Origin

Title: Origin

Author: Jessica Khoury

Rating: 4 stars

Summary: Pia has grown up in a secret laboratory hidden deep in the Amazon rain forest. She was raised by a team of scientists who have created her to be the start of a new immortal race. But on the night of her seventeenth birthday, Pia discovers a hole in the electric fence that surrounds her sterile home—and sneaks outside the compound for the first time in her life.

Free in the jungle, Pia meets Eio, a boy from a nearby village. Together, they embark on a race against time to discover the truth about Pia’s origin—a truth with deadly consequences that will change their lives forever.

Review: This book is a must-read. I really like how some of the science is explained to the reader, and it's almost fantasy-like. The characters were well-developed. Pia is sheltered in her isolated compound, her whole day is scheduled, and everyone (except her Uncle Antonio) is constantly telling her she's perfect. You'd think that would make her really full of herself, but Pia simply accepts it and doesn't let it get to her head. Pia's dad (Uncle Will) seems nice and Uncle Antonio is pretty cool but Uncle Paolo is a total psycho, same with Pia's mom. Pia doesn't obsess over escaping from the compound; she's content, if a little curious about the outside world. When she meets Aunt Harriet and finds a hole in the fence, she decides it couldn't hurt to look around. I think it's better this way than if Pia really wanted to leave, because as the book progresses she realizes the place she thought was safe isn't safe at all. The scientists are keeping dangerous secrets from her, ones that would change everything she's believed.  Eio is the first boy Pia's age that she's ever met, so it's not surprising that she's attracted to him. But the insta-love bothers me. Despite that, after a while I could wait for them to just kiss already! Khoury has some serious skills seeing as she got me to be okay with insta-love. The other thing that I didn't like was how the flowers are dumped into the river. Throwing an entire field of flowers filled with poisonous nectar into their water supply is not the smartest move. Still, Origin is definitely something to look forward to in September.