews that say the science was a bit much, and it is one of the most technical YA books I've ever read. It does get super geeky, so I think, to really enjoy This Mortal Coil, you need to have an interest in science and future tech, plus a basic understanding of DNA so you can get to grips with how the tech works. I have the benefit of being super geeky, plus I studied anatomy and physiology at uni.

Basically, this book was cool and I really need to stop saying cool now. But really, it was cool. I'm totally having a nerdgasm right now. But I also needed the next book immediately because my mind has been completely screwed with.

PS – What about the waffles? You don't leave perfectly good waffles behind.

If your father was responsible for the apocalypse would you try to set it right? That's the dilemma Catarina faces when a mysterious man shows up at her cabin after a virus wiped out most of humanity, and drove the rest underground, two years ago. But there's more to Cole than meets the eye - genetically enhanced to protect, he arrives to guide Catarina towards the cure they've all been searching for, and she's the key.

The writing for this was wonderfully descriptive, and the overall plot and pacing was good. I never felt bored, or feel the need to skip text to get into the action - the action was pretty much continuous, and I didn't want to stop reading.The world building is also done well, and fully explores the world in which the characters inhabit. However a downside to this was that I wanted to send more time with Catarina on her own in the world, especially when we first meet her. More time spent exploring the horrors that the people left behind must face, and the sacrifices they make, would have helped to better understand the virus itself, and why everyone is so afraid of it. I feel I could have understood the former Neurosurgeon and his family more, and perhaps had more sympathy for them, if I had a better understand of what they'd been through. As it was, I just really wanted Catarina to punish them, and I felt a little let down by her actions.

Aside from this, I liked Catarina as a main character. She's intelligent yet insecure about her abilities, brave yet still reckless and foolhardy. I would have liked to have seen her portrayed in the eyes of the other main characters as someone who can look after themselves though. Too often I've seen these YA protagonists portrayed as fragile young women who need protecting. I want more badass female characters who don't need wrapping up in cotton wool. However, that said I did enjoy her early interactions with Cole, and the playful too-ing and fro-ing of their relationship with some obvious chemistry. This later evolved into something a little forced in my opinion, and it lost the early charm that the author had managed to develop as soon as their feelings progressed.

I would have liked to have seen more interaction with Agnes, her friend first introduced early on. She's quickly dropped as soon as Cole arrives, and barely mentioned again aside from a few offhand comments about her comms link. It felt a bit like she had served her purpose to the early plot, and was quickly left without any further thought until near the end.

However, I did like the moral ambiguity that we see with all the characters throughout the novel, especially with Catarina's father Lachlan. Often the characters are put into morally questionable situations and must decide what course to take. Questions such as: to save millions, is it ok to let a few suffer? What would you do to survive?

The most unique aspect of this book was the inclusion of DNA and technology as the driving factor behind the virus, and humanities growing reliance on it to maintain all aspects of their life. Genetically modified food which tastes like nothing unless an app is downloaded. Apps that allow a person to alter their sight, make them fast, strong. Although sometimes the jargon got in the way of the story at times, I appreciated it for the unique quality it brought to the text.

The ending left me feeling a little bit left down. Not giving anything away, I had very mixed feelings with regards to how the novel developed and I felt I invested a lot of my time in a character that ultimately turned into something else entirely. I thought it was a little bit like taking the easy way out.

That said, this is still a decent science fiction YA novel, and I'd read the sequel.

I gave up on This Mortal Coil halfway through. There was nothing bad as such about it - though there were too many chunks of exposition about coding etc - it just didn't hold my interest.

This book had me hooked from start to finish.

This Mortal Coil is a masterpiece laced with brilliant twists and turns; fascinating, awesome science and real, vivid characters. I can't wait to read the next one in the series. It's easily one of the best books I've read this year.

I've just finished an awesome book! I got This Mortal Coil from NetGalley so thanks to them for letting me read it. It was soooo good!!

5 Stars!!!

This Mortal Coil is a dystopian story that tells the story of Catarina who, along with friends has to find out who she is among the strife of a deadly plague that's killing off the worlds population through hydra clouds.

