Uninvited by Sophie Jordan

Uninvited by Sophie Jordan

Release Date: January 28, 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
Series: Uninvited, Book 1
Rated: YA 14+
Format: eGalley
Source: Edelweiss
Buy: Amazon ● The Book Depository
Goodreads ● Website

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.

Before reading Uninvited, I had no idea what to expect. I'd heard about Sophie Jordan's other young adult series, Firelight, and the amazing things people have said about it, but I've unfortunately never had the chance to read it. Well, I'm definitely looking forward to it now, because I enjoyed this one a lot!
I haven't seen Minority Report or read The Scarlet Letter (yet), so I didn't know what was going to happen in terms of plot. It was an interesting concept though, really unique, and that's what caught my eye. It's difficult to find an original storyline for dystopians now days, and this one stood out. It's also set in the not-too-distant future, which made it all the more eerie.

Davina is such a strange name! Never heard of it anywhere until Uninvited. I liked her character because somehow she seemed different compared to other heroines in young adult fiction. I also found it particularly interesting with the relationship she has with music – if you read really carefully you can see how music sometimes determines her movements or actions. 
It's been ages since I've read a book with a good guy who stands up for the "weaker" crowd, but still has a tough exterior, and I gotta say: I really LOVED Sean. I loved the lengths that would go to in order to protect Davina, and it was very sweet. Gil was an adorable character as well and I love the connection these three have with one another. Davy's brother Mitchell, while not featured for most of the book, was also a great character. He was a minor character, but a still a good support for our protagonist and stood by her.

I thought the book's format was a little... strange. The book is split into two parts, which is normal, but because the tone shifted so drastically from one part to the next, it made it seem like there was two books in one. I liked it though, because the change in atmosphere really added to the action and the growing problem, pushing the carriers together even more.
I also liked the little "bits" in between chapters. There's reports of the testing, the texts between people, interviews, and so on. I thought it helped to build up this world, because even though it's not that different from our own today, there's still a lot of change concerning the testing for the kill gene, and so it aided to provide some sort of context for me while reading.

I really liked Uninvited: it was thrilling and riveting, a ride that seemed to always surprise me. Sophie Jordan is a brilliant composer of words, and has pulled me in (and I go willingly) to this strange new world that she's created. I'm definitely looking forward to the next instalment!

If you like this, try...

• Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi ● Goodreads
• Mind Games by Kiersten White ● Goodreads