Vitro by Jessica Khoury *Blog Tour*

** I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Razorbill!

Welcome to the VITRO blog tour! Jessica Khoury, the talented author of Origin, is back with a death-defying tropical adventure. Follow along over the next two weeks as Jessica takes readers behind the scenes of her latest novel.

VITRO Synopsis:

When Sophie is summoned by her long-absent mother, a scientist who works in a classified lab, Sophie throws caution to the wind and heads to the South Pacific. She sweet-talks her way onto a tiny supply plane piloted by Jim Julien, who lives on Guam with his alcoholic father. Jim is captivated by Sophie and against his better judgement agrees to take Sophie to the secretive and tropical Skin Island where her mom has been working for so many years.

There Sophie and Jim are met not by her mother but instead by Nicholas, a handsome, brilliant boy who leads them to Lux--a girl who looks exactly like Sophie. Lux is Sophie's genetic twin and was bred using in vitro fertilization. But why? And just what have the scientists created Lux to be capable of?

With lyrical writing and ever-increasing tension, Jessica Khoury draws out the explosive answers in her much-anticipated followup to Origin.

About Jessica Khoury:

Jessica Khoury is 23 years old. She has red hair. She was homeschooled. She's an avid soccer player and was a three-time All-American striker. She is of Syrian and Scottish descent. She went to college in the same tiny Georgia town in which she was born and raised. And she's a prodigiously talented writer with a huge following.

Jessica Khoury lives in Toccoa, GA with her husband, Benjamin. You can visit her online at www.jessicakhoury.com.

Jessica’s Guest Post:

Vitro is told through multiple perspectives, with half of the story seen through the eyes of Jim Julien. At 18, Jim has taken over his dad’s charter flight business on Guam. He spends his days taxiing tourists through the Pacific skies, surfing, and hanging out with friends. It’s been ten years since he’s seen Sophie Crue. They were neighbors as children and often when Sophie’s parents were working, she spent the day at Jim’s house. Though he doesn't recognize her at first when they reunite a decade later, Jim is quickly intrigued by this grown-up version of his childhood friend. Sophie’s desperate pleading leads him to go against his better judgment in flying her to Skin Island.

I loved writing from Jim’s perspective and he quickly became my favorite character in Vitro. His love for flying, which is central to his character, is inspired by my dad, who flies the same kind of plane as Jim. For the scenes involving Jim’s plane, I was constantly sending questions and excerpts for my dad to check. He’d counsel me on what kind of plane Jim would fly, how it handled, and teach me how airplanes actually land or crash or take off. It’s always helpful having experts in the family!

                                                                             

A Cessna Caravan outfitted with floats—the kind of plane Jim flies.

My Thoughts:

When I originally requested this book from Penguin I did not realize it was a companion novel. I then flipped out for a minute because I thought I had to read ORIGIN beforehand...well to those wondering YOU DON'T. :-) I was able to follow along in this book just fine without even knowing what ORIGIN was about. 

I'm going to make this review somewhat shorter than my usual because I found this book really hard to put into words overall. I'm also skipping a recap since the synopsis is above and I don't want you all feeling you are reading for days with all the other words. ;-) 

 I enjoyed reading this book and thought it was a very good sci-fi. There was a good amount of action and suspense, and some slight romance thrown in there too. The writing was well written and made it a very quick read. The setting of Skin Island was very vividly described. I felt like I could see the island through the characters eyes, and could feel the darkness and fear from the unknown. The setting and way it was described was easily my favorite part and quickly drew me in. 

Characters were not the strong suit for this book, but it did not keep me from enjoying it. The book switches point of views between Sophie, Lux, and Jim in third person. I always enjoy switching point of views because I get to see everything going on and not just something in one place. Since the three were on different parts of the island or handling different aspects it was nice seeing what all was going on at all times. I just wished we had had a little more time with Jim and Sophie to become more familiar with them before all the action started, without that it was too easy to be detached from them while reading.

With that being said, my favorite character point of view was Lux. It was mainly because I never really knew what she would do or say so it gave me some angst. Sophie was my next okay; I liked seeing her outlook on the entire situation since it was so close to her emotionally. She was brave also so that made me like her even more. She was however a little naive to some situations and I wanted to reach in and shake her several times. Jim was my least favorite character. I never could connect with him through the entire book. I just felt no real emotions from him or anything to make me connect. I felt he used the same "tone" through the entire book and those chapters made me want to step back from the book a few times. Thankfully Lux and Sophie's chapters were much longer and took over most of the book as a whole. 

The plot flowed easily and while I could see a lot of the twists coming I still enjoyed seeing everything happen. I hated some of the things that happened but I find that to be a good thing because that means I was emotionally wrapped in the book. I found myself really disturbed by things that happened on Skin Island with the Vitros. The science lab and Vitros were really interesting in the scientific aspect of things. While not all questions were answered or tied up for you in a pretty little bow, I still felt it was a solid plot and gave me all the answers I NEEDed. 

