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(Note:  Although this review will not contain spoilers for Prototype, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from its predecessor, Archetype.  As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

Having narrowly escaped the possessive clutches of Declan Burke—the man who claims to be her adoring husband—Emma is on the run.  Desperate to find the parents she never knew, she's spent the last year searching the globe for any sign of them, but to no avail.  While questioning a promising source in far-off Mexico, she receives shocking news.  Declan, whom she believed to be dead is, in fact, alive.  Not only that, but he wants her back.  And has promised to make the person who can produce his missing wife a very, very wealthy individual.  

With a target on her back, Emma has little choice but to go underground.  Although the Resistance leaders allow her to hide with them, no one—least of all Noah Tucker—can quite trust the clone who wears the face of their dead friend.  Emma doesn't want to intrude on the life Noah has made for himself with another woman, even if that woman is now helping him raise their daughter.  Still, she can't help feeling envious.  Still unsure of what she actually is, Emma can't help questioning what she wants and where she really belongs.  Should she reconcile herself to being Declan's dutiful wife or should she fight for what was Emma Wade's—even if she's not exactly Emma Wade?  As Declan's forces close in on her, Emma must chose her fate, once and for all.

After the thrill ride that was M.D. Waters' Archetype, I couldn't wait to delve into its sequel, Prototype.  I expected the same kind of taut, twisty plotline; intriguing world-building; and psychological suspense that kept me so riveted in the first book.  Did I find it in Prototype?  Not so much.  The plot suffers because of Emma's weak story goal, dissolving into a generic dystopian cat-and-mouse adventure with an irritating love triangle at its center.  There are a few psychological thrills thrown in to make Prototype interesting, but not quite enough to make it as enjoyable as Archetype.  All in all, I did find this one entertaining, just a little disappointing after the build-up of the first book.  

(Readalikes:  Archetype by M.D. Waters)

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