PerfectedAuthor: Kate Jarvik Birch
Publisher: Entangled Teen, 304 pages
Expected Publication Date: July 1, 2014
*ARC received from publisher via NetGalley
From Goodreads:
I was bred to be the perfect pet. I was bred for my beauty and grace, to be a showpiece, an ornament to sit upon the couch, to sing, to dance, to play the piano and paint. I was bred to willingly put my owner's happiness before my own.
Until Penn. The handsome and rebellious son of the congressman who owns me, he's the only person who's seen past my perfect exterior to the girl underneath. Falling for him is forbidden. Falling for him is freeing.
But there's a dark underworld lurking beneath my pampered life. The only thing more dangerous than staying with Penn's family is escaping it, because if I fail, I face a fate far worse than death...
For fans of Kiera Cass's Selection series and Lauren DeStefano's Chemical Garden series, Perfected is a chilling look at what it means to be human, as well as a stunning celebration of the power of love to set us free, wrapped in a glamorous—and dangerous—bow.
Review:
I really wanted to like this book, but it was just ok. The concept was interesting, but it wasn't explained well enough so that I really bought it. How did this world get to the point that they bred girls to be pets? It would make more sense if they were workers but just to sit around...what was the point? And other than that, the world was the same as ours, so how would that happen? They even talk about how they got rid of slavery a long time ago…more information about the history of this genetic engineering was needed.
And then the characters were all a bit dull and underdeveloped. The attraction between Ella and Penn just happened way too fast and I never felt any spark between them. I did like their connection through music, but it felt so rushed. And the congressman…just ugh. Why did his wife put up with this, especially given what happened to their last "pet"?
The plot, the characters…just not believable. In sum, Perfected was pretty mediocre.
The plot, the characters…just not believable. In sum, Perfected was pretty mediocre.
Posted by: Pam
I just finished this book a couple days ago and felt the same way. I was disappointed because the concept was so interesting and just had so much potential, but the world-building was terrible. No explanations. And I didn't like the ending. Not sure if it's a series or not, but I feel like nothing got resolved at all.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful cover, and the premise is interesting. But, it sounds like a dud-don't think I'll add it to my TBR list right now. Great review!
ReplyDeleteSuper disappointing. I really liked this authors other book, Deliver Me. So I was pretty excited for this one.... feeling like maybe I'll skip it if I don't like the first 50 pages. Thanks for your honest review, Pam!
ReplyDeleteI signed up to review this book through Entangled Teen and now I feel less than thrilled about it. :(
ReplyDeleteSorry that you didn't enjoy this one very much. The romance seems a little like insta-love which I am not a fan of at all. It would also annoy me that you don't get much of an explanation about the pet aspect of the book. I'd really need to know and understand how it came to be like that. Thanks for the great and honest review :)
ReplyDeleteHmm, lack of an explanation and overall mediocre-ness? I will take you word for it and pass on this one.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds so so strange…I don't think I could buy the world building either. And without a strong romance, I think I'm better off skipping this. Thanks for the review!
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