Title:  Deviation
Author: Heather Hildenbrand
Publisher/Year: Alloy entertainment 12/30/14
Length: 173
Series: Clone Chronicles #2

Overview

Until a month ago, eighteen-year-old Ven had never set foot outside the windowless warehouse where she was created. An Imitation of Raven Rogen, Ven spent her days confined in the lab, studying videos of her Authentic, all so she could step into Raven’s life at a moment’s notice.

Now, Ven lives in Raven’s penthouse apartment, kisses Raven’s boyfriend, and obeys every order from Raven’s dad, Titus Rogen—the very man who created her. But Ven has a secret plan. She doesn’t want Raven’s life. She wants her own.

In the action-packed sequel of Imitation, Ven wages a dangerous war against Titus. First she’ll free herself, then she’ll free every last Imitation. . . .

My Thoughts

Where this 2nd installment in the series goes is an interesting place.  It’s a bit shorter than the first one so it was a faster read-  but i don’t know that there was all that much excitement until we get to the last 25% or so.  As the summary says, we meet up again with Ven, Linc and all of the same cast of characters when they are in the throes of trying to free all the Imitations.  A tall order of course, but their journey will be ain interesting one, and the question really becomes, will they succeed?

So throughout this 2nd book, we see the relationship between Ven and Linc grow stronger and it’s really the one bit of stability that Ven has in her life right now that keeps her solid on the ground.  Titus still has control over just about everything and we’re beginning to put the pieces together to learn that there’s so much more that he’s connected to that we just don’t know and i think that we’ll see either his control slip as the Imitations take over or we’ll see things get ugly.  My money is on seeing things get ugly since this is a book 2 and there has to be a bunch of anxiety before we get to the finale.

We’re leraning more and more about the backstory to some of the characters – Obadiah being one of them, and that alliance and friendship proves to be very valuable to everyone.  While i think that we all expected a twist, i don’t know that i expected that one where he is concerned.  (happy – no spoilers).

The other interesting dynamic is that Titus continues to swap out Authentics with Imitations in order to further his cause and we see that Daniel isn’t so powerful that he’s not easily replaced.  Same goes for the others close to him and it makes you wonder if the Vice President is one and who else in Congress is one.

As the plotting and scheming continues, i spend a bulk of the story waiting for the other shoe to drop.  I’m concerned for the well being of Ven since she seems to surviving relatively unscathed.  i think that it would be naive to think that she’s not about to suffer something catostrophic – but again, i’m still not sure what that’s going to be.  Will it be losing Linc, Neil/Daniel?  Will she find out that she’s been crossed by someone close to her?  All valid questions and places that my mind has gone as i’ve read through this story.

So, where do we go from here?  Plans are working and Plans are backfiring and i think that the ending that we’re left in is an interesting cliffhanger.  I’m curious if Raven is still alive and if she’ll actually be the one to bring things to an end, or if she’s gone and things are doomed for the Authentics.  Which ones of our friends will survive until book 3 and which are going to be replaced?  All things to read about and ponder throughout Deviation and hopefully into the next installment of the series (still unnamed i believe).  Regardless – Enjoy!