Maladapted by Richard Kurti
Mar. 21st, 2016 10:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
A gripping thriller about survival against all odds.
Cillian survives a devastating terror attack on a packed train. How did he escape when everyone else – including his father – was killed?
Desperate for answers, Cillian turns to the mysterious Tess. In a secret hospital far away in the Provinces, they make a shocking discovery about what is really happening in Foundation City.
With his life suddenly in danger, Cillian needs Tess’s help. But who is she and can Cillian actually trust her?
Sometimes truth is the most dangerous thing of all …
16-year-old Cillian is a maths prodigy who lives in Foundation City with his dad, a doctor. Foundation City is at the cutting edge of technology and Cillian’s always felt safe there. But when a terrorist bomb blows up the train that he and his dad are travelling on, Cillian’s the only survivor. Cillian knows that the only reason he’s survived is because something strange happened to him during the explosion, but he doesn’t know what or why. When he meets the mysterious Tess who claims that she can help him to find answers to his questions, he’s not sure that he trusts her but he doesn’t have much choice. As they dig into Cillian’s past though, they make a shocking discovery that puts both their lives in danger just as Tess’s true intentions are revealed …
Richard Kurti’s YA SF thriller is a fast-paced, adrenalin-packed ride that cleverly incorporates and builds on technology used today to create a sinister vision of the future. Cillian is an okay character – very intelligent he’s nevertheless confused about what’s happening to him and what it means – but I found Tess more intriguing, especially because her secret is known to the reader from the beginning, which leads to genuine tension as you wait to see when it will all come out. I actually wanted more of Tess and her background – especially her relationship with Blackwood because it shapes a lot of who she is and I thought having more of that would help flesh out the quandary that she finds herself in given the quasi-religious/political element to it. The best part of the book is the technology and I really enjoyed how Kurti cleverly incorporates elements of modern technology and extrapolates from it to develop a plausible futuristic world – especially with regard to Foundation City’s infrastructure. The main antagonist is a cold, manipulative scientist, who I found wandered a little close to cliché, but the idea underlying their story is smart, plausible and quite chilling – a scene showing rejected experiments is genuinely horrifying. The plot itself takes place at a cracking pace and Kurti keeps the action and twists coming, which in turn kept me turning the pages. The book ends with a cliff hanger, which hints at the potential for a sequel, which I would definitely check out on the strength of this book.
The Verdict:
Richard Kurti’s YA SF thriller is a fast-paced, adrenalin-packed ride that cleverly incorporates and builds on technology used today to create a sinister vision of the future. Cillian is an okay character – very intelligent he’s nevertheless confused about what’s happening to him and what it means – but I found Tess more intriguing, especially because her secret is known to the reader from the beginning, which leads to genuine tension as you wait to see when it will all come out. I actually wanted more of Tess and her background – especially her relationship with Blackwood because it shapes a lot of who she is and I thought having more of that would help flesh out the quandary that she finds herself in given the quasi-religious/political element to it. The best part of the book is the technology and I really enjoyed how Kurti cleverly incorporates elements of modern technology and extrapolates from it to develop a plausible futuristic world – especially with regard to Foundation City’s infrastructure. The main antagonist is a cold, manipulative scientist, who I found wandered a little close to cliché, but the idea underlying their story is smart, plausible and quite chilling – a scene showing rejected experiments is genuinely horrifying. The plot itself takes place at a cracking pace and Kurti keeps the action and twists coming, which in turn kept me turning the pages. The book ends with a cliff hanger, which hints at the potential for a sequel, which I would definitely check out on the strength of this book.
MALADAPTED is released in the United Kingdom on 7th April 2016. Thanks to Walker Books for the ARC of this book.
Cillian survives a devastating terror attack on a packed train. How did he escape when everyone else – including his father – was killed?
Desperate for answers, Cillian turns to the mysterious Tess. In a secret hospital far away in the Provinces, they make a shocking discovery about what is really happening in Foundation City.
With his life suddenly in danger, Cillian needs Tess’s help. But who is she and can Cillian actually trust her?
16-year-old Cillian is a maths prodigy who lives in Foundation City with his dad, a doctor. Foundation City is at the cutting edge of technology and Cillian’s always felt safe there. But when a terrorist bomb blows up the train that he and his dad are travelling on, Cillian’s the only survivor. Cillian knows that the only reason he’s survived is because something strange happened to him during the explosion, but he doesn’t know what or why. When he meets the mysterious Tess who claims that she can help him to find answers to his questions, he’s not sure that he trusts her but he doesn’t have much choice. As they dig into Cillian’s past though, they make a shocking discovery that puts both their lives in danger just as Tess’s true intentions are revealed …
Richard Kurti’s YA SF thriller is a fast-paced, adrenalin-packed ride that cleverly incorporates and builds on technology used today to create a sinister vision of the future. Cillian is an okay character – very intelligent he’s nevertheless confused about what’s happening to him and what it means – but I found Tess more intriguing, especially because her secret is known to the reader from the beginning, which leads to genuine tension as you wait to see when it will all come out. I actually wanted more of Tess and her background – especially her relationship with Blackwood because it shapes a lot of who she is and I thought having more of that would help flesh out the quandary that she finds herself in given the quasi-religious/political element to it. The best part of the book is the technology and I really enjoyed how Kurti cleverly incorporates elements of modern technology and extrapolates from it to develop a plausible futuristic world – especially with regard to Foundation City’s infrastructure. The main antagonist is a cold, manipulative scientist, who I found wandered a little close to cliché, but the idea underlying their story is smart, plausible and quite chilling – a scene showing rejected experiments is genuinely horrifying. The plot itself takes place at a cracking pace and Kurti keeps the action and twists coming, which in turn kept me turning the pages. The book ends with a cliff hanger, which hints at the potential for a sequel, which I would definitely check out on the strength of this book.
The Verdict:
Richard Kurti’s YA SF thriller is a fast-paced, adrenalin-packed ride that cleverly incorporates and builds on technology used today to create a sinister vision of the future. Cillian is an okay character – very intelligent he’s nevertheless confused about what’s happening to him and what it means – but I found Tess more intriguing, especially because her secret is known to the reader from the beginning, which leads to genuine tension as you wait to see when it will all come out. I actually wanted more of Tess and her background – especially her relationship with Blackwood because it shapes a lot of who she is and I thought having more of that would help flesh out the quandary that she finds herself in given the quasi-religious/political element to it. The best part of the book is the technology and I really enjoyed how Kurti cleverly incorporates elements of modern technology and extrapolates from it to develop a plausible futuristic world – especially with regard to Foundation City’s infrastructure. The main antagonist is a cold, manipulative scientist, who I found wandered a little close to cliché, but the idea underlying their story is smart, plausible and quite chilling – a scene showing rejected experiments is genuinely horrifying. The plot itself takes place at a cracking pace and Kurti keeps the action and twists coming, which in turn kept me turning the pages. The book ends with a cliff hanger, which hints at the potential for a sequel, which I would definitely check out on the strength of this book.
MALADAPTED is released in the United Kingdom on 7th April 2016. Thanks to Walker Books for the ARC of this book.
