Uninvited (Uninvited, #1)

by Sophie Jordan

From New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan, Uninvited is a chilling and suspenseful story about a girl whose DNA brands her a killer, perfect for fans of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and Confessions of a Murder Suspect. Davy had everything-a terrific boyfriend, the homecoming crown, a bright future at Juilliard-but when her genetic tests come back positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome, she loses it all. Uninvited from her prestigious school, avoided by her friends and family, she is placed in a special class with other "carriers" who are treated like the murderers they someday might become. Only Sean, a fellow HTS carrier, can relate to her new life and tells her that she alone controls her actions-not the code embedded into her DNA. But even if she can learn to trust him, can Davy trust herself?

• ISBN10: 0062233645
• ISBN13: 9780062233646
• Publish Date: 26 February 2015 (first published 28 January 2014)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 5 April 2024
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc
• Imprint: HarperTeen
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[Berls]

My Initial Reaction…
Wowzers! It’s been a while since I read a good YA Dystopia and this hit the spot. Great world building and fabulous characters made me stretch out activities just so I could keep listening to Uninvited.

The Narration…
Rebecca Gibel is a new-to-me narrator that I absolutely enjoyed. As usual, I spent a few chapters getting used to her voices, but I quickly got swept away in her reading and forgot that I was being read to. There were a few really shining moments, like when Davy is drugged or when a character had a particularly strong Jersey accent. It’s moments like those that a good narrator makes an audio read a better experience than reading for yourself. Rebecca gave those moments voice in a way that I don’t think I could have done justice in my head. I definitely recommend this as an audio read and I’ll be adding Rebecca to my list of go-to narrators.

The Characters…
Uninvited is told entirely from Davy’s point of view, which I think was perfect for this story. Davy is a prodigy. A genius. At the age of three she sat down at the piano and just started playing. She didn’t have to be taught, she just knew. And music is a big part of how Davy deals with life – there are constant references to music throughout and I think true music lovers would probably really enjoy this element of the book. I’m not a music lover, but it certainly didn’t detract since it helped me understand and see Davy. Anyway, Davy has this perfect life ahead of her – she’s been going to a lux private school and has the boyfriend everyone wants. She’s going to Julliard after graduation. She has no worries. Until she’s identified as an HTS (Homicidal Tendency Syndrome) carrier. Suddenly, she’s not a person anymore, but a dangerous carrier. Seeing her lose everything – school, friends, privileged life, her own sense of self – was brilliantly done (and often infuriating). Who’d have thought a prodigy would have room for personal growth? But Davy grows big time in Uninvited as her HTS classification makes her struggle with who she is.

The rest of the characters I’ll sort into two categories – carriers and non-carriers. At the start ofUninvited we get a glimpse of Davy’s life before HTS and thus the friends and boyfriend she had. Although seeing her relationship with them change is very important, we don’t really get to know these characters that well. I did grow to hate one character pretty intensely, especially considering how little I actually got to see of her. Seeing Davy’s family respond to her HTS classification was particularly well done, even if a wee-bit reliant on stereotypes. You’ve got the workaholic, thinks-he-can-buy-everything father and the weak, yet loving mother. I personally loved Davy’s brother and wished we got to see a bit more of him.

The other HTS carriers are the really exciting characters and the ones we get to know best. I can’t talk about them all, though there were a lot and they were all well-written. Shortly after her classification, Davy gets to know two carriers particularly well – Sean and Gil. Sean is your foster-kid whose had it rough, seems tough, but you think he might just be a good guy. Gil is your computer nerd. I really loved them both, pretty much from the word go. Sean stands out from the start because he’s been imprinted (a tattoo on the neck that warns that a carrier has acted violently) and Davy starts out afraid of him. Her relationship and feelings about Sean were a great mechanism for her wrestling with her own identity as an HTS carrier, and I really enjoyed her struggle to break down stereotypes and misconceptions. If you like a bit of romance, Uninvited delivers, but it’s definitely not a Romance. This is just a back drop (as was appropriate IMHO) and feelings develop at an appropriate pace, complete with confusion and mixed feelings. Yay for no insta-love or love-triangles! As for Gil - For Buffy fans out there, you’ll understand what I mean when I say that Gil was Willow in my head. Seems weak and easy to pick on, but deep down he’s a lot stronger than most would give him credit for. And I loved him.

