writehollydavis
Written on Jul 8, 2020
Man's best friend just got a little prettier. Ever since the government passed legislation allowing people to be genetically engineered and raised as pets, the rich and powerful can own beautiful girls like sixteen-year-old Ginger as companions. But when Ginger moves in with her new masters and discovers the glamorous life she's been promised isn't at all what it seems, she's forced to choose between a pampered existence full of gorgeous gowns and veiled threats, or seizing her chance at freedom with the boy she's come to love, risking both of their lives in a daring escape no one will ever forget.
- ISBN10 1622662695
- ISBN13 9781622662692
- Publish Date 1 July 2014
- Publish Status Active
- Imprint Entangled Publishing
- Format eBook
- Language English
Reviews
Berls
Written on Mar 16, 2015
**I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**
When I finished Perfected, the first thing I did was look for some sign that it wasn't a stand alone, even though I was pretty sure it was. And from all I can tell, it is :( I want more - even just two more chapters!
See, Perfected has one of those semi-open endings. Things could go really well or really badly, a lot is going to depend on people and decisions. And there's all kinds of possibilities. I'm mostly satisfied, though, because I have written out in my mind exactly what happens and it's all happy. But I really would have liked to see it happen for reals.
But my like / discomfort with the ending is par for the course. That's how I felt pretty much all through Perfected. Its a really creepy concept - humans bred as pets, not a far cry from slavery and yet, made to look different because they're pampered rather than laborers. I loved the creepiness of the concept at times and at others the creepiness was done so well I just felt creepy for even enjoying the book, if that makes sense. And it was worse because the entitlement of the top 1% in this country makes me think this isn't a huge stretch. *chills*
The characters were written so well, from Ella (the pet) who's been bred to not understand so much that she's almost incapable of caring for herself to the Congresman (her primary owner) who I thought might be a nice guy at first but felt oogyier and oogier about as Perfected progressed. And Fynn *sigh* he's YA book boyfriend material from start to finish. He and Ruby (his sister) were equally lovable for their own reasons, but mainly because they didn't fit the cookie-cutter mold their Congressman father wanted them to.
Its a somewhat slow build - I was interested from the get-go, but as Ella grows more aware and tastes possibilities the tension and anxiety grows to a really exciting conclusion. The last few chapters I couldn't put down.
And Tavia Gilbert's narration was a slam dunk, as usual. It's been a while since I listened to anything read by Tavia, but I love her voices - from women to kids to men there's variety and personality that males listening a joy.
If you like books that kind of mess with you because they put what's wrong with the world in an uncomfortable but entertaining way, I think you'll enjoy Perfected. Its a quick read and I definitely recommend going with the audio.
Kim Deister
Written on Nov 8, 2014
Ella has been genetically engineered to become the perfect showcase piece for the very wealthy. She has been trained her entire life for this moment, the moment that some member of the elite would choose her to be theirs. She is beautiful, trained in poise and grooming and subservience. Her special gifts have been highly developed so that she may please her owners. She is the perfect pet.
Perfected is set in a dystopian United States, although the the wealthy would argue that the world is their own utopia. The wealthy live on gorgeous estates, while the rest of the world lives in poverty. And this is where it gets scary. In this world, it is entirely legal to own human pets, girls that are genetically engineered and trained to live their lives as the pampered pets of the very elite.
The vocabulary used to describe the world of these girls is dehumanizing, using terms that we normally reserve for animals. The girls are raised in kennels all across the country. The best kennel, the most sought after, is the Greenich kennel... Ella's kennel. The pets are raised in the kennels, spending their lives in training centers learning to be perfect showpieces. They are raised to know that they are never going to be on the same level as their owners, nothing more than pretty pets whose only purpose is to please their owners. When the time comes, they are sold by lottery to the very wealthy. It is expected that their lives will be that of a pampered pet, sheltered and cared for... as long as they act as they should. And if they don't, there is always the red door at the kennel. Once a pet goes through that door, they are never seen again.
