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Uninvited
Written by Sophie Jordan
Narrated by Rebecca Gibel
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You can't change your DNA . . . even when it says you're a murderer.
When Davy tests positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome, aka "the kill gene," she loses everything. Once the perfect high school senior, she is uninvited from her prep school and abandoned by her friends and boyfriend. Even her parents are now afraid of her-although she's never hurt a fly. Davy doesn't feel any different, but genes don't lie. One day she will kill someone.
Without any say in the matter, Davy is thrown into a special class for HTS carriers. She has no doubt the predictions are right about them, especially Sean, who already bears the "H" tattoo as proof of his violence. Yet when the world turns on the carriers, Sean is the only one she can trust. Maybe he's not as dangerous as he seems.
Or maybe Davy is just as deadly.
Book Actions
Start ListeningBook Information
Uninvited
Written by Sophie Jordan
Narrated by Rebecca Gibel
Description
You can't change your DNA . . . even when it says you're a murderer.
When Davy tests positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome, aka "the kill gene," she loses everything. Once the perfect high school senior, she is uninvited from her prep school and abandoned by her friends and boyfriend. Even her parents are now afraid of her-although she's never hurt a fly. Davy doesn't feel any different, but genes don't lie. One day she will kill someone.
Without any say in the matter, Davy is thrown into a special class for HTS carriers. She has no doubt the predictions are right about them, especially Sean, who already bears the "H" tattoo as proof of his violence. Yet when the world turns on the carriers, Sean is the only one she can trust. Maybe he's not as dangerous as he seems.
Or maybe Davy is just as deadly.
About the author
SJ![]()
Reviews
I can't give this book much of a review without spoilers, so I'll just say it is missing an element that her YA books possess. The story dragged a bit in the middle, and it wasn't as spooky as the synopsis leads you to believe, but there are a couple of surprises you won't expect.
Ivy is living in Illinois during a 1918 influenza outbreak. By day she ferries the sick in an ambulance and by night she carries on an affair with a young German man who is despised by the community for his ties to the war that took the lives of so many of the towns sons. Besides her awesome ambulance driving talent, Ivy also has the ability to see the dead and when she does it means that the veil between the living and the dead is breaking down. With so many people being felled by the flu it is no wonder that the list of "uninvited" is growing.This is my first Cat Winter's novel and I just loved it. The writing is so beautiful and it reads just like a fevered flu dream. You are never sure what is real and what is imagination. I loved the scenes between Ivy and her German beau Daniel. That twist at the end! To be honest I have seen it before more than once but it was perfect and I didn't see it coming. This book is another fitting choice for October. I will definitely be on the lookout for this author's other books.
Not what I was expecting but I enjoyed it nonetheless. A creepy, gothic, Sixth Sense, WWI type of novel. There was a lot going on really. Ivy, along with all the other women in her family, have the ability to see ghosts. They appear right before a loved one dies and unfortunately for Ivy, she's been seeing a lot of them lately. After her father and brother brutally murder a German merchant for being a "hate mongering kraut," Ivy decides to flee the house and try living on her own. She sheds her cocoon and begins to fly into new, unchartered territory. She is a deeply empathetic person and finds herself helping drive the red cross ambulance across town to pick up influenza patients who seem to be multiplying very night. The historical aspect is intriguing and haunting and the added dimension of ghosts only add to the story and build up to the shocking conclusion. A great, quick read.
A book of War, the Spanish Influenza, Family, Guilt, Jazz Music and Ghostly Apparitions. Ivy has the gift/curse of seeing ghosts: The presence of these Uninvited guests always heralds the death of someone else in her life. When Ivy recovers from the Spanish Flu in 1918, she sees the spirit of her Grandmother and learns shorty thereafter that her brother, Billy, was killed in the war. Then, to her horror, she learns that her father and brother have killed a German shop owner in town in retaliation. Unable to bear living in the same house with them, she packs her bags and heads into town. There, she learns that the pandemic has wreaked havoc and the norms of society are breaking down. People are living in the moment, because there may be no tomorrow. The apparitions begin to appear more frequently and Ivy is not sure who she will lose next. I loved how Jazz played such an important part of this book and the ending absolutely made the book for me. I guessed some of it, but not all.
