Control (Control Duology, #1)

by Lydia Kang

"Control blew me away. The twists and turns and suspense made for a thrilling ride . . .  Highly recommended" - James Dashner, New York Times bestselling author of The Maze Runner

Set in 2150 -- in a world of automatic cars, nightclubs with auditory ecstasy drugs, and guys with four arms -- this is about the human genetic "mistakes" that society wants to forget, and the way that outcasts can turn out to be heroes.

When their overprotective father is killed in a terrible accident, Zel and her younger sister, Dylia, are lost in grief. But it's not until strangers appear, using bizarre sensory weapons, that the life they had is truly eviscerated. Zel ends up in a safe house for teens that aren't like any she's ever seen -- teens who, by law, shouldn't even exist. One of them -- an angry tattooed boy haunted by tragedy -- can help Zel reunite with her sister.

But only if she is willing to lose him.

• ISBN10: 0142423610
• ISBN13: 9780142423615
• Publish Date: 15 January 2017 (first published 26 December 2013)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 26 February 2021
• Publish Country: AU
• Imprint: Penguin Random House Australia
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 416
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780142423615

Reviews

[layawaydragon]

Content Warning: Kidnapping, pregnant young teens, miscarriages, experiments on the unwitting & unwilling as the doctor violates their trust, drug use, body image hate,

I've had this to read for years now. It's literally the first book in my GooglePlay Books. In an attempt to clear out and catch up, I'm starting from that beginning.

I wanted to love this and I wanted to hate it. Landed somewhere in the middle of Meh Ocean. Sucked in quick enough and couldn't find a reason to quit. Had to find out what happened next when the action finally started.

Quick read.
I don't think this has aged well.
I loved the science and lab work.
I don't know about Zel and Dyl. I really truly do not know how I feel about them alone or part at all. Just...*sigh*
Zel is down on traditional femininity and post-puberty girls due to her late bloomer status.
I liked Vera & Hex the best hugger ever.
I did not love Cy & the about face instalove.
I feel weird about Zel's prepubescent status and subsequent sexual activity. She keeps saying she's ugly & underformed and Cy keeps saying she's beautiful & perfect as she is. Nice message in theory, but squicky details. Remember the SVU episode with the 17 year old that looked 9 and her pervy bf? https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0860059/ It's that but WORSE. It's like having a 10 year old go "boys have cooties" to making out with one because mind-altering substances and suddenly she likes it? *shudder*
And Ana's sudden okayness because Zel talks to her once? Even after losing the one person close to her? Eh...no.
I thought the 'char' cars were clever, but not in the future enough to really have forgotten the word. Unless I'm remembering the year wrong.
I did not see the double cross coming.
I don't plan on reading the next book, especially since the library doesn't have a copy. I'm curious about the end, but I'll just go read some spoilers and forget about it in a week.
I am open to reading more current work of Lydia Kang, since I was hooked enough to read through to completion.

[bookishzelda]

Control by Lydia Kang actually took me by surprise. I had been sort of interested in reading it but hadn’t gotten to it. So with Catalyst coming out, it seemed like a great time since the review opportunity was there. I was hooked on this book, I wish I had read it sooner. There was so much Science in it! It was fantastic but it also had that perfect amount of thriller going on. Where there is a ticking time clock to save Zel’s sister Dyl.

Zelia and Dylia are two sisters that have always been on the move with their dad, every 10 months to be exact. When a terrible accident takes their fathers life and sets into motion Dyl’s kidnapping. Zel is thrust into a world of X-men come to life. Her mission becomes to find Dyl and get the hell out of dodge but things are never that simple.

What really drew me into Control was the Science behind it all. How often they worked in the labs and explained what they were doing. They really give you glimpse of how the different traits work and why. What happened to the DNA. It was extremely cool and very interesting to read.

I like Zel because she is feisty, even though she is also insecure. She has a good head on her shoulders and knows her way around a lab. I loved that she is able to easily matched wits with Cy. She really keeps her focus on saving her sister and doesn’t let anyone get in her way. She also takes some time warming up to the other characters. Which was good to see because who walks in and just loves everyone instantly.