When Ella is purchased, she is swept away to live in the home of a prominent congressman, his wife, and his son and daughter. She is given a beautiful room and closet full of gowns. On the surface, it is a beautiful life, an easy life. But her life is not her own. She is at the beck and call of her owners, with no right to thoughts and expectations of her own. She is given a necklace with a beautiful diamond pendant and on the back was the engraved address and phone number of the congressman. A dog tag, albeit a beautiful one. At meals, she is never allowed at the same table, but at a table apart from the family. It is assumed that she is unintelligent and it is perfectly accceptable to talk about her and treat her as if she were not a sentient being.
Ella was purchased to be the pet of Ruby, the congressman's daughter who is a bit of an outcast, and it is fairly obvious that the congressman's wife and son are not thrilled about her presence. The two have different reasons for this, some of which have to do with a previous pet that apparently had something wrong with her and had been returned. But despite the fact that she is intended to be Ruby's, it is the congressman that has a creepy obsession with her. It is that obsession that makes her realize that being a pet is not all that it is cracked up to be, that she is trapped.
It was appalling to read about the world of Ella, the dehumanizing ways in which she was treated. It was horrifying to know that this was socially acceptable and legal. The complete lack of humanity that was attributed to these girls was scary. Even those that were against the practice didn't always seem to understand just how unequipped these girls were to live any other way. Every aspect of their lives had been about training to be the perfect pet. No life skills, not even the basics of education. I treat my dog Noelani with more respect than that which was afforded to these girls.
But there was beauty, too, in the romance between Penn (the son) and Ella. He was the only own that saw her as anything more than a beautiful pet. Even Ruby, who was sweet and kind, was young enough to not know any better and tended to see her only as a plaything. But Penn saw her as a person with her own thoughts and feelings and dreams. I have to wonder if Ella's character is modeled a bit after Cinderella.
This is a book that makes you think about what it means to be human. It makes you think about the line between morality and legality. Just because something was socially acceptable doesn't mean that it is right and that message is clear in this story. It is also a story that makes you step back and look at effect of materialism on morality. How important have material things become in this world that it is okay to create and own human beings as a measure of prestige?
Things to love...
--The use of animalesque vocabulary. It sets the tone for the appalling society that the story is set in.
--The romance. It was sweet and epic in that Penn would sacrifice anything to help Ella, even himself.
--The mystery. There are some interesting bits about the previous pets, intimated things that are not fully explained, but left you wondering.
Things I wanted more/less of...
--More explanation about how the world came to be as it is.
--More explanation about why all of the pets seem to be female.
--More Perfected!
My Recommendation: I am a sucker for good, creepy dystopia that is a believable possibility. This was one of those books and I thoroughly hope that there will be more to the story in the future!
Vicki
Written on Jul 6, 2014
ellieroth
Written on Jun 11, 2014
Ahora que el tema distópico o futuros desastrosos está tan de moda no es raro encontrar un libro etiquetado con ese género, y lo que me gustó de PERFECTED es que está ambientado en cierta forma en una época actual, no hay esas complicaciones o laberintos que las típicas distopías nos traen. Y quizá por eso es mucho más aterrador leer este libro. Me ha gustado que Kate Jarvik no llegué a ser explícita, que te deje imaginar lo peor durante todo el libro, hace que los gestos pequeños te llenen de repulsión hacía algunos personajes. Un toque en el cabello, una mirada más larga de la adecuada... *escalofríos*
La protagonista no es tan ingenua como se podría esperar, a pesar de que estuvo aislada toda su vida, sin estar plenamente consciente ha visto cosas malas que le pasan a las mascotas con defectos, lo que la hace un poco más inteligente. No estoy muy segura si PERFECTED falló en el instalove, lo que pasa es que Ella, la mascota, solo conoce el criadero y toda su vida estuvo rodeada de chicas, por lo que es compresible? xD Si bien no se menciona la palabra con A, es más una fascinación por lo desconocido, aunque la personalidad de Penn ayudó mucho a que no terminará siendo un romance meloso y rosa. Es bastante dulce, me fastidio un poco la historia al incio pero creo que con el transcurso de la historia van encajando los sentimientos.
Le puse cuatro de cinco estrellas por el final, si hubiera sido un poquito más trágico, me hubiera dado una sensación de conclusión que no me dio ahora, además que si le hubiera dado el final que yo quería el material extra hubiera sido más doloroso (no sé si vendrá en la versión al público, leí un eARC así que...). El desenlace me ha dejado con una sensación de continuación, aunque no hay ninguna noticia todavía.
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