Prototype

Archetype #2

by M.D. Waters

The stunning debut that began with Archetype— and has readers buzzing—concludes in Prototype, when a woman’s dual pasts lock onto a collision course, threatening her present and future.

Emma looks forward to the day when she can let go of her past—both of them. After more than a year on the run, with clues to her parents’ whereabouts within her grasp, she may finally find a place to settle down. Start a new life. Maybe even create new memories with a new family.

But the past rises to haunt her and to make sure there’s nowhere on the planet she can hide. Declan Burke wants his wife back, and with a little manipulation and a lot of reward money, he’s got the entire world on his side. Except for the one man she dreads confronting the most: Noah Tucker.

Emma returns to face what she’s done but finds that the past isn’t the problem. It’s the present—and the future it represents. Noah has moved on and another woman is raising their daughter.

In the shocking conclusion to M.D. Waters’s spectacular debut, Emma battles for her life and her freedom, tearing down walls and ripping off masks to reveal the truth. She’s decided to play their game and prove she isn’t the woman they thought she was. Even if it means she winds up dead. Or worse, reborn.

Genres: Science Fiction, Dystopia, Romance, Fiction, Adult, Audiobook, Young Adult

372 pages, Hardcover

First published July 24, 2014

About the author

M.D. WATERS lives with her family in Maryland. When she isn’t writing edge-of-your-seat science fiction thrillers, abusing her muse, or random dancing, she's writing USA Today Bestselling romances as MISTY D. WATERS.

Her first novel, ARCHETYPE, was nominated for a RT Reviewers' Choice award, on the Texas Library Association's 2015 Lariat Reading List, listed on Popsugar.com's The Best Books of 2014, and voted "Best Sex" by the A.V. Club's Pages Most Likely to Succeed: Our Favorite Books of 2014 (so far). Her other works, ANTITYPE & PROTOTYPE, are available now.

Reviews

[♥Rachel♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

*****Spoilers if you haven’t read Archetype*****

Prototype picked up one year and a few months after the end of Archetype where Emma’s world comes crashing down after a shocking revelation, and instead of staying and watching the pity or mistrust in everyone’s eyes, she ran. The last year has been filled with the trying to find her parents, and staying out of Declan’s grasp. But this all changes when Declan ups the stakes and puts up a high payout for anyone who finds her. His desperate and tireless pursuits forces Emma back into Noah’s hub with the resistance. To Emma’s great shock, Noah has taken up with Sonya, and Sonya has managed to worm her way into the life that Emma left, acting as mother to her daughter Adrienne, as well. *gag* Emma realizes this is all her fault for leaving, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less.

Rather than focus on her heartache, Emma realizes she must help put an end to the nefarious plans of Declan and Dr. Trivista, not only for her own safety, but for the safety of all women, because Declan will not stop exploiting women or his efforts to get her back. If he does, the first thing he’ll do is wipe her memory again and she’ll be no better than a sex slave to him once again. *shudders*

With Archetype the love triangle didn’t affect me much. This one was a COMPLETELY different story. In Prototype the love triangle was like a punch to the gut! With having Emma’s POV I felt every hurt she experienced, and it was painful, to me at least. That Sonya was one nasty piece of work, and I pretty much hated her with the heat of a thousand suns! I wasn’t pleased with Noah AT ALL either! Grrr!!! BUT it was evident that he still completely loved Emma, and it was just a matter of time before they came together again.

“I made the choice to leave him. I cannot blame him for moving on.”
Frowning, he lowers his head, then nods.
“You’re right. You couldn’t blame him.” He looks up through lowered lashes. “If it were true.”

You may wonder why this triangle bothered me more. Here’s my answer: it was worse because we have the POV of the injured party, Emma, whereas we did not have Noah’s side of things in Archetype while she was with Declan. Plus, Noah didn’t think Emma was Emma at the time, lessening the blow for him, and lastly Emma didn’t KNOW she had a relationship with anyone but Declan until her memories started coming back! So she didn’t cheat on Noah on purpose, because she had no memory of him at the start of Archetype.

With all that said, I still LOVED this story, even more than the first one, but it brought out very intense emotions! Don’t let the idea of the love triangle stop you from reading this riveting story! With danger, action, and a twist at every turn, you’ll be distracted enough to bear the pain until things are set to right. I was consumed for two days with this series, reading the books back to back with no time in between and I still think about the story now! Just writing this review makes me want to read this all over again. This series was action packed, beautiful, intense, heartbreaking and with an epic love story to think about long after turning the last page.

Favorite Quotes:
“There are no words for how much I love you,” he whispers.

“I am his entire universe, and he is every life I have ever lived.”

You can read this review and more at The Readers Den.

A copy was provided by Dutton in exchange for an honest review.

[Didi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent finish to a gripping series. There was plenty of action, twists and turns, new developments. I think the topic at hand--cloning--is quite intriguing. The set up and execution of this topic was done perfectly. Capturing the angst and confusion Emma went through in accepting herself was palpable. She grew a lot in this book and really came into herself.

I loved Noah and his incredible support of Emma. They were perfect for each other and I'm glad that they both surpassed expectations and embraced one another, past, present and future. And of course I need to mention Declan. I do truly believe he loved Emma in his own way, albeit a very twisted way, but he was almost in love with the possibility of what he wanted from Emma. He was obsessed and a little crazy...okay, a lot crazy. Sonya, too, for that matter. I hated her by the midway point and it only got worse.

