EARC Review: Uninvited

Uninvited
Author: Sophie Jordan

Publication Date: January 28th 2014
~A copy was provided by HarperTeen via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review~

 

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

In the beginning Davy was a character who had her head in the clouds, she was happy with where she was, her friends, her boyfriend, her options, she was a prodigy after all. She's popular, and likable. She's kind of a fuzzy character though, neither here or there. She's nice but not too nice, she's pretty, but not too pretty, she's not mean, she's modest but knows her talents. She's also rich, and just so, she's a little judgemental. She doesn't know herself. But testing positive for the Killer gene changed that. At first, she's in denial that anything will change. and then it changes, slowly at first, and then all at once and there's no control. The girl who never thought or questioned anything, accepted things the way they were...she's gone.

And someone stronger emerges.

Uninvited is kind of reminiscent of The Darkest Minds, and though I did like The Darkest Minds, that one scene ruined it for me. Uninvited, however, is much more sinister as it has nothing to do with a disease produced abilities and more to do with power, fear and human nature.

You're labelled a killer before you've even discriminated yourself. Your names written, and waiting, you're nothing in a matter of minutes, before you can even scratch your name in a cell, you're labelled a killer.

By a test.

Homicidal Tendency Syndrome (HTS).

A simple DNA test that can foresee the fact that you have the Killer gene. The gene that causes you to kill.

It doesn't matter about your name, your race, your class, forget everything you ever thought you were, are, was going to be.

 

That's all gone.

You're just another statistic among all the others that tell you that one day, you will kill somebody.

Does that settle well with you? Hell no.

Despite you never harming anybody in your life but now you've tested positive it's like you already have, with no evidence to back that up. Does anybody care? Hell no.

 

The one thing the doesn't tell you is how, it'll predict you have  a kill gene, but nobody cares if it's an accident, provoked, self-defence, or euthanasia, you're not subjected into categories, you're as bad as one another.

The major thing that annoyed me about Uninvited, was just that. Though it has nothing to do with the book, but a view on judgement that everybody get's every day. Is murder ever okay? No. It's not, but that in itself isn't as simple as you think it should be. Taking a life is never okay, and people pay the price for that, but, the reasoning behind that decision makes you either the murderer or somebody that was forced to do something they'd regret, wrong place, wrong time . The discussions are endless, and it's something that everybody has an opinion on and something that will never be settled.

 

Is it the gene that potentially makes them a  murderer, or the way they're treated making them the killers? The government protecting the word from fear of this gene, potentially creating killers? By saying someone is going to killer, does that prediction make it come true? Does that prediction, planting it into the back of anyone's head until it pushes them over the edge, the situation they're put in- does that in itself tempt fate?

That in itself, is the reason Uninvited is unique, it doesn't simply do what you want, it's cruel, harsh, dark and all kinds of unfair. But, it also has some truly remarkable characters within the mirth, and practical character development with Davy, and you can't forget the realistic and electric romance. I honestly didn't expect to like Uninvited as much as I have, it's not a simple YA that takes you out of your own head for a while, it tests your boundaries and forces you to look inside your own head. It makes you feel something, it makes you think.

 

Uninvited poses some good questions about morals, rights, how we treat one another, and is murder ever alright? It's a suspenseful, tough and intense ride, but worth every minute of it.

 

 

Music Extra: Anberlin- Reclusion

 

 

Rating: 4.5/5