Review ~ Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth

Paperback purchased by myself

Release Date: 22nd October 2013

Publisher: HarperCollins

Description:
The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories. 

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

My Opinion - I have tried to keep spoilers out but there may be subtle hints due to my rant.... please excuse my anger :)

Wow...where do I even start with this review? It took me a while to read Divergent but I fell in love with both book one and two quickly. They were gritty, edgy and full of brilliant action. They were worthy of five stars to me. So, because of this, I purchased them all in paperback because I wanted to display them in my collection of books rather than just have an ebook. I also shipped the box set over to the UK so I could get Allegiant in paperback before it's released here - with in my opinion a better cover. However, now that I have read it I just feel severely disappointed. For me this is book was a perfect example of how to ruin a great series. And it wasn't just the final few pages that I hated, it was the whole thing!

I won't say to much about what goes on as, even though it's bad, I don't want to ruin it for those who haven't yet read it. I saw a comment that ruined the book for me before I even started and from that point on I knew I wasn't going to like Alligent. Basically I read it for closure. 

Allegiant lost all of the gritty action and toughness that I fell in love with in the first two books. Instead, it is just page after page after page of talk about genetics and I found myself skimming easily. I was so tempted to give up but had to see the series through. Seriously, it was painful to read. As well as that the first person narrative just didn't work for me. There was not enough on Evelyn throughout the middle section and I got bored of reading about what Tris and Tobias were doing.

The major annoyance, disappointment with this book though was the ending. Seriously who does what Veronica Roth did!!!??? It was ridiculous, stupid and in my opinion a waste of time. For me it rendered all of the other books pointless and I was left disheartened. It has even put me off wanting to see the movie which looked amazing from the trailer.

Overall this book was a perfect example of how not to end a series. It was disappointing, lacked everything that made it unique in the first place and was just plain stupid. I'm not a die-hard fan who has followed this series and has been eagerly anticipating this release either but it still has irritated me a lot. I don't think I've ever had such a variation in ratings for a series. If you want closure, read Allegiant but it's not a book I would recommend.

Review ~ Facade - Nyrae Dawn

eARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: July 2nd 2013

Publisher: Forever

Description:

Can love save them?

After her father commits a crime that shatters her family, eighteen-year-old Delaney Cross is tired of pretending everything is all right. Packing up her car, she sets out to find the people her father hurt. Her search leads her to places she’s never been—and into the arms of Adrian Westfall.

To the outside world, Adrian is a sexy, charming ladies’ man. But his playboy persona is just an act. Secretly his soul is tortured by a memory too painful to share. Only Delaney seems to see through his façade to the real man underneath. And for the first time in his life, Adrian feels he can begin to open up about his past.

Together, Adrian and Delaney share a passionate love they never expected to find. Yet both still harbor their own secrets. When the dark truth is finally revealed, will it bring them closer together—or tear them apart forever?

My Opinion

I'm torn, I wanted to like this but I just can't. On one hand it was full of the angst and drama to be expected from a new adult novel and on the other none of it felt real. It took me a week of dipping in and out of the book to finish until as it couldn't sustain my interest for long periods of time due to the angst. I did finally get to the point though today, with 40% remaining where I forced myself to finish it as I just wanted it out of the way.

My main issue is the drama and pain the characters go through. There was just too much of it and it was too heavy. The writing was intense and for me it just brought me down as there was no light among the dark. Even when Adrian and Delaney were together there was always the secrets that the reader knows bringing the atmosphere down. I just couldn't keep reading for long periods of time as it was depressing.

As well as this the use of swearing was excessive. I have nothing against it when used to emphasise a point but Adrian swore almost every sentence. I think there were like 6 on the first page (and that's reading on an iPod). It just lost all meaning for me and rather than emphasise anything it just became irritating. I get he was meant to be this tortured guy who was trying to drink and smoke away his problems but for me it lacked believablity with the use of language and attitude - especially with Delaney introduced and wanting to fix everything. That really didn't seem realistic.

There were a few good moments between Delaney and Adrian where their pasts were forgotten in the moment and these were enjoyable to read. I also didn't see the twist at the end coming. That was a big shock to read. However these moments were few and far between, going right back to troubled characters straight away and leaving me thinking "here we go again."

The writing was mostly well done. It does need another edit but hopefully these will have been picked up before publication as I'm reading an ARC. There are some sections that don't flow as well and are a bit monotonous, leaving you feeling like you are reading the same section over and over again but I enjoyed the dual points of view, with the chapters split between Adrian and Delaney.