There was a strong urgency reading this, I felt the other shoe could drop at any moment. I loved this series and highly recommend it regardless of whether you're a sci-fan fan or not, since It's also loaded with suspense and romance. Loved it.

[Joy (joyous reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

What am I going to do for the rest of my life now? *sobs* Love x infinity.

[Kylara Jensen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have you ever read a book you didn't want to, a book you had no intention of finishing, then you read it all in one night? This book is the literary equivalent of a train wreck. Or maybe a car accident, because train wreck has connotatins of it being awful, when really I mean I couldn't look away.

Spoilers for the first book, Archetype, below.

I don't know why I was so hesitant to read this, because I liked the first book kind of, but I really didn't want to read this book. i didn't want to just give it up though, so I was like, I'll read the first 50 pages, then I can say I gave it a fair chance. Eight pages in Emma reminds us that she is still in love with Declan even though she doesn't want to be and I am reminded of all that stupid body romance consent issues bull crap I didn't like int he first book. But I kept on.

And then she sees Noah again and she's still in love with him too, bu it's real and I'm like why am I doing this to myself?

I definitely have a more cynical and critical mind for these books now and even though the book definitely drew me in enough to keep me reading, I don't think I enjoyed it.

This book is a romance. At it's core it is a sci-fi(ish) romance disguised as a dystopian thriller. This book thinks it has a lot to say and yes it touches on a lot of themes, but they are all whitewashed by the icky romance stuff going on.

I would really like to read a book that hits more on all the themes and issues presented in this book: identity, nature vs. nurture, memory, cloning ethics, clone rights, loving a body vs. loving a mind, where is the soul, the ethics of falling in love with your lovers clone after your lover dies, motherhood, genetics. I mean, it could be great right?

Instead I have all this love triangle stuff. (It's like a star because both people have a love triangle going on lol.)

And the romance presented in this book not straight forward and I have issues with all of it.
-Declan is a crazy stalker and wants to force emma to love him, Dollhouse style.
-Noah is super messed up. He's in a relationship with this other girl but still has feelings for Emma 1.0 and Emma 2.0. Get this- at one point he says Emmma [2.0] I love you more than [1.0] because you are the woman she could be without all the memories of her past screwing her up and giving her issues. Which is so messed up! And then he stays with his new gf bc Emma won't commit and he just wants someone to love. Why does anyone love this guy anyway?!!
-Sonya is supposedly this ethical and professional doctor woman! Yeah right. She's a manipulative jerk who uses Noah and Emma's daughter against them. She always says super hurtful things, does really unethical doctory things and well, lets just say she does some pretty crappy stuff at the end of the book.
-Emma is understandably screwed up, but her body is in love with two different people. Declan is a scumbag so she obviously doesn't want to be with him. But why the heck would she want to be with Noah. She is in love with this man for no reason other that she remembers being in love with him.
The only person she should be in love with is her daughter Adrienne. Who is not screwed up in the book, but probably will be when she grows up.

I just don't know. The world building is not good. I'm still confused by the east and west US and there's still a Mexico and a Canada? It's just confusing. And the tech doesn't make sense and also the cure for the clone thing doesn't make sense.

also, this society can clone and teleport but it doesn't have satellite cameras and facial recognition technology that will work at a Masqerade ball?

This book just has a lot of rough edges. I don't know, I think I'm glad I read so I would know I didn't actually want to read it.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick review for a quick, enthralling read. I thought this was just as strong as "Archetype". If there's something to say in writing a satisfying conclusion to a duology, I thought this book did a fine job. I couldn't help but feel like once I put the book down, it seemed as if all the threads that were established in the first book were tied nicely by the conclusion of this tale. It throws quite a few curveballs and heart-pounding events into the mix as well.

"Prototype" picks up around the time the previous book left off, having Emma traversing in Mexico in searching for her parents, while at the same time battling her inner demons for leaving Noah and her daughter Adrienne behind. But the moment I realized Declan was back in the picture, I knew so much in the way of events and relationships would go down. And it certainly didn't disappoint in that regard. Once again, I identified much with Emma's experiences and the revelations that she comes across, between reuniting with the Resistance, meeting new companions (friends and foes), trying to come to grips with the life she leads and how it makes her different from the others around her, being a mother, and also trying to take down Declan and his enterprises. I definitely found many of the twists and turns to be refreshing, surprising, and keeping me on the seat of reading. In the end, I definitely see myself coming back to enjoy this series again, and I definitely look forward to reading more from M.D. Waters in the future.

Overall score: 4.5/5 stars.

[Kira Decker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic follow up to Archetype. The story left me breathless and wanting more with each page turn. Action, Hot Romance (Noah is yummy) and some great twists that had me go "Whoa!" All I can say is..."No Words"

[Rashika (is tired) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am more than a little disappointed. :(

It's not that I didn't enjoy this book, I absolutely did but for me, it doesn't even begin to measure up to the awesomeness that was Archetype

[Janie Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book 2 to the Archetype duology. I was not going to read the 2nd right after the first but I could not help myself. I must say though that I am kinda glad that she stopped with just 2 books. I think this could be a story that would get mundane or tiresome if it were to continue past this point. I really enjoyed the plot of this story. I found it quite intriguing and very original. I really like the authors writing style, it has a great pacing which keeps the book very fluid and interesting. The author also uses great twists to keep reader's on their toes.

