2.5 stars
The concept of this book is really interesting. Scientists have discovered a gene that indicates homicidal tendencies, so of course that knowledge is used to round up and oppress anyone who has this gene, regardless of their actual actions. It’s disturbing because it doesn’t seem all that unrealistic. It reminded me of a mix between Minority Report and Unwind. Unfortunately, there were issues with the execution of this for me.

What I liked:

1. The concept. Like I said, this does not seem all that far-fetched to me. It’s scary to think about what would happen in our society if something like this came to light.

2. Quick read. I went between reading this in physical form and listening to the audiobook and read it in just a few hours. I was able to speed through this.

What I didn’t like:

1. Lack of world-building. This is set in near-future United States, so I’m not exactly talking about creating a new world from scratch. I’m talking more about society. We are told that cities are now unsafe because there are just all these murderers running around. That even before this gene was discovered, homicides had been increasing at an alarming rate. Why? I don’t understand why all of a sudden all these people started going out and murdering each other. Was there another recession/depression that left people impoverished? Was there a war? Famine caused by global warming? What happened in our society that caused such a change before this gene was discovered?
Also, there is a mention in the chapter intros of a disease running through some of these detention camps they have carriers rounded up in, but we never really find out any details.

2. So many loose ends. I get that this is a duology. But there are certain things that don’t seem like they will be revisited in a follow up book, as our characters are so far removed from them now.

3. Inauthentic side characters. This specifically applies to Tori, the supposed best friend of Davy. Literally the second she learns that Davy has tested positive for this gene, she turns on her completely. She flat-out lies about an incident involving Davy and her ex, claiming that she thought Davy was going to turn her violence on her, when it was obvious that what had happened was a result of her ex being an asshole. It just didn’t feel real. I’m just saying, I would never treat a friend the way she treated Davy, especially having known her since they were young. She was very one-dimensional. Other side characters (Sabine, Coco, Mitchell, Addy, Jackson, Tully, etc.) just weren’t well-developed.

4. Repetitive phrases. As fast as this book went, I did notice that there were some phrases that were repeated over and over again. One I kept noticing was Davy, upset at something she was FORCED TO DO under threat of violence, thinking she was exactly what they’d said she was. She kept using the phrase ‘what I am, what I’ve done’ and variations of that. It got to the point where it felt very self-pitying. And I get it, to an extent. If I’d gone through what she did I’d probably have some serious PTSD. But that’s not being explored here. It’s just her, lamenting the fact that her life will never be the same again.

5. The romance. I don’t have a problem with romance. Actually, I like a well-written romance. But this one feels very tenuous. I don’t really know anything about Sean. He’s a foster kid who has known he’s a carrier since he was a kid, he has a problem with punctuality, he has a Knight-in-shining-armor complex, and I’m out. Literally their entire relationship is this:

A. Broody Boy is broody.

B. Spoiled Girl assumes he’s a violent murderer, even though she knows that good people are getting rounded up in this big mess.

C. Spoiled Girl is trapped by creepy guy wanting to hurt her.

D. Broody Boy comes to the rescue, saving her, just to rebuff her and tell her not to trust him or rely on him because he’ll never save her again.

E. Repeat 3-5 times or until Broody Boy and Spoiled Girl fall madly in love.

Seriously, the number of times Davy had to be saved by Nick was nauseating. Very, very repetitive.

6. Not-like-other-girls trope. Not only do we get this kind of nonsense in the romance (Sean calls her perfect after talking to her like...twice) but she herself tells us that she is like, super talented musically. She also gloats when recalling that her best friend, along with the entire female population of her school, wanted her boyfriend, but she was the only one who could get him. 🤢

Other odds and ends:

1. In the beginning of the book, we hear Davy’s parents talking about how ‘before’ they simply wrote a check and that was that. Are they saying that her brother also has the gene and they were able to buy his freedom, or just referring to him being a troublemaker and paying the school to not expel him? That confused me a bit.

2. I actually think the second half of the book is a very intriguing concept that could’ve been a book all its own. People with homicidal tendencies getting trained to control those urges while performing tasks for the government or whoever it is who wants their services. But this isn’t actually executed well either, because the things that go on in Mount Haven won’t accomplish that goal. It’s just some sadistic little program that will end up turning these people against one another.

I’m interested enough (just barely) to see what happens in unleashed, and since I own it I will probably just jump in and read it next. However, I’m not really confident that I’m going to like it, as I’ve read other series by her before and really disliked the second book. I guess we shall see.