I was at first a bit disappointed in the book, the balance of supernatural elements and historical fiction story telling seemed off balance to me. Yet, once things really got rolling, my eyes were opened to how the author was incorporating those creepy elements. Now I’m in awe.The supernatural in this work is very subtle, almost ethereal and mystical. With only occasional mentions as the book opens, understated clues and foreshadowing opens a window into an amazing world of ghosts and the supernatural that leaves the reader breathless. I loved how the supernatural ties into the historical side as well. Acting as a reflection for how people are dealing with all the trauma of the era (wartime, disease, sudden death), the reader finds themselves wanting to learn more and more.The historical side of this is as amazingly done as the ghosts. Portraying an American society on the brink, filled with despair, suffering, and violence, the author makes it come to life in both her characters and her setting. Seeing the lengths that tragedy will make a person go in both violence and benevolence are both explored to great effect. All the darkness and pain being surrounded by death and illness would cause make an appearance with such immediacy that I got a visceral reaction to it. I felt every tear and moan of pain.At first I didn’t like Ivy that much. I felt that she was a weak character to tell the story through, and I just couldn’t respect her much. Yet, as the story got rolling and I realized her circumstances, I liked her more and more. She’s a woman who is dealing with the trauma and tragedy surrounding her to the best of her ability, trying to help others and provide comfort where she can. I grew to like her sweet and caring side more and more as the story progressed.Daniel I liked from the start. A character visited by tragedy early on, he’s understandably angry and finds it hard to forgive. He takes restitution where he can and in so doing starts to find forgiveness and peace I liked seeing how his character changed and developed as the story progressed; by the end, his anger is outbalanced by clemency. His primary motivators are no longer those negative emotions but rather love and protectiveness.Again, I am surprised and impressed by this author. I enjoyed her other book, In the Shadow of Blackbirds, for its intriguing exploration of lesser known historical aspects and the supernatural. This one pleases on the same fronts. Delicate use of the supernatural elements and a riveting historical fiction story kept me spellbound. Ivy and Daniel grew on me the longer I read about them. To me, this is another example of how excellent an author Ms. Winters is. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a bit of supernatural to their historical fiction.
The Uninvited starts off with a bang when twenty-five year old Ivy Rowan, who has always seen ghosts when someone close to her is about to die, finally gives up her reclusive life on her family's farm and moves into the town of Buchanan. On that night in 1918 as World War I rages, fueled by booze, paranoia, and grief Ivy's father and younger brother beat a German furniture store owner to death. Finally realizing that there's nothing she can do to protect her family from her volatile father, Ivy determines finally to leave home to start a new life. In a chain of events that is nothing if not surreal, newly liberated Ivy takes a room with the war widow of the most popular guy in her high school class, assists two young women desperately if inexpertly driving an ambulance around the poorer side of town where influenza victims are dying by the dozen, and is lured by jazz music to a dance at the Masonic Lodge - a dance that seems to know no race or prejudice. In the meantime, she is riddled with guilt over her father and brother's dreadful deed and comes to know and love the surviving brother of the man they killed. As Ivy drifts through her new life with a sleepless fanaticism, making new friends, connecting with old ones, and trying her best to atone for her family's failings, she begins to see the ghosts of the people she knows to be dead and fears the worst for her mother and her newfound lover. It's not long until Ivy's journey of self-discovery takes an unexpected turn, and everything she knows about herself and her new life is called into question.It took a little while for me to settle into the reading of The Uninvited. Being dropped into a life on the cusp of change and one that is changing so radically is hard to catch up with. Ivy's new life is rendered in such a way that it seems almost dreamlike, with chance encounters and forbidden loves that spin her in a radically different direction than what she has ever known. With an odd combination of jazz music, World War I generated paranoia, and the plague of influenza, Winters makes a vivid setting of downtown Buchanan. The fear and frenzy there is palpable and contributes to the unsettled feeling of the narrative.Ivy herself is lovable character, a young woman who waited too long to discover herself. I was both amazed and appalled by the journey her guilt led her on. Winters does a perfect job of rendering Ivy's new life in a way that is satisfying but feels, deliberately, just the slightest bit off so that when the unexpected occurs, all the pieces are ready to fall into place. I'll be honest, I was expecting more ghosts and less coming of age, but I still liked what this book delivered, which is a great historical coming of age story with a twist that makes it hard to put down. In The Uninvited, Cat Winters has written a ghost story that is less about death and more about learning to live.
This is my first Cat Winters book and it won't be my last. I will admit that through out most of the book I kept wondering what is this book really about. I thought it was supposed to be a ghost story but I kept with it because of Cat's beautiful descriptive writing and plot lines and subject matter is so relevant to our times right now it just kept speaking to me. It isn't until the last several chapters that it all becomes clear and My jaw actually fell open. Great twist and a beautiful ending.
