Uninvited – Adventures in Reading

Book Title: Unleashed
Author: Sophie Jordan
Published Date: February 24th, 2015
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Series: Book 2 in Uninvited duology
Book Link: Goodreads
Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads
Unleashed, the romantic, high-stakes sequel to New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan’s Uninvited, is perfect for fans of James Patterson’s Confessions of a Murder Suspect.

Davy has spent the last few months trying to come to terms with the fact that she tested positive for the kill gene HTS (also known as Homicidal Tendency Syndrome). She swore she would not let it change her, and that her DNA did not define her . . . but then she killed a man.

Now on the run, Davy must decide whether she’ll be ruled by the kill gene or if she’ll follow her heart and fight for her right to live free. But with her own potential for violence lying right beneath the surface, Davy doesn’t even know if she can trust herself.

Disclaimer: I borrowed this book from a fellow blogger.

Review
I really loved the first book in this duology, Uninvited. It was unique and captivating and I enjoyed all of the characters. So I was excited to see where book 2 would go.

I don’t think I’ve ever been more disappointed in the end of a series. Even Allegiant by Veronica Roth didn’t bug me this badly. It felt like I was starting a whole new series or even like it was a trilogy and I had skipped book 2.

I liked Davy and Sean a lot, so when we pick up the book and they are already emotionally distant from each other, I was confused. I wondered what the heck was going on. It was weird. Like I said, it felt like a whole different series.

I liked seeing Sabine and Gil again and that was one of the reasons, I was annoyed when I kept reading and they were barely in the rest of the book. It was infuriating. I really wanted more of them and it was annoying realizing that it was probably not going to happen. These people were there for her when she was feeling so much like an outcast. They were supposed to be her “family” and yet, she ditched them.

The majority of the book was all about her falling in love with Caden. Snooze-fast. That was a major case of insta-love and I never really warmed up to Caden. She pretty much forgot about Sean, Gil and Sabine because of Caden. God, I hate that story arc. I also hate what that says to young girls. It basically says that they should forget all about their friends because a hot, mysterious boy showed them attention.

I hated the ending of the book. I was hoping for something different, a better resolution. Something that would change me from feeling indifferent to feeling excited and happy about the book. But that didn’t happen. I was hoping for some kind of reunion with her whole family. This series duology was near perfect with only one book. It should have stayed a standalone. I am giving it 2 stars. It was really disappointing to me and I had to force myself to keep reading it.

Book Title: Uninvited (Uninvited #1)

Author: Sophie Jordan

Release Date: January 28th, 2014

Publisher: HarperTeen

Genre: YA/SciFi

Series: Book one in Uninvited duology

Book Link: Goodreads

Pre-Order Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

The Scarlet Letter meets Minority Report in bestselling author Sophie Jordan’s chilling new novel about a teenage girl who is ostracized when her genetic test proves she’s destined to become a murderer.

When Davy Hamilton’s tests come back positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome (HTS)-aka the kill gene-she loses everything. Her boyfriend ditches her, her parents are scared of her, and she can forget about her bright future at Juilliard. Davy doesn’t feel any different, but genes don’t lie. One day she will kill someone.

Only Sean, a fellow HTS carrier, can relate to her new life. Davy wants to trust him; maybe he’s not as dangerous as he seems. Or maybe Davy is just as deadly.

The first in a two-book series, Uninvited tackles intriguing questions about free will, identity, and human nature. Steeped in New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan’s trademark mix of gripping action and breathless romance, this suspenseful tale is perfect for fans of James Patterson, Michelle Hodkin, and Lisa McMann.

Disclaimer: I received this e-ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review:

Oh man, I really, REALLY liked this one. I had never read any of Sophie Jordan’s work before but when I was auto-approved awhile back for all of HarperTeen’s titles, I snatched this one up in a hurry.I was so hoping that I wouldn’t be disappointed. And I wasn’t. I was fully thrust into this world where it is so very much like it was prior to the end of segregation of African Americans and Caucasians.

Davina “Davy” Hamilton has a bright future but all of that comes to a crushing, heartbreaking end when she is found to be carrying the HTS gene. Suddenly, all her friends abandon her, her boyfriend ditches her and her parents seem afraid of her. She is now sent to a different school where the carriers are separated from the other students, the normal ones who don’t carry this gene.

Davy’s lost everything and I could feel the grief through the pages of the book.Suddenly she’s friendless and terrified.She’s thrust into a room at her new school that’s dubbed The Cage. It’s here where she meets both allies and adversaries.I really liked Coco from what little we saw of her and I was really wishing she was more of a presence in this book.

Now to the guys who were very mysterious initially, although they couldn’t have been any different. Gil was more outgoing and friendly. Sean was quiet and not all that friendly. He definitely wasn’t mean to Davy, but he definitely had an edge to him.Maybe it was the HTS thing or maybe it was his home situation, but I think it was a combination of both.

As quickly as her former friends turned against her, I never would have believed that her ex boyfriend and her ex best friend along with other kids would have turned her in for a seemingly minor crime. But they did and I was heartbroken for Davy.It wasn’t right and it made Davy feel even more hopeless.

When she’s given an unexpected opportunity, she takes it instantly. What she doesn’t know is that by taking this offer, she’s putting herself in even more danger.Soon she meets other kids like her, who have the HTS gene. She meets more adversaries and one more ally, all the while trying to ignore her growing feelings for Sean.

Watching that relationship slowly develop was awesome. It wasn’t a case of insta-love, thank goodness. Sean worked his butt off to protect Davy throughout this book. They were friends long before they became anything else.Their romance added a bright light in a very bleak world.

Oh my goodness, I almost forgot to mention the FEELS. Ohhhh boy there were a lot of feels for me in this book. Not just one or two feels either. A whole range of feels. From sadness, to happiness to glee and many other feels.Books that give me these kinds of feels are always going to be some of my favorites.

I really did enjoy this book a lot. There are only a few things I didn’t like so much. I wish we had learned how the HTS gene was discovered and a little backstory on that. I also didn’t like Davy’s parents that much. I know they were scared but I didn’t particularly love the way they treated Davy. It wasn’t like she asked for this gene. Her brother was awesome though. He seems bound and determined not to see Davy as a threat to his safety. He treats her normally unlike her parents and her former friends.

So this book will be getting four stars from me and I cannot wait to read the final book in the duology. I have a feeling that it will be amazing.So go read it if you like action, romance and above all, books that make you feel.