“There’s no gene for run like hell“
At A Glance
- Dystopian
- Apocalyptic
- Young Adult
For Fans Of
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- Delirium by Lauren Oliver
- The Enemy by Charlie Higson
Star Rating
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This Mortal Coil started so well, I was sure it would be a five star read. Two chapters in, I was already telling my partner all about it. Apocalyptic, dystopian, a little bit sci-fi.
It has a really cool concept: it’s set in a future in which ever human is fitted with a high-tech panel in their skin that can be used for healing, heightening senses, and even changing their appearance. However, a deadly contagious virus forces most of the population into underground bunkers controlled by a very sketchy organisation that our Caterina’s (our main character) father, swore her away from during his last wish as he was taken away at gunpoint by said sketchy organisation two years ago.
When mysterious soldier Cole shows up with new secret information about a vaccine, Caterina’s world is plunged into chaos. Up until now I was hooked, but the book started to lose steam in the middle, with so much travelling and very little action. It felt like filler, complete with a healthy dose of instalove that I just didn’t believe in.
The final quarter really picked up though, and there were some epic twists that saved it. The writing style is easy to read and the world building is vivid, but some of the scientific explanations were wordier than required and jarred with me.
I’ll definitely be picking up book two after the cliffhanger at the end there, but I hope to find some more depth in the characters in the rest of this trilogy.
