17 YA AUTHORS + DISNEYLAND = THE YAPPIEST DAY ON EARTH!

If you couldn’t make The YAppiest Day on Earth, never fear! The YAppiness keeps rolling with giveaways of epic reads by each of the 17 authors.

This is the 2nd YAppiest Giveaway! See the rules below for a chance to win. For a complete list of upcoming giveaways, go here.

BETA, by Rachel Cohn

Earth. After the Water Wars. Scientific breakthroughs have restored the planet’s ecosystems, and provided the ability to create new ones. BETA takes place on a bio-engineered island paradise where only the fabulously wealthy can afford to visit, much less live. Bio-engineering made advances in other areas too, such as the ability to clone humans. Clones whose sole purpose is to serve humans…

Elysia is a sixteen-year-old clone, a trial teenage model called a Beta. She wakes up in a laboratory after being replicated from a human teenage girl who had to die for Elysia to exist. Or so she is told by the doctor who made her, along with the facts that she has no soul, no feelings, or desires. Everything has been programmed into her data chip, and clones that deviate from their programmed behaviors are defects that are expired.

Aesthetically perfect, Elysia is purchased as a companion for a wealthy family. Her life is idyllic, until she discovers she can taste and enjoy chocolate, something only a defect could do. Determined to keep her defect a secret, Elysia goes to great lengths to serve her human family. The island paradise is heaven on earth, still Elysia soon sees that the human inhabitants are filled with discontent. Then come the hushed rumors of turmoil among the island’s worker clones.

Elysia wouldn’t dream of fighting for her freedom, until the clone boy she falls in love with is taken away from her. Emotions she doesn’t understand consume her: rage, terror, and desperation. But if she’s to survive and find the boy she loves, she must be stronger than she ever thought possible.

A Spellbinding Tour De Force

This story is wonderful on many levels. I as hooked by the first line:

It’s me she wants to purchase.

Written in the first-person, Elysia — the Beta clone — takes us on her journey of awakening and self-discovery. We experience the island paradise through her eyes, as well as the self-centered family who buys her and their discontented friends.

BETA is a compelling love story where horrifying stakes unfold. Elysia lives in a world where clones are brutally tortured and murdered, if they show the slightest sign of individual thought or emotion. This makes Elysia’s defect experiences all the more dangerous.

To us, owning slaves is a repulsive, archaic practice. But this story puts a new spin on the age-old question: Is it right to own another living thing? Just because we *think* something doesn’t have feelings, doesn’t mean it’s true. Elysia, shows us that her subjugation is every bit as real and painful as it would be for any human.

In order for Elysia to change her destiny, she has to dig deep for the courage to fight back and go after what she loves. It’s ironic that in her decadent and corrupt world, Elysia–the Beta clone–is more compassionate and alive than the humans she’s come to know. We’re left hoping Elysia finds the boy clone she loves, and that the insurrection succeeds in winning clones their freedom. But we’ll have to wait for the sequel to find out…

Awesome, right?
Want to win a FREE copy?

Here’s how…

NOTE: The FREE giveaway of a copy of this book is open to residents of the United States and Canada only, due to shipping costs. My sincere apologies.

1. Leave a comment on this blog by midnight, May 7th (1 entry).
2. Tweet about this giveaway, including #yappiest in your tweet (1 entry).

I’ll tally the entries and choose a winner at random, then announce it on this blog on Saturday May 11th. Good luck!

Stay tuned for more YAppiests Giveaways!