The Story…
The concept behind Uninvited is brilliant because it’s scarily believable. And it takes place in 2021- not even 10 years in our future, which makes it that much more eerie. In this future United States (Davy lives in Texas, like I do, which added another eerie dimension for me), scientists have discovered the HTS gene and linked it to a large percentage of homicides. As is typical, people respond in fear and people with HTS – called carriers – have their rights stripped more and more. We see this drastically progress after Davy’s own classification and it’s enough to make you book-hurling mad. I’m thankful I was listening or I might have a damaged hardback book right now.

Each chapter included a brief snippet of a news report, or text messages, or some sort of communication that gives you a glimpse of events outside of Davy’s own personal view, adding just enough to make our own view of events more dynamic and real without making us know much more than Davy. I found the world building and the way that Sophie Jordan told the story utterly convincing and I easily lost myself in it. I love that she actually gave a date for a point in the future, because it helped create a certain level of expectations. For example, I expected some technological advances, but not to the extent that I might if we were talking 2100. All-in-all I felt it was well-executed.

Concluding Sentiments…
I’m particularly happy that, while Uninvited didn’t end on a cliff-hanger, it’s also not a stand alone. There’s just enough resolution for me to go to bed tonight without stressing about what’s going to happen next, but there’s so much more that really needs to be dealt with. I eagerly await the next book in this series!

[Amber]

This review was originally posted on Books of Amber

Having heard a lot of negative reviews about Jordan’s first YA series, Firelight, I was hesitant to read Uninvited… but also kind of curious. The synopsis is what ultimately made up my mind, because I love a good dystopian where the government claims to be able to detect Kill Genes or Kill Instincts, or anything of the sort. This happened in The Forsaken as well, and it’s always intriguing to see how the government deals with it.

I thought that the world building itself was good, although nothing special. We’ve seen it before with Minority Report and The Forsaken. Like I said, though, I love this idea, and found it intriguing. Jordan did a good job of explaining the dystopian world gradually without having it become overbearing. It fit in with the fast-paced plot nicely, and the whole beginning of the novel flowed well.

It took a while for me to connect with Davy, the main character. She starts off as very spoilt and rather snobby, but when she tests positive for the gene she gets pulled down to Earth. Of course, this character growth takes a while, which is fantastic. We see Davy start a new school, meet a bunch of teenagers who have been accused of having this gene, get into trouble, and eventually leave her hometown to go elsewhere. I thought that the romance started out quite well. I was with Davy as she was feeling equal amounts of intrigue and terror when it came to Sean at first.

Wait, did I say that the romance started out well? Okay, I have weird taste. I mean that Sean was, to begin with, slightly scary, with his HTS-related tattoo that makes it evident that he’s broken the rules of his agreement with the government before. However, as we get to know him, we realise that he’s actually quite nice. And Davy soon realises that you don’t actually have to do anything wrong to earn a tattoo from the government.

As the novel progressed, the romance became boring. There was no instalove there, but I got fed up with how Sean was constantly protecting Davy and saving her. I wanted her to be able to save herself, which would probably have been slightly unrealistic in certain situations that she got herself into, but maybe the author should have written different situations to empower her female protagonist.

Overall I was very pleased with my first Sophie Jordan book. Uninvited draws you in, and introduces you to a creepy future where the government controls everything, down to your DNA. I’m glad that this series is a duology, and I hope it will stay that way, because while I enjoyed the plot, I don’t think there’s enough to stretch it out over any more than two books. But who knows what Jordan has in mind? Hopefully a more exciting romance *cough*

[kimbacaffeinate]

Jordan gave us characters that both fit our perception of what someone with homicidal tendency syndrome would be/act like and those who didn’t creating a unique group of characters. The tale is told from Davy’s perspective, and we get to experience everything first hand through her. She is a likable character with a strong moral compass. Before she is classified, her understanding of those that carry HTS is a regurgitation of government propaganda and television’s sensationalism. We see her grow and comprehend as the tale progresses. Davy could have acted like a spoiled brat but instead she strives to achieve, not to gloat on the “what could haves” but to better herself and those around her. While she is still naïve, she does listen to advice and continually shows growth. Sean is another carrier who befriends her, looks out for her and tries to make her understand the brutal, harsh reality of her new life. Sean’s life resembles the classic profile of someone who moves in and out of the criminal system. Family members, her past friends, and new team mates all enhance the tale and give us a clearer picture of the world. While we are privy to interviews, newspaper clipping, and internal government documents I would have really liked to have PoV’s from other characters. The characters as a whole were interesting, but I felt this was more of a plot driven tale. My hope is that she expands on the characters going forward.