Overall, for me this book was a struggle to get through as it was just so down beat. Even with a silver lining it did nothing to make me feel happy, relieved or anything for the characters. For me there needed to be some light in the middle of the book to keep my interest as I hate reading sad thing. For that reason I probably wouldn't buy it as I don't understand paying to be made to feeling crappy. If you like contemporary book it may be for you but for me - well I need to go for a run now to pick my spirits back up!

                           

Review ~ Lightpoints - Peter Kassan

Paperback received from the author in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: March 24th 2013

Publisher: Melange Books, LLC

Description:

What if you suddenly discovered you had a sense-and powers-that almost no one else in the world did? When Amanda Lindner Nichols, a 24-year-old graphic artist living with her husband in Queens, New York, is revived from a near-death experience, she discovers she perceives everyone around her as points of light-but not with her eyes. She soon learns she can not only perceive the life energy of others, but she can give and take it. With the help of others like her, she brings her husband Chris to the brink of death and back to bestow on him the same remarkable faculty, and they're the happiest they've been. But not for long. All over the world, people who've been revived from their own near-death experience at just the right moment discover themselves with these same unusual powers. They find ways to use them-some for good and some for evil. When Amanda and Chris encounter a ruthless group of gangsters with the same faculty, tragedy follows-and Amanda faces the greatest challenge of her life.

My Opinion

It was the description of the book that intrigued me into accepting the request. I mean death, paranormal, powers, romance and ruthless gangsters sounds interesting right? I couldn't ask for more from a book really, however for me this book was disappointing in the execution and in all honesty was slightly boring.

The book started off well. It had fast-paced action and hooked me into reading more as I was intrigued to find out what was happening. At first I thought the book was going to be told from 2 peoples POV as the chapters do switch between Amanda and Herrera at the start and if it remained like that I think it would have been OK. However, the author introduces many people who have had NDEs (Near Death Experience) throughout and beside the one chapter we hear about them they are never mentioned again so in my opinion it felt pointless and added nothing. Most of the story focuses on Amanda and Chris but I didn't feel there was much of a story there which is why the author needed to add extra characters to fill out the book. Everything just felt really messy and choppy as it constantly jumps from one person to the next.

With an average chapter standing at 2 pages you do fly through them at a quick pace but this also caused a problem as there was hardly any detail and absolutely no character backgrounds which stopped me from engaging with any of them. I just didn't care about their lives and once a chapter ended I had forgotten about them. For me the author stated everything rather than described it which left the writing very stiff and awkward, especially the speech. 

I liked the initial concept of people coming back and having NDEs, I just think the plot and structure needs more work. The description promises a lot more than the book delivers and as for ruthless gangs? Well they didn't seem that ruthless. Yes they kill people but as a reader I wanted more detail, longer chapters and more background info. They came into play more towards the end but even that was concluded abruptly and in all honesty the ending didn't satisfy me in the slightest, it just didn't make sense for Amanda to go from one extreme to the other - which again I think is a problem caused by the lack of detail.

I did get more into this book when there were a succession of chapters on Amanda and Chris as it was easier to follow and flowed better. However, I did cringe repeatedly at the romance. This might be a personal preference as I hate the word "babe" and it is used excessively but everything did feel wooden. Beside that these chapters did feel repetitive with the "A week later" becoming the common way to start the chapter. It just felt like I was reading the same thing over and over again - I wanted more but like I said before I don't feel there was much of a story there.

Overall this book has an interesting concept about death and NDEs but for me I just found myself bored and hoping for more. Personally I feel it needs more detail to fill it out rather than stating everything and to either get rid of the extra characters or somehow link them all so you don't forget about them and aid the flow of the book as it wouldn't be so sudden.

Review ~ Aliens Dream (Episode one: The Hunt For Adrian's Pussy) - Patrick M. Murphy

Paperback received from the author in exchange for an honest review (fast track)

Release Date: 20th May 2013

Publisher: Self-published

Description:
A science geek falls for a beautiful cat-woman Princess from an alien planet he meets in what he thinks is a dream but his life turns chaotic when she arrives on Earth to be his mate and ignites a galaxy wide hunt to find them. Some days a nerd in love just cannot catch a break?