I really like the characters in this story. I find them to be pretty well developed even with just the 2 books. I find them to be quite compelling, especially Emma. I also find that the antagonists are also quite interesting. They are wrote pretty well, although one of them I expected to be a bit more villainous than he was. So that was a little disappointing for me. He had all the qualifications to be an evil, sadistic monster and he only grazed just the outer layer of that.

I recommend this duology to anyone who likes Sci-fi, fantasy, thriller and the like. It will keep these readers entertained for sure.

[Kelly Hager · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't even adequately express how much I loved this book and its predecessor, Archetype. And I am very, very sad that the series is only two books, because I will miss Emma and Noah very, very much.

I read these two books almost back to back (thank you, Penguin!) and I recommend that very highly. It was so fantastic to see and be able to really appreciate the growth of Emma's character.

She went from a timid person to an actual warrior. (The timidity is understandable, because she had no memories---can you imagine having to figure out everything about yourself? Let alone learning that the person you were trusting to help you navigate everything was a liar and creep?)

And oh, Noah. I loved Noah. I pictured him as kind of a Michael Biehn-type, circa original Terminator. And I love his relationship with Emma. Those two are absolutely perfect together, and the love they have for each other is completely swoon-worthy.

I hope M.D. Waters continues to be this prolific, because I already need many more books from her. Preferably within a month or two. That's doable, right?

Highly recommended.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured the first book and received an ARC yesterday for this book. I loved this story. Both books. Can't say much without it being a spoiler so I'll say that I felt unsettled and a little guilty when Emma was tricked by someone else and taken against her will to a place she really did not ever want to go. She arrived and started to fight and it was time for my husband and I to go to the gym. Emma stayed captive that entire hour I was gone. And it really bothered me. I needed to get home.

Character development is superb. Standing ovation for Leigh, Foster, and Miles. And definitely Dr. Malcolm. The main characters were fleshed out in the first book, although Emma becomes much more of an individual in this one.

Action packed and well timed, highly recommend to adults. Once again I stress adult content, although only one sex scene, a few "f" words, I still loved it and recommend for a surprising science fiction with a solid love story.

[mejmi]

How am I supposed to wait until July?!!

Expected publication: July 24th 2014

[Christal · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

See this review and others like it at Badass Book Reviews!

Warning: This review may contain spoilers for the first book in this series, Archetype.

Prototype was an amazing sequel and I loved how it wrapped up everything in the Archetype duology. There were some very surprising aspects in this entry, some I saw coming and some I was completely blindsided by. I loved the action, the romance, the science, and the characters. M.D. Waters has written a phenomenal set of books and I highly recommend them to science fiction readers looking for a unique story with a hint of romance.

In Archetype , we met Emma and learned that she was a clone created after her host dies. She was taken in by Declan, her husband by law, but soon learned she was actually a member of the resistance and truly married to Noah, the love of her life. Emma 2.0, as she is referred to in Prototype, understandably has a difficult time reconciling herself with the idea that she is just a copy. She can't be the "real" Emma and, after learning the truth about Declan and the cloning process, she decides to leave Noah to try to find her parents, find herself. Prototype picks up a year after Emma left. I do not recommend reading this installment without first having read Archetype . M.D. Waters does a fantastic job of providing refresher information without it feeling shoe-horned in, but you will miss all of Emma's personal struggles and true feelings towards everything that has happened to her if you skip the first book.

In Prototype, Emma has not been successful in finding her parents and unexpected circumstances finally force her to return to the resistance camp and, more specifically, to Noah and Adrienne. We see more of the internal struggle Emma faces about wanting to be with Noah, but knowing she is not his Emma. She wants him to love her for her, not because she wears the same face as his dead wife. Emma also has to adapt to being around her daughter who she loves instantly. She wants to be a mother to her, but she's not sure how or even if she has the right. Externally, Emma is still being hunted by Declan, who she suspects is now also a clone, and she continues to search for her parents. On top of everything, the original clones have started dying and no one can seem to figure out why. As Emma's nightmares become harder and harder for her to wake from, she begins to wonder if they are actually death coming for her too...

I absolutely adore Emma. I think she is a wonderful, sympathetic character and even when she is making stupid decisions, I still just want to hug her. She has almost no memories of her life before, but the people around her remember and of course they have expectations. I really connected with Emma's struggle to be her own person in the face of those expectations and just wanted her to have the opportunity to live her life. Everyone around her was trying to guide her or control her, but she could take care of herself -- thank you very much. In Prototype, we get to see her make friends and experience real love -- she gets to be a mother. These relationships are hers, not Emma 1.0's, but real relationships based on others accepting her as a clean slate.

Prototype also deals with the complicated feelings between Emma and Noah. While everything ends in a very satisfying way, I just wanted them to get there quicker. I know, I know, there were plenty of people and issues keeping them apart, but it was obvious to anyone with eyes that they should be together. Noah might have had a hard time accepting Emma 2.0 as Emma or even as her own person in the first book, but here he has come to realize how wonderful she truly is and to cherish her in a different way than he did his first wife because they are different people.

