Friday, June 10, 2011

Solid by Shelley Workinger

Reviewed by: Baby Sister Brittany
The Sisters say: Smart! Surprising! Super fun!
P.S. You can get the Nook and/or Kindle version for $4.99 right now! :)

The author, Shelley Workinger, was kind enough to lend us a copy of Solid in anticipation of the upcoming release of book two, Settling which is available on July 4th. Solid was the first book we’ve had the opportunity to review thanks to a gift from an author, and can I say how awesome it was? If she hadn’t sought us out, I might never have read Solid, and believe me—that would have been a shame!

Alright. So. Solid.

It’s a pretty solid read. :)

Here’s the goodreads summary:

Teens who discover they were secretly genetically altered before birth are brought together at a classified military site where they forge new friendships, find love, develop "super-abilities," and even unearth a conspiracy.

Solid was such a refreshing concept in a genre that’s currently dominated by vampires, werewolves, witches, fairies, etc. I loved the genetic side of it—each of the approximately 100 teenagers brought to this secret government camp had their C9 chromosome altered while their mother’s were pregnant. Even though it’s summer, and we all love those fun, romantic reads—a girl also needs to think! And this book is perfect for that! It’s really got the total package—an interesting, intelligent plot, likeable characters, and a sweet romance!

Now about those likeable characters. What can I say, but that I REALLY liked them. And not just in the sense that they didn’t bother me or get on my nerves. I genuinely liked all of the characters! Clio is sensible, strong, and a very relatable lead character. Jack is a delicious love interest with major woo-ing skills. Garrett is the hot, class clown that will make you laugh and swoon at the same time. Bliss is sweet and shy, but loyal. Miranda is likeable meangirl (I know, oxymoron, right?). All in all, I felt like I was at home with friends while reading this book! I liked them all so much!

And last, but certainly not least, we all know we need a good love story. And Solid is definitely not lacking there! Jack was the epitome of crushable—easy to talk to, but somehow unreachable, handsome, but not conceited, smart, clean-cut, but with his special forces family—a little bit dangerous.

My only small dissatisfaction with solid was that it tended to drag a little early on. However—the characters and the promising plot kept me pushing through, and I was so glad for it. And from the small tidbit of Settling, book two, that was at the back of my ebook—I can’t WAIT to see what happens next for Clio and her crew.

So if you’re looking for something new and refreshing, that will require you to use your brain a little more than most of the paranormal romances out there—give Solid a try. And then be on the lookout for Settling—a second book that promises more romance, more cool supernatural genetic mutations, and more fun!