Review: Perfected by Kate Jarvik Birch

Goodreads Summary:

Perfection comes at a price.

As soon as the government passed legislation allowing humans to be genetically engineered and sold as pets, the rich and powerful rushed to own beautiful girls like Ella. Trained from birth to be graceful, demure, and above all, perfect, these “family companions” enter their masters’ homes prepared to live a life of idle luxury.

Ella is happy with her new role as playmate for a congressman’s bubbly young daughter, but she doesn’t expect Penn, the congressman’s handsome and rebellious son. He’s the only person who sees beyond the perfect exterior to the girl within. Falling for him goes against every rule she knows…and the freedom she finds with him is intoxicating.

But when Ella is kidnapped and thrust into the dark underworld lurking beneath her pampered life, she’s faced with an unthinkable choice. Because the only thing more dangerous than staying with Penn’s family is leaving…and if she’s unsuccessful, she’ll face a fate far worse than death.

For fans of Keira Cass’s Selection series and Lauren DeStefano’s Chemical Garden series, Perfected is a chilling look at what it means to be human, and a stunning celebration of the power of love to set us free, wrapped in a glamorous—and dangerous—bow.(

Publication Date: July 1, 2014

I have complicated feelings about this author. On one hand, I love her stories and characters. On the other hand, her endings kill me! Perfected had a very similar ending to her other book Deliver Me and the open-endedness of both books drove me crazy.

However, the endings should not dissuade readers from picking up either books because the author’s talent is undeniable. Perfected takes place in a horrifying alternate world where humans are bred to be “pets” and owned by the uber-rich. Since the book is told from the point of view of one of the pets named Ella, there isn’t a whole lot of world building and explanation on how this society came about.

I liked Ella and I felt for her plight. She is confused over the way her new “family” treats her. She has been taught to be a showpiece, but begins to question her teachings after starting to fall for the congressman’s son Penn. Penn was adorable and I loved the sweet moments between him and Ella. I wished at times he stood up to his father more (especially when the congressman used reprehensible discipline methods on Ella) but he later redeemed himself in my eyes.

The thing I love about the author’s books is they are so thought provoking. I absolutely adore the feminist themes she interweaves into her tales and how her oppressed narrators find their inner strength and learn how to fight back against the establishments.

The ending destroyed me! I don’t need things wrapped up neatly with a nice little bow, but there were too many questions left unanswered. I’m really hoping this is a series starter and there will be more of Penn and Ella to come. Overall, despite my issues with the ending, I’d still highly recommend Perfected to YA readers.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of Perfected for review!

Review: Deliver Me by Kate Jarvik Birch

Goodreads Summary:

One People. One Union. One Future.

Wynne’s entire life is dictated by the Union: the clothes she wears, the books she reads, even the genes she inherited. And like every other girl in the Union, Wynne dreams of being chosen as a Carrier on her 16th birthday—one of the elite selected to carry the future generation within her womb. Wynne and her best friend Odessa are certain they will both make the cut, but when Odessa is chosen and whisked off to a life of privilege, Wynne is left behind to work as an assistant, delivering perfectly planned babies for the Union.

As Odessa slips deeper and deeper into the role of Carrier, Wynne begins to see the Union for what it really is: a society that criminalizes the notion of love, and forbids words like mother and family.

For the first time in her life, Wynne is faced with a choice: submit to the will of the Union, or find a way to escape and save Odessa before she is lost forever.

Publication Date: April 15, 2014

Although I’ve never read The Handmaid’s Tale, I know of the plot. Deliver Me has similar themes and readers will be horrified over the things Wynne and the rest of the women of the Union must endure. It was a good read with an ending filled with possibility.

The dystopian society where best friends Wynne and Odessa live is terrifying. Women are groomed to become carriers of the next generation and those not chosen are assigned jobs as servants. Wynne is not chosen as a Carrier, but her best friend is. The novel then follows Wynne on her respective journey away from Odessa.

The world building is fairly good in Deliver Me although I would’ve liked more about how the society came about. With such cruel practices, I also thought there would be more about a resistance movement. Wynne is unhappy, but I would’ve liked more about her emotional turmoil.

Wynne was a relatable narrator and I felt for her as she tries to make sense of her life away from Odessa. Wynne is fairly naïve and it takes her a while to see things for what they are. She grew as a character and I was happy with her transformation by the novel’s end.

The plot moved at a good pace and there was a lot of tension when Wynne found herself going against the rules of the society. The conclusion was open-ended and I’d be curious to read a sequel about Wynne and Odessa. I was left with a lot of questions and I’d like to see how things could play out.

Overall, Deliver Me is a good debut with thought-provoking themes. I’d recommend the book to fans of YA dystopians.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!