Publisher:
Scholastic
Release
Date: 24th
September 2013
Edition:
e-proof,
review copy
In
a world ravaged by mutation, a teenage girl must travel into the forbidden
Savage Zone to recover lost artefacts or her father’s life is forfeit.
America
has been ravaged by a war that has left the eastern half of the country riddled
with mutation. Many of the people there exhibit varying degrees of animal
traits. Even the plantlife has gone feral.
Crossing
from west to east is supposed to be forbidden, but sometimes it’s necessary.
Some enter the Savage Zone to provide humanitarian relief. Sixteen-year-old
Lane’s father goes there to retrieve lost artefacts – he is a fetch. It’s a
dangerous life, but rewarding – until he’s caught.
Desperate
to save her father, Lane agrees to complete his last job. That means leaving
behind her life of comfort and risking life and limb – and her very DNA – in
the Savage Zone. But she’s not alone. In order to complete her objective, Lane
strikes a deal with handsome, roguish Rafe. In exchange for his help as a
guide, Lane is supposed to sneak him back west. But though Rafe doesn’t exhibit
any signs of ‘manimal’ mutation, he’s hardly civilised...and he may not be
trustworthy.
I absolutely loved Kat Falls’
debut Dark Life from a couple of
years ago, and the sequel too, so I was really excited to hear about Inhuman.
Once again, I was blown away by
Kat Falls’ original and fantastic world-building. I think it’s quite difficult
to be individual in a sub-genre so saturated like dystopia is, but Inhuman did it effortlessly. Eighteen years
ago, a company accidentally released a plague upon North America causing
genetic mutations in humans and animals (that remind me of the creatures of The Island of Doctor Moreau) and both to go feral and attack
uninfected people. Within days, the population was halved and the infected East
was cut off from the West. Cool, right?
I was utterly captivated by the
Feral Zone (the area of the East away from the protection of the Western line
guards). Hardy people surviving against all the odds and making up communities
again; horrifying, cute, dangerous and downright ugly mixtures of animal and
human roam the wild East; ridiculous danger and some of the bravest people Lane
had ever met – a perfect setting for a novel. I kind of want to go there if I’m
honest; Kat Falls seems to have that effect on me with her novels...
As well as a stunning set-up, Inhuman really delivered on the characters
as well. I was really unsure at first, but I grew to love Lane. She changed
from a prissy, precocious little girl into a brave, loyal and plain good person that I’d genuinely like to
be friends with. Rafe and Everson also captured my heart. I love that they were
so, so different, but in a way that complemented each other and different
aspects of Lane’s personality. They worked really well as a team and I enjoyed
the friendship-with-definite-lust-and-potential-for-love triangle. They reminded
me of season two/early three Elena, Stefan and Damon from The Vampire Diaries. Whom I love endlessly. I’m a fan of the fact
that I can’t predict what will happen between them; it’s refreshing.
Inhuman
is a
fast-paced, addictive novel that I didn’t want to end. Next book please!
Received via a Catching Fire promotional selection from
Scholastic/NetGalley.
Sophie
This basically sounds awesome haha. I've never read anything by Kat Falls before, so I'm definitely checking her out!
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