There are also some fantastic new characters in Prototype. We still have sweet, loyal Foster and nasty Dr. Sonya, but we also add some new soldiers and even a new doctor to the equation. My favorite new characters were Leigh and Miles, two soldiers who Emma befriends. Emma 1.0 apparently couldn't stand them, but Emma 2.0 forms a deep friendship with each of them. Leigh was a needed confidant for Emma and Miles helped Emma search for her family, all the while keeping her spirits up with his inappropriate humor. Dr. Malcolm is a new geneticist brought to the resistance to help them study the cloning process. He's a little quirky and childlike in his unwavering trust, but he was dedicated to help Emma and all the other clones in the process. The last two characters I really enjoyed were only around for a short snippet, but I could see them becoming a part of Emma's family in the future. Peter was a former resistance fighter that opened his home to Emma during her year on the run. He never asked anything of her or tried to pressure her into anything, he was just simply content to be her friend. The other character, Colonel Updike, had a very close relationship with Emma 1.0 but, unfortunately, Emma 2.0 can't remember him. Even though they have to start over, it is obvious that he cares for her just as much as he did her host and may become something of a father figure to Emma. Most of the other characters we meet are rather mean to Emma, but we do solve the mystery of her parents. I have to say I was surprised by the reveal, even though I should have seen it coming. I think it worked well within the context of the story and I think M.D. Waters left things with them on a hopeful note.

While the majority of Prototype is devoted to Emma and her more personal, pressing issues, it does still tackle the cloning process and the way women and girls are treated in general. Strides are made for clone rights and the entire program itself comes under scrutiny. The Women Training Centers (WTC) are looked at more closely and decisions about their futures are made. While there were no complete 180° turns made, the first steps to women's freedom in the East look possible. I would love to follow this society as it continues to develop and change.

Prototype and its predecessor Archetype are definitely on my favorite books of 2014 list. The plots are complex, the characters are lovingly flawed, the politics are dastardly, and the science is interesting. While I am happy for Emma and the way her story ended, I would very much enjoy returning to this world in the future if M.D. Waters decides to make another trip. Again, I highly recommend these book to science fiction readers or really anyone looking for a compelling and complex look into one woman's journey through an unfamiliar and unwelcoming world.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dutton Adult for providing an ARC copy of this book!

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars: A sequel that doesn't quite measure up to the brilliance of its predecessor.

After the terrifying and shocking struggle Emma endured to gain her freedom, Emma is making her way through dusty Mexico. She's trying to track down a lead that might help her find her long lost parents. When Emma thinks she might finally have the answer, her hopes are dashed, another dead end. Then things get far worse when her ex husband decides to broadcast a message to the world asking for help in Emma's safe return. Emma flees, knowing there is only one place she can go to escape Declan's reach. The problem is that Emma is not sure if she is ready to own up to her mistakes, face her past and reunite with those she loves. Will Emma ever escape her terrifying past?
What I Liked:
*I went into Prototype with high expectations after the brilliance of Archetype. While the sequel didn't quite live up to its predecessor, I liked that it was smart, interesting, suspenseful and that it tied off the series and ended without unanswered questions. It was a solid conclusion to an excellent sci-fi duology.
*This book is once again about Emma's journey of finding herself and rectifying her past. Emma continues to grow and evolve in this book, and I liked that she found her own voice and that she learned to be comfortable in her own skin. She was finally able to let go of the other Emma and find her own path.
*Believe it or not, this sci-fi series is also a strong romance. In the first book, there is a love triangle, which I didn't mind because it was a love triangle that Emma didn't knowingly involve herself in. She was in a sense a victim of the love triangle. If that seems strange, believe me it is, but it works once you read the books. This time out, there is no love triangle. Emma made her choice, but then walked away in a moment of weakness. Now it is a struggle for her to find her way back to what she had. The romantic relationship is the heart and soul of the book. It was the heartbeat of the story that kept me reading. I loved how the two came together and how Emma's mate was able to fall in love with her as she is, and not who she was. It was a beautiful and lovely relationship, though not without its difficulties.
*I liked the new secondary characters in this book. Miles at first meeting, is cocky and arrogant but he turned out to be a big softie underneath. I ended up adoring him. Leigh was also a surprise, and I loved how she ended up being a close friend and confidant to Emma.
*There is more mystery and suspense surrounding Emma's condition, I wish I could go into more detail, but I can't as I will give away major spoilers. It is something you have to read an experience for yourself. I liked that I was always thinking and guessing about what was going on with her. This is a thinking series. It is smart, sophisticated and fun, and there are once again some big shocking twists.
*The ending draws to a satisfactory close. All the loose ends are tied off, and I wasn't left with any major niggles or nagging questions. I was pleased that I got the answers I needed, and I thought the author did a good job closing out the series.
And The Not So Much:
*The suspense and mystery was weak in comparison to the first book. I wasn't as invested in this story, and I didn't like that Emma was no longer able to uncover memories from before. I thought that was one of the highlights of the first book, the voice in Emma's head that revealed her history to her. The story line wasn't as interesting to me.
*I was expecting something big to happen with Declan, especially after the events and the stunning concluding line regarding him in the first book. He doesn't really do anything monumental in this one. He is all about finding Emma and that's it. I don't know, I was wanting something more. His condition wasn't even really a factor either.
For hard core sci-fi fans, which I am not, you probably will be disappointed in the lack of science and detail in this series. *Once again, I have to be vague here to avoid giving away major spoilers. I was not satisfied though with the explanations on how Emma got to be the way she did. I don't understand how the doctor captured the part of Emma he used and how he went forward from there. Here is where I felt the book felt short. I wanted more detail on the process. I also didn't get how the memories could be completely lost. If that vital portion was reemerged in a new form, then why are there no memories? I needed more explanation, and I felt the lack of detail made the whole story line flimsy. Furthermore, the whole thing with the how and why Emma was dying and the miraculous cure was glossed over as well.
*Two characters emerge that had a big impact on Emma. Colonel Nathan and Peter. Yet, it wasn't explained exactly as to what either man did to help Emma. There is some cursory information, but I was left wondering. I thought each man would play a bigger role, but they completely vanished.
*The whole thing with Sonya was a sticky point for me. I didn't like what she did, but on the other hand, I didn't like the way Emma and Noah handled things either. Especially when Adrienne was sick and Sonya was comforting her. She got a bum rap.

