Vitro, by Jessica Khoury

Vitro, by Jessica Khoury

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Science-Fiction, Dystopia, Mystery, Adventure

Rating: 2/5 stars

Publication: January 14, 2014, by Razorbill

Format: Hardcover Edition (Borrowed)






Goodreads Summary: On Skin Island, even the laws of creation can be broken.

On a remote island in the Pacific, Corpus scientists have taken test tube embryos and given them life. These beings—the Vitros—have knowledge and abilities most humans can only dream of. But they also have one enormous flaw.

Sophie Crue is determined to get to Skin Island and find her mother, a scientist who left Sophie behind years ago. With the help of Jim Julien, a young charter pilot, she arrives--and discovers a terrifying secret she never imagined: she has a Vitro twin, Lux, who is the culmination of Corpus's dangerous research.

Now Sophie is torn between reuniting with the mother who betrayed her and protecting the genetically enhanced twin she never knew existed. But untangling the twisted strands of these relationships will have to wait, for Sophie and Jim are about to find out what happens when science stretches too far beyond its reach.

Review: 

"It seemed an eternity later, though in fact it was just a minute, that he opened his eyes and turned his head to look at Sophie. Her eyes were open, and she was staring directly back at him."

  

   And not in a good way. Jessica Khoury has previously stunned me with her debut novel, Origin. It was moving, it was everything I was looking for in an unique dystopia-science fiction romance book. But in her second book that somewhat relates to Origin's events, I was very disappointed.

    Sophie is living an ordinary life in her home in Boston. She lives with her upsetting father and her stepmother and their children. When Sophie gets a letter from her mother, her biological mother that is studying in an island that is unknown to the world, she is quickly on her way to Skin Island. With the help of Jim, her childhood handsome friend, she arrives in Skin Island, with a crash. She finds out that a dark secret lies in the land of the island: scientists have been creating beings that are perfect except one flaw. Sophie quickly finds out that she has a Vitro twin: Lux. So basically, all it takes is one choice to change everything for Sophie. Her whole life is before her hands.

    

      Yeah... At least that was what the book was supposed to be.

      This book started off great. From the start, I could tell that it was going to be great. I was anticipating for a moving, beautiful plot with awesome kick-ass characters. At least, that's what I got for the first 75 pages. After that, everything went downhill. The plot became predictable and boring, too many characters were added and I got confused, and I was just plain bored. I didn't see any great importance in the book at all and the basic main idea was: for Sophie to decide what she wants. Yayy. Oh, and a dreamy (not really) romance with Jim. 

       The characters were okay, although there were too many. But I really hated Sophie. She was all whiny and so selfish the whole time. She thought that she was having trouble all the time when other people were and their situations were far worse than hers. She was just one of those characters that doesn't understand anything in life. Ugh.

       But I loved Jim and Lux. They were too good for Sophie and WERE AWESOME and total kick-asses. Mmm... I smell the taste of revenge. Sophie used them too much so now it's their time to use her. Gosh, I'm so evil.

        The romance in this book was just something added. It was very ew-ish and not needed. I feel like Jessica Khoury just added it for some more action which couldn't be completed in that aspect. There doesn't have to be romance in every YA book! :(

         Overall, this book really could've been great. It had the absolute potential. The idea was good, but it just didn't make that impact that I wish it did. The romance sucked, the plot sucked from the middle to end, and the protagonist was very disappointing. The things that I was looking forward for the most were the worst.