Showing posts with label Sophie Jordan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sophie Jordan. Show all posts

Friday, 27 December 2013

ARC Review: Uninvited (Uninvited #1) by Sophie Jordan

Uninvited (Uninvited, #1)Uninvited

Author: Sophie Jordan
Series: Uninvited
Pages: 384
Release date: 28th January 2014
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: HarperTeen

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

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

Review: 4 out of 5 stars

I recently read Sophie Jordan’s New Adult title Foreplay and thoroughly enjoyed her style of writing so I was more than eager to start on Uninvited which is the first book in the Uninvited duology.

Our main protagonist is seventeen year old music prodigy Davina ‘Davy’ Hamilton who had a promising future ahead of her at Juilliard but when her results for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome ‘HTS’ show that she is positive for the kill gene her life is instantaneously changed - her parents fear her, she has lost her boyfriend and friends and her future career is gone all over the possibility that one day she would kill.

Davy was an interesting character, strong when she needed to be but also showed innocence at other times; she was a character I completely sympathised with and felt for, her whole life had pretty much been ripped away from her but she adapted as well as she could despite the grim future she now had.

People who have HTS are feared, hated and separated from the rest of society, treated as criminals before they have committed a crime – Davy is uninvited from her prestigious school and sent to a public school, still isolated from the other students and placed in a cage with other carriers, it is here where she most notices Sean, a carrier himself and marked with a tattoo to show he is a criminal.

I don’t feel we truly got to know Sean fully but what we do learn I liked. He was a mystery and despite his tough exterior he was really quite sweet. I can't wait to learn more about him.

Sophie Jordan has included the perfect blend of action, violence, death and gritty details that kept the pacing flowing well but there seemed to be little follow through on occasion which gave me many more questions and not enough answers. I feel that the world-building was lacking in the depth required with this sort of book, background details about the virus wasn’t freely given but in saying that the concept was simplistic and easy to grasp. The plot itself was enjoyable and with more and more people showing positive for the virus and being sent off to detention camps, the future for carriers is looking bleak. It is a promising start to the series and with the way things ended I am definitely eager to read the sequel.

The romance wasn’t strong or at the forefront of the story but I did find myself liking their slow to build relationship and the way Sean protected Davy and gave her hope; the ending showed how close they had become; it started off with Davy being quite wary and her fear of Sean but she came to trust him and the feeling was mutual which was sweet, nothing was rushed.

Overall, Uninvited is a wonderful start to the series and is a captivating and engrossing read; with a fascinating concept, wonderful writing and likeable characters it is a great addition to the dystopian genre.


Sophie JordanAbout the author:

Pseudonym: Sharie Kohler

Sophie Jordan took her adolescent daydreaming one step further and penned her first historical romance in the back of her high school Spanish class. This passion led her to pursue a degree in English and History.

A brief stint in law school taught her that case law was not nearly as interesting as literature - teaching English seemed the natural recourse. After several years teaching high school students to love Antigone, Sophie resigned with the birth of her first child and decided it was time to pursue the long-held dream of writing.

In less than three years, her first book, Once Upon A Wedding Night, a 2006 Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Nominee for Best First Historical, hit book shelves. Her second novel,Too Wicked To Tame, released in March 2007 with a bang, landing on the USA Today Bestseller's List. 

Friday, 4 October 2013

ARC Review: Foreplay (The Ivy Chronicles #1) by Sophie Jordan

Foreplay (The Ivy Chronicles, #1)Foreplay

Author: Sophie Jordan
Series: The Ivy Chronicles
Pages: 304
Genre: New Adult
Publisher: William Morrow
Release date: 4th November 2013

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

Before she goes after the life she’s always wanted, she’s about to find the one she needs. 

Pepper has been hopelessly in love with her best friend’s brother, Hunter, for like ever. He’s the key to everything she’s always craved: security, stability, family. But she needs Hunter to notice her as more than just a friend. Even though she’s kissed exactly one guy, she has just the plan to go from novice to rock star in the bedroom—take a few pointers from someone who knows what he’s doing.

