Welcome to our stop on the Genesis Girl tour for Jennifer Bardsley. This tour is hosted by Chapter by Chapter Blog Tours.
Author: Jennifer Bardsley
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction
Released: June 14, 2016
Review Source: Month9Books
Eighteen-year-old Blanca has lived a sheltered life. Her entire childhood has been spent at Tabula Rasa School where she’s been protected from the Internet.
Blanca has never been online and doesn’t even know how to text. Her lack of a virtual footprint makes her extremely valuable, and upon graduation, Blanca and those like her are sold to the highest bidders.
Blanca is purchased by Cal McNeal, who uses her to achieve personal gain. But the McNeals are soon horrified by just how obedient and non-defiant Blanca is. All those mind-numbing years locked away from society have made her mind almost impenetrable.
By the time Blanca is ready to think for herself, she is trapped. Her only chance of escape is to go online.
I made a mistake with this book. I started it as I was in bed ready to sleep thinking I'd just read a chapter. Well, a chapter turned into two hours and being halfway done with Genesis Girl. I finished it the next morning and was amazed.
Genesis Girl follows our main girl Blanca and her journey with the "tech" world. It is set in a future where technology and the internet have affected the human race negatively-- causing brain cancer because of cell phones. So it's been upped and people WORSHIP their tech. Doesn't sound futuristic at all if we remove the brain cancer part.
So, there's a school, Tabula Rasa, where children raised there are 100% tech and internet free. They are called blank slates and once they graduate they are sold off to the highest bidder. The highest bidder is usually a company who will use their blank slate to sell their product. People trust the blank slates since they have no fingerprint online so they buy whatever it is they are selling. Blanca doesn't get sold to a company, she goes geisha. Geisha meaning she is sold to a person and not a company. Cal MacNeal buys her for a very personal reason.
I love the growth of Blanca in Genesis Girl. She starts off as a literal blank slate and kind of catches Cal off guard. But, he pushes her to find herself and that was kind of amazing to see through. His son, Seth, (the reason Cal needs Blanca) is her complete opposite yet she starts falling for him! I can't say too much without giving anything away but overall the plot, the characters, and the story were on another level of good!
This book shames you and captivates you altogether. Yes, I am attached to my phone 24/7, but tech can't be bad right? All in all Genesis Girl makes you THINK while enjoying a totally unique and interesting read. I can't wait to read the next installment in this Blank Slate series!
Jennifer Bardsley writes the parenting column “I Brake for Moms” for The Everett Daily Herald. Her debut YA novel, “Genesis Girl” will be published by Month9Books on June 14, 2016, with the sequel releasing in 2017. “Genesis Girl” is about a teenager who has never been on the Internet. Jennifer however, is on the web all the time as “The YA Gal” with over 20,000 followers on Facebook, and 15,000 followers on Instagram. On Facebook, she hosts the weekly instant book club called #TakeALookTuesday where YA Gal friends geek out, share pictures of what they are reading, and chat about books. Jennifer is a member of SCBWI, The Sweet Sixteens debut author group, and is founder of Sixteen To Read. An alumna of Stanford University, Jennifer lives near Seattle, WA where she enjoys spending time with her family and her poodle, Merlin.
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I really want to read this book because Jen is so nice, and this cover and synopsis intruge me! Great post :)
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