Review - The Uninvited by Sophie Jordan
Title: The Uninvited (Uninvited #1) Author: Sophie Jordan Teaser: “They say she’s a killer. One day she will be.”...
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Title: Into the DimAuthor: Janet TaylorGenre: YA Time Travel Historical FictionTeaser: "Only secrets from the past can save her future."Release Date: 2016 by HMH Books for Young ReadersBlurb:“Seventy-two hours, then we have to be back at the clearing. Sunrise on the third day.”
Being “the home-schooled girl” in a small town, Hope Walton’s crippling phobias and photographic memory don’t endear her to her dad's perfectly blond, very Southern family. When her mother is killed in a natural disaster thousands of miles from home, Hope’s secluded world implodes. After being shipped off to an aunt she's never met, Hope learns there's more to her mother's "death" than she ever dreamed. At her aunt's manor, high in the Scottish Highlands, Hope begins to unravel the shocking truth about her family. Her mom isn't just a brilliant academic. She’s a member of a secret society of time travelers, and is currently trapped in the twelfth century in the age of King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. To stage a rescue, the sheltered teen must join the Indiana Jones-wannabe team of time-jumpers, before her mother is lost for good. In a brutal, medieval world, Hope will discover more family secrets, and a mysterious boy who could be vital to setting her mother free…or the very key to Hope’s undoing.
Addictive and rich with historical detail, INTO THE DIM (Coming Spring 2016 from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) is an unlikely heroine's story of adventure, sacrifice, and first love, in a high stakes race against time itself.
First of all, gorgeous cover. Really, this would look so gorgeous on a shelf. The snow mixed with the coloring of the font and her cloak. Quite a perfect cover to draw people in. Second - Scottish Highlands, Secret Society, Indiana Jones type group, family secrets, and medieval world? What is NOT to love with this book. I am so excited to read this. When it comes out it will definitely be on my "OH MY GOSH I NEED THIS NOW" list. -
C'mon. Let's all be honest. Along with wanting an awesome plot and character development, most of us want a little steam as well. Each and every Saturday, I will admit this too by posting a "Witch-Kissed Wish-List" that will include the following:
- Five YA Fiction Books from any genre.
- Can be books that have already or have not come out yet, just as long as they are on my to-be-read pile.
- Will be five books that 'lure' me in with a promise of plot, character development, and of course... STEAM.
This Weeks List!
Title: Waterfall (River of Time #1)Author: Lisa T. BergrenGenre: YA Historical Time-Travel RomanceRelease Date: February 1st 2011 by David C. CookNumber of Pages: 369I am on a total historical fiction kick, which is ironic because I used to hate it. This one? A girl goes back in time to a period of knights and kings. And finds her 'knight' in shining armor. Being from different time periods... Big problem. But reading a romance with a strong, duty-bound, gentlemen sounds oh so good.
Title: Saga (Volume 4)Author: Brian K. Vaughan, Illustrator - Fiona StaplesGenre: Science: Fiction Fantasy Romance Graphic NovelRelease Date: December 17th 2014 by Image ComicsNumber of Pages: 144I've read the first three out and have this forth volume sitting on my bookshelf. It's so hot it is burning a whole through the shelf. The first three were amazing - the best graphic novels I have ever read. The romance in it is sweet, passionate, silly at times... If you have never tried a graphic novel, this series is 5/5 stars.
Title: Of Monsters and Madness (Book #1)Author: Jessica VerdayGenre: YA Gothic Horror RomanceRelease Date: September 9th 2014 by EgmontUSANumber of Pages: 277"A romantic, historical retelling of classic Gothic horror featuring Edgar Allan Poe and his character Annabel Lee..." SOLD.
Title: Dearly, Departed (Gone with Respiration #1)Author: Lia HabelGenre: YA Dystopian Steampunk Romantic HorrorRelease Date: October 18th 2011 by Del ReyNumber of Pages: 370 Set in the future in "New Victoria", where f ashion and li festyle is such as a long time ago, plus zombies. Wow. Tell me that doesn't sound awesome. Like putting together weird ingredients and finding out its AWESOME.
Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses Author: Sarah J. Maas Genre: YA Fantasy Romance Release Date: May 5th 2015 by Bloomsbury Children's
Number of Pages: 416
The blurb sells this as a hate-passion romance, which I particularly l ove to read. Then the description has both "seductive" and "sexy" in its paragraphs. Yeah. I'm sure this is good. Have any of you read these? Let us know what you thought of them! -
Title: The Uninvited (Uninvited #1)
Author: Sophie Jordan
Teaser: “They say she’s a killer. One day she will be.”
Genre: YA Sci-fi Dystopian Thriller
Number of pages: 384
Released: January 28th, 2014 by HarperTeen
Description:
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.
Positives:
-Events that happened in the last 100 pages really surprised me. Sophie Jordan took everything a step further, which a lot of YA authors shy away from. A lot of times YA is not true to the seriousness or violence that may occur.
-Love the premise. The scary thing is, I could see finding a ‘homicidal’ part of your brain actually possible. This book asks the question – Does the human race bond together or tear each other apart in times of trouble?
Negatives:
-The first 200 pages of the book were slightly hard for me to get through. I tend to shy away from YA fiction that –takes place- in a high school setting. The author would really have to pull off a character I connected to or have a surprising plot for me to enjoy such setting.
-The main character, Davy, was slightly irritating. Watching her have to get past her entitled self-image would have been a great character development, but she seems to never move past this. Her ‘skills’ advance a bit too fast towards the end of the book.
Overview:
When I first saw the premise of this book, my eyes went wide. Such a good idea. Something that could possibly happen as science improves. In that sense, it was a bit scary. Also, one of the things I look for in a book is an actual real, thought-provoking question that the author asks through her writing. Luckily, I did find it in this book, while others that don’t have it seem like fluff to me. I usually can’t finish them. For this book, as stated above, the question of what the human race is actually capable of in the face of our fear of each other’s differences is examined for the reader.
The plot itself went from ‘bleh-oh that’s sorta cool-bleh-bleh-sorta cool-unrealistic-Woot! Awesome!’. The daring move that the author takes towards the end of the book really saved it for me. It made me want to read the next in the series, just to see what happens to Davy. I cross my fingers hoping that she moves past her irritating self. Although I didn’t prefer the beginning, I could see others enjoying it. The reality of how teenagers judge and treat each other in high school is magnified. Sometimes I felt deja’ vu from experiences I had when I was younger.
Well, you already know how I felt about Davy. She was readable, but slightly annoying. She was so prideful about the ‘hottest guy in school’ picking her. And because of this, she seemed to think she ‘deserved more’. When this was taken away, she seemed to think ‘Oh, life isn’t always like this? I can’t get everything I want?’. As for Sean, I –loved- his character. He was the typical bad-ass protector type that was labeled as ‘scary’ by his peers. People stay away from him, and he seems to like it that way. I know I enjoy a character when I am eager to know more and more about them and I whine when the author only gives me tiny morsels at a time. The supporting characters seemed to fly by. They were there and then they weren’t. I would have liked more consistency there.
Overall, I didn’t hate the book. I still enjoyed it, but it just didn’t make me jump up and down happy or get pissed in a good way when I finished it. In a way, I wish the author would have taken the daring move that she did at the end of the book, and make the whole book more that way. Surprise. Make me go ‘oh shit, that just happened?’. So The Uninvited is okay. It’s worth a read, but not worth shoving it up on your list and fighting for a copy.
Rating:2.5 wands
Recommended to:
-Those who love the premise!
-Readers who are eager to see the question of humanities cruel judgement of each other exaggerated in an artistic way.
-Those who don’t mind high school settings.
-Readers who like bad boys.
Not Recommended to:
-Readers who hate entitled characters.
-Those who are sticklers for realism.
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