Uninvited

January 27, 2014
Merging a contemporary setting with a believable speculative premise, Jordan (the Firelight series) introduces Davy Hamilton, who appears to have it allâa gorgeous boyfriend, a future at Julliardâuntil she is diagnosed with "Homicidal Tendency Syndrome," a genetic predisposition toward violence. She is "uninvited" from her private high school, assigned an unsympathetic caseworker, and forced to attend school in a "Cage" with other HTS kids. Among them are the sweet, smart Gil, and Sean, a lifetime "carrier" who's more protective than violent. Jordan skillfully hints at a rapidly disintegrating, near-future America, using chilling chapter interstitialsâtexts, fragments of interviews, listsâthat illustrate a society prepared to sacrifice civil rights for an illusion of safety. Are those diagnosed with the HTS gene really destined to kill, or is their behavior the outcome of being treated like criminals? The first half is slow, as Davy feels the impact that the HTS label has on her privileged life, but the action becomes more immediate when Davy, Sean, and Gil are recruited for an elite government school designed to exploit their violent instincts. Ages 13âup. Agent: Maura Kye-Casella, Don Congdon Associates.

April 1, 2014

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

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2013
She's tagged as a killer. But that's not so bad. Beautiful, blonde, wealthy 17-year-old Davy Hamilton attends a posh private school in her Texas hometown and spends page after page mooning over her rugby-playing, Zac Ephron-esque boyfriend, Zac. All goes awry, however, when it's discovered that she has Homicidal Tendency Syndrome, which means she could grow up to be a serial killer (!!!!!). She's then whisked away from her school and social life and forced to attend a special juvielike school for students with the same diagnosis. At this point, readers might think that terrible things happen to Davy--that she could be put into terrifying danger or might struggle against her own genetic code. But no--she goes to class, slaps her ex-boyfriend, gets tattooed as punishment for acting out and pines after another hot boy in her new school. This nonthriller is packed with more overwrought, lusty musings than a Harlequin romance. Some of the sentences actually work, while others are so preposterous they'll have readers giggling: "Closing my eyes, I savor the sensation of Zac's lips on my throat." But there's no vampire here, and there's not that much action. And Davy comes off as a weak, whiny, boy-chasing protagonist who makes Bella look like Lara Croft. A schlocky bodice-ripper disguised as a dystopian romance. (Dystopian romance. 14 & up)

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January 1, 2014
Grades 8-10 Davy Hamilton has the perfect life, the perfect family, and the perfect boyfriend . . . until a medical test reveals that she is a carrier for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome. Quickly, she loses her friends, her private school, her scholarship to Juilliard, and, soon, her freedom. Now Davy and her fellow carriers must fight for their survival before they become the killers they've been told they are. With Jordan's clear and heavy focus on Davy's feelings of oppression, this fast-paced story is a solid addition to the dystopian genre. The first part of the novel is full of quickly building suspense, and readers will be appalled at how easily Davy's life is dismantled. In part two, the story takes on a harder tone as Davy and other carriers are shipped off to a mysterious training facility. Astute readers will figure out faster than Davy why the teens are there, but that doesn't detract from the action and tension. A mild romance also doesn't get in the way, though readers might hope it will develop more in book two.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2015
Davina leads a charmed life until she tests positive for the Homicidal Tendency Gene. In her new cage-like classroom, Davy meets fellow carrier and bad boy Sean. Both tapped to attend the government-managed school, the seeming opposites must figure out how to survive abuse and discrimination--among potential killers. Predictable tropes partly dilute this fluid read with a gripping dystopian premise.

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)