The story is told from first person POV, which I loved! I thought the author did a great job at tackling different emotions that our main character, Catarina went through.

There are too many good parts to quote. I'm not going to do that as this review would be so long if I did but I've summarised what happens below...SPOILERS!!!

We see Catarina start as a shy girl with not much experience of the outside world become a warrior. Some may class this as a "special snowflake story", whereby Cat is the special one that everyone has been waiting for. She doesn't know this, though. While the story is that, it's also so much more. I, personally quite like those sorts of stories, anyway.

Cat is working as a hacker for the Skies resistance movement against Cartaxus, the imposing cooperation who don't care about helping people, they just want to win the war against the hydra plague.

Cat's father, Dr Lachlan Agatta is a bit of a mysterious character at first. We don't know whether he's good or evil. This does eventually get revealed. I don't want to spoil anything here, as it's better if you read it yourself but he has many secrets. Most of which, Cat doesn't know.

Dax is another main character. He worked with Lachlan to try and find a cure to the plague. He and Cat have a relationship at the beginning of the book. That's quickly wiped out, though, when Cat meets Cole. Cole is a young man, Lachlan sent to protect Cat.

There's a romance between Cat and Cole that develops throughout This Mortal Coil. Cole is always there to help and protect Cat.
I really enjoyed this. There were fast paced action scenes but also a few slower romantic scenes. I always think it's good if an author can do both, well. This author did that!

I loved the settings. They're described so vividly so I could actually imagine that I was there, with Catarina and Cole, fighting against this plague. We spend most of the story in 2 settings. One, Catarina's bunker, where she's been hiding out. And two, at Cartaxus, the place she's been scared of.

There's a lot of technical talk in This Mortal Coil. It's explained well, but I must admit that some of it went over my head. As this is a dystopian, the author is able to create new concepts that we haven't heard of, yet. I enjoyed this on one level but my capability for understanding some of it wasn't quite there.

I finished this on Halloween, and there's certainly a creepy feel to the events that happen in This Mortal Coil.

What did I like about This Mortal Coil?

I liked how each of our characters seemed separate. They were telling their own story as well as being a part of the main plot. No characters were jumping on top of another, figuratively speaking.

I liked how This Mortal Coil had elements of horror, romance and comedy. The author wrote all three of these parts well.

I liked how the story flowed well. There weren't any parts that I thought were redundant. Everything was necessary, hence why there are no quotes above...

I loved the twists and turns that the story took. One minute I was thinking one thing but the next I was thinking something else, towards the end. I love books that keep me on my toes.

I loved how the story centred around who Catarina was. The other characters played into this but it was interesting to see Cat come to her own conclusions.

What didn't I like about This Mortal Coil?

The only thing I didn't love was all of the technical talk, even though I understood the story as a whole.

I cannot wait to read book 2!!! Thank you, again to NetGalley for giving me permission to read and review this, early. I LOVED it, hence the 5 star rating.

I really really loved this book and so will be doing a full video review on it. It will go online on 5th of November and you can find the link to the video on our book blog at www.psilovethatbook.com
I will also share a link to the video on twitter, our facebook page, goodreads and amazon.

This didn't confuse me as much as I expected. One of the twists I didn't see coming. But looking back I feel like I should of. Overall I really enjoyed this.

Set in a future where humanity has been devastated by a terrible plague and implanted tech is the norm Emily Suvada has created a story which is clever and complex as well as being emotional and gripping. The plot is smart and intricate and I very quickly connected to the characters especially the main character Cat. I don't want to give too much away but I loved the twists and turns and the big plot twists towards the end are superb. I cannot wait for more in this series and I recommend it to anybody who enjoys a gripping and enjoyable dystopian thriller. I found it very hard to put down.

This Mortal Coil is Emily Suvada’s debut novel and is a rich science based thriller that intermingles elements of sci-fi, dystopia and action into a fast faced, mysterious and engaging read.

