Review: Inhuman by Kat Falls

Title: Inhuman 

Author: Kat Falls

Publisher:  Scholastic 
Publishing Date: September 24th 2013

Pages: 384
Genre:  YA Sci-Fi/Dystopian Adventure

Series: Fetch #1
Source: Hardcover

  

In a world ravaged by mutation, a teenage girl must travel into the forbidden Savage Zone to recover lost artifacts 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 artifacts—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 latest 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 civilized . . . and he may not be trustworthy.

I was very excited to get to to this book. I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into but it sounded pretty awesome, mutation, adventure, and a bit of romance. It was quite a read. Intense at times and humorous at others. Very good read.

Lane lives in a time where a virus has taken over the world. The city is full of healthy people and life in the city is extreme. You sneeze you are quarantined. Everyone is a germaphobe. Very extreme. There is a wall surrounding the city.... Across that wall are the sick, the ones with the virus, the monstrous, the mutated. Lane is sent on a do or die mission to retrieve her father from over the wall. She heads off to journey through the land of the sick. Finds danger and boys, truth and adventure, she discovers herself and who her father really was.

 A very good read. I really thought it was gonna be the same old story of mutation... zombieish or vampireish or something of that nature. This story was original and crazy. The mutations were those of animals and humans morphed together. The virus sometimes takes years to finish the full mutation from human to animal and sometimes not quite as long. There are many interesting "manimals" in the story and it kept things from getting boring.

The story was great, the writing was pretty awesome. The writing style fit the story well. Lots of adventure but also quite a bit of world building and character development. I was able to bring the story to life in my mind and connected with the characters as much as enjoy the adventure at hand.

I really liked the main character, Lane.  She had her "duh" moments, but for the most  part she was very intelligent. She was kept in the dark for long, the "duh" moments were honest. She was also very resilient. She knew her mission and she knew the price for failing... so she wasn't going to fail and wasn't going to let anyone stand in her way. She was a strong, independant character but she was still soft enough to need a little help through out the story. Of course that help came from two pretty hot guys. Yes there is a love triangle but not really. I mean it doesn't take over the story but there are two guys vying for the same girl. The only thing that bothered me about Lane, she was a bit ditsy when it came to the truth of the boys feelings. Yes oblivious.

I really can't say which boy I liked better. There was the classic bad boy an the classic hero. Both arrogant, but stupid, both pretty darn cute. I think I knew which one Lane should end up with but.... I liked them both... bunches. Rafe was a bit of an ass throughout most of the book, but he grew up beyond the wall. I am not sure he knew how to be any different. He was a survivior and he didn't like to have anyone depend on him. It would cause all kinds of issues. He had mad respect for Lane's father and I loved that about him.... Then there is Everson. He was the valiant one, the one that wanted to win the girls heart by protecting but not much more than that. He was sweet, but that was about it. He was the good boy and he was good at it.

The romance was very much on the light side, so the love triangle didn't take away from the story and I'm really not sure if it ever will. The story is mainly a survival story and it looks like it will lead the the epic rebellion fighting back. So I look forward to that. It was very fast paced and moved well from beginning to end. The ending sucked a bit. Left me hanging. That was the biggest downside for me.

It;s a keeper for me. Look forward to reading the next book. 

Kat Falls lives in Evanston, Illinois with her husband, theater director Robert Falls, their three children and a whole slew of pets. She grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as an undergrad and went on to receive an MFA from Northwestern University where she now teaches screenwriting.