This story that follows the last ten days on Earth of a romantically challenged geek as he falls hopelessly in love with the Cat-woman Princess he meets in a dream. His life as a solitary recluse gets complicated when she travels five hundred light years with her friends to be with him and they end up on the run from her father, his enemies, and just about everyone on Earth. The King wants his daughter home, his enemies need her to rule the Empire, and a lot of good old boys on Earth just hanker to be the first to bag an alien. Mix that in with a U.S. military who covet the technology she has and the Earth gets incredibly small in a hurry.

My Opinion

Reading the description I thought this book sounded pretty interesting so I was eager to receive a copy in the post once I had agreed to review it. However now I have finished it I am really not sure what I have just read and am feeling very confused so please bear with me while I try and arrange my thoughts.

I must admit this book was a bit of a struggle to get through and if I had purchased it myself I'm not sure I would have made it past the first chapter. The main reason for this is the the editing - or lack of to be precise. This novel is littered with typos, grammar mistakes, missed words and a strange use of question marks for statements that couldn't be turned into a questions. However this was not the main issue I had that caused me to struggle with reading.

The main issue I had was that there is a lot of description and not enough speech. There were pages and pages of solid blocks of text without any speech to move things along so because of this I felt things moved at a slow pace. As well as this I felt a lot of the description was unnecessary as it tended to repeat things over and over, which not only led me to get distracted but it was quite frustrating as this is a long book to begin with. A lot of the time it was the description that caused me so much confusion. I'm still not sure what I read as personally I didn't think things were explained clearly enough for example:

"It was some sort of sport stadium with a large glass walled double cut off pyramid sports arena and he was a in the stands like a spectator looking down through a clear glass wall."

I still can't figure out what the author meant by that and throughout the book there were many sections with long winded, hard to picture description. I believe sometimes the best writing is putting things simply and in the most obvious way and I feel this book needs a harsh round of editing to cut out the wordy sections so it can flow better. The description made parts hard to follow and the plot structure was not clear. It just felt like there was too much going on.

Saying that though, there were a few sections I enjoyed and did have me turning pages. Most of these occurred with Bryya as there was a lot of speech. This moved the action on at a fast pace and I was able to understand it as the speech meant less confusing description. When I found this section I thought the writer had got into his flow a bit more and hoped the book would continue like it. This was not the case though and soon I was back to being confused about what was going on with only minor utterances of speech.

I felt that this book had an interesting concept and liked the idea of cat-people, dog-people etc with humans connecting with them even though they are 500 light years apart. I also liked the military side of it with the surveillance of Adrian. These were the sections easiest to follow and most enjoyable so these were the parts I wanted more of.

Overall this book has an interesting concept but the execution needs work as it did feel like I was reading a first draft. With a good edit to get rid of all the mistakes and cut the complicated, wordy and confusing description I think this book shows promise but right now it's too long (something that doesn't normally bother me) and too confusing for me. 

 

 

Review ~ Concealed (Concealed 1) - Sang Kromah

Ebook received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Publisher: Smith Publicity
Published: October 15th 2011

Description
Some believe that at birth, we’re each born with some sort of guardian angel attached to us, watching from afar, but never seen by the human eye. But they’re wrong. Truth is it’s not that simple. There are certain people, special people, born of this world and of the other, who need that extra protection…that extra guidance. They go their entire lives, unaware of the other world, and unaware of the existence of their own personal watcher that watches from afar. But what happens when fate takes a turn for the worse, and The One who needs the aid of a watcher more than anyone before her can’t be found to be protected?

Bijou Fitzroy is strange. With the chaotic and unwanted gift of being an empath, she has spent her entire life as a sheltered recluse, being homeschooled by her secretive overprotective grandmother, who never stays long enough in one location for Bijou to ever settle and make friends. Not only does she lack social skills, but her physical appearance is so ethereal that it beckons onlookers to look away before she has the chance to make eye contact. Oh, and things get even weirder. Besides the occasional tendency to see strange things that no one else seems to notice, sixteen-year-old Bijou has been plagued by semi-prophetic nightmares of strange creatures her entire life; yet she yearns for sleep, because it’s the only place she gets to see him…well sort of. No matter what Bijou dreams of, the faceless boy is always there like some sort of harbinger of danger, always watching, always waiting. And even though his coming always pre-empts chaos, she’s fallen in love with this boy without a face.

