The Lost Girl

Another Dystopia. But a different Dystopia. Presenting The Lost Girl by Sangu Mandanna.

Here is the summary of the book:

Eva’s life is not her own. She is a creation, an abomination – an echo. Made by the Weavers as a copy of someone else, she is expected to replace a girl named Amarra, her ‘other’, if she ever died. Eva studies what Amarra does, what she eats, what it’s like to kiss her boyfriend, Ray. So when Amarra is killed in a car crash, Eva should be ready. But fifteen years of studying never prepared her for this. Now she must abandon everything she’s ever known – the guardians who raised her, the boy she’s forbidden to love – to move to India and convince the world that Amarra is still alive ...

Dystopia is the need of the hour. Authors both high and low are searching and perfecting ways of bringing about a fresh look to this sub-genre with their books. Mandanna's The Lost Girl is I am glad to say one such diamond i'd be happy to add to this prestigious category. And  am so not exaggerating at all you just wait and see.

This is the story of Eva. Created by this group of weavers, to one day take the place of Amarra, if she meets an unfortunate end. This is the story of Eva, the echo of Amarra, doomed forever to live in the shadows of the one girl she is meant to replace if and when the need arises. But this is also the story of Amarra, in part and in essence; she hates her echo with a passion. Forced to keep a journal telling her her deepest and darkest secrets.

Life after death. The grief of death, people deal with it in their own ways. Some take it in strides and try to move away, some close off, while some try to re-animate the dead. This is what the weavers seemed to have  promised Amarra's parents when they commissioned an echo be made of their daughter. But the weavers are not quite there yet. No matter how similar they may look, they are bound to be different from each other. Being an echo in itself is very dangerous. One slip of tongue, of language, of attitude and you leave yourself a prey for the hunters.

Mandanna's characters bring out the beauty of this story, the inner struggle of an echo, who does all she can to come away from the shadows of the person she is meant to replace one day. Throughout the pages, you begin to sympathize with Eva's plight as she goes out of her way to be different, to break free of the shackle..... but you can never know how fate works in her weird ways .

"The Lost Girl, is a standalone treasure. A sci-fi dystopia of contemporary proportions, that is sure to leave you questioning the meaning of life and its value. Eva's plight is sure to touch you through to the core"

Genre :      Young Adult, Sci-fi, Dystopia


Publisher: Random House


My Copy:  Random House India


Rate:              5/5 (It was Amazing)