Review: Uninvited by Sophie Jordan

UNINVITED

Author: Sophie Jordan

Publication Date: 01/28/2014

Audience: YA

Genre: Science Fiction, Romance

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.

Summary from Goodreads

REVIEW

I have been anticipating reading Uninvited since before it came out, then when it did come out the ratings were so mixed that I just kept putting off actually reading it.  What was I thinking?!?!  This book was so suspenseful, fast paced, and had the perfect amount of government dysfunction I just couldn't put it down.

 

The book is set up based on a future where scientists have identified a gene that can lead to people being killers.  The whole thought of this was enough to keep my curiosity.  Seriously, if it was possible to label killers before they become killers, imagine the chaos and prejudice that would occur.  I think I would rather not know.  Davy happens to be one of the unlucky ones who has the killer gene.  While at first the news devastates her she eventually comes to the determination that she shouldn't let it define her.  I loved seeing Davy grow and become this strong person who, while having faults, did her best to keep things from changing her into the killer the government suspects her to be.  She wants to fight back and that I admire.

 

Another big selling point for me was the tense relationship between Sean and Davy.  Sean becomes Davy's knight in shining armor, even when she doesn't want him to be.  The whole need to keep each other at a distance really amped up the romantic tension between the two.

 

At first I was excited to start the second book, Unleashed, but I stopped to read the reviews and in this case I'm glad I did.  Apparently Jordan has added a second love interest in the second/final book of this duology. Which is dumb in itself, but I spoiled myself by reading spoilers and now know that I would NOT have been happy to have spent money on Unleashed for it to end the way it does.  So while the ending of Uninvited leaves some to the imagination, I'm going to let myself believe that the ending in my head is how the ending really went down. It's better that way.