Prototype was a satisfactory conclusion to an entertaining and imaginative sci-fi series. I loved the suspense and mystery surrounding Emma and her condition as well as the strong romance. This book falters a bit with lack of detail and science, but in the end, I was pleased with the way the duology concluded. Archetype is one of the best books I have read this year. I highly recommend you check out this series.

I borrowed a copy of this book from the library. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

[Krys · Rating 5 out of 5]

Archetype was among my favourite books of 2013. It was one of those books that I read very early and then had to wait to be able to put it into people’s hands. Whenever someone asked me to recommend a thrilling book I told them to watch for Archetype in February 2014. I would tell them how absorbing it was and that I couldn’t put it down. And here I am, months later, simply dazzled by the follow-up book, Prototype, which I was fortunate enough to acquire early.

Dazzled, I say, because it’s a tremendous sequel.

* Spoilers for those who have not read Archetype *

Emma has escaped Declan Burke and fled their home after discovering that she is a clone. When he offers a sizeable reward for her return she must turn to her past for help. Now, with the resistance, she struggles to forget her time with Declan. She also begins to experience overwhelming moments of panic and obliteration which she brushes aside as trauma. In the midst of her adjustment Noah, her former husband before she was cloned, has moved on with another woman, Sonya. Sonya is raising Adrienne, Emma and Noah’s daughter whom Emma has never known. Emma, displaced and broken, tries to learn who she is and where she now belongs.

Emma fights fire with fire, turning Burke’s own manipulations back on him whenever she can. She is resourceful and courageous even in the face of insurmountable odds. She is the perfect blend of weak and malleable, strengths and flaws. She’s polarizing through and through.

The biggest thing about this book is the theme of identity and how Emma molds herself to her own, both past and present. Everyone has expectations of who she was and who she is now. This is a hard road to travel as she does not feel as if she identifies with Emma pre-cloning. Emma 2.0 (as she is jokingly dubbed by the members of the resistance) cannot reconcile the confusion of her own heart and is constantly pulled in every direction. As a result her conflicts are largely internal and the book reads as such. However, she finds ways to defy expectations and forges new paths for herself. Through it all she achieves the duality that comes from someone who has lived and lost, and fought with every step.

Emma’s gains are the reader’s gains, and her pain rings true as well. With every turn her endeavors become crucial, significant moments in the book. These moments are what makes Waters books so impressive; moments of incredible depth that stay with a reader long after the book’s conclusion.

Prototype is striking and poignant; a beautiful and terrifying glimpse of possibility. These books cannot be dismissed merely as potential, speculative fiction. They are plausible in every way.

5 out of 5 stars.

- review courtesy of www.bibliopunkkreads.com

[Kara Babcock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure what my record is for “longest time between book and its sequel,” but Prototype might be the holder. I read Archetype over 6 years ago. Since then, this sequel has sat on my to-read list, never quite making it to my bookshelf. Until now! I recently conducted a joyous purge of my to-read list as part of migrating it to The StoryGraph—somehow, Prototype made the cut, but I was galvanized to finally borrow it from my library. I remember so little about Archetype, though, and that might have been to this book’s detriment. I didn’t enjoy this as much as my review of Archetype suggests that 2015 Kara enjoyed it. Maybe this is because I’m a different person, maybe it’s the book—maybe it’s both!

Little time has passed since the conclusion of the first book. Emma is a clone. In the first book, she awakes with little personal memory. She’s told she is married to Declan Burke, the rich dude who paid for her to be cloned. In reality, she was married to a resistance member, Noah Tucker, although her last name is Wade, so, you know, already a lot to keep track of. Emma used to be part of the resistance! She has a daughter! And now she is on the run from Declan Burke, searching for her parents—also former resistance members—and struggling to find freedom in a world where neither clones nor women, especially fertile women, are particularly free. Oh, and she never uses contractions, even in her first-person narration, and I don’t remember if the first book ever explains this but it’s weird.

My review of Archetype focuses on two ideas. The first is whether or not the novel “feels like” what we call young adult literature. The second is how its themes and motifs tie into novels with similar premises around an ultra-overt form of patriarchy. I say “ultra-overt” because all forms of patriarchy are obsessed with controlling the fertility of people who can reproduce—just see the latest round of anti-abortion laws in the United States. But books like Archetype/Prototype and The Handmaid’s Tale crank this up to 11 in the hopes that it will prompt people to pay attention to the inequality that women face today.

In my original review I said this lovely nugget:

Look, in the way I presently identify and perform my gender, I’m not a woman. So I’m not trying to speak for women here.

I love the presently in there, since it so carefully qualified something I had no idea at the time would change but ended up changing! Oh, 2015 Kara. I wish you had been slightly bolder in exploring what was going on in your heart and your mind….