When Bijou and her grandmother move to Eldersburg and she starts to attend the local high school, she meets Sebastian Sinjin, a strange boy, who forces Bijou to question the world around her, and the grandmother she thought she knew. Bijou’s world begins to crumble as the creatures from her nightmares begin to take shape in her reality, the faceless boy becomes real, and town locals begin to disappear as she finds herself at the center of a war she never knew was being fought. Bijou has to stand alone and be the savior everyone expects her to be.

My Opinion

This book started off well, although a little slow. It was intriguing and drew me into the story so I read the first 20% of this book with ease. However after this point it did become a struggle to keep turning the pages.  There were moments that were both good and enjoyable while others were very easy to skim over as they didn't hold my interest. The writing did fluctuate quite a bit.

The intrigue of being the new kid, meeting a hot guy and being different was well done at the start however as the book moved on Bijou became more whiney and mopey at having no friends, wanting to be normal and her longing over Sebastian. It did become slightly irritating. As well as this the writing was quite jumpy and it made it hard to follow what was going on. This may be because of the 1st person narrative and therefore showing just how confused Bijou was but personally I didn't like it. 

The main thing I didn't like was there were too many paranormal creatures involved. At the start I was led to believe that Djinns were a supernatural species and when references were made to fae, elves and other creature it reinforced this assumption. However around the half way mark the term Djinn seemed to be used as a broad term for anything paranormal and this was the point things got really confusing. As well as this when Gigi invited over family more and more characters were introduced with little background. This made it hard to follow who was who, whether they were good or bad (the lines were very blurry in this book) and what they were. 

Because of this I found it very hard to connect with any of the characters, even Bijou and Sebastian. I will admit that Sebastian did have moments where I liked him and connected slightly but they were brief. For most of the book I felt very distant which made it a struggle to finish.

Overall Concealed starts off well. It intrigues you into reading more but as it goes on it gets more confusing and hard to follow very quickly. There is a fluctuation in the writing between really interesting moments and boring ones. The beginning and brief moments with Sebastian are the redeeming qualities for me which is why I bumped my rating to 3 stars and in general it was an average read that may be worth checking out.

Review ~ MILA 2.0 by Debra Driza

• Expected Publication: 28th March 2013
• eARC received through Netgalley for an honest review

Description
Mila 2.0 is the first book in an electrifying sci-fi thriller series about a teenage girl who discovers that she is an experiment in artificial intelligence.

Mila was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was a girl living with her mother in a small Minnesota town. She was supposed to forget her past —that she was built in a secret computer science lab and programmed to do things real people would never do.

Now she has no choice but to run—from the dangerous operatives who want her terminated because she knows too much and from a mysterious group that wants to capture her alive and unlock her advanced technology. However, what Mila’s becoming is beyond anyone’s imagination, including her own, and it just might save her life.

My Opinion
I was really excited to receive a copy of this book via Netgalley, not only had the cover intrigued me but it sounded like it would be fast paced, action packed and full of tense, exciting moments. However these moments kind of never arrived. Although I did enjoy this book and I read most of it in one sitting there were quite a few flaws that left me struggling to get through parts.

I liked the concept of androids as it is not something I have come across a lot and that fact that Mila is struggling to cope with the fact she isn't human was developed well. I liked how the book started off. By placing Mila in high school and describing her to be slightly unstable due to a death in the family really worked for me and it created a sense of suspicion and intrigue about what was really going on. As well as this the fact that normal high school issues were brought into the equation only added to make the lies more believable. 

When Hunter was introduced I thought I was really going to like this book as I wasn't expecting there to be any romance which made it a nice surprise. Sadly though, this is the point things started to go down hill for me. After Hunter's brief introduction Mila is quickly thrown into a new world where she finds out the truth. This leads to Hunter being cut out of the book rather dramatically and abruptly which left me disappointed. I found that most of the book was like this actually. 

The writing was quite jumpy and disjointed with Mila's internal monologue becoming increasingly annoying and this only became worse when her android functions got reactivated. This writing style was most evident in the build up, during and post action sequence. Instead of describing what was happening the author would use phrases like "target immobilised" or "threat detected" which led the writing to become irritating to read as it didn't give much of a picture to base visualisations on. I know it fit in well with the military side but for me it lessened the flow of the writing, leading my attention to slip.

There were only a few relationships that I like in this book, one being Mila and her mum. It was believable and one of the few that I could sympathise and connect with. The rest of the time though I found the characters to be very distant, especially when Mila went into full android mode, and not very well developed. We were given little information on each and besides Mila and Mum, practically all of the characters I could relate to at the start were cut out and never to be heard from again.