The females of the Rowan family have a secret; they can see the ghosts of loved ones who have passed. These uninvited guests however, are carrying an omen of a death soon to come. Ivy Rowan is 25 and has not lived much of life outside of her family farm. The Great War and the Spanish Influenza have taken their toll on her and her family. Ivy awakes after suffering the flu to learn that her father and brother have taken out their revenge on the last German business owner in town and have brutally murdered Mr. Schendel of Liberty Brothers Furniture. Unable to live with her father and brother’s deed, Ivy strikes out on her own and decides to pay penitence to the other Schendel brother in any way she can. With Daniel Schendel, Ivy comes into her own, ignites her love of jazz and finds things that were missing in her life. However, when she begins to see her uninvited guests everywhere she turns, Ivy begins to fear life once again. This was a very surprising book that was ultimately about a woman figuring out how to live life to the fullest in the most unexpected of ways. At first the blend of the time period with the element of the paranormal really intrigued me. Although, when I was reading, it was Ivy’s character that kept me wrapped up in the pages. Ivy surprised me with many of her actions, constantly showing parts of herself that made me respect her more and more. From her ever growing confidence to her ability to drive a model-T and her relationship with Daniel, Ivy is a woman full of heart that I could easily relate to. The other part of the book that drew me in was the setting, during the Great War in a small town suffering with Influenza. Terror and panic rule the streets, many people forget that the German immigrants were ostracized and blamed during this time period, the fear and misunderstanding was apparent in the streets of Buchanan, Illinois that probably mirrored many other small towns at the time. The paranormal aspect of the book seemed like just a side note at first, but grows steadily with time and offers a surprising twist near the end. When the twist was first offered, I felt a little crushed for Ivy, but with Ivy’s true nature shining through she carries on and continues to make the best of it. Overall, an engaging and unexpected book with wonderful characters, and a great blend of historical fiction and paranormal. This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
The blurb promises this is part gothic ghost-story, party psychological thriller... and I agree with that, but must say the ghostly stuff doesn't become clear or show up until very late in the story. I do give this a full star just for a surprise ending. It shocked me. I didn't see it coming.But until that point, it was a bit dull. It just follows this confused young woman as she goes about town, from her "boarding house" to her lover's to an ambulance she's coerced intro driving for two Red Cross girls.The main theme is hatred and prejudice toward Germans in America during WWI and the flu that took many lives.It's first person, past tense and I found this narrative suited the story, but to be honest, I'd have preferred a tale told from May's perspective. Widowed wife receiving amorous visits from her dead husband every night at 3 a.m.? There's potential there! And I think I feel this way because this was a very confused heroine--understandable, but made a confusing and dull read for me at times. I also wish some things about the ghosts were better explained. If you don't grow facial hair, I presume you don't go to the bathroom either and at some point in a week's time, you'll realize you're drinking all this booze and not peeing and that's sure to raise some red flags. So the intricacies weren't explained.
Took no time at all to finish this book. It was set during WW1 and involved a town in Illinois dealing with the loss of boys in war, the spanish influenza epidemic and the fear of anyone foreign, especially Germans.Ivy is a quiet, introverted 25 year old who keeps to herself until she finds out her dad and brother have killed a young German man in anger. After running away to town, she discovers a new world of jazz and friends and a German who she in drawn to beyond her control.This book was a fast read, but it was interesting and the twist on the end was well worth it.I received this book as part of the Librarything Early Reviewers.
The premise of this book intrigued me. It focuses on the age old debate of nature versus nurture, specifically in regards to crime. Uninvited is a fast paced read, with something happening almost every time you turn the page, yet at the same time, I felt it was lacking. It is set in the near future in America, where the government can genetically test citizens to see if they have a recessive dream labeled HTS (homicidal tendency syndrome). If you are a carrier, you are labeled, cast out, and eventually detained. This is what happens to our MC, Davy.
The parts detailing HTS, the carriers and the like were fascinating, but there were so many more things I wanted to know about them and even Davy herself. I feel like this gets pushed aside in order to focus on the romance between her and a fellow carrier, Sean, which really seems more like he is her protector while she is a weak little girl than an actual relationship. Sadly, I just didn't feel a connection with the characters; however, the originality of the plot (at least the parts pertaining to HTS) make me excited to see if book 2 will hold more answers.