I’m a lover of the hate/love relationships. I admit it, I like when two characters are battling one another and then find that their battles are routed in attraction. I felt like we slowly got to know Cy and for the first part he kind of just waltz in and out with his snotty remarks. I think the club is when he really comes out of his shell and it was sweet to see them awkwardly stumble towards a relationship once they figured out their feelings.

Another cool thing about the characters is that their special abilities that come from genetic tampering aren’t always pretty. Wilbur has a second head...sort of...Hex has four arms and Vera is green. I liked that they were more unique.

There were some things that I saw coming at the ending and at times I wanted to smack Zel and say what are you doing. Her drive to save her sister is admirable though. I have to say that I really enjoyed this read and if you are lover of Sci-Fi and enjoy the genetics side of it. Definitely pick this up. It was very well thought out.

[Joséphine]

I'm kinda disappointed after reading Control. I'd been looking forward to this for months before its release and when it finally hit the shelves at the library, I was delighted. Somehow my expectations exceeded the book and I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.

Fuller review coming up soon.

[violetpeanut]

This was a really quick read. Reminded me of X-Men, which I love, so I really enjoyed this one.

[Briana @ Pages Unbound]

In Control, Lydia Kang offers readers an intelligent and fast-paced story about finding oneself and what it means to be family. The novel follows science geek Zelia after the death of her father and the kidnapping of her younger sister, as she is taken to live in a hidden complex where the genetic outcasts of society strive to make a home. There, in addition to brainstorming how to get her sister back, she must learn to love and to trust again.

The story is fast-paced, and the jacket’s claim that it is “unputtdownable*” is not inaccurate, as I could barely bring myself to take a break from reading. Zelia encounters a number of twists in her new life, as she garners increasing knowledge about the society she lives in, about the people who claim to be her friends, and about the people she thinks are her enemies. So many things are not what they at first appear, and Zelia and the readers must continue to dig ever deeper in order to find the truth.

This aspect of the plot actually parallels one of the major themes of the book, which is an emphasis on intelligence and talent rather than physical beauty. Appearance is misleading in a place where people can have four arms or green skin. Zelia, ashamed of her physique and her late blooming, has to grapple with learning to see herself, and others, for who they are, rather than what they look like.

The book also addresses the complexity of relationships, and tackles all types: friendship, family, and romance. Zelia must continually transform her relationships as the people around her grow up or change, and as she discovers new aspects of their personalities or their past. She must realize that loving sometimes means accepting people just as they are, and it sometimes means trusting their ultimate intentions are good, even when their individual actions are perplexing. In the end, she asks others to accept the same about her.

The characters around Zelia are a refreshingly eclectic group, and Kang imagines wonderfully what it might be like to live as a genetic outcast, a “monster” in the eyes of society. Her characters both struggle with, yet accept, their differences. Then they turn them into strengths. Then they try to use them to help others. The most maligned members of society strive to aid the very people who have rejected them, perhaps out of pure goodness, perhaps in hopes they will one day be welcomed. Their situation and their personalities are complex, and Kang shies away from none of it.

Additionally, Kang has received much praise for the accuracy of the medical information in her fiction. My personal expertise is not in medicine, biology, or any related field, so I cannot speak with any professionalism on said accuracy. However, the science presented all sounded reasonable and realistic to me! Additionally, Kang does her audience the favor of assuming they are intelligent and can catch on to the scientific aspects of the plot, rather than overexplaining or oversimplifying the facts for readers.

Control is a smart, gripping read that will appeal to fans of books like Pure by Julianna Baggott and Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. Science fiction buffs will appreciate Kang’s serious approach to genetics and medicine, but anyone who appreciates well-written YA with a multifaceted plot and a grown-up tone will enjoy Kang’s work. Definitely a recommended read!

*The spelling on the Goodreads summary is “un-putdownable,” but is definitely “unputtdownable” on my book jacket.