Catarina Agatta is the daughter of legendary geneticist Dr Lachlan Agatta, the man who may be humanity’s last hope against a deadly virus that has crippled the population. In a world where everyone is implanted with technology that allows people to change their bodies any way they like, the majority of society survive in airtight underground bunkers, while Cat lives above ground; alone in a deserted cabin and fighting to stay alive and away from the infected. During the beginning of the outbreak, Dr Agatta was kidnapped by a shady company called Cartaxus and ever since, genius hacker Cat has managed to remain off their radar, just like her father wanted. Until the day a Cartaxus soldier comes baring the news that Cat’s father has died and she is now the only hope humanity has of a vaccine being made. Cole is a typical Cartaxus solider, encompassing everything her father told her not to trust about the organisation, but when it becomes clear there are more dangers out there than just the plague, will Catarina be able to survive the secrets she discovers? Or will learning the truth get her killed?

This Mortal Coil is a fast paced and highly detailed novel from Emily Suvada that offers readers a fresh twist on the age old zombie apocalyptic tale. Focusing heavily on the technology based themes of this futuristic society, Suvada has created a world in the middle of a catastrophe where codes and apps are a key element of everyday life and can act as everything from medicine and medicinal treatments to upgrades and alterations to an individual’s DNA and genetic makeup. It made for fascinating reading.

The main character in This Mortal Coil is Catarina. I did like her as the heroine; she was capable and resilient—clearly able to survive in extreme conditions, if her existence alone for so long was any indication. She was intelligent and willing for fight for herself and the right thing. I liked that as well as the relationships she had with those around her.

My only issue with this book is that there’s a twist towards the end of the story that I’m not sure was really necessarily if I’m being honest. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but with the way in which the story was progressing and the relationships developing, the revelation seemed a little bit like a setback to the characters growth. I’m not saying it was the worst twist I’ve ever seen, but I feel like Suvada could have left it out of the story and all still would have been right with the world.

There are plenty of twists and revelations with this story and with Emily Suvada concluding this tale with a few key heart pounding chapters, I’m keen to see what happens next. I’m still eager to learn what happened to some of the characters including Agnes and Dax and will be hoping for a sequel so I can discover all the secrets we’re still left to uncover.

I received a copy of this from Netgalley in return for a review.

Here is the blurb

"3 billion lives at stake. 2 people who can save them. 1 secret hidden in their DNA. A breathtaking debut series about one girl's quest for answers in a genetically and technologically advanced future. There's no gene for RUN LIKE HELL. When a lone soldier, Cole, arrives with news of Lachlan Agatta's death, all hope seems lost for Catarina. Her father was the world's leading geneticist, and humanity's best hope of beating a devastating virus. Then, hidden beneath Cole's genehacked enhancements she finds a message of hope: Lachlan created a vaccine. Only she can find and decrypt it, if she can unravel the clues he left for her. The closer she gets, the more she finds herself at risk from Cartaxus, a shadowy organization with a stranglehold on the world's genetic tech. But it's too late to turn back. As the pieces fit together it's clear there is one final secret that Cat must unlock. "

If I am honest it took me a while to get into this book which is why I gave it 4 stars rather than 5. However, it got to a point where I could not put it down and if there was a 4.5 I would have picked it.. Would they be able to unravel the vaccine? Who was the mysterious Jun Bei (hope I spelt that right, not got book to hand) Yes I agree that this pretty much follows the usual path of young adult dystopian but it is much more than that. If this is your thing, I guarantee you will like it.

I enjoyed this book because the writer took a well-worn path (YA apocalyptic setting) but added so many twists and turns to the plot that I was kept guessing. there were elements of action, horror, science fiction and political thriller genres nicely woven into the narrative. Every time I thought I had worked things out I was thrown sideways by a new plot twist which added to my greater enjoyment of the novel. I did find one of the final big twists (maybe the most important one) a bit predictable as I had anticipated it by the time I got halfway through the book. The clues were all there. I worked it out because I was looking for it though, which is just something I do. All of the plot twists were well set up so that they did not feel like 'add-on' ideas when the inevitable revelations were made. One thing that did surprise me was that the other main character did not figure out that last twist - and I am not going ot explain why because you should read it and find out for yourself! I love the way that the backstory and exposition were expertly woven into the narrative.

Another thing that I liked about this novel is that at no point did I feel the need to skate over whole sections like I do with many books, where it feels like I have to wade through reams of description with nothing happening. It felt like all of the description/exposition was still moving the story forward, like a movie in writing. I like that in a book.

