Uninvited Blog Tour: Character Interview + Giveaway

I'm thrilled today to welcome author Sophie Jordan and protagonist Davy to the blog as part of the promotional tour for the newly released young adult dystopian novel, Uninvited. I absolutely adored this book (read my full review) and simply fell in love with Davy, Sean, and their horrifyingly plausible world, so I was super excited to have the chance to ask Davy a few questions. There's a fantastic giveaway for this tour, so be sure and check the bottom of the post for all the details as well as a list of the other participating blogs!

INTERVIEW WITH DAVY

You’ve now experienced what it’s like on the other side of the HTS diagnosis. If you could tell the public something they don’t already know about HTS and those who carry the gene, what would you most like to say?

This gene doesn’t define me … it doesn’t define any of us… but treating us like this? Like criminals before we’ve even done anything wrong? What do you think is going to happen….

Your life changed in a single instant, the HTS gene bringing with it betrayal and pain you never imagined you’d be forced to endure. This is clearly not the life you ever wanted for yourself, but what’s one positive thing, aside from Sean, that’s resulted from your diagnosis?

It burst the bubble in which I was living in and forced me to question prejudices I didn’t even know I had. I’m learning not to judge people on sight … or based on what others say about them. 

If you could trade your HTS gene for the supernatural ability of your choice, which one would you most like to have? Which one do you think Sean would choose?

I’d like the ability to become invisible. Seriously. That would be handy in a world where people judge indiscriminately … or with so little proof or evidence of wrong doing. I could just *poof*. Disappear. Sean … he probably would be exactly who he is. He never runs from anything or feels the need to change who he is.

Your world is a dark one that gets darker every day as people continue to allow fear of the unknown to rule them. If time travel were possible and you were able to jump ahead one hundred years, what do you either hope or fear you would find in that future?

I hope people would come to their senses. That the power and influence of the Wainwright agency would be a thing of the past and everyone wouldn’t be so afraid anymore. That we would be a country where a person’s actions speak alone for his/herself.

Those in power use a tattoo around the neck with a prominent “H” to brand individuals who exhibit more violent tendencies than the rest of their HTS counterparts. If you could get a tattoo of your own in defiance of the “H” tattoo, what would it look like?

LOL … um, it might not be polite to say… but you could probably guess..

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UNINVITED

(January 28th, HarperTeen)

The Scarlet Letter meets Minority Report in bestselling author Sophie Jordan's chilling new novel about a teenage girl who is ostracized when her genetic test proves she's destined to become a murderer.

When Davy Hamilton's tests come back positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome (HTS)-aka the kill gene-she loses everything. Her boyfriend ditches her, her parents are scared of her, and she can forget about her bright future at Juilliard. Davy doesn't feel any different, but genes don't lie. One day she will kill someone.

Only Sean, a fellow HTS carrier, can relate to her new life. Davy wants to trust him; maybe he's not as dangerous as he seems. Or maybe Davy is just as deadly.

The first in a two-book series, Uninvited tackles intriguing questions about free will, identity, and human nature. Steeped in New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan's trademark mix of gripping action and breathless romance, this suspenseful tale is perfect for fans of James Patterson, Michelle Hodkin, and Lisa McMann.

Goodreads • Amazon • B&N

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SOPHIE JORDAN

Sophie Jordan grew up in the Texas hill country where she wove fantasies of dragons, warriors, and princesses. A former high school English teacher, she's also the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Avon historical romances. She now lives in Houston with her family. When she's not writing, she spends her time overloading on caffeine (lattes and Diet cherry Coke preferred), talking plotlines with anyone who will listen (including her kids), and cramming her DVR with true-crime and reality-TV shows. Sophie also writes paranormal romances under the name Sharie Kohler.

