Melissa’s Review: Clay by Tony Bertauski

Clay (Halfskin #2)
written by Tony Bertauski
published by DeadPixel Publications

find it here: (affiliate links) Amazon, Book Depository, Goodreads

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange  for an honest review.

Did I enjoy this book: Not really, no.

I agreed to read the book because I thought the concept was cool, but I found Bertauski’s writing (and the book’s style overall) to be choppy and confusing.  It was tough to keep up with the story when the point of view changed so rapidly between characters.  I felt like I never had the chance to really get involved in any one story line, which made it difficult to anchor myself in the story.  A few longer chapters, perhaps, or maybe two or three chapters with the same point of view back-to-back would help.

Would I recommend it: Nope.  Like I said – it’s a cool story concept, but the writing leaves too much to be desired.

About the book – from Goodreads: Jamie wants to be a halfskin.

Her life has become dull and pointless. If she had more biomites, the synthetic stems cells that promise hope and healing, she could take control of her life. But Jamie’s body is already 49.9% biomites. The rest is clay—her God-given organic cells. Anymore biomites and she becomes a halfskin. And halfskins are shutdown.

But there is a way.

Black market biomites, called nixes, can’t be detected by the government. She’d have to sacrifice her clay, but nixes can make her halfskin without anyone knowing. But first, she has to find them.

Nix Richards can help. He’s the first halfskin to escape the government and Jamie has something he wants. He’ll need her to help him find a fabricator to build a human body. He’ll betray anyone to get it, even those closest to him.

This psychological thriller will keep them second-guessing every move while they elude Marcus Anderson and the governing agency that seeks to rid the world of biomites. But in the end, they’ll all discover just how deep the betrayal goes.