Feuds

Gr 9 Up—In an alternate future that is harshly segregated, Davis, a "Prior," and Cole, an "Imp" could not be more different. Davis is part of an elite group of humans with enough money to genetically modify themselves into perfection. She gets the best education, goes to the hottest parties, and has the freedom to concentrate on her passion—ballet. Cole lives in the Slants with the other poor, imperfect humans. He is a fierce opponent in the FEUDS, an underground cage-fighting competition run by Priors. When Cole's FEUDS sponsor, a political rival to Davis' father, blackmails him into infiltrating a Prior party, everything changes. Cole becomes aware that a deadly virus covered up by the government is killing off Priors. He never meant to become involved, and he certainly never meant to fall in love with his mark. Feuds is fast-paced and plot-driven. While readers will naturally see Davis and Cole as star-crossed lovers, Davis is unaware of Cole's background until the end of the book. Hastings has created a fascinating society where the so-called ideal humans start dying off from a virus that is directly related to the modifications that made them perfect. Hopefully, the world-building and characters will be further fleshed out in future books. While the premise is not entirely unique, the story is executed well. Feuds ends with an unexpected cliff-hanger. Readers will eagerly await the sequel.—Marissa Lieberman, East Orange Public Library, NJ