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3.0 

Phalaina

By Alice Brie`re-Haquet & Emma Ramadan
Phalaina by Alice Brie`re-Haquet & Emma Ramadan digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

We discover a new species of life form every day.
But, every day,
a species also disappears.

The fly has 10 chromosomes,
the hamster 22, the rat 42, the human 46,
the chimpanzee 48, the cow 60,
and the butterfly 380.


London, 1881.

There's something a little eerie about Manon – she's not like the other girls at the orphanage. Maybe it's her red eyes. Maybe it's her silence. Maybe it's the series of violent deaths that seem to follow her.

What we do know: someone is hot on her tail. And there's a lot of money at stake in finding out where exactly she comes from – and what exactly she is.

Concurrent to Manon's story are letters to Charles Darwin from Professor Humphrey, a scientist who has recently died under mysterious circumstances. Is it true that natural selection left humans at the top of the pyramid of life after all? Or in the process of evolution, was there something elemental that humans lost, something that connected us to the rest of life on earth? Who and what else is out there?

In order to stay alive, Manon must untangle the mystery of her origins, and perhaps the origins of humanity as well.

From French writer Alice Brière-Haquet and translated by PEN-award winning translator Emma Ramadan comes PHALAINA – the middle grade historical sci fi thriller you won't be able to put down.

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12 Reviews

3.0
“This book was an ARC I received from Levine Querido. A quick but excellent read. Great characters and storyline. A very sad bit about animal testing, including a great line, "This is the price we pay for the illusion of looking a bit younger in the mirror... But who still dares to look at their reflection?" Definitely recommend.”
Thumbs Up“The concept is super interesting, but the writing feels very disjointed.”

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