The Similars Series, Book 1

October 15, 2018
Emmaline Chance returns to Darkwood Academy to begin her junior year without her best friend, Oliver, who died at summer’s start. Emma is still reeling from the loss, which is compounded when Oliver appears at school in another form. Darkwood has welcomed “the Similars”—six clones of high-profile families’ children, made without permission or knowledge through stolen umbilical cord blood—into the student body. One of them, Levi Gravelle, is Oliver’s clone. When Emma’s friend Pru is attacked, Emma begins to investigate Oliver’s research, Darkwood’s history, and the clones’ connection, and she needs the Similars’ help. Television writer Hanover authors a fast-paced thriller about identity and love, but shallow character building and a lack of sound logic may prove a hurdle for readers uninterested in suspending disbelief. Ages 14–up. Agent: Sasha Raskin, A Beautiful Mess Entertainment.

October 15, 2018
Following the death of her best friend, Oliver Ward, Emmaline "Emma" Chance dreads the thought of going back to her prestigious boarding school, Darkwood Academy.Although the grief-stricken Emma expects the worst of her school year, she is little prepared for the complications life throws at her: Not only has Darkwood accepted six new students--"the Similars"--who are clones of existing students, but one of them, Levi Gravelle, bears Oliver's face. To make matters worse, Emma's roommate and close friend, Prudence "Pru" Stanwick, is brutally attacked and placed in a medically induced coma. In a world of secrets and hidden agendas, it is up to Emma to discover the truth about Pru's attack and Oliver's death with the help of the Similars, although she is not sure if she trusts them. While the first half of Hanover's debut is gripping and the depiction of Emma's grief tender, the second half falls short on multiple accounts--disjointed and repetitive writing, flat and underdeveloped characters, and an implausible plot--so the potential of an otherwise interesting premise remains largely unrealized. Tired tropes include the handsome but brooding love interest, dead and dying best friends, an unnecessary love triangle, and a one-dimensional villain. The fast-paced narrative and the cliffhanger ending, however, will keep fans of the genre interested. Main characters are assumed white.Yet another cookie-cutter dystopian novel rife with clichés. (Dystopia. 14-18)

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November 1, 2018

Gr 8 Up-This debut novel takes place in the near-future, when humans have been successfully cloned; six clones, known as the Similars, have transferred to the prestigious Darkwood Academy after they were raised by a mysterious guardian on man-made island. They are all clones of current Darkwood students, with the exception of Levi, whose DNA match, Oliver, died at the end of the previous school year. Emma, still reeling from Oliver's death, is further traumatized by Levi's arrival and by a brutal attack on her friend Pru by an unknown assailant. She becomes determined to find out what happened. Hanover attempts to draw parallels between the Similars and refugees in our current world. The premise is interesting, but the writing is sometimes pedestrian. The pacing varies and the frequent use of hyperbolic language becomes counterproductive. Most characters are thinly developed boarding school stereotypes. Side plots involving human experimentation, an anti-clone movement, an underground clones-rights organization, the Similar's secret agenda, Darkwood's elite clique, Emma's relationship with her father, and Levi and Emma's inevitable romance are not adequately explored. The attack on Pru is unconvincingly resolved with quick exposition at the end. VERDICT Try Marisha Pessl's Neverworld Wake for a more nuanced boarding school drama with a sci-fi twist.-Judy Poyer, Anne Arundel County Public Library, MD

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2018
Grades 8-11 Darkwood Academy is an elite boarding school for the offspring of the region's most illustrious families and legacy students like Emma Chance, who is plenty smart enough to compete academically. As the new year begins, she and the rest of the Darkwoodians are confronted by six new classmates, who are illegal clones of returning students. Among them is Levi, the spitting image of Emma's best friend, Ollie, whose death she is still mourning. Once Emma gets to know Levi and the other Similars, she supports their political rights as humans, and when her friend Pru goes missing, the Similars are the only ones capable of helping her outsmart a truly vindictive man. Episodic and fast-moving, this debut novel reads like Veronica Mars set in the future (because of the cloning subplot), although without the snarky humor. There are plenty of twists and one very big turn that will delight mystery readers. Although the ending comes too quickly to be satisfying, the door is left ajar for more appearances by Emma and her friends.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)