For this week's Friday Reads I have a book that Octavia from Read Sleep Repeat recommended so highly that I preordered it as soon as I read her review for it and after reading some other very positive reviews, I was sure I was gonna love it.
After some debate about whether or not it is a dystopian, I think it is dystopian enough to be added to my 2014 Dystopian Reading Challenge.
Uninvited by Sophie Jordan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
When I first found out about this book I knew it had all the markings of a book I'd like and despite being called "a mix between The Scarlet Letter and Minority Report" it made me think more of Gattaca because of the way your genes determine your life. But it was after reading some truly amazing review and having a blogging friend that I had to preorder it that I did just that. And boy, am I glad that I did!
This is my first Sophie Jordan book and I'm quite sure it won't be the last, since I will be preordering the sequel of Uninvited as soon as it is available!
Uninvited is a story that it's extremely scary on how plausible and real it seems. I was alternatively angry and heartbroken for Davy and all of those treated like criminals without more reason than a gene that can be correlated to being a violent criminal.
Davy was always a golden girl, full of talent and that had a wonderful sheltered life till her life is turned completely upside down when her test for the HTS gene comes back positive. She gets "Uninvited" from her exclusive school and her future no longer exists as it once did. She gets treated like a criminal already and no longer seem to have allowed any rights, it's like she stopped being human all of sudden. It reminded me a bit of how the Nazi started the segregation and degradation of the Jews, making them less than human.
Fear is a powerful tool for those looking to grab power and if you pair with the fact that human beings when scared resort very easily into herd mentality and "us" versus "them" overly simplifying and taking any route that we're told is safe and will solve the issue... Uninvited is a fantastic book per se, with a great story, very good characters, action and twists, but what it excells at is providing food for thought.
Davy is character that has to change so much during this book, she has a lot of growing up to do, and she has to discover she really is, not what she is told she is. She needs to toughen up, she needs to be stronger and she needs to learn to trust her instincts and not let others dictate her choices, even if she's pushed and beaten both physically and mentally all the time. She has friends and she has help, she has Sean, but she still needs to learn to stand on her own two feet and despite how Sean helps her, he still isn't the safe or easy choice either.
The romance was developed slowly, with learning to trust each other and finding someone that gets to understand the position you're in, even if that means being a liability to each other.
The books ends with the story unfinished but at the right spot for an impass for our characters to find a way to move forward. I was very happy that this one didn't have a cliffhanger!
4.5 to 5 stars for this one. Great book to read and even better to make you think!
View all my reviews
After some debate about whether or not it is a dystopian, I think it is dystopian enough to be added to my 2014 Dystopian Reading Challenge.
Uninvited by Sophie JordanMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
When I first found out about this book I knew it had all the markings of a book I'd like and despite being called "a mix between The Scarlet Letter and Minority Report" it made me think more of Gattaca because of the way your genes determine your life. But it was after reading some truly amazing review and having a blogging friend that I had to preorder it that I did just that. And boy, am I glad that I did!
This is my first Sophie Jordan book and I'm quite sure it won't be the last, since I will be preordering the sequel of Uninvited as soon as it is available!
Uninvited is a story that it's extremely scary on how plausible and real it seems. I was alternatively angry and heartbroken for Davy and all of those treated like criminals without more reason than a gene that can be correlated to being a violent criminal.
Davy was always a golden girl, full of talent and that had a wonderful sheltered life till her life is turned completely upside down when her test for the HTS gene comes back positive. She gets "Uninvited" from her exclusive school and her future no longer exists as it once did. She gets treated like a criminal already and no longer seem to have allowed any rights, it's like she stopped being human all of sudden. It reminded me a bit of how the Nazi started the segregation and degradation of the Jews, making them less than human.
Fear is a powerful tool for those looking to grab power and if you pair with the fact that human beings when scared resort very easily into herd mentality and "us" versus "them" overly simplifying and taking any route that we're told is safe and will solve the issue... Uninvited is a fantastic book per se, with a great story, very good characters, action and twists, but what it excells at is providing food for thought.
Davy is character that has to change so much during this book, she has a lot of growing up to do, and she has to discover she really is, not what she is told she is. She needs to toughen up, she needs to be stronger and she needs to learn to trust her instincts and not let others dictate her choices, even if she's pushed and beaten both physically and mentally all the time. She has friends and she has help, she has Sean, but she still needs to learn to stand on her own two feet and despite how Sean helps her, he still isn't the safe or easy choice either.
The romance was developed slowly, with learning to trust each other and finding someone that gets to understand the position you're in, even if that means being a liability to each other.
The books ends with the story unfinished but at the right spot for an impass for our characters to find a way to move forward. I was very happy that this one didn't have a cliffhanger!
4.5 to 5 stars for this one. Great book to read and even better to make you think!
View all my reviews
You go through books like crazy! I have decided to read as many books as possible, trading in much of my online time for time spent curled up on the couch with a book. I have access to so many at my job, and you will definitely be an inspiration if I start to slack. Keep it up, bookworm!
ReplyDeleteYAY for reading more, Holly! I envy you so much, working on a library with so many books at your hands! You're more than welcome to check the blog for suggestions of new books!
DeleteYay this one really surprised me in how much I enjoyed it! I found it very plausible too which always makes the scariest dystopians, no? I also loved that we got to see the development of the society into a real full-on dystopian world. Most books in this genre the society has already been inside this dystopia for a while so it was a nice chance. I also liked Davy but YES she does need to learn to fight her own battles and stand on her own 2 feet! I do hope she grows a lot in the books to come. I was also like GAH at the ending with the unfinished everything but it does give a good foreshadowing of the sequel so I hope it's as exciting and awesome as I expect it to be! :)
ReplyDeleteAgreed, Giselle! A dystopian that is only starting to develop is quite a new thing! I really am looking forward to book 2 and I hope we'll both enjoy it!
DeleteI liked this book a lot, but I had a hard time with Davy most of the time. She was too self-centered and… weak minded? I don’t know if that’s the right word. I really hated when then keep thinking she has to protect from carriers when she was one of them, like she was better than them.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I like the writing and the world building, I cannot wait to read the next one and I really hope I like it more that this one, to give it the full 5 stars.
Davy's journey was a very difficult one, to go from privileged and prejudiced to be the one judged...
DeleteI really hope you'll like the second book more, Lis!
Amazing review sweetie. <3 I'm glad you enjoyed this so much :D And that you liked the romance. And no cliffhanger! That is good :) I have yet to try reading it again, as I didn't like the first two pages.. but hoping to try again soon :) Thank you for sharing <3
ReplyDeleteDo give it a try, Carina. The first two pages are a bit confusing compared to what the rest of the book is, but necessary to understand where it's coming from.
DeleteThis one sounds great, I've heard so much abuot the amazing world build building and how believable it is! Davy's character development sounds great during the book. I'm glad it's not an insta love too. Lovely review Pili, I'll have to read this one soon!
ReplyDeleteJeann @ Happy Indulgence
Thanks Jeann! I do hope you'll love it when you read it!
DeleteTotally agreed, Aman! Cannot wait for book 2!
ReplyDeleteOOo, I really enjoyed this one as well! I'm so glad to see such a high rating from you, Pili, for this book. I didn't think I would like it that much, because I hated Jordan's Firelight series, but I really liked this book! And I love that it's part of a duo series, and not a trilogy. YAY! Can't wait to read book two! :D
ReplyDeleteAwesome review, Pili!
Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!