The themes woven into the narrative included the nature of identity and what I think is a fresh take on the whole nature vs nurture debate. I found the science/technical aspects very believable without the Star Trek style 'techno-babble'. The themes woven into the narrative included the nature of identity and what I think is a fresh take on the whole nature vs nurture debate. I found the science/technical aspects very believable without the Star Trek style 'techno-babble' which I think is important for a science fiction story to work.

The twists and turns in this novel keep you reading.

It's the near future and woman has turned into a tech driven, app using survivalist. There's a global virus that's created a survivors style situation with a bit of irobot thrown in which puts it into the 'hunger games' genre of novels.

Geeks have become the saviours of the world with the ability to make themselves over into soldiers using app/nanite tech.

Can Caterina, daughter of a noted scientist, use her dead fathers clues to put together the app which will cure the virus in time to save the world and find the love of her life? The race is on.

It's never as easy or uncomplicated as you think it will be. This novel proves that rule with it's many missteps and errors before the virus is cured about 2/3 rds through the novel. Then everything goes wrong as everyone gets 'Wrath'. This is then looking like a twist that's solved by the end of the novel when it's becomes clear that this is not a standalone novel.

I heartily recommend it if you enjoyed either the Hunger Games or the Divergent series.

I received a free copy from net galley.com for my fair and honest review.

Must've requested this by accident, sorry. Not interested in reading it but thanks to the publisher for the opportunity anyway. :)

"Brave, I tell myself. This is my mantra. I will be strong; I will be brave."

This book. This book . I've had my eyes on this book for quite a while and got the chance to read it before its official release, on the 2nd of November, here in the UK. Thanks to Penguin Random House UK Children's for the ARC e-book received through NetGalley. And let me tell you something, I wasn't disappointed in the slightest way.

The first 100 pages or so were a bit confusing to me as we discover the world and the plague (caused by a virus called Hydra), as well as the importance of genetic codes. But then I couldn't stop reading. I was being sucked into the story page by page, chapter by chapter. The story kept evolving so much but never too fast or too slow. Everything was just really well written and developed.

"This is the Hydra virus's cruellest side: it forces the healthy to eat the sick. To hunt and jill and feed on each other to save ourselves. Nature designed this plague as a double-edged sword: it either takes your life, or it takes your humanity."

The world Emily Suvada built is absolutely brilliant but terrifyingly too close for comfort. What I mean is that in this book, we see how much evolution and making Man better is sort of an obsession of ours which eventually led here to the creation of gentech and the panels that enable everyone to change their appearances to their will and imagination by influencing their DNA. And the book did such a magnificent job at showing this obsession, this need that we have to always try to better ourselves in every possible way without really thinking of the consequences of it all. In This Mortal Coil, those changes start with appearances, the way we look, then with the senses, our vision or hearing, and finally, it mentions influencing our brain to make it better.

"Code than can affect people's brains has been the obsession of conspiracy theorists since panels were invented."

What I loved the most about this book was that Suvada keeps us on the edge throughout the entire book, adding little plot twists and revelations here and there, to end it all in a massive plot twist that took my breath away, a few chapters before the end. I have to say that before the chapter just before this massive plot twist, I would have never suspected this turn in the story. Never. It was so well played and clever from Suvada to take her story in this direction.

Beyond the well thought, structured and written plot and the world around it, what I truly liked about this book was the characters. I do have to admit that I didn't quite like Catarina at first but that changed pretty quickly. She still has most of the typical YA dystopia characteristics but they fit her so well that I don't even mind. She's strong but so fragile at the same time, so fierce and determined but so lost. She's this young woman trying to survive, trying to follow her father's plan to save humankind.
Right beside Cat, we can find the second main character of this book, Cole, the blacked-out soldier coded to protect Catarina. I'm not gonna lie, he's the typical YA dystopian character but what can I say, I still love those characters with all my heart even though most of their actions are predictable. I loved Cole for how human he was even though he was raised to be a weapon.

"'There's no gene for art', I say. 'At least, not that anyone's been able to find so far.'
He nods, with what almost looks like pain in his eyes. 'That's why I wanted to be an artist.'"

