Amy Number Seven (Replica, #1) (Replica S.)

by Marilyn Kaye

[Joséphine]

Actual rating: 2.5 stars

Initial thoughts: I must've read this book for the first time about twelve years ago. For me that's half a life time. Hah. So it's interesting to compare my perspective now with that from back then. When I was twelve, I had just about learnt English. Naturally, my linguistic knowledge wasn't anywhere near as good as today, so I didn't notice any of the editing errors. Also, I wasn't so jaded yet by "perfect" characters. By now I avoid books with perfect protagonists.

Alas, in this book, it's what carries the plot, so I accepted that during my re-read. Re-reading the book, I noticed how much I surprisingly remember yet how much I also forgot, if that makes sense. Like, I would read, looking for something I remembered in particular, only to notice something else. In a way, that means that the plot isn't entirely predictable, although it still is predictable to a large extent. Nonetheless, for the twelve-year-old me, there had been sufficient hooks to keep me reading, as I wanted to know what would happen next.

Besides, which student hasn't wished for photographic memory before, just so they wouldn't have to put in so much effort at school? I know I wished for it plenty of times over the years.

Either way, it was fun re-reading Amy, Number Seven just to get a sense of what I used to enjoy reading. I can see what drew me to the series when I was younger and even though those books might be much more simplistic than the books I've read since then, they still shaped me into the reader I am today. One thing is clear, I already enjoyed science fiction back then, despite my preference for contemporary books and that year-long phase I had where I read almost nothing but mysteries.