"Glass Helix", an ARC Review
what if being made whole is what breaks you in the end?
I told you book reviews were going to be a normal thing on my Substack, I just didn’t think I’d be ARC reading this soon. I’m not sorry.
This time, I’m reviewing Glass Helix by Katee Stein. There are no words for how much I deeply loved this book and these characters.
Genre: sci-fi; dystopian romance
Readership: YA
POV: multiple
Tense: Third Person
Rating: 5 Stars
I was asked to be an ARC reader for Glass. All opinions are my own. Glass Helix will be available September 4, 2023.
When Khai escapes the Research Center and crosses the boundary, sick and alone, he expects to find certain death. As an Imitel, one of those with a frail genome, Khai knows his days are numbered, but within the wilds he finds a new beginning; reborn whole and with the ability to heal not just himself, but others as well.
Returning to the communities he finds a disturbing trend— those he restores are disappearing. Dread and suspicion growing, he revisits his childhood home and his best friend Mae only to find she has absolutely no memory of him. Alarmed, but unrelenting, Khai creates a new identity and ingratiates himself into Mae’s workplace with the hopes his presence will awaken old memories.
As Mae and Khai begin to reconnect, ARC unleashes a manhunt for the mysterious figure who appears superhuman. Mae is thrust into the crosshairs of a coup, as agencies leverage power and influence to control the next hope for humanity. Khai must find those pulling the strings before Mae pays the price for his return.
Dystopian (and romance) aren’t my typical genres, that said Glass immediately pulled me in. But Glass isn’t your typical dystopian tale.
The Dystopian Genre leaves my heart aching, cold, and miserable. They aren’t satisfying reads1, and while I believe the genre’s strength is exploring themes of morality (i.e. The Hunger Games does this well), dystopian endings rarely satisfy me or offer hope. However, Glass pulled me into it’s pages and wrapped my heart in a cosy blanket I still haven’t discarded.
So, how did I come to read a genre I almost always avoid? By sharing poignant quotes on her Instagram. Those short snippets held a beauty and depth of emotion enough to convince me this was not a story I wanted to miss out on. (Fellow authors, take note! Share those quotes to draw in readership. You never know who you’ll convince to read your story <3)
But let’s get back to the hope I’ve been talking about.
I search for stories that offer hope, and from the very start, Glass showcases Khai and Mae’s stakes and the potential for hope. Right away, we care about these two and the insane world they navigate on their journey to reach that hope.
Katee’s style (one of my favourite features of this book) is both straight forward with a beautiful ability to shift into the poetic at a moment’s notice. I appreciate the themes Glass presents: the value of human life verses horrors of power that disregards that value in pursuit of its own goals. Glass forces readers to wrestle through the moral dilemma “are some lives more valuable than others? Or are all equally valued because they are life already?” (no matter what can or cannot contribute to society).
The villains of this story are as despicable as the heroes are admirable. The stakes are convincing. The danger is real. The beauty of the unfolding story leaves one breathless and aching for more. It’s hard to put down. It didn’t breeze through the character development. In fact, the characters are deeply satisfying.
Glass is the story of two people trapped in a hopeless world, a destructive medical system, a corrupt power structure, who find hope in each other.
I wasn’t sure what sort of ending I wanted for Glass, but the ending overjoyed me more than I expected. In so many ways.
This will be a book I comfort read again and again (and I’ve never reread anything dystopian. Prior, The Hunger Games is the only dystopian I’ve ever finished).
I’m a sold Katee Stein fan; anything she writes, I will eagerly read. If you crave stories of hope, of the dystopian genre, or something remotely character driven, Glass Helix is the book for you.
This is a personal take; I realise others enjoy dystopian. It’s a valid genre.
Perfectly said!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
🤍🤍🤍