First published 2010
Two months have passed since the events that changed everything. Lia sits in her childhood bedroom, playing the role of the perfect daughter once again. But the performance feels hollow now. She has become the public face of the mechs, BioMax's chosen spokesperson for their revolutionary technology. Her days are spent traveling, speaking, and persuading skeptical audiences that she and others like her have the right to exist. The work exhausts her, but she believes in the cause. Then Jude appears without warning. He carries information that could destroy everything Lia has worked for. According to his evidence, BioMax has been using their technology for darker purposes than anyone imagined. As Lia investigates his claims, she uncovers a devastating truth about her own origins. The accident that led to her download was not what she believed. Now she faces a choice that will define not only her future, but her very identity. Whatever she decides, there will be no going back.
Genres: science-fiction, 21st-century, artificial-intelligence, cyberpunk
Vibes: dark, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: chosen-one, found-family
Setting: BioMax
Period: Two Months Later
400 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Content warnings: body-horror, medical-trauma