Finally, the ending of this book seemed to fit with the rest of the writing. It was predictable and abrupt. Yes it leaves you on a cliff hanger and draws you into wanting to read the next book, especially with the promise of more romance however I hated the way it ended. I was watching the page count go down and questioning how the author could give the reader any kind of resolve and satisfaction in the space she had left to which the simple answer is, she didn't. The writing just cuts off at the start of a new scene and left me thinking "was that it? How can you leave a book like that?!"

Overall I liked the concept and ideas in this book. There were moments I enjoyed and a few relationships that I was able to connect with but on the whole this book was pretty disappointing due to the disjointed writing, lack of interesting character (all had been cut) and constant internal monologues. Although it ends on a cliff hanger I am not sure whether it is enough to entice me into getting the sequel, especially if the writing stays as it is but it might be of interest to sci-fi fans.

Marked for Vengeance (Alyx Rayer Chronicles #1) - S. J. Pierce

Description

Alyx Rayer’s existence in Atlanta, the eternally bustling capital of Georgia, is one of routine and blending in among the worker bees. But her ‘normal’ life is actually a façade for a higher calling; she's a three hundred year old soul, encased in a human vessel and sent from the darkness between heaven and Earth to capture her Marked when summoned by her superiors.

During the initial, routine stake-out of her Marked, a dream prophet named Isaac Walsh, Alyx is thrown for an emotional loop when his allure captivates her heart from two rooftops away. The event marks the very instance when her sense of what’s right and what’s wrong is brutally challenged as her contact with him is strictly forbidden.

While already trapped between honor and desire, her emotional struggles are further challenged by a man in a black suit who continually pops up when she least expects it, his presence evoking a strange response from the scar she was branded with at birth. The scar tingles like a warning beacon, alerting her that something is amiss. Because her superiors never told her what this would mean, or much of anything except what to do when they summon, she can only conclude to try and keep her sanity, and her life, from completely shattering to pieces.

This engaging first book of the series is a Paranormal Romance novel interlaced with twists, turns, and thrilling suspense that is sure to satisfy readers of any genre. 

My Opinion

First of all I must say that I really like the cover of this book, it is simple but the colours work really well. Also it reminds me of the Hunger Games logo slightly. Anyway this book was an interesting read with a different take on angels, as they are assigned to protect one human but without interaction. There was a lot of mystery surrounding what Alyx was and her mark at the start of the book which was slowly unraveled throughout the novel. This was good as it left me with questions that made me want to read on. There was also mystery about random strangers appearing which led me to hope about something happening. As well as this I liked Isaac's character. His love for his son was believable and he was one character I was able to engage and relate to as his feelings were realistic . However this is probably the only character I could do this with.  

Written in the third person I became very detached from the characters as the book switched POV. The book became repetitive as well with the phrases "he did & she did" starting sentences constantly. I think I was so detached as Pierce described unnecessary daily actions in huge amounts of detail yet never went into the same amount about the characters/action. Due to this the book was a slow read at times so I found myself skimming pages waiting for the action to start (when it did it was very brief). The unnatural speech and the emphasis on minor words "TOO" or "too" also detracted from the story as it became slightly annoying as the book went on. As well as this I wasn't so keen on Alyx. She was too wishy-washy and took too long to realise things. After spending 2 lives on Earth previously it wasn't believable. There were also quite a few grammatical errors, missed out words and typos which added to the slowness of the book.

Over all this book had an interesting concept with a new take on angels. However for me it needs less detail on everyday actions and more development of the main story line and characters so readers can engage with them better and not want to skim read. As well as this the book could use another round of editing but it was an ok read that may be of interest to paranormal readers.

Forbidden Plantation Passion Part 1 - Victoria Night

Description
On a dreary December day during the Civil War, just when all seems darkest and all happiness lost, a miracle happens to show that love conquers all! With the battle at the very door of her plantation mansion, southern belle Savannah has no idea that she will rescue and fall passionately in love with a Yankee soldier named William. But who is William? Is he a spy? Is he the very son of Devil General William Sherman himself? And can William put a stop to the crazy southern General who is obsessed with Savannah? Can Savannah save the life of the wounded man she loves? Can great sex heal her inner wounds? Sure it can! Hang on reader, you are in for the ride of your life on this Christmas morning in Savannah Georgia in December 1864!