I can't talk in details about the other characters like Lachlan without spoiling but just wow, I think this last character is probably the most well thought one I've read about in a long time.

In the end, I can say that I absolutely loved This Mortal Coil and everything about it. It's still a classic YA dystopia in many ways (predictable romance, main characters questioning themselves and who they are, etc.) but it's also so much more than that not only by the author's writing but also by its unique world and its plot twists. I would truly and highly recommend this to anyone who loves a good dystopia or just a good read in general.

Thrilling and bloody, this cyberpunk update features gene-splicing, dna coding, and lots and lots of old-fashioned blood. Starting with a familiar trope - dystopian future, missing scientist father - Emily Suvada tightens the tension with some horrific twists and deepens the plot with a lot of science. Romance, in fact a romantic triangle, is not overlooked, but this is a book about Cattarina, coder, scientist and science experiment.
This Mortal Coil was too intense for me, and some may find the mix of action and science hard to reconcile, but it will be the perfect book for others.

I loved This Mortal Coil. It was everything I had hoped for, and more. It had so much action, a great cast of characters and it completely blew me away. I couldn't put it down. It is complex, clever and thoroughly gripping. Totally recommended!

Wow. This book is absolutely excellent.

An exciting, intelligent book with an original idea and some clever plot twists; one of the best I've read in a very long time and an author going straight to my favourites to keep an eye on. And her first book too! Just explosive from start to finish, really well written and utterly addictive. If you, like me, have a growing pile of books to read and just can't choose what to read next or are eye-balling your books thinking what do I have time to read, let it be this one. You won't be able to put it down.

Catarina is the daughter of a very talented gentech coder. Gentech coders basically write codes for your genetics. Dr Lachlan did in fact once write the cure for a nasty Influenza virus going around. But there's something much worse than a flu outbreak to deal with now. There is a new virus with no cure or vaccine to stop it and only one chance at immunity; eating a tiny bit of the infected people you come across, at just the right stage of infection, because if you take a bite too soon or too late you might find yourself turning into Red Mist - "that's the colour of a human body when its cells are ripped open, blown into mist and spat into the air. A Hydra Cloud". And you better avoid a Hydra cloud too, because if you breathe that stuff in, you're also dead. So naturally a vaccine is needed, and Lachlan is the guy all the big "corporations" want. All the big corrupt, evil "corporations" like Cartaxus that Lachlan knows all too much about. So he and his lab assistant are taken by Cartaxus and Catarina is left to fend for herself in the wild.

So unfolds a fast-paced story as Catarina learns more about the vaccine and the things that she thought were true about Cartaxus, but also about herself.

This book is so much more intricate than I expected, with excellent characters and believable relationships throughout. The level of planning that has gone into making what could have been a simple zombie-type novel is really impressive; the author doesn't spare any details and fully fleshes out her character and world development to focus less on the virus and more on how to stop it. It's totally believable, gruesome and hugely complex. This story platforms into nothing at all like a flesh eating story and actually cleverly weaves technology and biology into one big, exciting concept in which humans are laced with technology, bits of computing and code, to make them what they are. There is endless potential for how ideas like this can develop and this makes for such an incredible read.

I love a book which surprises me and each time there was a fork in the road, another swiftly appeared to change the direction of the plot again - and none of them I saw coming. If you want a book to keep you hooked from start to finish with interesting and intelligent characters you can get behind then this is absolutely the one for you. No damsels in distress in this book - Catarina is totally bad ass! I predict this book is about to explode onto our shelves and I can't wait for more!

This cinematic dystopian novel was superb! Definitely the best dystopian I have read this year, and I am fully expecting this to be made into a movie at some point. I can't wait for the next in the series to be published. A must read for fans of the Maze Runner and Hunger Games series.

Wow. That was one hell of a ride & now I'm exhausted.
It was intense and had me on the edge of my seat for the majority of the journey and made me cycle through so many different emotions constantly. Many times I changed my mind about different characters and whether I trusted them or not and new twists and turns in the story had me tensed all over again.
I loved every minute of it and didn't want it to end and now I'm desperate for more Cat and Cole.