10 Things I Loved About Uninvited by Sophie Jordan

Davy has everything. A cute and attentive boyfriend, good friends, a loving family, and a full ride to Juilliard as soon as she graduates from high school. But the world around her is starting to crumble. Violence is on the rise and people are frantic to find a way to protect themselves and the rest of society from anyone who could harm them. Testing for the "kill gene" is becoming mandatory and is something Davy hasn't really thought about until her results come back positive. Suddenly she is a threat to her family, her friends, her classmates, and anyone else she might come in contact with. She's uninvited from her prestigious school, loses her scholarship, and is placed in a classroom with other kill gene positive teens where the concern is more about locking them up than letting them learn. The only bright spot, ironically, is Sean - the boy who wears his kill gene tattoos proudly but seems filled with contradictions. Can she ever accept her fate the way he has? As her entire world falls apart, Davy struggles to understand who or what she is. Could she really be the monster everyone suddenly sees? And what will she have to do to keep herself alive?

And if you want to see a really cool book trailer you should totally watch this before jumping into my spoiler filled 10 things list.

1. The premise. Scary and way too close for comfort. This kind of gene testing is pretty much already here. This is set in a near future and with many of the things going on in our society, the paranoia against people with a specific gene or background is something we see every day. To see it play out in Davy's world is chilling.
2. The age-old question: Nature vs. Nurture. Are people born killers or do they become killers because of circumstances or both? This kind of question has been discussed for hundreds of years. Davy's situation brings this to light in a way that cannot be ignored. You care about her and, therefore, are forced to take a look at this question.
3. Davy. I loved the way she was this great girl. There was absolutely nothing about her to make you believe she was a killer. Which made it so much more terrible when everyone changes their behavior toward her. She's strong. And she has to make horrible decisions, particularly toward the end of the book. Yet despite everything that she's going through, she manages to hold on to the person she was - or at least the most important parts.
4. Mitchell. Davy's brother could have been just a throwaway character. And to some extent he kind of was, but in the very little amount of time that we do see him he's so strongly developed that I have a real soft spot for him. He's so protective of Davy and he's literally the only person from her past life who truly believes in her.
5. Sean. He's really not what you expect him to be and I loved that. I was kind of rolling my eyes when he was first introduced, but his character is developed so well and with so many nuances that my eye rolling stopped pretty quickly. I love the way his relationship with Davy develops.
6. Gil. From the first moment he's introduced I just knew I was going to like his character. And I did. He's so sweet and harmless and adds to the element of frustration that these people are being judged based solely on this one gene.
7. Sabine. I was so excited that Davy went back for her. She rounds out the little group nicely and I'm dying to know more about her.
8. The dilemma. After the "exercise" when Davy is presented with an absolutely impossible decision, I was amazed and intrigued by the decision Jordan made. There was obviously nothing else Davy could have chosen but to shoo the other carrier, but it is not an easy decision and...
9. The ramifications of that decision will haunt her. I really liked the turn this made with Davy becoming the killer she's been told she is, but in the most manipulated way possible. But even though in a lot of ways her hands were tied, she's still living with the fact that she shot a man in cold blood. A man who was tied up no less. A man who has been diagnosed with the exact same gene she has and whose main crime is trying to escape - something she is actively planning at that moment. I can't wait for the next installment.
10. There's more! Yeah! I'm so intrigued by this world and by Davy and Sean and Gil and Sabine and I want to know what happens next!