Uninvited by Sophie Jordan

UninvitedUninvited by Sophie Jordan
Series: Uninvited #1
Published by: HarperTeen on January 28, 2014
Genre: Dystopian, Science Fiction
Pages: 384
Buy on AmazonBook Details
Rating: ★★★★½

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.

Uninvited was AMAAAZING!! The best part about this book was that it was full of emotion and feels, from beginning to end. It totally owned me.

People are tested for HTS and those that are found to have the gene are basically shunned. The government pretends they still have rights by allowing them to go to school and live in the same neighborhoods as people who don’t have the gene—but in reality, they are far from treated equally. Sure they can attend school, but they can’t interact with non-HTS students. They are locked up in a CAGE all day and given assignments by teachers they never meet. Complete isolation.

And as the book goes on, Sophie Jordan really shows us how people with HTS are set up to fail. They’re pushed, bullied, discriminated against, until they build up enough hatred and resentment to want to go out there and destroy, a desire they never had to begin with. It was a sad, and yet fascinating idea, and you can draw many parallels to real life (like racism—the physical separation and “us vs. them” mentality). It broke my heart to watch Davy’s life be ripped away and to see her friends turn on her so easily. SO MANY FEELS!!

One great thing about Uninvited is that it really makes you think, and I love that in a book! Are people just born to be murderers? Or are they made into murderers? That was constantly going through my mind as I read the book.

In a few ways, Uninvited reminded me of The Program by Suzanne Young. They’re both interesting stories with tons of emotion, and a cool plot, even if not a super fast-paced one. Like The Program, the story in Uninvited is fairly simple, but it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Despite its simplicity, it kept me interested and engaged. It was a super quick read!

On top of that, we have a delicious, slow-moving romance. I loved how I was 100% on Davy’s page in terms of love interests. At the beginning, I loved Davy’s boyfriend. LOVED HIM! He was so sweet and I wanted to hug them both. Then when he kind of turned on her, I hated him, just like Davy did. I wanted to bitch slap him so hard. Then over the rest of the story, I slowly started falling for Sean, just like Davy. We were completely synced, and I loved it! I hate it when a character falls for a guy a lot faster/slower than I do, because it just messes with my connection to the book (this so was not the case in Uninvited!).

I think my one complaint is that we don’t get a lot of history behind HTS. We don’t really learn where it came from, when it was discovered, or what it even really is. I would have liked a bit more information to better establish a background/history. Plus, I was just curious! But this wasn’t a big enough issue to really turn me off the book or get frustrated.

Overall, I highly recommend Uninvited! It was a fabulous read, and just what I needed to yank me out of a sea of mediocre books. It’s fun, interesting, original, swoony, and will have your brain in overdrive trying to figure out if nature or nurture wins out.

The Verdict

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About Sophie Jordan

sophie-jordanSophie Jordan grew up in the Texas hill country where she wove fantasies of dragons, warriors, and princesses. A former high school English teacher, she’s also the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Avon historical romances. She now lives in Houston with her family. When she’s not writing, she spends her time overloading on caffeine (lattes and Diet cherry Coke preferred), talking plotlines with anyone who will listen (including her kids), and cramming her DVR with true-crime and reality-TV shows. Sophie also writes paranormal romances under the name Sharie Kohler.

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Giveaway

Enter to win one of five signed copies of Uninvited, plus swag! This giveaway is open to US residents only.

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The Verdict

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41 comments

  1. So happy to see you finally find an amazing read. It feels like forever since you read something you actually enjoyed. And this is one of my most anticipated reads so woohoo. The concept is so damn interesting and I love how this book made you think.

    Jennifer Bielman recently posted: Kindle & Nook Freebies #66
  2. Yeah! I’m so glad you liked this! I’m a huge fan of medical thrillers (especially if they involve genetics), so this sounds right up my alley! And to see you enjoyed it so much makes me that more excited to get a copy ASAP! I’m so glad that the character development and the romance worked for you! And I agree…it does kind of sound like The Program; which I loved! Thanks for sharing Ashley, and, as always, fantastic review! xD

    Zoe N. recently posted: Landry Park: The Whole Shabang!
  3. YAY! We were so on the same page on this one πŸ™‚

    “They’re pushed, bullied, discriminated against, until they build up enough hatred and resentment to want to go out there and destroy, a desire they never had to begin with. It was a sad, and yet fascinating idea”

    YES. That was a driving point of this book for me, and something that really made me think! I did love the romance between Sean and Davy, it was one of the few that worked for me because it took forever to develop (which is weird because I’ve seen two people today complain about it being too fast…), but I didn’t care about the dude in the beginning. I have trouble connecting to relationships that are already established πŸ™ But I wanted to slap him, too! I hated Davy’s old friends for the way they acted.