Like, I still can’t speak for women here and couldn’t even if I were a cis woman. But Prototype definitely hit differently now that I understand that I am a trans woman. I can’t bear children. Lots of cis women can’t, so that doesn’t make me feel any less like a woman. Moreover, I’ve never particularly wanted kids, so I’m not too worried about finding alternatives. And yet, the particular premise of this book—cloning women to “cure” their infertility—prompted me to think philosophically about this.

If the technology in this book existed, we wouldn’t have to use it on cis people only. We could clone trans people new bodies that are congruent with their genders—just tweak a chromosome here, a gene sequence there. If I had access to a cloning technology that would put me into the cisfeminine analogue of my body, would I go through with such a procedure? (I am delicately side-stepping the issues of continuity of identity much like this book sweeps them away.) I know, of course, that in the real world trans people probably wouldn’t be anywhere near the top of the list of beneficiaries of such technology. As this book observes, after controlling the fertility of women, the next item on the list is preserving the lives of rich and powerful men. Still, it’s an intriguing and perhaps even unsettling idea.

Prototype walks a fine line with this discussion of cloning technology. Like I said above, it evades some of the deeper philosophical question even as it verges on the pseudoscientific and metaphysical at times. I get the impression Waters doesn’t really want to spend too much time on the implications of this technology so much as use it as a vehicle for the story she’s telling about a woman trying to get back to her family. And you know what? Fair. I might not like that storytelling decision, but I respect that Waters makes it and sticks with it instead of half-measures.

So even though there is a subplot here about overturning an evil cloning corporation, don’t mistake it for the real story. This is about Emma, Noah, and their daughter Adrienne attempting to overcome all the obstacles trying to keep them apart. One of those obstacles is, in no small part, Emma’s own doubts about her authenticity of self and where she belongs. I wish that we saw her struggle with that more fully—the scenes where she is confronting Declan or in his power ring hollow, the way she talks about how much she desires him even though she hates how he treats her. I’m not trying to deny that people often still want to be with their abusers even while recognizing them as abusers—but Emma’s voice feels lacking in nuance. There’s too much telling going on.

I also wasn’t a fan of Emma’s constant insistence on motherhood as her anchor for her identity. Again, I don’t want to invalidate anyone here who sees their status as a parent as their anchor. It just feels like a weird choice for a book that is, on one layer, a critique of our society’s obsession with people who can reproduce only existing for the purpose of reproduction. I suppose we might interpret the fact that this Emma didn’t physically birth Adrienne as Waters trying to tell us that motherhood is about your emotional connection to a child rather than the physical bonding of birth. That’s a plus for parents who adopt, I guess. Nevertheless, like my complaint about Emma’s voice, my critique here isn’t so much what Waters is trying to say but rather her skill at saying it.

In short, Prototype strikes me as a book that swings big but doesn’t quite succeed in hitting the emotional notes it aims for. I’ve said this before in reviews: I would rather see a book swing big and miss than not try at all. So in that sense, I liked this book. I don’t regret reading it 6 years after the first one. That being said, I don’t see myself raving about it and recommending it any time soon. Even though I believe this book is exploring some valuable territory about patriarchy, womanhood, and relationships, there are much better books out there doing the same thing.

Originally posted on Kara.Reviews, where you can easily browse all my reviews and subscribe to my newsletter.

[Sarah (Workaday Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very exciting and thrilling conclusion to the duology, this book was quite different from the first. While the first book focused mostly on Emma and her amnesia, this book focused more on Emma’s relationship with Noah, and her fight against Declan.

Picking up shortly after the first book ended, this one started with a heart-pounding action scene. The story continued with almost nonstop action until the very end. It made for a very quick and adrenaline filled read. While the story was exciting, I did find it less original than the first book. This one followed a more standard and expected plotline, that while entertaining, was slightly predictable.

I did enjoy the characters, especially the secondary resistance fighters like Foster, Leigh and Miles. They added some much needed humour and friendship to the story. I enjoyed the fact that Emma was making an effort to be her own person and form her own memories as it lent more depth to her character.

Overall, while this half of the duology felt less original, it was still very exciting and entertaining. The world and its issues are less present in this book, but it was still a great read with a strong character focus. This is definitely a series that you can read in a weekend and feel like you had an exciting time.

[Jacqueline J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid follow up to the first book. I would characterize these two books and the 1.5 novella as solid Science Fiction Romance. Which is great because I love both sci fi and romance. The writing style was good, use of English, including imagery and good tense choice for the story. The characterization was great, the emotions and reactions realistic and the world building interesting.

I don't want to give anything away so I'll just say if you like good sci fi romance you need to read this.

[Nadine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great conclusion to the story. Emma is a very different character from the first book, which makes her journey in Prototype all the more enjoyable. The only issue I had with this duology is the lack of world building. I wish there was more to really ground the story.

Overall, this is a fantastic duology that you should not hesitate to read!

[Christina Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even better than the first! Awesome end to the series. I can't wait to see what other stories this author has in store for us. And for the record, I love Noah. His one-liners had me laughing, gasping and tearing up. Well done, Ms. Waters. Well done.

[Lauren]

Such a fantastic duet! Though I can say very little about this book until closer to release. The triangle is no more. Thankfully. Lots more Emma and her guy and lots of things. Great questions in this series, but hard to discuss without spoilers. Review to come.

[Lindsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ... okay. Not as interesting as book 1 for sure. Love story was a bit saccharine.

The whole woman defined by motherhood thing was kind of creepy. And I don't think the author disagrees with this narrow sentiment, which is even creepier.

