Freak of Nature, by Julia Crane

Blurb:

Donate Body to Science. Check.

When seventeen-year-old Kaitlyn checked the box, she never suspected she’d have her life–and her body–stolen from her. She awakens one day in a secret laboratory to discover that her body is now half-robot and is forced to hide her own secret: that she still has human emotions and a human mind. If the scientists who made her find out, they’ll erase what remains of who she was.

Kaitlyn finds an unlikely ally in Lucas, a handsome, brilliant scientist who can’t get over the guilt he feels knowing she was once a vibrant, beautiful young woman. He never expected a science project to affect him the way she does. As he tries to help her rediscover her past, he finds himself falling for the brave girl struggling to find her place and acceptance between the human and computer worlds

Review:

First let me say that I was already a fan of Julia Crane’s before I read Freak of Nature.  I think this is a book that ventures away from her norm and that’s refreshing.  From the beginning of this book the reader is forced to face the idea of cyborgs being created from people who have donated their bodies to science upon their death.   That alone questioned my moral compass, which is something that I don’t find very often in books.

Kaitlyn is special creation, and she is unique in every sense of the word.  She still retains some of her human emotions, but must hide these from the scientists who created her.  It is a life or death situation, even though she’s technically not alive.  An intense connection is felt with Lucas, one of her programmers, and the one person who has the power to give her what she really wants: her memories.

While this whole scenario falls under the genre of fantasy, this book is, in my opinion, more YA than anything else.  There were parts of this book that truly showed how much time, effort, and research the author had to put in to make it convincing.  My only concern was that some parts didn’t seem plausible.  But this has nothing to do with the story itself.  This is because to me, the idea of cyborgs just blows my mind.  I have a hard time wrapping my head around all of it.

If you are a fan of fantasy and YA books, you need to pick up this book.  It is well written and engaging.  You won’t have a dull moment when you start reading.  I gobbled it up in less than 24 hours, which is saying quite a bit for me.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

About the Author:

Julia crane is the author of the Coexist: Keegan’s Chronicles. She has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. Julia has believed in magical creatures since the day her grandmother first told her an Irish tale. Growing up her mother greatly encouraged reading and using your imagination. Although she’s spent most of her life on the US east coast, she currently lives in Dubai with her husband and three children.

Connect with her at: http://www.juliacraneauthor.com/ 

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