The parts detailing HTS, the carriers and the like were fascinating, but there were so many more things I wanted to know about them and even Davy herself. I feel like this gets pushed aside in order to focus on the romance between her and a fellow carrier, Sean, which really seems more like he is her protector while she is a weak little girl than an actual relationship. Sadly, I just didn't feel a connection with the characters; however, the originality of the plot (at least the parts pertaining to HTS) make me excited to see if book 2 will hold more answers.
When is enough,enough? It seems like every writer these days uses rape, near rape, teacher abuse, or some combination of the former as some kind of plot device. I get that this is a story set in a 'dark' setting but after listening to the cage scene with the students threatening sexual and physical violence and the teacher as well- I got sick of fearing the next words from the reader was going to be a rape scene. Rebecca Gibel did an excellent job of reading, but between the constant threat of sexual assault and a main character that was starting to border on annoying with her constant 'those people' not me attitude I had to stop listening. So warning to those that prefer their YA without the threat of sexual assault looming every other minute- this is likely not for you. Chapter 7 and I'm 100% done-not for me.
Meh, another teen dystopian book. Pros: fast read, somewhat kept me interested, concept of the killer gene was interesting. Cons: same old, same old teen dystopian with a so-so female lead and a so-so love interest.Nothing too exciting, but okay.
If you are a fan of Branded, Divergent, The Darkest Minds, or any similar book then you will love Uninvited. After Davy finds out she is a carrier, her whole life is flipped upside down. I love how she transforms through the book from the sheltered rich girl to the girl who refuses to be anyone's target.
The book isn't your normal YA dystopian novel which I appreciate. There isn't a love triangle (well, not really) which I know a lot of people will like. Sean is a hottie (I picture Liam Hemsworth) and a bad boy but good in all the right ways. Gil is probably my favorite character besides the two main. I love his loyalty like a little brother or loyal pup.
I'm really looking forward to the sequel!
UPDATE:
After getting a night's sleep and thinking more about this book, I am changing my rating from 5/5 to 4/5 stars. The reason being is there are a lot of unanswered questions and gaps in the story that I found myself still being frustrated with after finishing. Ideally, these questions and situations will be explained in the sequeal. SPOILERS BELOW!!
For example, does Sean know that Davy is the reason he made it to Mt. Haven? What did Sean do to get his tattoo? What did Sean say to Mr. Brockman that intimated him so badly, and why didn't he do the same for Coco? Why was Mitchell's letter destroyed when received at Mt. Haven? Why did Tori turn into such a B after she found out about Davy (at least Zac was still semi decent even though he was still a douche)? Why did Davy bring Sabine at the last second when they were already risking so much? Obviously Sean and Davy's relationship developed pretty quickly at the end, but why weren't there more details???
Like I said, I really hope a lot of these things are explained in the second book (come on February!!!), but until then I am dropping my rating by a star because the more I thought about it, the more frustrated I became.
The book isn't your normal YA dystopian novel which I appreciate. There isn't a love triangle (well, not really) which I know a lot of people will like. Sean is a hottie (I picture Liam Hemsworth) and a bad boy but good in all the right ways. Gil is probably my favorite character besides the two main. I love his loyalty like a little brother or loyal pup.
I'm really looking forward to the sequel!
UPDATE:
After getting a night's sleep and thinking more about this book, I am changing my rating from 5/5 to 4/5 stars. The reason being is there are a lot of unanswered questions and gaps in the story that I found myself still being frustrated with after finishing. Ideally, these questions and situations will be explained in the sequeal. SPOILERS BELOW!!
For example, does Sean know that Davy is the reason he made it to Mt. Haven? What did Sean do to get his tattoo? What did Sean say to Mr. Brockman that intimated him so badly, and why didn't he do the same for Coco? Why was Mitchell's letter destroyed when received at Mt. Haven? Why did Tori turn into such a B after she found out about Davy (at least Zac was still semi decent even though he was still a douche)? Why did Davy bring Sabine at the last second when they were already risking so much? Obviously Sean and Davy's relationship developed pretty quickly at the end, but why weren't there more details???
Like I said, I really hope a lot of these things are explained in the second book (come on February!!!), but until then I am dropping my rating by a star because the more I thought about it, the more frustrated I became.
3.5 Stars
Uninvited was an interesting concept, and not fully dystopian read, but more the verge beginning of a dystopian. I listened to the audiobook for the first 40% of the book, and was totally drawn in. I did feel that the twists and turns were a bit predictable, but can't really say that it took away from the book for me. The whole concept of the kill gene, and what scientists were trying to do, was thought-provoking.
