Review: Uninvited by Sophie Jordan

Uninvited by Sophie Jordan
Series: Uninvited #1
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Edelweiss
ISBN: 9780062233653
Release Date: January 28, 2014
Pages:

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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.

Uninvited and I had a lot of ups and downs. After reading Foreplay by Sophie Jordan I was super stoked to read Uninvited even though it was a completely different genre. I really loved the characters in Foreplay and maybe that’s why I did connect with this book.

The biggest problem I had with Uninvited was the characters. The main character, Davy Hamilton, was a bit boring. I got that she’s just a regular girl who had her world shattered when she is found with the kill gene, but I just couldn’t connect with her. Most of the characters were flat and one-dimensional. I didn’t bond with any of them. Sean was meant to be mysterious and a loner, but he just seemed empty and blank to me. I didn't get any sense of who he was.


Hardly anyone had any emotional reaction in the entire book except for some of the sociopaths when they were attacking others. Davy’s brother Mitchell was the only character who had sort of reaction to her having the kill gene. Her mother barely acknowledged it happened, and her father pretty much disappeared from her life and was constantly working. Mitchell is the black sheep of the family. He’s constantly in trouble and has been kicked out of school countless times. Mitchell breaks down when he finds out that Davy has the kill gene and it’s heartening because you see how much he cares about his younger sister.

“Don’t apologize for being smarter than I am. I got over it. Basically, I’m . . . I’m just proud of you. And this crap doesn’t change that. It doesn’t change you.”

The plot did intrigue me and you could see how the country was getting worse and worse and it was only a matter of time until the Agency was given the power to control the HTS carriers. It didn't seem like not enough time has passed from the present until when the book takes place for all the downturn and violence to happen. The book cites stats from 2017, but I can’t envision how so much violence can happen in such a short time span.

The one thing that was done well was the sense of fear for Davy’s future. Little bits of events would happen that made you scared for her well-being. She no longer had any rights and no one will ever believe her again as she is now this violent and unstable girl.

I am going to read the second and final book in the series when it is released as I do want to see how this all turns out.

My Rating:

Review: Foreplay by Sophie Jordan

Foreplay by Sophie Jordan
Series: The Ivy Chronicles #1
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Source: Edelweiss
ISBN: 9780062279873
Release Date: November 5, 2013
Pages: 216

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Before she goes after the life she’s always wanted, she’s about to find the one she needs.

Pepper has been hopelessly in love with her best friend’s brother, Hunter, for like ever. He’s the key to everything she’s always craved: security, stability, family. But she needs Hunter to notice her as more than just a friend. Even though she’s kissed exactly one guy, she has just the plan to go from novice to rock star in the bedroom—take a few pointers from someone who knows what he’s doing.

Her college roommates have the perfect teacher in mind. But bartender Reece is nothing like the player Pepper expects. Yes, he’s beyond gorgeous, but he’s also dangerous, deep—with a troubled past. Soon what started as lessons in attraction are turning both their worlds around, and showing just what can happen when you go past foreplay and get to what’s real…

This book sounded very clichéd to me when I first saw it. I almost didn’t read it, but I’m glad I did because it was a fun short read. You have your bad boy with a certain reputation and your goody-two shoes girl who just wants some experience.

Unlike some other books I have read in this genre I really did like Pepper. Every time I read her name I constantly was reminded of Iron Man, but that aside she was a solid main character. She was likeable and relatable in the way that she just didn’t know what she wanted. I did like her friendship with Emerson and Georgia. The three of them did not pass judgment on each other and were there to back each other up regardless of what the one would decide. Pepper may not have let them into her past, but they were a tightknit group.

Pepper has a past she never wants to remember and a solidish plan for her future. She doesn’t necessarily know what she wants to do with her life after college, like many, but she knows who she wants. Pepper has been in love with her best friend’s brother since she was twelve and concocts a plan with the help of her roommates to get his attention (you can start to see how it may have been clichéd). In comes the bad boy Reece with the player reputation.

Reece was mysterious throughout most of the book. But he was sweet even when he wasn’t trying to be. The romance was nicely developed and I loved how the book ended.

Overall, Foreplay may have been a bit predictable, but I still liked it.

My Rating: