The Pretenders by Rebecca Hancock
Review by Katy Grant
After Madison, the leader for the hate group, DAAM,
graduated last year from Darkwood, there was hope that the animosity against
the Similars would subside, but as always, there was someone to take her place.
This year it is a junior named Harlowe who leads the rally against those she
considers less than human. In a plot to show Theo, Maud and Pippa that they
don’t belong at Darkwood, Harlow and her minions attempt an insidious act of
hazing, drugging them and tying them to chairs while dragging Oliver in as well
to bring pain to Emma. In a race against time to save her friends from Harlowe
and her minions, Emma realizes that along with the same strengths the others
have, she has an ability they do not. She can hear people’s thoughts.
Inadvertently Emma hears Oliver thoughts of how to tell her
of his love and now she must find a way to keep him from voicing these thoughts
out loud to her for fear that it would destroy both their friendship and Oliver
himself. Over the holidays she tries to confront her father about why he never
told her who she really was; a child born in a laboratory, to replace the
daughter he lost, one he could never really love. When she returns to Darkwood after the
holidays she finds that Gravelle has released Levi, allowing him to return to the
school.
And now, the plot thickens, Gravelle’s revenge on the DNA
families doesn’t stop with installing the Similars at Darkwood, in hopes to overshadow
their children and embarrass the adults. He has now created Duplicates, exact
replicas of the adults and plans to replace the originals, Jane, Oliver’s
mother, Collin, Emma’s father, Bianca, Madison’s mother and more. These
Duplicate clones are born, and fully grown within two years. When Gravelle may
instill them with all the memories, experiences, and knowledge of the
originals. But, for what reason? Whatever,
the plan Emma and the others must find a way to stop him. They turn to Pru’s
father Jaeger for help, but will it be enough?
The Similars find a few allies that will join them in the
fight to end Gravelle’s plot for revenge, but he isn’t alone, someone else has
joined him, someone who wants to control the world. This conclusion is full of action, intrigue,
secrets and romance. There is hatred, evil, heartbreak and death with no easy
solutions. There is also friendship, acceptance
of themselves and others, determination, love, and respect for life.
I thoroughly enjoyed both books, sitting on the edge of my
chair lost in their world. I quickly grew to care about the characters, was sucked
into the situations in which they found themselves and intrigued at the way in
which they faced and dealt with every new problem. This tale follows Maude,
Pippa, Theo, Jago, Ansel, Levi, Emma, Pru and Oliver through their final year
of high school at Darkwood. They face the distrust and in some cases hatred of
other students and a few teachers. But they also must stop a mad man’s plot to
get revenge no matter who he hurts. Towards the end of the story there is a
twist that really threw me and made this a book one that will always be on my
top shelf to share with others.