I wouldn't say that this book was as action-packed as the blurb describes, but it's interesting. I think the next book will offer a little more excitement. The romantic aspect of the book was a bit annoying in the beginning, but slowly eased into a steamy/swoony relationship. Also, I would have liked less of the beginning and more, more, more of the ending (in an effort to avoid spoiling, I will not say what specifically, but the second half of the book was more exciting and that's what I liked).
Overall, it was a good read and I look forward to more from Sophie Jordan!
Uninvited was an interesting concept, and not fully dystopian read, but more the verge beginning of a dystopian. I listened to the audiobook for the first 40% of the book, and was totally drawn in. I did feel that the twists and turns were a bit predictable, but can't really say that it took away from the book for me. The whole concept of the kill gene, and what scientists were trying to do, was thought-provoking.
I wouldn't say that this book was as action-packed as the blurb describes, but it's interesting. I think the next book will offer a little more excitement. The romantic aspect of the book was a bit annoying in the beginning, but slowly eased into a steamy/swoony relationship. Also, I would have liked less of the beginning and more, more, more of the ending (in an effort to avoid spoiling, I will not say what specifically, but the second half of the book was more exciting and that's what I liked).
Overall, it was a good read and I look forward to more from Sophie Jordan!
Cast of Breakfast Club sociopaths does minority report boot camp
I thought that the main character was too self-absorbed with very little character growth. The plot was formulaic and predictable. What it has going for it is a great premise. The author also does a good job creating suspense in certain scenes. I wish the protagonist hadn't been rescued so many times and so conveniently by her love interest. The good news is that the premise isn't at all ruined by the first book. There is still ample opportunity to do some formula-killing, genre-smashing, and rule-breaking character growth and plotting in the sequels. This one was ok. I think teenagers will like this better in general than adults who like YA fiction. Genres are nearly dead anyway. I want to see this author break out and take some risks. I liked it well enough to give her other books a try but I won't recommend this one until I see what she does with the rest of the series.
I thought that the main character was too self-absorbed with very little character growth. The plot was formulaic and predictable. What it has going for it is a great premise. The author also does a good job creating suspense in certain scenes. I wish the protagonist hadn't been rescued so many times and so conveniently by her love interest. The good news is that the premise isn't at all ruined by the first book. There is still ample opportunity to do some formula-killing, genre-smashing, and rule-breaking character growth and plotting in the sequels. This one was ok. I think teenagers will like this better in general than adults who like YA fiction. Genres are nearly dead anyway. I want to see this author break out and take some risks. I liked it well enough to give her other books a try but I won't recommend this one until I see what she does with the rest of the series.
This book really makes you think about what role genetics play in your life. Are you really going to always be what is in your genes or does your environment play a bigger role in deciding who you will become?
UNINVITED was the compelling readable, first person account of a girl who had it all and who lost it in the blink of an eye. Scientists have identified a gene in this near future science fiction story called the HTS (Homicidal Tendency Syndrome) gene better known as the kill gene. There is a strong correlation between those with this gene and convicted murders. When it is learned that Davy Hamilton has the gene, she is uninvited from her prestigious high school and uninvited from Julliard. She is a musical prodigy who plays a number of instruments, sings, and composes music. None of those matter though because she has this gene. Now Davy has a caseworker from the Wainwright Agency and is attending a public school where she is secluded from the other students in the bowels of the building and caged with other HTS carriers. There are six students in the group. Two of the boys are genuinely violent. The other girl is being abused by the "teacher" who is in charge of the group. The two other boys are Gil and Sean O'Rourke. Gil had a perfect ACT score, is talented at math and computers, and had been admitted to MIT until he was identified as a character. Unfortunately, he isn't physically imposing or a fighter. The other boy is Sean O'Rourke. He is physically imposing and attractive too. He is also a foster child who has committed some act of violence and has the neck tattoo that identifies him as an HTS carrier to anyone who looks at him. While he is reluctant to get involved with Davy, he is still protective of her. After a betrayal by her boyfriend and her ex-BFF, Davy is sporting the neck tattoo too. When the government decides to intern all the carriers in camps, Davy is offered the chance to attend a special training school. It looks like her best option for survival. Gil and Sean are selected too. At this training camp, they are learning to be obedient killers. After one particularly harrowing episode, Sean, Gil and Davy decide to try to escape even though there really isn't anywhere for them to go. What struck me most particularly about this story was that much of the evil was done by those who were not HTS carriers. Starting with the cowardly and easily led ex-boyfriend and the spiteful and jealous ex-BFF, Davy is surrounded by people who do evil things in the name of protecting society. The whole Wainwright Agency seems filled with that sort of people. The story did make me wonder what had happened to due process and the rights of minors. I wondered where the ACLU was. I wondered who had given a private agency so much power. I also wondered about the issue of predetermination. Just because you can do something doesn't mean you will do something. A large number of the HTS carriers that we met in the story had not committed any sort of crime. This was a very thought-provoking story. I am eager to read the sequels to find out what happens to Davy and her friends and what happens to the United States too.
