Mimic

Wow! This novel was a great sequel to the first book in the series! The plot thickens as Willow Kent develops her abilities, discovering ones that surpass expectations. Her powers are developing, with the help of her tiger. Willow can be a "brat", but what 16 year old who was uprooted from the only life she has ever know would be amicable to that? Willow develops her relationship with Commander Reece, both attracted to the other. However, Willow is engaged. Reece continues to protect Willow, even if it does not always appear so. Willow is keeping secrets though, and it has an impact on her, for she will be torn when various situations happen throughout the novel. The arrival of new Commander has an effect on Willow, for she senses something off about him. Willow knows her mother is up to something, but does not know all of what she intends to accomplish. Willow does not completely trust her parents, yet there are few people she can trust. With Mercer still attacking, anyone can be working for the enemy and anyone can betray. Who's side is everyone on and what is their end game? Looking forward to the next novel in the series!

I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Readers of fantasy will thoroughly enjoy this read.

This book has everything from political alliances and betrayal to complicated relationships.

The plot of the book is thrilling with great world building. I held onto my breath with each turn of the page.

I loved how the author went about developing the protagonist's abilities in a way that seemed far too realistic. For a while, I really believed in the fantasy world that C.L. Denault had built.

Most of all, I loved Willow's relationship with Commander Reece. He's selfless and protects her without asking a thing in return.

The book leaves you wondering what everyone's motivations are and who we can truly trust. I can't wait to be able to read the next installment of the series.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wonderful follow-up to 'Gambit.' Just as with the series opener, the complex and developed characters were the best part of this book; their motives, their secrets, their interactions. Author C.L. Denault’s characters kept me guessing right until the new cliff-hanger ending; not a bit was predictable. The plot moved forward at a comfortably steady pace, never a dull moment, and nothing felt rushed or forced.

‘Mimic’ is available now; a must-read for fans of well-written YA romance, adventure, or dystopia with developed characters and settings.

I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s. Read more reviews!

Willow is a teenage girl with a special gift. She is what is considered a prodigy in this new dystopian world. In book two of this series, Willow is living in the Core and expected to conform to what it is to be a prodigy. But Willow has a secret. She has skills that exceed normal prodigies. And Willow is the heiress to the greatest prodigy of them all. Will she be able to yield to the demands of her biological mother Morry? And will she ever be able to fit in the shoes of her impostor Morrigan? When you are sixteen and struggling with all of this, in addition to learning about your new skills, it’s a lot to manage.

Willow, Reece, Morry, Fenn, Gem and the others are each individual and special. Willow’s relationship with her biological mother Morry is tenuous. Not unusual for a teenage girl to struggle with her mother, but Morry is a piece of work. She has hired ice cold Commander Kristoffe to watch over Willow, and she seems to take pleasure in every misstep of Willow’s. Fenn, her biological father, wants to be her father in every way. Yet he is Morry’s companion and puts her wishes ahead of Willow’s. Commander Reece is the beautiful and steady officer that was in charge of Willow. Willow, has completely fallen for him, in addition to bargaining with Morry for his continued service to the House of Roanoke. And sweet Gem is Willow’s only real friend in this new world. As a servant, Gem can only do so much, but without her, Willow would be lost. Denault’s character development is brilliant and allows the reader to feel their emotions and substance.

I completely loved this story about Willow and life in dystopian England in the mid 21st century. Having not read book one, I was concerned I might be a bit lost, but Denault does a wonderful job of explaining and recapping what had happened previously. While I will most definitely go back and read book one now, you could read this as a standalone. But why would you want to? With such an amazing setting and characters, Mimic and The Prodigy Series fill every YA and dystopian fan’s dreams.

Very good writing with many twists and turns. The fight scenes in this book are beautifully depicted. Cannot wait to read more.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley & author.

I have to admit that I had not read Gambit when I requested Mimic, so I did have to go back and read Gambit before I could read this and give it a fair review. I was very hopeful i'd enjoy the series as science fiction / fantasy isn't my normal go to.. But what a surprise!

Willow is a 16 year old out with unique abilites. The author made her "abilities" and world seem SO realistic...

Everything was WELL WRITTEN! I would definitely read others by this author and like this book.

This book was amazing! It's been a long time since I started a new series or read a new author and was blown away. The characters were well developed and engaging. The storyline and world building were brilliantly well thought out and designed while describing nonexistent technology in a way the reader understood it and it never felt impossible (think "light swords" in those star movies) The clear division between the "have" and "have nots" is blatant and the author does a great job of showing the turmoil and guilt of the FMC at having to experience dual walks of life and finding beauty and pain in both. The FMC's torment of trying to decide between protecting her protector/love and saving an innocent man who trained, and cared for her as a child is heartbreaking. All the while her powers growing stronger and having someone hunt her at every turn. In a new world where nothing is as it seems and the rules of life she knows no longer exist or apply. She is being used and seen as a commodity by her biological mother and blackmailed to keep the secret of her abduction as a baby. The ending shocked and intrigued me. I am only hoping it won't be 4 years between books like the last two now that I have discovered this amazing series! C. L. Denault is an author worth praising. She has given me a fresh genre to sink my teeth into. I will be sharing this series in all my book clubc and online groups. Simply amazing!

After being accepted for an ARC I realized it was the second in a series, so I went back and bought book 1 and read it. I was hooked! There were so many twists and turns and the detail in each scene is wonderful and easy to imagine.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


I am so glad that I got to read Gambit and Mimic back to back.. Now if we could get the third installment like yesterday… That would be great.


This book is wayyy more intense than its prequel. Willow develops her abilities more and discovers ones that vastly surpass all expectations. SHE HAS A FREAKING TIGER GUYS. I love that this book doesn't shy away from Willow also being a typical teen. All teens have those emotional moments that make them seem like a know it all or a brat. Willow is absolutely no exception. I love the attraction between Willow and Reece.. Come on y'all.. We are all shipping that.

This book really just has everything from political alliances to complicated relationships. One of my favorite things about Denault’s writing is the realistic protagonist development. Everything just seems to naturally grow and flow. Denault has built this amazingly realistic world that I just want to immerse myself in and never leave. Mimic will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew. What motives to the people around you really have? Would you make the same choices? Who can you really trust? I found myself nervously excited at every page turn. Put C.L Denault on your list of authors to watch.. We got a gem here!

The premise of this series is something that I don’t always shoot for because I am not a huge science fiction fan however, I am a HUGE dystopian fan, so I tend to pick those all up. I chose not to judge these books by their genre until I actually read them. I did not read Gambit yet, so I had to go back and read Gambit before continuing—boy was I glad I did. It was like being dropped from the tallest freefall in the country… I LOVED IT. I could not put it down from chapter 1 until I was basically done with the book and had to put it down to start school. I finished Gambit up quickly and began to read Mimic which was the same exhilarating feeling BUT EVEN MORE. It was WORSE this time the freefalling feeling and I absolutely loved it (and I hate freefalls!).

Mimic has a striking cover which can pull many students in and even many adults who read YA without being too… YA if you know what I mean. The insides of this book were striking, in vivid detail, and kept you salivating for more. You can’t just finish one page with this thriller—you just keep going, just like potato chips. Of course, the main character is a bit of a ditz sometimes and you just want to yell but she’s lovable all the same and makes mistakes that you would make yourself in this time in the book.

The characters are semi-relatable—if you can realize it is science fiction and a dystopia, which makes students want to read more with it. Once they can’t connect—you’ve lost them. Here, this book allows for everyone to connect in a way that is simple but captivating. I would certainly purchase this book and suggest it to my students whenever they came in looking for a great science fiction.