My Opinion
I was quite surprised by this book's length when I started reading it, as I have seen it advertised as a novel and thought it would be a lot longer than it was. Standing at 69 pages it was more of a short story than a novel so  was a quick, easy read.

The story line was simple and easy to follow and the main idea and concept was interesting, however I would have liked more detail. Everything in this book happened quite abruptly and it shifted from one scene to another very quickly. The lack of description made the writing quite repetitive as the phrases "he then..." and "she then..." were frequently used. There were some parts of this book that were described really well and engaged me as a reader, however the majority 'told' the audience what was happening rather than 'showing' them. This made it difficult to make any connection with the characters as you couldn't relate or sympathise with their emotions/feelings, it was just a blunt fact that that is what was happening. As well as this the story ended quite suddenly with "part 2 coming soon" as soon as the story started to go somewhere. I found this incredibly frustrating as the book wasn't long to begin with so wished it had continued instead of being split into parts.

Overall with more description this short story could be an interesting read but at the moment I felt quite detached reading it and couldn't engage with the characters due to the lack of detail and being 'told' what was happening rather than being 'shown.'

Unnatural Selection (Gene Pool #1) - R.A Finlayson

Description
The first book in a four-part, science fiction series that explores a world where biological engineering becomes the master science influencing every aspect of society. A mystery and romance at its core, ambition, power, wealth and love drive the fast-paced story that revolves around a fascinating cast of characters.

For thousands of years human beings have dreamed of immortality, of reversing the aging process, of enhancing beauty and retaining the vigor and vitality of youth – forever. In the year 2059 this dream is at last within our grasp. But as biologic engineers finally achieve total control over the fundamental mechanics of life and the ability to change the course of human evolution, will this awesome power alter the meaning of love, the nature of relationships and society, and even the very definition of what it means to be human?

Such concerns are most decidedly not on the mind of Amadé Bertrand, a young, investigative journalist with the New York Times. Amadé is worried that her career is stalling out after a meteoric – and some would say undeserved – rise to the top of her profession. As Amadé ponders her next career move, an anonymous and cryptic tip lands in her inbox about GeneTech, the largest and most powerful of the new generation of bioengineering companies.

Amadé’s quest to uncover the meaning of this mysterious message leads her to Whitfield Gray, a senior GeneTech executive with a dark secret that if exposed could destroy the company and threaten the biotech revolution. Drawn to the powerful and mysterious Whitfield, Amadé must decide between a burgeoning love for the brash, young executive and her career ambition as she uncovers a web of intrigue that leads from the GeneTech board room to the White House and beyond.

My Opinion
There were three main, intertwined narratives in this novel and each left me with a different opinion so overall my views on this book are very mixed.

The first story followed Amede and Roland who are journalists investigating the company GeneTech. These two were easy to follow and I found it interesting to read about them when they appeared in the story. I liked the investigative journalism aspect and also enjoyed the love interest at the start. 

The next narrative, which in my opinion was the best part of this book was Ryan and the XenoMat (345) nicknamed Greenie. I was able to engage and connect with these characters more as the writing here went into more detail about looks, surroundings and emotions which other parts of the book didn't really contain. Also, I liked the fact that Ryan was a young boy as it gave a sense of innocence to the book and because of this it meant that there was less scientific jargon which was a welcome relief.

This brings me onto the final narrative this book follows and my biggest problem with the novel. The parts of the book that followed GeneTech and the scientists were definitely hardest to read. These section were full of complex, scientific language that had me questioning what the author was talking about at times as no explanations were given to define the terms. At times these sections read more like a medical journal rather than a fictional novel and I must admit that it made the book exceptionally hard to read as I was having to constantly define or google terms which detracted from the book. As well as this the constant use of abbreviations also left me confused, especially when related to scientific aspects. 

I know this book is science-fiction but for me there were excessive amounts of terminology which honestly made it a struggle to finish as it couldn't sustain my interest as the story line was broken up too much.

Overall I liked the relationship between Ryan and Greenie. However the rest of the book was a struggle to read and I considered giving up more than once as there were just pages and pages of scientific analysis that didn't move the story along so failed to capture my interest. I think the general story line of this book has prospect if toned down on the scientific language and if you are into hardcore sci-fi or science this book may be for you. I would not recommend it to anyone with limited knowledge in biology though.