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads

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GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

WEEK ONE

1/27/2014- Nose Graze- Review
1/28/2014- Magical Urban Fantasy Reads- Interview
1/29/2014- YA Bibliophile- Review 
1/30/2014- Fiktshun- Guest Post
1/31/2014- Supernatural Snark- Interview

WEEK TWO

2/3/2014- K-Books- Review

2/4/2014- Addicted Readers- Interview

2/5/2014- Paranormal book club- Review

2/6/2014- Mostly YA Book Obsessed- Review

2/7/2014- A Book and a Latte- Guest Post

 

Review: Uninvited

UNINVITED
Uninvited #1
Sophie Jordan
Young Adult/Dystopian
384 pages
HarperTeen
Available Now
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
When Davy Hamilton's tests come back positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome (HTS)-aka the kill gene-she loses everything. Her boyfriend ditches her, her parents are scared of her, and she can forget about her bright future at Juilliard. Davy doesn't feel any different, but genes don't lie. One day she will kill someone.

Only Sean, a fellow HTS carrier, can relate to her new life. Davy wants to trust him; maybe he's not as dangerous as he seems. Or maybe Davy is just as deadly.

MY THOUGHTS
Uninvited is a story that forces us to ask ourselves difficult questions; questions as to whether or not we would simply believe what we're told or if we'd dare to go against the grain and see things from an angle of our own choosing. Protagonist Davy's world and her government present us with a much darker version of the chicken or the egg question: Are those with the Homicidal Tendency Syndrome gene monsters receiving their due punishment in order to protect society, or through an unjust punishment are monsters being created? Those in power would have everyone believe the former, but as readers seeing things through young Davy's eyes we can't help but consider the latter, knowing full well that any person, no matter their genetic makeup, is capable of violence under the right circumstances. Ms. Jordan does a beautiful job of ensuring we never get too comfortable with our stance however, our confidence that nature has nothing on nurture shaken a number of times as those with the HTS gene prove themselves to be what everyone already believes, but questioning ourselves at every turn is what keeps us riveted throughout, hoping for the best yet fearing the worst.

Davy is that wonderful type of character who undergoes substantial growth mentally and emotionally as the story progresses, starting out content to believe the HTS propaganda and feeling safe with the knowledge she'll never have reason to think otherwise. When her DNA test results reveal her as a carrier though, we have the pleasure of watching as Davy slowly begins to wonder just how accurate a predictor of violence the gene truly is, forced to see the people themselves through the label with which they're burdened. She clings to the idea that she is an aberration initially, a single mistaken diagnosis in a sea of dangerous criminals, but we can hardly blame her for her denial in the beginning, sure that our minds would be singling us out as flaws in the system as well. Luckily, she doesn't drown herself in denial for long, moving forward slowly but surely into a grim acceptance of her new life, and then finally into the much stronger mindset in which she sets out to prove who she is cannot be dictated by a single gene.

The romance between Davy and fellow carrier Sean is beautifully executed, things between them so very fragile in the weeks following Davy's DNA test as she struggles to reconcile everything she's believed with what she now knows to be true. Their relationship is an important part of the story but it's also stunningly subtle, never hijacking the focus and allowing Davy and her progression to remain the highlight throughout. Their moments together are painful and raw, and though we instantly like Sean for the protectiveness that fairly radiates from him, we don't know all that much about him in the end, something that proves to be a positive rather than a negative. Knowing all Sean's secrets would ruin the mystery of who he really is and what he did to earn himself an imprint, but instead what we're left with is endless possibility; the chance for us as readers to fill in the blanks and make Sean what we ourselves most want him to be, and it's in this gray area between being in the dark and fully informed that Sean truly shines.

Overall, Uninvited is a dark and at times deeply moving start to this new series by Ms. Jordan, our minds forced to work overtime as numerous moral and ethical dilemmas are laid out before us in brutal detail, begging us to weigh in and challenging us at every turn. We're left not necessarily with a cliffhanger per se, it's more of an abrupt halt to the action that has us wishing this series could have magically been made into a one thousand-plus page book rather than several multi-hundred page ones. Though it is a bit of a sudden stop, it's also a very logical place for the break between books to be, so we find ourselves content to step away from Davy and Sean even as we greatly anticipate returning to them in the sequel.

Rating: 4/5
 

Find Sophie:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

*Be sure and stop back tomorrow as I'll have the pleasure of welcoming Sophie back to the blog for an interview!

This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.