Review- Origin by Jessica Khoury

Origin

Jessica Khoury

Release Date: September 4, 2012

Hardcover: 393 pages

Publisher: Razorbill (Penguin)

ISBN: 1595145958

Source: ARC from the publisher

Rating: Liked

Goodreads/Amazon/Barnes & Noble/ The Book Depository

From Goodreads.

Pia has grown up in a secret laboratory hidden deep in the Amazon rain forest. She was raised by a team of scientists who have created her to be the start of a new immortal race. But on the night of her seventeenth birthday, Pia discovers a hole in the electric fence that surrounds her sterile home--and sneaks outside the compound for the first time in her life. Free in the jungle, Pia meets Eio, a boy from a nearby village. Together, they embark on a race against time to discover the truth about Pia's origin--a truth with deadly consequences that will change their lives forever. Origin is a beautifully told, shocking new way to look at an age-old desire: to live forever, no matter the cost.

I liked Origin! It was a fast read filled with mystery and compelling characters! I had high hopes for this one when I read the synopsis and saw the trailer and knew I had to read it. While most of my hopes were met there was something lacking. I can’t quite put my finger on what it was but, I feel like I needed more. I did really like it though. I’m not going to say I loved this book as there were some parts of this story that I thought were disturbing and possibly could have done without. Although I do understand why they were there, I still didn’t like them.

I really like Pia as a MC she was fascinating and brilliant but also very naïve and I felt myself pulling for this “perfect” girl and her love Eio who I thought was absolutely adorable. I will admit I didn’t fall in love with him or even feel strongly towards him like I do other characters. But I did really like him. I liked this story as a whole but didn’t connect with any of the characters on that level. I am also happy that this is a stand-alone I would read more if this would have been a series but, I was in need of a stand-alone so that was great and the ending, the epilogue was probably one of my favorite parts of the book! So check this out for a fun quick read!

I chose a passage between between Eio and Pia.

“I want you here, Pia. Here. Not locked in a cage. Not surrounded by electric fences and glass walls. Not when you feel like it or when you can manage to sneak away, but every day. All the time. Do you think we can go on like this forever? You sneaking out when you can. Never knowing how long you’ll stay. Never knowing if you’ll even come back at all.”

I stare at him speechlessly.

“Because for me, Pia bird, it’s not a game. I don’t want to be a distraction or a toy. I don’t want to always be waiting for someone who may not even come. I need to know what you want. Do you want to be a ‘scientist’ locked away in there—“he points in the general direction of Little Cam—“or do you want to be free with me? Because you can’t do this forever. You can’t have both.” He takes my hands. “Pia bird, you will have to choose.

“I…don’t know. I don’t know Eio.” I feel tears. I blink them away and try to force words from my lips. “I want both. I want you. I want my immortals. I want…” I want, I want… what do I want?

“I want a place to belong.”

“You could belong in Ai’oa. You could belong with me.”

Make sure to check out the trailer!