Shell by Paula Rawsthorne: A Review

 

This fortnight I decided to choose more of a dystopian thriller book to read. I haven't read one of these in a while and I was looking forward to a change in pace from my normal reads. Shell was published a while back and it's been floating around more and more in my local libraries so I thought I would give it a try. It is been described by many as a loose, modern-day retelling of Frankenstein and I do think that it sticks to that brief description.

Shell follows the story of Lucy a teenage girl with terminal cancer, who wakes up cancer-free. She should be thrilled about this however, she faces life trapped in a new body that she didn't choose. 

I think that Shell carries an amazing concept and also raises some brilliant moral questions, All while keeping the suspense as a thriller, dystopian novel. 

Shell carries a lot of different themes, like doing what’s right, friendship, and how far you would go to save someone you love. I feel like from the start it hooked me in and kept me reading which is something that I find some thrillers (surprisingly) just don't do. I really enjoyed reading about Lucy's home life and her parents. Despite not being the main characters their personalities are still really complex and have a depth to them that I find nice. Lucy's character also had some nice internal conflict that I enjoyed reading because it was just written so well.

At the very beginning of the book, I wasn't quite sure if I would enjoy the book Just because it died straight into a description of Lucy's struggle, But in retrospect, it was a really good hook to keep me reading. The book being a thriller means there were some twists and turns at the end that honestly left me quite shocked. I am aware that some people have said that this book is rather predictable but I wouldn't agree. 

Happy Reading,

- Mei x