Uninvited

Gr 8 Up—High school senior Davy has her future all planned out until genetic testing determines that she has Homicidal Tendency Syndrome. In this near-future dystopia, people with this "kill gene" are more likely to commit murder and are isolated from the rest of the population. Essentially, those who possess the "kill gene" are treated in a manner that would inspire thoughts of murder in even the most mild mannered teens. Davy is expelled from her prep school and sent to a public school that is equipped to handle her condition. Her relationship with her boyfriend disintegrates slowly, and her relationship with her family changes. There is also a dangerous but attractive bad boy in her new school. The stakes are raised when those who have the kill gene are institutionalized, and Davy must, yet again, adjust to a very different life than she had planned. The inevitable sequel will no doubt uncover government corruption at the highest levels. While the author relies too heavily on telling rather than showing, this is an entertaining read once disbelief has been suspended. Jarringly, the romantic scenes, while not explicit, use the vocabulary of more adult romance. Teens hungry for this genre will not mind and, in fact, will eagerly await the sequel. Uninvited will be appreciated by fans of Suzanne Young's The Program (S. & S., 2013) and similar romantic dystopian titles.—Kristin Anderson, Columbus Metropolitan Library System, OH