This has been the year of re-acquainting myself with authors I've enjoyed in the last few years. Sophie Jordan is one of those authors (Aimee Carter is another), and both have written books with very interesting similarities. Of the two, I still lean a bit toward Pawn, but Uninvited by Sophie Jordan rated enough interest from me to have me looking for her next book to release. Still, if you are a fan of the Divergent series, this is one that you will want to check out. Uninvited deals with a girl who is virtually perfect - talented, smart, well-settled with a great boyfriend, and throws her into perfect chaos.Read the rest of this review at The Lost Entwife on Jan. 31, 2014.
Loved this book. I wasn't so sure about it but once I started reading I just couldn't put it down. The main character Davy has the perfect starting personality for what life has decided to throw her. Sean the love interest couldn't be more different from her but they seemed to really fit together from the beginning.The characters are fantastic the world is creepy and well developed and the circumstances behind the events that take place will blow your mind. The story really was magnificent and I am really looking forward to the events in book 2. *Warning* Keep your tissues handy.* This book was provided free of charge from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Update: 25 Feb 2014This reminded me of a mix of YA dystopian stories like Delirium, Awake, and Shatter Me with some Minority Report thrown in. (I'm sure I'm not the only one). I don't know how Sophie Jordan managed to put such a sense of foreboding over the story, front to back. I caught myself thinking every few chapters, it just gets worse and worse for our characters. Kept the pages turning with a whole lot of "Oh, no, no, no!".I like the romance aspect being secondary to the big picture - the powers that be, singling out and isolating those US citizens with the biological makeup that allegedly start offing their families, neighbors, etc... Interesting premise bringing into play the whole "nature" vs "nurture" argument. I finished this in the wee morning hours because I couldn't put it down.The book left me with a nice cliffhanger which I love only slightly more than a hot poker jammed in my eye socket. I'm hooked now and TBR-ing the next one...of course.I'd leave you with a better review but Ive got the flu. Trying to put the "fun" in funeral. Till book 2....***I have yet to read this but I still thought the cover is pretty amazing. Look at the DNA helix in her hair. Very cool.
Interesting premise: to what extent are we destined to become what's in our genes? Overall the story is reminiscent of several other YA dystopian series (Divergent, Hunger Games, Darkest Minds, etc.), but with a somewhat more overt social agenda: to raise questions about our belief that the secrets to who we are lie in our genes.
Davy has a good life with a boyfriend named Zac, friends and family that love her and plans to go to Julliard until she finds out she has the kill gene. Davy's family shows their concern in different ways from offering to help her escape to despair that she is a sociopath and will one day hurt someone. Davy's old friends betrayed her on a horrible level and I hope karma gives them everything they deserve. I did wonder whether there were so many violent carriers because they truly had this HTS gene or because it was learned behavior from being told constantly that they are animals and that's all they will ever be and being subjected to even more violent behavior once they become a carrier. (In the case of the weaker one's that is ) I loved Sean and I can't wait to see what happens in the next book.
Read for Fun (Library)Overall Rating: 4.00Story Rating: 4.25Character Rating: 3.75First Thought when Finished: Uninvited by Sophie Jordan really surprised me in a good way!Story Thoughts: To be honest, I wasn't sure for the first 1/3 if I was going to get into this story. The whole "scarlett letter" a group of people because they carry a gene seemed far fetched to me. However, as the story progressed and the world was built, I could see where that type of "mob" mentality really could cause that kind of "panic". I liked how Sophie immersed us enough into the world that we could see both sides of the coin even if we didn't buy the reasoning.Character Thoughts: Overall while I really felt for Davy, I didn't start liking her till almost the end of the book. I did like her brother. I did like Sean. I did like some of the other HTC carriers but she just never really "pulled" at my "love this character" strings. I am curious about where she goes from here though so I will be getting the second in the series.Final Thoughts: Overall an interesting look at what could happen if too much science and too much fear rule.
What would you do to protect the ones you love from brutal crimes, murder, massacre? What if they could do a test that would prove that persons with a certain gene structure WOULD become these criminals? and society could prevent all that violence? No more Columbines, No more VA Techs, No more Boston Marathons? Very enjoyable read.
Gifted seventeen year old Davina Hamilton is half-way through her senior year and looking forward to Julliard when she gets the news that she has tested positive for HTS (homicidal tendency syndrome - the killer gene). She is "uninvited" from her exclusive private school, loses her boyfriend as well as all her other friends. Things only get worse from there. The government, in its frenzy to stop future violent crimes, rounds up all those with the gene and forces them into detention camps - except for a select few that they think they can train for special purposes. As Y/A novels go, this is one of the best I've read. Steeped in themes of self-fulfilling prophecy, free will, and human nature, the story explores the struggle against the effect of labels...not in a preachy or clinical way, but just through a darn good story with lots of action and forward momentum. This is to be a 2-book series. This, the first, will be released January 28. 2014.
I wanted to read Uninvited because the synopsis appealed to me. I can't imagine isolating a gene like that and then all of the sudden being told that you have the killer gene. The ramifications as well as the fallout, friends and possibly family isolating you, jobs, school, and how you're viewed all changed in an instant intrigues me and I like the premise. I've also been wanting to read something by Sophie Jordan because I know her other series was popular but I just haven't had a chance to get caught up, so with a new series, I have a new chance. I connected with Davy, she is smart and good at music, something I admire in others but have no talent for myself. Her reactions to finding out she had the gene was emotional, and lived up to what I was expecting. I can't imagine myself in her shoes, but I imagine that I would react similarly. She is naive at times, but I love how her world view is forced to shift as she fights against being labeled. But she discovers others that she sympathizes, connects with, wonders why they are marked, or are they like her and feel they are there by mistake. She is a rich white female, so she doesn't fit the profile of a violent person, someone capable of murder, and that leaves her with less in common with others in the Cage, the other carriers at her new school. But as she gets to know some of them, they have more in common than she'd once thought, even if only their future has been jerked from them and they have limited options for college, jobs, and the rest of their lives. As for as romance, at the very beginning, I had to keep telling myself not to like Zac, the above mentioned boyfriend in the synopsis, because I knew that regardless of the chemistry they had, that he was going to be a douche. Sure enough, even though he wasn't as bad as her other friends, he still proved himself unworthy. The mystery of Sean was great. He was an enigma in the HTS world, people seemed to fear him, and I wanted to know why. Because each encounter he had with Davy was intense, but he showed kindness to her. There is some incredible tension between the two, and it was easy to start rooting for a romance between them instead of silly old Zac. He showed up at just the right time to help her and get her out of tough situations, or just to help her pick herself up off the floor when she's down. The pacing was great, as well as easing us into the changes in the world, while at the same time providing the details we need to know in a unique format. At the beginning of some chapters, there are short government fyi's or convos between senators and those leading the program in charge of those with HTS, or even between Zac and her friend Tori. It kept my attention at all times, whether its character development and change of Davy, mystery with Sean, building the relationship between Davy and her troublemaker but non-HTS carrier Mitchell, to other action that moved the plot along. Thinking back though, the world building didn't make sense in a few areas, especially New Haven. Their abilities and why they were chosen if they were just to be trained for fighting kinda puzzled me, but this may be revealed in the next book. That aside, that doesn't take away any of my enjoyment of the series, it is one that I didn't want to put down. The ending wrapped up the threads of this book pretty well, and I am excited to get into the next book of the series to see what happened after the exciting ending. Bottom Line: Action packed with a likable main character who gets tougher as she's trust into a whole new and intriguing to me world.
Intriguing story. Disappointing ending.