2.5 stars.

[Mandie Lowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent enough. It ties up several loose ends from the first book. It is still filled with a lot of annoying plot devices, though. It reminded me cheesy TV shows, when the bad guys shoot at the good guys, spraying hundreds of bullets down the alley and not a single one hits the mark. I kept questioning the characters' actions and asking myself why don't they try talking about their problems? I could have solved all of the love drama with one single question. Tucker eventually tries his hand at communication and it works! Imagine that.

Apart from the annoyances, this book was marginally better than the first. It reminded me a lot of the Divergent trilogy.

[Marsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes. Just yes.

Devoured this in just a few hours. I really enjoyed Archetype, but Prototype was so fricken bomb and exceeded all of my expectations. The character development and plot are so on point. No words.

[Shannon Dyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Round up to 4.5 stars. I was sad to reach the end. Such an intriguing read!

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: There are spoilers for Archetype, Book One of this two-book series, but no spoilers for this book, which is the second and final book of the series.

Archetype beings with Emma Burke waking up in a hospital with no idea who she is or what happened in the accident that took away her memories. Her handsome and rich husband, Declan, works patiently with her to help her remember, and doesn’t push her to resume her role as his wife. But gradually, being a wife to Declan is what Emma wants for herself.

However, something is strange about Emma’s recovery: she keeps hearing a voice inside of her head, a voice Emma refers to as She or Her, who guides Emma and provides her with memories that her husband and doctor do not. They are disturbing memories, and what they reveal is at odds with everything Emma has been told to believe. Moreover, many of these memories involve a man who is not Declan, but who Emma comes to understand she loves fiercely. She becomes determined to find out the truth about her life.

Prototype begins over a year after Archetype. Emma is now on the run, looking for her parents, or at least, the parents of the woman from whom she was cloned. She now understands that she was made from the cells of Emma Wade, a former officer in the Resistance, wife of Noah Tucker, and mother of Adrienne. The original Emma was fatally injured, but kept alive until Adrienne was born, and now only cloned Emma remains. She no longer has the thoughts of the original Emma to guide her and provide memories, and she is trying to make a new life for herself for who she is. She left Noah because she knew she was not really the woman he loved.

Declan locates Emma and tries to recapture her, so she takes a step she was trying to avoid, and returns to the safety of the Resistance headquarters and to Noah. But Noah is now with Sonya, the doctor who kept Emma live until the baby was born, and who has stepped in to be a partner to Noah and mother to Adrienne. Although Emma is devastated, she decides not to leave Adrienne again, and reenlists with the Resistance.

She continues to look for her parents though, and Declan continues to look for Emma. Emma and Noah grow close, and Sonya tells Noah she will leave, so everything seems like it might work out for the best. But then a betrayal in the Resistance threatens everyone, and it turns out the clones aren’t the only ones who aren’t really who they appear to be.

Discussion: The storyline in these books falters from some of the scaffolding, including an awkward attempt to tie the science of cloning to a problem with female fertility. The author also adds a motif similar to Atwood’s A Handmaid’s Tale about captive girls living in guarded compounds and destined for purchase by men seeking fertile mates. These subplots are not fully developed and somewhat muddled.

What I did like about the story is the relationship between the original Emma and her clone. To me, this is the true romance of the book, and what makes them worth reading. As the clone Emma says about her original:

"One thing She got right that I never learned is that family is what you make it. It has nothing to do with blood and everything to do with the connections we nurture throughout our lives.”

The original Emma is in fact “related” to her clone, but theirs is a relationship that is unique and exceptional, and one of the most interesting part of these books. The other friendships were well-drawn as well.

I also liked the fact that the usual romance triangle is a bit inverted. It is not a matter of two males vying for a female, but a female who is conflicted over two males in a complex manner. I think that this is an area the author could have expanded upon even more. The clone Emma had to negotiate not only her own feelings, but also the feelings from her original donor. Neither male was simply good or bad, and both Emmas had a complicated history with each of them. Was the resolution justified? Worth considering.

Worst aspect? The way the author gives the clone Emma a distinctive voice by having her speak in a stilted manner, never using contractions. There is absolutely no justification for this. First of all, we know when the original Emma speaks (as opposed to the cloned Emma) because italics are always used. Second, since the clone Emma is a clone, there is no reason her language would be different. And after a year and a half living in the world, even had the clone Emma started out speaking awkwardly, she would not continue to do that after all that time.

Evaluation: I found both good and bad points about these two books which, as mentioned above, should be read together. Overall though, I think the author was able to add enough distinctive elements to her dystopia to make it an interesting and at times even gripping read.

Rating: 3.5/5

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinda like handmaid's tale but with a happy ending. Personally liked the first one better but this wraps up the series well.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sigh. I really thought that this was building to something potentially cool, but that you couldn't see it behind Emma's slow journey out of amnesia in the first book, but it turns out that the thing obscured by the long amnesia plot was in fact really weak writing. There is just so, so much wrong here that wasn't quite so troublesome in Archetype.

For instance, why is Emma 2.0 still speaking without contractions? It was an interesting affectation in the first book, but for goodness sake, she's not an android in need of an upgrade, she's a person fully capable of learning slang like any other person. It's been two years, and there's no reason she should still be communicating like a robot. Or dude, there's plasma weapons, rapid healing of wounds caused by aforementioned weapons, nanobots, transporters, and you know, the world's worst facial recognition software. I'm assuming for some reason they don't analyze gait at all, which is bonus since Noah says at one point that Emma's posture alone would give her away. Why would the software be crap? Because it's convenient to the plot, of course.