Uninvited was brilliantly constructed and engaging. Jordan began the tale before Davy’s life changed allowing us to get a panoramic view and feel for what was occurring in this futuristic society. News reports, friend’s reactions, police reports, all made us privy to the chaos. Jordan’s depiction of Davy, before, during and as she becomes part of the system is what made this dystopian for me. Often dystopians result in from escaped viruses or a catastrophic event, but we engineered this world ourselves. While I didn’t easily connect with the characters, I think it was the author’s intention. Instead, we saw the world shift as these characters went from human to animal. It was at times raw and brutal making me cringe and question humanity. It was eerily plausible, and it caused me to think about current laws in government, current testing, and zero tolerance rules that border on ridiculousness in our public schools. Nature vs. Nurture, social cleansing, and society as a whole are all called into question. It will cause you to think of our own history and fanatic rulers who wanted to rid our world of undesirables. There is a slight romance with moments of attraction, racing hearts and blushing. It developed slowly from friendship, need, and trust. It felt genuine while remaining firmly in the background. The story had ebb and flow to it that allowed me to absorb and reflect as Jordan slowly began to increase the tension. I began reading, and the next moment I looked up to discover I had consumed the first half in one sitting. The last portion of this book was intense, and the ending cut off at the perfect point. After the climax, she brought us back down and cooled us off leaving us with a sense of direction for the next book.


Copy received in exchange for unbiased review​. Full review originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer​​

[KitsuneBae]

This review first appeared on Thoughts and Pens.

After finishing Uninvited, the first thought that came to mind is “I don’t know anything about James Patterson, Michelle Hodkin, and Lisa McMann or any of that Scarlet Letter meets Minority Report. All I know is that this is a cross between Mean Girls x Twilight x Divergent.” And I’m not sure if that is good for Uninvited’s reputation. As for me, I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I want to.

Being the first book in a duology series, Uninvited is a futuristic story where Earth Nations are on the verge of collapsing due to the increasing number of people who are HTS (Homicidal Tendency Syndrome) carriers. Davina a.k.a Davy, our main protagonist, is a music prodigy and has lived a sheltered life ever since she was born. Everything was perfect in her life until the day that she was diagnosed positive for HTS. Her boyfriend and bestfriend ditched her, her parents are scared of her and her chance of a bright future in Juilliard is suddenly gone.

Uninvited’s premise is not only interesting but also unique. Imagine how much easier it would be to protect this world from sociopaths if there’s an existing technology to detect them before they become one. Alas, my friends, what we currently have is the highly unreliable MacDonald triad which until now is under severe criticisms. But if I am to compare it with Jordan’s method of detecting HTS, I think I’d rather go for the MacDonald triad in terms of rationality. You see, the first glaring flaw that immediately struck me when I dove into Uninvited was that it didn’t give any solid account as to why HTS became prevalent in the society. Nor it offered any enlightenment as to the exact science behind the detection of the kill gene. Now if you’re a nitpick about genetics then this may not be the book for you because trust me, all Jordan was able to do was tell us that the society detects HTS by DNA testing. After that, nada. She didn’t even offer an elaborate explanation as to what is in the genetic makeup of the HTS carrier that makes him/her a killer. It’s different with the MacDonald Triad because instead of genetics, it explained the possible causes of sociopathy in terms of three behaviours: firesetting, animal cruelty and enuresis. But with Uninvited, the author just expects us to take anything at face value. >,

I must admit, however, that even if my reading experience was ruined by the ambiguity of the sci-fi aspect of Uninvited, I was still entertained. The story moved in a regular pace accounting Davy’s day-to-day struggle as a branded killer. It was fascinating to follow her misery…of how quickly she became one of the most unwanted girl in their town when previously, she was everyone’s beloved musical princess. And most importantly, it was terrifying and enthralling at the same time to see the world in chaos because of HTS…families being torn apart, friends becoming enemies, and rational humans behaving like animals by treating those HTS carriers as though the latter are savages instead of individuals that needed compassion and serious treatment.