    Jessi @ Novel Heartbeat recently posted: Review: Uninvited by Sophie Jordan
  4. I have heard a couple of times being compared to The Program. Which I loved! can’t wait to read this one. Love a good book full of every emotion from start to finish and a book that makes me think. great review.

  5. I can totally see how it was like The Program, now that you mention it. I adored The Program as you know and Uninvited was also a really enjoyable read. My one complaint was the same as yours. I wanted more history of the HTS gene. Having that information would have totally put it into the 5 star category for me.

    The slow moving romance was one of my favorite bits. I love romances that start off slowly and heat up as the book goes along.

    Awesome review Ashley.

    Alexia @ Adventures in Reading recently posted: Review: Year of Mistaken Discoveries by Eileen Cook
  6. This is such a cool concept and the cover is very clever too. I’d love to read it. Please enter my name for the chance to win a copy of Uninvited.

  7. Such a great concept. I am really looking forward to this book. I just know its going to be a favorite of mine. The cover is really beautiful too. Thank you Sophie for writing it.

  8. This sounds so scary and yet it looks like it could be our future. I’d like to read it and see how Sophie works it out. Thank you so much.

  9. Oh! I remember reading a manga similar to this involving Blade Children! Blade Children are all predicted to becoming murderers when they grow up, which is similar to Uninvited I believe. I’m sure I’ll love this series just as much as your other one. πŸ™‚

  10. Thank you for the amazing giveaway. I’ve heard a lot of wonderful things about this book. I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy. I have my fingers crossed.

  11. I loved Sophie Jordans Firelight series and I was hoping that Uninvited would be just as good! It’s so good to know that it is! The way you described it with all the feels and the slow romance I know I’ll love it just as much or even more than the Firelight books!

  12. I’ve already added Uninvited to my to-read list, but I probably won’t get to it anytime soon. I just finished Allegiant, and it seriously sucked the life out of me. I need to take a break from sci-fi/dystopian and binge on contemporaries for a little while.
    Does anyone else ever get that feeling where they just need to stop reading a certain genre for a while?

    D. @ The Nerdy Journalist recently posted: The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa
  13. What a brilliant mind you have, to come up with such a unique and interesting concept. It is rare today to read something completely different from anything you have read before. I haven’t read Uninvited yet, but I can tell you I have never read anything like it. And I am super excited to read it already! Thank you so much for the giveaway, Nose Graze!

  14. I love that the whole nature vs. nurture debate comes up strongly with this novel, as well it should. πŸ˜€ I’ve been waiting for this book for a while, and I’m extremely excited about the release! Especially with some footage I’ve seen regarding physical differences in the brains of killers versus non-killers, which makes this scenario at least somewhat plausible.

    Shannon @ Novel Reflection recently posted: The Way of Kings Read Along: Week Four
  15. I cannot wait to read this one! Plus, I love that Ashley confirms that it’s going to make me think because I LOVE that in a book! That’s always my favorite when you put down a book and a week later you are still thinking about it! Cannot wait!!!

    Ange/Libby Blog recently posted: Review: Enders by Lissa Price
  16. This book sounds so good! I don’t read a lot of dystopia, I’m more into contemporary, but I really really want to read this one. πŸ˜€

  17. Wonderful review Ashley and I agree this was fantastic. I was so impressed when I discovered she also wrote Foreplay and NA contemp and is successful as a historical romance novelist as well. Not everyone can cross genres so smoothly and so well. I am anxious to see how this ends.

    kimbacaffeinate recently posted: Uninvited by Sophie Jordan
  18. This book looks so good that I have put it already on my to read list. I love the storyline and thank you for your review.

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