Uninvited (Uninvited #1)

What I Loved:

From the second chapter (the moment things start to go seriously wrong for the heroine), I was hooked. Smart world building and a premise that doesn't feel too far removed from what is currently possible with science make for an engrossing, disturbing story that manages to be both suspenseful and thought-provoking.

Davy is an intriguing heroine. She begins the book as a mostly typical teenage girl with talents, dreams, a boyfriend, and plans for the future. But once she's labeled a killer based on her DNA, things change drastically, and she slowly changes in response. Readers will face existential questions about nature vs. nurture and about prejudice causing a self-fulling prophecy, but those questions are threaded through a fast-paced, starkly written plot that refuses to slow down. Readers will be fascinated, moved, and scared by Davy's transformation.

While the book is told through Davy's point of view, leaving most of the character development to her, the secondary characters feel fully realized and vivid. The character of Sean will doubtless intrigue readers the most, especially readers who love an enigmatic boy with the potential to be both heroic and deadly. The author takes an unflinching approach to her secondary characters as she fleshes out a world in which society judges, ostracizes, and eventually seeks to remove those whose DNA seems to mark them as potential killers--even those who've never had a violent episode. The effects of this ostracism and prejudice are bombs within families, peer groups, romantic relationships, and communities, and the author delivers all of that within the context of relentless conflict and ever-increasing tension.

Readers who love romance will find something worth swooning over, while readers who don't want romance to be the main focus will cheer the fact that Davy becomes so focused on survival, romance is a distant second on her priority list and takes her by surprise.

What Left Me Wanting More:

My only minor quibble was a moment early on in the book when Sean plays the anti-hero briefly to deliberately scare Davy into realizing how much trouble she's in. While there is no romantic context to their relationship, and I understand his heroic motivations, those few paragraphs made me uncomfortable and might be uncomfortable for readers who've felt deliberately threatened by someone bigger than themselves. I will add that by the two-thirds mark in the book, Sean had completely won me over, and I can't wait to read more of his story.

Final Verdict:

Smart world building, a chilling premise, and characters that will engage readers from page one make UNINVITED impossible to put down.

I've heard amazing things about UNINVITED and knew I just HAD to read this novel. Let me tell you all: This book delivers!

What worked: Jordan opens by showing readers Davy's 'privileged' world. She's a music prodigy, rich, attends an exclusive private high school, and is dating the hottest guy on campus. But all this shatters with the results of a DNA test that shows she carries the killer gene HTS. Within a day everyone turns against her, including her BFF Tori and even her family. Jordan does a very efficient way of showing us how easily a privileged life can be erased. Chilling because this could very well be our own future with recent technological advances and how some use genetic testing to determine many factors.

Davy at first seems like an airhead rich girl but her true character rises when she becomes part of the horror of being labeled a future killer. It's Scarlet Letter meets the future.

Also I loved how we see the reactions of those around Davy and witness first hand the prejudice and fear that is directed toward her and others with the H tat. The high school 'cage' where HST positive teens are held is horrific. Little by little we see Davy's humanity stripped with each injustice that is directed her way. It would have been so easy to leave the story here. No, instead we do see a light of hope in 'bad' boy Sean who is the picture of the stereotypical 'killer'. He's in foster care, poor, and at first glance filled with contempt toward everyone including Davy. But we see how the cliche saying, 'don't judge a book by it's cover' is in this case very true. I loved the glimmer of hope that is subtly woven through this story. There is lots of violence but mostly the psychological terror is what stays with the reader.

Chilling and haunting, this story had me reflecting on recent shootings gripping our nation. I actually was able to go to a prison during one of my social work grad classes and witnessed first hand some so-called sociopaths and was able to read their background stories. Specialists were able to trace to the reasons that could have caused these prisoners to do horrific things but still it boiled down to bad choices. I shudder thinking if there was in fact a genetic test that could determine a person's predisposition toward killing. I can't even imagine what would happen if there was a chance of a mistake. Also what about free will? This book will have you questioning such things and more.

I can't wait to see what happens next for Davy. A must read.

HOLY HTS that was good!

Thank you Harper Teen and Edelweiss for this eARC.

I've attempted to write this review several times and each time I was ready to hit, "publish", my Internet crashed. I think it's because the government is secretly watching and doesn't want me to tell you just how awesome this book is.

Too bad, because I'm going to do it anyway...

What I LOVED: Thought provoking, compelling and terrifyingly realistic, UNINVITED left me breathless, on the edge of my seat, and anxious for the next installment!

As a reader, I loved the strong characters, the action, the suspense and of course the romance. In the span of a few days Davy's entire world is flipped on it's head and the people she thought she could depend on, the ones who claimed to love her, are the first to turn against her. *shakes fist at these people - one I want to punch in the throat*

But Davy is no wilting flower. She's forced into situations that require mental, physical and emotional strength and she rises to the occasion LIKE A BOSS. And then there is Sean O'Rourke who is just... I'm sorry, what was I talking about? Oh. Right. Sean. He's is a carrier too, and even though Davy thinks he's the tall, dark and all kinds of dangerous kind of HTS, I know that HTS really stands for, Hunky Tall Soap-Slingers. You're welcome.

As a Mom, there were a few moments when I had to literally put my kindle down and step away from this book. Why? Because the behavior of some of the adults, the way they reacted, blew my mind. It also made my heart ache for the kids. If HTS were a real thing and someone tried to take my boys away from me, they would have to do it OVER-MY-COLD-DEAD-BODY.

Final Verdict: I have been a Sophie Jordan fan from the moment Jacinda first took flight in Firelight, but Uninvited is my new favorite! (And Will, I still love you, but you need to make some room for Sean on the Book Boy Shelf.)