Awakening(Tankborn 2)Author: Karen SandlerPublisher: Lee & Low Books, 2013Genre: YA ScifiOnce a GEN (genetically engineered nonhuman) girl terrified of her first Assignment, Kayla is now a member of the Kinship, a secret organization of GENs, lowborns, and trueborns. Kayla travels on Kinship business, collecting information to further the cause of GEN freedom.
Despite Kayla’s relative freedom, she is still a slave to the trueborn ruling class. She rarely sees trueborn Devak, and any relationship between them is still strictly forbidden.
Kayla longs to be truly free, but other priorities have gotten in the way. A paradoxically deadly new virus has swept through GEN sectors—a disease only GENs catch. And GEN warrens and warehouses are being bombed, with only a scrawled clue: F.H.E. Freedom, Humanity, Equality.
With the virus and the bombings decimating the GEN community, freedom and love are put on the back burner as Kayla and her friends find a way to stop the killing . . . before it’s too late.
In
a world where GENs are treated as less than human, a group of people called the
Kinship work together to change this ‘rule.’ It’s the reason Kayla joined their
movement, but now she isn’t so sure. The Kinship seems to have lost sight of
their goal and Kayla is sick and tired of blindly following rules. But before
she can rebel, Kayla will have to deal with a deadly virus, forbidden love, and
treachery among the ranks.
Awakening brings
double the intrigue, triple the action, more swoon to the romance, and more incredible
scifi details to the awesome Tankborn series.
It
took a while to get reacquainted with all the concepts and strange words—the new
words are everywhere but it’s part of the beauty of the series. You’re immerse
one hundred percent into this world. Once you roll with it, the narrative flies
as smoothly as an aircloud lev-car.
Kayla
travels with Risa, a lowborn woman, delivering supplies across the sectors as a
cover for Kinship business. Traveling in the lorry made this a fast pace story
with every turn something new to discover. Their assignment has been going
smoothly for the past months, until someone starts bombing foodstores and
warehouses and leaving strange messages in GEN script.
Because
outer problems aren’t enough, Kayla also can’t get Devak out of her mind. Even
after months apart he’s a constant presence in her mind and in her heart. But
she knows GENs have no business dreaming about romantic relationships trueborns,
much less a high status one. She even tries accepting another boys attentions,
but it doesn’t work. Kayla realizes nothing will ever compare to the intensity
between her and Devak. The scenes between them spark with resentment, yes, but
also with fierce love. They both such stubborn heads, but I love characters willing
to sacrifice their love and happiness for each other.
But
Kayla’s issues aren’t the only thing happening in this book. Two GEN girls have
come back after dying from Scratch, a virus that attacks only GENs. What’s
impressive is they now have the power to heal others. Also, Kayla’s best friend
Mishalla made the change from GEN to lowborn. She dreams of having babies of
her own, and when a possible solution presents itself, she’ll do anything to
help. Even handing GENs to the hands of gene-splicers.
The
last chapter, I so cannot go into detail about it. All I will say is that it
ended with a bang. Literally. And I hope I don’t have to wait so long for a
third book!
*Arc copy
provided by the publisher via Netgalley*
Favorite Quotes:
~Sacrifices~
Devak sighed into the stretching
silence. “Even if there was something between us, how could we ever be
together?”
Junjie fixed him with his dark, steady
gaze. “You would have to give up a lot.”
Maybe
everything. Could he?
~Kayla’s
fury~
He glanced up toward the ruddy-faced
enforcer, then back at her. “I had to do it, Kayla.”
“If I could get these shackles off—”she
said each word clearly, and with as much menace as she could—“I would put you
through a window.”
