When Amelia Hoffman discovers that she is more than human, things escalate quickly. Supernatural beings begin to surface and a murder plagues a community. Twined with mystery, romance, and heart-pounding action, Natural Selection has everything that I love in YA.

When I picked up Natural Selection, it proved to be more than what I was expecting. The magical creatures that are integrated throughout the novel are endless. For example, her sister is a succubus and her brother is a Djinn, while Amelia is a Gaia. She is a creature of nature and has the ability to heal and work with plants/greenery. I loved that there wasn’t a specific supernatural being. It was different and added to the unique and creative story line that Sharp created.

I really liked Amelia Hoffman. Her character is by far one of the youngest that I have read this year. I remember when I was fifteen and it’s much to the insecurities that Amelia faces. She’s sort of plain, but as the novel progresses she blossoms into a beautiful creature (no pun intended). Her feelings towards a certain boy *cough* her brothers’ best friend *cough* is really sweet. He seems to know more about her than she does. Mysterious, eh?

While we’re on the topic of love, Nathaniel, the love interest, is just so sweet and loyal. I just wanted to hug him. Okay, more like attack bear hug him. But still. His fierce protectiveness over Amelia was by far one of my favorite parts. What can I say? I’m a sucker for romance.

Aside from supernatural beings, there are also witches. But the witches in Amelia’s world aren’t the good guys. It’s also difficult to trust people when enemies turn out to be the unlikeliest of people.

Another thing that I really enjoyed about this novel was the realistic bond between the characters. I loved that strong connection between family. As a reader, you could really see how much Amelia cared for her brother and sister. Her parents as well. Amelia is willing to do anything it takes to save her family. I found that admirable.

Lastly, I really enjoyed Sharp’s writing style. It flowed easily and well, it was just fun to read.

All in all, Natural Selection was a great start to a series. The ending leaves you wanting more! Plus, isn’t the cover absolutely gorgeous??