I finished this book last night and I'm still not 100% sure of how I felt about it. I know that, for the most part, I was not all that impressed by it. It had an interesting premise, but I feel that it was not executed properly. It had a few likable characters, but there were more unlikable ones.First of all, you have Davy who is the greatest thing since sliced bread. She's perfect at everything, except she has a little trouble getting an A in a college level course. She's already been accepted Julliard because of her amazingness. She's got the greatest best friend in the world, who has jealousy issues when it comes to the other greatest person she has in her life: her boyfriend. Aside from music, he is her entire world. He is her biggest hobby. And what does her biggest hobby want to do? That's right. He wants "the sex" from her. Davy also has an amazing family, where she is the favorite child because she's super-special and not a free-thinking slacker like her brother. All of this changes when she becomes uninvited from her prestigious private school and picks up what is basically a probation officer because she's got Homicidal Tendency Syndrome (or HTS), which puts her at a greater risk to kill than most people. When this is discovered, she becomes a pariah. She is forced to go to (gasp) public school and is forced into a specific class for other HTS carriers.She learns quickly that anything bad that happens to her is automatically her fault because she's an HTS character. Get beaten up? It's your DNA. Get raped? Your DNA. If a vigilante kills you for having the HTS gene, then they are the hero and you're the monster. Sorry, that's just how it is. And, while this is horribly unfair and unjust and should never happen, the way that she whines about it makes her rather hard to feel any empathy toward, but somehow I managed to do so. Her perfection, arrogance, and lack of regard for how much of a hypocrite she is was grating.The science and math issues are the next problem. Okay, if a person has a gene that puts them at risk for a behavioral problem, then it generally does just that: puts them at risk. A person can have a genetic predisposition toward being mentally ill or have a personality disorder, but actually ending up with it will still depend on a lot of factors, including the environment that they grow up in and the one they are in around the time of their diagnosis. Stress can impact it. Trauma can impact it. You can definitely bet that torturing and branding (both apply to the imprinting process) can bring it on. And putting a person in a modern-day concentration camp? Yeah, that will bring it out. So the violent acts that HTS patients partake in after diagnosis can be explained by the oppressive measures used in the society that they are in.Before each chapter, there's a press release or transcript or chart of statistics related to HTS and their carriers. This would be cool except that, in the case of the ones that explain HTS or its prevalence, the science that is used and the statistics that are used are inconclusive. Based on what was presented, Wainwright's conclusions about HTS patients being a threat to humanity make the claims by Andrew Wakefield and Jenny McCarthy about MMR and Autism look like actual science. It's crack science. It compared numbers of homicides committed in general to ones committed by HTS carriers, just gives the HTS carries' rate amongst the overall homicide rate. It doesn't show how many HTS carriers actually commit crimes, how often it happens, what they consider to be an actual homicide, what the HTS carriers may have endured growing up, or how being dehumanized may have contributed to the later criminal behavior. It does not seem to be a study that could be reproduced or that was truly peer reviewed.There's another problem. Though it isn't addressed in the book, I had to assume that this was an alternate universe version of Earth. The setting was within the next 10 years. There is no way that a freshly published study published today could gain such a stronghold in society to the point that they are willing to force Holocaust-like conditions upon undesirable citizens in less than ten years time. And that's when the study would need to be published, right now. And it would have taken years to do the research, devise the study, propose it so that you can fund the study, perform the actual study, then come up with the conclusion, and finally find a publication that would accept it. Science isn't really a think about it and it's so kind of field. Even when breakthroughs are made, they are often dismissed by many within the field unless there is irrefutable proof to uphold the breakthrough. For example, the Wakefield thing that I brought up, which was falsified, was dismissed by most legitimate scientists because there had already been research that showed the safety and efficacy of immunizations. Likewise, there have been multitudes of studies into why people commit crimes and what goes on within the mind of a murderer. The only explanation I could think of to even justify this kind of world that she is suggesting is that it is an alternate universe where there is some level of already published research that would back up Wainwright's findings.It had one of my biggest literary pet peeves: gratuitous sexual assault or threats of sexual assault scenes. Not one or two. Nope, I counted at least six of them. This is a book for young adults, which generally means that it's meant for teenagers. I don't like when adult books go for pointless threats and acts of sexual assault. I really do not like it in young adult books. If it would have advanced the plot, then its inclusion would be okay, but none of the cases advanced the plot. Meanwhile, it also taught that sex was something to be avoided, that women are weak, and that women need protecting. The underlying misogyny and slut-shaming was problematic, but not as much as the punishment that Davy received as a result of turning down an instance of "you should be glad I am still willing to have sex with you even though you've got this condition" sex. (Yes, this is one of the threats of sexual assault as it is an attempt to coerce an unwilling victim into sex by emotional abusing her.)Aside from those issues, which were enough to make me feel quite antagonistic towards the book, I found the actual story to be on the boring side. It was not as developed as it should have been. I will probably read the sequel when it is published, but I will not be going in expecting anything good to come out of it.
ITS AMAAAAZZZINNGGGG