I'm sorry I was not able to read and review this book before it was archived due to serious health issues.

Excellent post apolcalyptic robot nightmare. Everything that Terminator 3 should have been but wasn't

This is second book, to the Machinations which I tried to read and DNFed it. The fact that I requested second book before finishing first, shows that I really thought I would like it. But sadly I didn't connect to it on any level and was a bit of bored at times ( i hate to say that, but it is true).

Here is my feedback on first one, since I didn't even start this one and can't say much about it:

I tried reading this book couple of times, and now I have to say it is just not for me. I couldn't get past 25% thorugh the book. I was never the biggest fan of post apocaliptic stories, but thought this one sounds interesting and I wanted to give it a try. I didn't like the romance which took majority of the story. And I felt no conection for the characters. Wanted more explaining about science of it all i guess. I am sorry that i didn't enjoy it, but I feel that many people will. Like I said it was just not for me. Maybe I will try to read it in future again, but for now I am DNFing it.

Great story but somehow incomplete?
This was a great sequel to a good first book in this series. Plenty of unusual ideas, reasonably good writing, and plot twists and turns. I especially liked the different takes on the central character (don't want to reveal too much here!).
However, I did feel at the end that there was room for a third book, and I am surprised to see nothing around. It would not surprise me for an English author to leave us guessing like this, but it did surprise me for a US author to do so. If there is another book coming, I would be very happy to read it!

Book Review Counterpart by Hayley Stone
Review by Dawn Thomas

Publisher Random House Publishing Group - Hydra

Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Dystopian


This is the second book in the Machinations series. As the book opens, the machines are speaking to Rhona Long. They tell her Dr. Samuel Lewis is dead. That is a turning point for her but which Rhona is it? Is it the original Rhona or another clone?

Back at McKinley base, Rhona continues as the leader of the rebellion against the machines. Other nations are joining those at McKinley base, which has become overcrowded. The Russian’s and Chinese have not signed an alliance treaty yet. After the base falls under attack, the Council question Rhona’s leadership.

When a humanoid machine kills inside a lab, Rhona and Samuel hear a familiar voice. The machine is another version of Rhona and after being questioned, gives information about the remaining clones. The ending of the book is a cliffhanger and I cannot wait until the next book is released. If you like robot-themed and/or dystopian stories, you will like this series.

This is a good follow up to book one of this teen/young adult series, Machinations . It is set in the future when technology is trying to eliminate the human population. Of course the humans are mounting a fight but infighting between nations is hampering their efforts. Rhona and her team are trying to be peacekeepers but when is is killed it looks like all is lost until they clone her using her dna. A little more violent that I remember from book 1. Will keep up with this series.

Counterpart is the sequel to Machinations by author Hayley Stone. You can (and should), read my review of Machinations here as I layout the requirements for a classic YA story.

Counterpart continues the story of Rhona Long – the young commander in a battle against the machines. Rhona is still battling the perceptions of those around her because Rhona was killed during a skirmish and Rhona … the current Rhona … is a clone of the original (the original being the one who had been killed). She has slowly gained the trust of those around her, including her boyfriend Camus, and she begins to fortify their location (Alaska) to prevent an attack from the uprising machines and to hopefully build relations with other communities and countries to ultimately defeat the machines.

But when the machines get inside the fortified base and video shows that Rhona is the one responsible, she has to redouble her efforts to prove herself, gain the trust of those around her, and stop the machines.

While I wasn’t as excited by the YA aspects of the first book, the setting and characters really caught my interest and held my attention. In this book, the YA aspect lightens up a little (she doesn’t spend as much time mooning over the boy in this volume) the story of the machine uprising was no longer new and since most of the action here takes place underground in a ‘secure’ fortress, we don’t get a very good sense of the intelligence of the machines and the path of dominance that they are seeking. Instead this is a book full of Rhona on a “should-I-or-should’t-I” and “trust-me-it’s-not-me” sequences. And let’s face it … it’s hard to sustain such a limited focus.

There’s also no surprise in the video showing Rhona supporting the ‘wrong’ side. We already know who this Rhona is and the average reader can easily make the leap to guessing why there’s video of her on the other side. I was hoping there’d be some surprise to it that I wasn’t expecting, but was disappointed.

This was an easy read. Hayley Stone moves her fiction along smoothly but in this case, the story itself needed a little more depth to keep me interested.

Looking for a good book? Counterpart by Hayley Stone is a YA dystopian fantasy that offers no surprises to anyone who read the first novel, Machinations.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this sequel even more than its predecessor. The story is more developed, the pace is more consistent, and the romance between the two MCs feels more authentic now. The novel starts off with a good action sequence and ends with a great transitional scene that could potentially introduce an additional book. The reader gets a better look into many of the characters and a few new ones make an appearance. For readers who like post-apocalyptic Sci-fi novels, especially with witty one-liners quoted from Sci-fi films.

Net Galley Feedback

Counterpart is the second book in author Hayley Stone’s Machinations series and as sequels go, it’s pretty darn good. The machines are back and stronger than ever and it seems like they may have a new and terrifying ally.

This novel is just as fast and furious as the first and it kept my attention thoughout. The story is still reminiscent of the scifi movies of the ‘80s but, hey, I loved those movies and, despite its lack of originality, this is a fun read. It does end on a cliffhanger and I look forward to the next book in the series.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House – Hydra for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

This was an excellent continuation of the Machinations series. I can't wait to read what's next! Rhona's self sacrificing had me really frustrated at times, but it fit well with her character and the story. highly recommend this book!

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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.