Counterpart (Machinations Book Two) by Hayley Stone
Publisher: Hydra (Random House LLC)
Now Available
From the Description: The high-intensity sci-fi thriller series that began with Machinations continues as reincarnated insurgent Rhona Long faces off against the one enemy she can’t outwit: her own clone…. [V]ictory is elusive. The machines have a new technology designed to overcome humanity’s most advanced weaponry. Despite Rhona’s peacekeeping efforts, former nations are feuding over resources as old power struggles resurface. Worse, someone inside the resistance is sabotaging the human cause—someone who, from all appearances, seems to be Rhona . . . or her exact replica.
My Review: I enjoyed Machinations which, compared to the sequel, Counerpart, was more focused. While I continue to enjoy Stone’s writing, graceful metaphors and her resistance-leader protagonist, I had hoped for more interactions with the machines in book two, which led to a bit of frustration. The story does, however, build to a big confrontation with the enemy. In the meantime, Rhona deals with the implications of her clones and how they undermine her position in the resistance no matter if she reveals or conceals their existence. Either she is guilty of traitorous actions or she is, herself, no longer trustworthy. Additionally, she begins to doubt her place as the one-true-clone/heir to the original Rhona Long with a few humorous Highlander references tossed into the mix. In hindsight, Counterpart feels like a table-setter for the third book in a trilogy (though these books are billed as a series), where the machines won’t be her only adversary, because the greatest enemy she’ll eventually have to face is a version of herself.