Overall I would recommend this book to fans of ORIGIN and a quick-paced science fiction read. I think there will be many readers that completely love this book! This is one book I think I would enjoy better as an audiobook. Simply because I feel like the narration would possibly make it feel like there is more emotion when it lacks emotion from characters in scenes. I'm considering getting the audio just to test this theory. 

My Ratings:

♥♥♥♥

A Mad, Wicked Folly by Sharon Biggs Waller

**I received an ARC copy of this book from Viking Juvenile in exchange of an honest review. Thank you Viking! 

Welcome to the world of the fabulously wealthy in London, 1909, where dresses and houses are overwhelmingly opulent, social class means everything, and women are taught to be nothing more than wives and mothers. Into this world comes seventeen-year-old Victoria Darling, who wants only to be an artist—a nearly impossible dream for a girl.

            
After Vicky poses nude for her illicit art class, she is expelled from her French finishing school. Shamed and scandalized, her parents try to marry her off to the wealthy Edmund Carrick-Humphrey. But Vicky has other things on her mind: her clandestine application to the Royal College of Art; her participation in the suffragette movement; and her growing attraction to a working-class boy who may be her muse—or may be the love of her life. As the world of debutante balls, corsets, and high society obligations closes in around her, Vicky must figure out: just how much is she willing to sacrifice to pursue her dreams?

My Thoughts:

I haven't read a ton of YA Historical Fiction but I can already tell you I am a huge fan, so when I saw A MAD, WICKED FOLLY was being released this year I immediately requested a copy from Penguin in hopes I would get one. I am so glad I was fortunate enough to get my hands on it! It's such a light book, as in not overly angst filled, but it is so touching and speaks to your heart. I adore this book and it is one I can definitely see myself reading over and over again. 

Victoria (aka Vicky) is living in the Edwardian Era where women have no rights and are seen as mere entertainment and mindless. Vicky desires to be an artist, not just for leisure, but it is her dream to be displayed among the greats. After doing a shameful thing her family pulls her out of school in France and away from her secret art classes back home to be married and made into a "proper woman". Vicky has plans of her own to go to college for art and doesn't plan to let anything get in her way. She doesn't realize how far she will go or the things she will do to make her own way in life and have her own free will until meeting a suffragette, Lucy, and a Police Constable, Will. 

I am completely in love with this era. I'm honestly in love with most eras where there are lady's maids, gorgeous dresses, and swoony gentlemen. Waller took me into the setting. She painted the world beautifully and I felt like I was there in the art classes when Vicky was drawing. When she observed the suffragettes and watched all the ways the women were treated I connected with her sadness. It all definitely made me realize I would not have fit in with this era well, being seen as a "mindless woman". (Or maybe I would of then since that was the normal, so maybe I'm just really grateful that the suffragettes existed and someone stood up for our rights then.) I saw all the beauty she saw when drawing her art and spending time with her muse, Will. I felt as if I was there the whole way through.

Vicky has such a wonderful voice. I loved her character and how tough she was. She started out in a world where in her class it was all but impossible for a woman to make any choices of her own. She was expected to wed and have babies and be nothing more than a wife and a mother. Vicky knew that that would not be enough and held onto her goal no matter what was thrown her way. At the beginning some choices Vicky made I wanted her to be stronger, try harder, but in the end I think she did the right things for her and her life and her character growth was amazing. 

Sophie, Vicky's lady's maid, became a very good friend along the way and I really liked their relationship. I found Sophie to be a tremendous influence on Vicky and she helped her so much along the way. Vicky met Will while drawing and from that moment on I couldn't wait to see where things would go for them. Will was a charming gentleman who had a heart of gold and was sympathetic to the women and their pleas. He ended up helping Vicky out in so many ways and their relationship that unfolded was written beautifully. Edmund, Vicky's fiancé, is a coward. That is the only word I have for him and the things he does. He is a man and is able to make his own choices and decisions and yet he was a complete coward with his life. It was frustrating to see his actions when he had choices compared to these women who had none but fought the entire time. One more mentionable character was Lucy; she was easily one of the strongest women in the book. She made a great encourager and friend for Vicky and I wouldn't mind seeing a book about her. 

Waller did an amazing job depicting this era and flawlessly writing Vicky's story. I enjoyed learning about the suffragettes’ world and the way it worked for them. At the end of the book I also tremendously enjoyed all the notes that were there to read. I was able to learn more about the suffragettes, styles, and the era in general. This book would work well in a history class in high school. 

This is a book that is a must for my shelf. Anyone who has a love for historical fiction and feminism will devour this book just as I did. I also think that anyone who loves a beautifully written world and plot will adore this book.

Rating:

♥♥♥♥1/2