REVIEW – THE MORTAL COIL by Emily Suvada

So the question I need to ask you first is – Have you read this book? To be honest it shouldn’t be a question, because you need to read this book – end of story. I can convince you, promise just continue reading this…

Catarina is living on the surface of the world that is facing an apocalypse. Two years ago a virus spread across the world, infecting people with a plague. The Lurkers (zombies to you and I) roam the world, the only way to protect yourself is by eating infected flesh to become immune. Eventually they denote called The Hydra, spreading the disease further. Her father is a scientist, working on vaccine to finally end this virus. Until when he was taken by a shadow organisation known as Cartaxus (kind of like Umbrella Co-operation) to find a cure Cat has been living and surviving on her own. So when a lone soldier called Cole arrives at the cabin, she finds that her father has died and being his daughter of his intelligence she is the only one who can save the world by continuing his work lying within her own body.So my initial thoughts when I first saw this book was apocalypse, zombies, virus and girl who saves the world. I loved the fact that I read nothing like this, so as someone who likes a movie or two on zombies this was right up my street. What I didn’t know was that it was going to turn out to be the best book/start of a series that I’ve read in all of my reading history. It’s book likes these that really do surprise me but also ones that are close to my heart as well. This book has blown my mind wide open.

Cat is such a strong herione of the novel, I love her bravery which you will note more throughout the book. Being the daughter of a genius, her intelligence speaks volumes. What I really enjoyed was the way Emily knew her stuff to really appeal to the readers and also a way for you understand the world around you. Cat is a survivor, she was born one, her only companion after losing her father to Cartaxus was Agnes who would protect and look out for her. Agnes was never far from her thoughts and would always look after as if she was her own. When it came to Cole, badass super soldier, I loved that Cat took no crap from him and still had her independence despite Cole’s protectiveness. I thought there might have been a love triangle but I’m glad for the sake of the book that it was more of thought when the spark between them that ignited something powerful, a deeper connection.

Catarina lives in a world of scientific and technical advancements so much so that everyone on the planet has a panel in their arm, they are connected to various apps, and jacked into coding and tech within their bodies. With a bit of VR, each person can access a digital and surreal world, where everything is accessible, coder like Cat can change the look of yourself just simply by creating a code and uploading it, broken limbs can heal within a week with healing tech, and you can knock someone out by creating a virus. Emily Suvada’s writing is out of this world! The world building makes the world seem very real, which was very intense. Her writing style wasn’t over-whelming, you could understand and feel the world that she was creating, her knowledge shines through each page. While I was reading TMC, it felt so surreal that the book was VR, everything became so real, I was jacked in and I felt I couldn’t escape until the end, that’s how addictive and adventurous it is. The narrative is fast-paced and I could feel my heart-pounding with every twist and turn. The book needs a movie ASAP. If you get all this visual effects through Emily’s writing, imagine how it would be on the big screen.

As a way to end this review, all you need to know that I’ve found my new favourite book/series of 2018 and my new favourite author. Don’t let The Mortal Coil pass you by in the bookshop, pick it up, you won’t regret it. It’s a book you can’t put down and it’s a story that you will never forget.

Rating – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to the amazing Penguin Random Children’s for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.