Vitro by Jessica Khoury
Grade: C (DNF)
This ARC was provided by ARCycling in exchange for an honest review.
Summary: 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.
The Review: Vitro is the type of science fiction I can't get into and don't enjoy. I'd heard many good things (and some bad) about it, so when I saw it available on ARCycling one Sunday, I decided to jump at the chance to read it. Unfortunately, like I said, I couldn't get into it. The book lacked vivid descriptions. The characters fell as flat as the setting. I'm still puzzled why anyone would want to go to Skin Island. Why would they even name it Skin Island? Maybe they're trying to scare people away. I couldn't connect to the characters or the plot. My only interest was in Nicholas and Mary and her gang. Who were these Vitros who couldn't be controlled? I wanted to know more about them then Jim's or Sophie's or Lux's problems. On the plus side, language and sexual content was very tame in the 185 pages I did read. Violence was pretty mild, too.
The Verdict: This book is definitely not for everyone. Maybe there are people out there who will enjoy it more than I did.