The romance was also done well and remained as a side story. Though the plot was admittedly simplistic, it did make for a good read especially with some disturbing and gory scenes thrown in the way.

And should I mention that both parents of the MC are alive and kicking? Following the development of their relationship as a family was really an awkward experience for me because Davy had been the favourite child but everything got complicated when she turned positive for HTS.

In terms of characterization, Uninvited did fairly well. Except for the MC, I have no problem connecting with the characters. IMO, Davy is a character that is hard to like. She’s full of hypocrisy and judgment against her fellow carriers. And then she would pretend like she’s some kick ass heroine and only end up getting saved by Sean. As. In. Always. I am really hoping that she’ll change for the better in book 2. Speaking of her love interest, Sean, that’s another story. I like the guy even if there are still a lot of things that I don’t know about him. He’s mysterious, confident, a true gentleman (despite the bad boy façade) and an aegis. And he’s one of the reasons why I will be reading the sequel. I am interested to know what his real story is.

Uninvited’s world building also needs some improvement. For the most part of the story, I always thought that the events are happening on the present when it’s clearly set some time in the future based on the HTS news snippets. No wonderful or CGI-ish imagery here, guys.

All in all, Uninvited—with its numerous flaws—is easily deserving of a negative rating if one lets her/his calculator side of personality win. As for me, I really enjoyed this one and thus, the 3 star rating. I would recommend Uninvited to all those who are willing to overlook the various flaws I’ve mentioned or to those who are looking for something unique. And together, let’s pray that Sophie Jordan will do a better job with book 2.

What do you think?

***An ARC of this book was provided freely by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, HarperTeen and Harper Collins!***

[Ashley]

Nose Graze — Young Adult book reviews

4.5 Stars

Uninvited was AMAAAZING!! The best part about this book was that it was full of emotion and feels, from beginning to end. It totally owned me.

People are tested for HTS and those that are found to have the gene are basically shunned. The government pretends they still have rights by allowing them to go to school and live in the same neighborhoods as people who don't have the gene—but in reality, they are far from treated equally. Sure they can attend school, but they can't interact with non-HTS students. They are locked up in a CAGE all day and given assignments by teachers they never meet. Complete isolation.

And as the book goes on, Sophie Jordan really shows us how people with HTS are set up to fail. They're pushed, bullied, discriminated against, until they build up enough hatred and resentment to want to go out there and destroy, a desire they never had to begin with. It was a sad, and yet fascinating idea, and you can draw many parallels to real life (like racism—the physical separation and "us vs. them" mentality). It broke my heart to watch Davy's life be ripped away and to see her friends turn on her so easily. SO MANY FEELS!!

One great thing about Uninvited is that it really makes you think, and I love that in a book! Are people just born to be murderers? Or are they made into murderers? That was constantly going through my mind as I read the book.

In a few ways, Uninvited reminded me of The Program by Suzanne Young. They're both interesting stories with tons of emotion, and a cool plot, even if not a super fast-paced one. Like The Program, the story in Uninvited is fairly simple, but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Despite its simplicity, it kept me interested and engaged. It was a super quick read!

On top of that, we have a delicious, slow-moving romance. I loved how I was 100% on Davy's page in terms of love interests. At the beginning, I loved Davy's boyfriend. LOVED HIM! He was so sweet and I wanted to hug them both. Then when he kind of turned on her, I hated him, just like Davy did. I wanted to bitch slap him so hard. Then over the rest of the story, I slowly started falling for Sean, just like Davy. We were completely synced, and I loved it! I hate it when a character falls for a guy a lot faster/slower than I do, because it just messes with my connection to the book (this so was not the case in Uninvited!).

I think my one complaint is that we don't get a lot of history behind HTS. We don't really learn where it came from, when it was discovered, or what it even really is. I would have liked a bit more information to better establish a background/history. Plus, I was just curious! But this wasn't a big enough issue to really turn me off the book or get frustrated.

Overall, I highly recommend Uninvited! It was a fabulous read, and just what I needed to yank me out of a sea of mediocre books. It's fun, interesting, original, swoony, and will have your brain in overdrive trying to figure out if nature or nurture wins out.