Her college roommates have the perfect teacher in mind. But bartender Reece is nothing like the player Pepper expects. Yes, he’s beyond gorgeous, but he’s also dangerous, deep—with a troubled past. Soon what started as lessons in attraction are turning both their worlds around, and showing just what can happen when you go past foreplay and get to what’s real…

Review: 4 ½ out of 5 stars

Foreplay was such a pleasant surprise, I was a little torn when I first read the synopsis about there being two guys involved but I absolutely loved the way it all played out.

Nineteen year-old Pepper was such a relatable character and so easy to like with her kindness, simplicity and honesty and despite her stubbornness to realise what she had right in front of her because of a long lived fantasy I still found her to be the most wonderful heroine.

Pepper didn’t have the best childhood and a lot of it was spent with her best friend Lila and her brother Hunter who she is completely in love with and sees as the perfect partner to achieve everything she has always wanted - security, family and stability so when she finds out he has broken up with his long-term girlfriend she has a plan to gather up a little more experience in order to win him over. This is how we come to meet Reece {swoon}, Pepper’s saviour when her car breaks down, bar tender and supposedly a player but there is more to this guy than what she is originally led to believe.

I absolutely loved Reece! Smexy, confident, did I say smexy ;) and knows what he wants, the way he was treated by his father was so sad; I came to love the chemistry, sensual ‘training’ moments he spent with Pepper , he was such a loveable, sweet guy that I couldn’t help but adore; the interactions between him and Pepper had me glued to the pages.

The romance – one reluctant, the other obviously in denial but from the very first moment these characters met  I couldn’t help but hope for something more between them; Hunter was there and was wonderful but he didn’t give me heart flutters like Reece did.

The secondary characters were fabulous! Awesome room-mates and a man-whore brother who was great, Foreplay is a great start to the Ivy Chronicles series and I hope to learn more about each of these characters in future installments.

This was my first Sophie Jordan book and it definitely won’t be my last; the New Adult genre has been hit or miss with me so it was refreshing to read something that had a small amount of drama without the unnecessary angst and issues. The writing was crisp and engaging with a plot that flowed well and characters that were believable and likeable.

Overall, Foreplay is a sexy, sweet, New Adult contemporary filled with heartfelt emotion that ticked all of my boxes, I am definitely eager to read the next book in the Ivy Chronicles, Tease which has an anticipated May 2014 release date.

Thank-you kindly to William Morrow for the opportunity to read and review Foreplay.


Sophie JordanAbout the author: Pseudonym: Sharie Kohler

Sophie Jordan took her adolescent daydreaming one step further and penned her first historical romance in the back of her high school Spanish class. This passion led her to pursue a degree in English and History.

A brief stint in law school taught her that case law was not nearly as interesting as literature - teaching English seemed the natural recourse. After several years teaching high school students to love Antigone, Sophie resigned with the birth of her first child and decided it was time to pursue the long-held dream of writing.

In less than three years, her first book, Once Upon A Wedding Night, a 2006 Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Nominee for Best First Historical, hit book shelves. Her second novel,Too Wicked To Tame, released in March 2007 with a bang, landing on the USA Today Bestseller's List. 

Wednesday, 3 July 2013

Waiting on Wednesday - Uninvited by Sophie Jordan

Hi everyone, thank-you so much for stopping by my WoW!

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine which spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My WoW for this week is Uninvited by Sophie Jordan, it sounds really intriguing so I’m definitely eager to read it.

Uninvited (Uninvited, #1)
 Author: Sophie Jordan
Series: Uninvited
Pages: 384
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Harper Teen

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

You can’t change your DNA…even when it says you’re a murderer.

When Davy tests positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome, aka “the kill gene,” she loses everything. Once the perfect high school senior, she is uninvited from her prep school and abandoned by her friends and boyfriend. Even her parents are now afraid of her—although she’s never hurt a fly. Davy doesn’t feel any differently, but genes don’t lie. One day she will kill someone.

Without any say in the matter, Davy is thrown into a special class for HTS carriers. She has no doubt the predictions are right about them, especially Sean, who already bears the “H” tattoo as proof of his violence. Yet when the world turns on the carriers, Sean is the only one she can trust. Maybe he’s not as dangerous as he seems. Or maybe Davy is just as deadly.

What are you eagerly awaiting this week?