Christine was a big fan of Stacey Kade’s Ghost and the Goth series, so when I saw a copy of this at ALA I thought I would grab it for her. Because I am a nice friend.
But then I forgot to send it to her because I am a bad friend.
So then I was looking at it and basically thought, forget Christine, this book was made for ME.
1. Never trust anyone.
2. Remember they are always searching.
3. Don’t get involved.
4. Keep your head down.
5. Don’t fall in love.
Five simple rules. Ariane Tucker has followed them since the night she escaped from the genetics lab where she was created, the result of combining human and extraterrestrial DNA. Ariane’s survival—and that of her adoptive father—depends on her ability to blend in among the full-blooded humans in a small Wisconsin town, to hide in plain sight at her high school from those who seek to recover their lost (and expensive) “project.”
But when a cruel prank at school goes awry, it puts her in the path of Zane Bradshaw, the police chief’s son and someone who sees too much. Someone who really sees her. After years of trying to be invisible, Ariane finds the attention frightening—and utterly intoxicating. Suddenly, nothing is simple anymore, especially not the rules…
Basically I loved this book. Yes, it was a little more “high school” than I was expecting and yes the list of rules cliche was silly. But still, I loved this book.
I loved that is was told from two perspectives, which I usually dislike. I loved that it had this government experiment/sci-fi storyline but all took place in this small town. I loved that all Arienne wanted was to be free. And I loved the twist, even though I could see it coming a mile away.
Both Ariane and Zane felt like real people to me and the growth of their relationship felt natural and fun. I liked seeing Ariane try to take some control over her life and have some fun, go against “the rules.”
Also, I really didn’t expect this, I liked how “high school” it was. It felt right for the story which is rare in this type of sci-fi. Usually the characters are all worried about their relationships and I’m yelling, “what about the major corporation hunting you all down??? maybe worry about that?” But worrying about that has been a part of Ariane’s life forever, so all the other stuff felt natural. Trying to forget about being an experiment, and having to keep her head down, and not be as different as she is, was all Ariane wanted. So it even made sense when she would keep important things from her Father.
Her father was an interesting character as well. It’s difficult to talk about him without giving away some big spoilers but during everything I could tell that he cared more about Ariane than even he knew and I really wish they’d sat down and talked about it more.
Meanwhile, Zane’s relationship with his father was not a happy one at all. I liked seeing the contrast of the two relationships. Ariane, who is not related to her father but has a good relationship, and Zane who is related but they basically hate each other.
Summed up this book was way more high school drama than it should’ve been, was slightly predictable, and a little cliche and hammy…but completely enjoyable and fun with fabulous characters and I can’t wait for the second one. I’m pretty sure the second one is also the last one. No trilogy! Yay!
