Beta - Rachel Cohn

In the city of Demesne on Io everything is perfect, including the clones made to serve the humans living there.  Elysia is a teen beta, cloned from her firsts DNA.  The first is a human that died so the beta could be born.  Mrs. Bratton comes into a boutique looking for someone to take the place of her daughter.  Astrid has gone to college and wants nothing to do with the family.  As soon as Mrs. Bratton sees Elysia she buys her immediately.  Mrs. Bratton comes home with Elysia and introduces her to Ivan and Liesel, Elysia's new siblings.  Mr. Bratton, a.k.a. The Governor, is not happy with Mrs. Bratton buying Elysia, but accepts her as part of the family.  Elysia trains with Ivan, who is going to join the military.  She also comforts Liesel at night after she has nightmares, just like a big sister would.  She spends most of her time with Mrs. Bratton, but does hang out with Ivan and his friends as the swim or take drugs to get high.  Whenever she is swimming she sees visions of a beautiful guy, which she concludes it is a memory of someone her first of knew.  The only nutrition she needs is a strawberry shake once a day, but Elysia sits down with the Bratton's and eats the food.  She especially takes a liking to chocolate.  The thing is betas aren't supposed to remember the lives of their first, or have enjoyment from food.  If the betas do they are considered rogue and are dispensed with.  There have been rumors lately of the clones wanting to rebel against their human masters.  When Ivan's friend, Tahir, comes back after recovering from a really bad surfing accident, everyone sees he is different.  When Elysia spends a week at his home she discovers that he too is a beta, and only a few people know what he truly is.  During this week there is a bombing which is blamed on the other beta Elysia was with in the boutique.   After she returns to the Bratton's one of the other clones goes rogue, jumps off a cliff and dies.  Elysia can no longer hide the fact she is a rogue.  One night when Ivan tries to have sex with her, Elysia kills him and runs away.  With everyone in pursuit she jumps off a cliff into the water below. 

This was a really good book.  It kept me wanting to turn the page to find out what was going to happen next, especially when the plot line of the rebellion of the clones came into the storyline.  No matter how perfect something is on the outside there is always something hidding that shatters the perfection.  I'm glad this is the first book of a series because after I finished it I wanted more.  The ending also brought up questions that readers will want answers to.  I can't wait until the next book comes out. 

T.B. 3/28/13