That's not even getting into the book's awkward implication that the only reason women should be valued is for their baby-making abilities. I don't think that was the point that the author was trying to make, but unlike The Handmaid's Tale, Waters never gets around to pointing out that women are more than a womb. After all, how does Emma finally find fulfillment? Pregnancy. What do Leigh and Sonya want? Babies, and both are willing to go to rather wacky lengths to get one. There's even that weird line, "She looks like me. You have no idea what that is like. To see yourself in another human being." Motherhood, f--k yeah!

Given that the science part of this science-fiction is so meagerly imagined, I would argue this is more romance than anything else. A huge portion of the book is only Emma navigating her complex relationships with Noah and Declan, and that was probably the thing I found least interesting. This is not a terrible book, but it's not what I was looking for after its predecessor, and it's not something I enjoyed. I don't think I would be so disappointed if I hadn't been so impressed by Archetype's strong ending.

[Denise Hallauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review can also be found on my blog.

This was an amazing follow-up to Archetype. I loved every (ok one part I did not) minute of reading this book. Waters pretty much gave me everything I wanted in this book, and a few things I did not know I wanted (Leigh and Miles) until she gave them to me.

I just love Emma. There is not a single thing about her that I dislike. She is an imperfect character struggling to find her place in a world where she is not even considered human. She makes mistakes, some of them are big ones, but she for the most part learns from them and attempts not to repeat them. She is kind, caring, even when people treat her like crap, but she is not a pushover. She is definitely one of my favorite female characters.

I pretty much fell in love with Noah in Archetype, despite me not liking him sometimes. Noah was just a million times better in this book and I loved that we got to see him a whole lot more than we did in Archetype.

I was glad we got more of Foster, I hope we get to see him even more in Leigh’s book. Which brings me to two new characters, Leigh and MIles. They were really the first two people in the book to accept Emma, outside of Foster, and to spend time with her and that alone put them on my goods list. Leigh is getting her own book and I cannot wait for it, I do hope we see some of the characters from this book, or at least get news of them.

I even enjoyed the bad guys. Even though I did not like them or their actions they were well written, well done characters, and it was hard not to like them at least a little. Waters has done an amazing job writing characters that feel real, like they could walk off the page and start chatting with you.

I am sad this duology is over but I am looking forward to continuing in the world as Waters writes more.

I received an ARC of this book from Dutton Books (Penguin). This in no way affected my review.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

[Disclaimer: I won a copy of this book in the Goodreads First Reads giveaways.]

This book was like a hell of a lot better than the first one. It still had its problems, but overall the story was better, and the action a lot better too. It wrapped up very neatly (and I mean, pretty much every loose end is tied up), which is almost always a plus for me (I hate loose ends, especially at the end of a series), although maybe a little too neatly? Not sure yet.

Again though, the robot-like speech patterns of Emma is very grating to me, considering no one else in the books speak the way she does. And by now, since she is the only one who talks that way, I'm convinced that it was done on purpose, probably to show that she's a clone, but I *really really really* hated it.

Also, again with the over-writing of sex and sexuality. I've never known anyone whose body felt like it was going to turn to ash at the simple touch of their lover. I get that it was probably just to hype up the romance, but come on.

And I just need to bring something up because this bothered me the entire car ride home today. Authors, can we have a chat? I just need to let you know, I've read three - THREE - books in the last few months that all have this masquerade scene where the main character has to show up in disguise at a masquerade ball and get something out of there. First it was in Cress, then again in Sapphire, and now in Prototype. The motif is not exactly original and when I read three books published around the same time (like, within a year of each other), it makes me question exactly where it's coming from. And I'll tell you, with two of these under my belt, as soon as Declan invited Noah to the party I knew exactly where it was going.

But I'm really glad I got to read this duet, as it made for some good quick reading. Again, it's nothing terribly high-fiction, but it was fun and enjoyable, and even though the sex wasn't realistic it was pretty entertaining. Overall, I'm left satisfied.

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Original review found at http://kristineandterri.blogspot.ca/2...
4.5 stars

I received an advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Prototype is the sequel and conclusion to the story that begins in Archetype. I was fortunate enough to read and review Archetype earlier this year and was very pleasantly surprised by it. I loved it and was glued to the pages. It left off with many loose ends and things unresolved so I was more than anxious to read Prototype to find out what happened next.

This book did not disappoint. Once again I found myself flying through the pages. There is a bit of a different feel to this book and a lot more action. You get a better understanding of the outside world and the Resistance. Also, quite a few new characters are introduced that I enjoyed getting to know.

Emma really comes into her own in this book which was nice to read. She is a much stronger character. Her relationship with Noah also takes a turn in the direction that I was hoping it would. There is no more love triangle to complicate things.

The story flowed well and kept me engaged. I was constantly trying to figure out who was good and who was bad. This I do believe was intentional on the authors part. There was only one thing stopping me from giving it 5 stars and it was the lack of contractions whenever Emma would speak. I mentioned this in my review for the first book as well. It made her sentences feel unnatural and it had me stumbling to the point that I had to re-read some of those parts.

I can't say much else without giving away spoilers. What I will say is that this series is well worth the read. Make sure to read them in order because Prototype will not make sense without reading Archetype first. You won't regret it!