#BlogTour Book Review | The Unadjusteds by Marisa Noelle

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About the Book

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GENETIC MODIFICATION HAS CHANGED THE WORLD

WANT WINGS? SUPER SPEED? INCREASED INTELLIGENCE? A CURE FOR EVERY DISEASE?

Sixteen-year-old Silver Melody lives in a world where 80% of the population has modified their DNA. Known as the altereds, those people now possess enhancements like wings, tails, and increased strength or intelligence. Although Silver’s parents created the nanite pill used to deliver these genetic modifications, Silver is proud of her unadjusted state.

However, when the president declares all unadjusteds must take a nanite, Silver has no choice but to flee the city with her father and some friends to prevent the extinction of the unadjusteds.

With Silver’s mother in prison for treason, Silver’s father is the unadjusteds’ only hope at finding a cure. But time is running out as Silver’s father is captured by the president’s almost immortal army. Vicious hellhounds are on Silver’s trail, and her only chance to recover her father involves teaming up with a new group of unlikely friends before all humanity is lost.

Goodreads’ Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Unadjusteds is an engaging story about the perils and consequences when a government manipulates the very foundation that makes up its people.

What I Liked

I enjoyed the central plotline of a world where genetic enhancements, created to cure such diseases as cancer, are more widely available and provide people with an assortment of abilities. It is a case of greed and power that has led to the exploitation of a miracle cure. The nanite pills that change a person’s DNA also have the same effects as drugs in that people will acquire them illegally and dangerously. They cannot stop adding enhancement after enhancement, which leads to rejection and death in some cases. People take on animals’ characteristics and can fly, spin webs like spiderman, and have tough skin that is impenetrable. Other people have telekinesis, healing powers, and invisibility. Imagine it, and you can probably find a nanite pill that will give it to you.

I also enjoyed the dystopian-type world the nanites ultimately created. Which people the government offered what nanites to created a social stratum that was disturbing in nature. The president – President Bear – has enhancements that make him lethal at his whim. From his enhancements to his penchant for mass jailings, he sets the tone for how this version of our world runs, and it is very dark and scary.

What I Wished

I wish the world and characters had been described more fully using descriptors for all the senses. I felt like I stayed on the surface of this story and was never permitted to peek behind the curtains. I would have loved it if the world’s back story had been provided and described early on. And, I would have loved to know more about what makes the characters tick. Most characters are teens, so this surface description makes the teenagers, in particular, come across as shallow and angsty. The romance also suffered because of this. I found it clunky and unmoving. Hopefully, in the next book, this development will be reflected in the characters’ growth that they can’t help but go through.

To Read or Not to Read

EIf you are looking for a unique YA science fiction story, this is one that will intrigue your curious, imaginative mind.