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Assimilate
I've come to like people, the ones I've gotten to know so far at Buena Vista High School. I even love some of them. This is probably what made the killing possible for me.
What I feel bad about now is not the killing I did, so much as the killing I didn't do. My family and friends and everyone in our society considers us heroes- me, Nick and Andy. And I would wholeheartedly agree with the Nick and Andy part. But not me. I have failed miserably, and only I know it.
This weighs on me, of course, and I think it's only a matter of time before I'll have to come clean- expose myself for the coward I really am, and for the danger I've placed us all in. Because choosing not to act is a choice all its own, and it's the one I made at the time. I accept that- I do. I own it. So now if the world ends for humankind, any or all, it will be me who is to blame.
-Excerpt from ASSIMILATE, by Emily Jack Hayden ©2012
***
Sixteen-year-old Tan Michaels is pumped to have been chosen for his new assignment: to assimilate with students at the local high school. Tan's assignment is the first major step in his secluded society's overall plan to integrate with their local California community. His genetically enhanced mind and body make the transition easy at first- Tan breezes through his homework and stuns the judges and onlookers at his first gymnastics meet. He's also managed to capture the attention of Paisley, an artsy barista he discovered in history class. He feels less fortunate to have also captured the attention of Whitney, the girl his new friends say he should want.
When Tan's twin sister goes missing, he's ordered to put his assignment on hold along with his still-new relationship with Paisley. In the search for his sister, Tan secretly discovers some mind blowing information. Has the society's long-established goal of complete assimilation morphed into something much more sinister? When his new high school friend, Cole is found dead, Tan must face the possibility that the high commanders in his own beloved society may have had something to do with it.
With forty-eight hours to figure it all out, Tan and his posse find themselves faced with choices not merely of life and death, but of who lives and who dies. And the rot at the top may be closer than Tan would ever have imagined.
ASSIMILATE is available now in Kindle version on Amazon, and will be released in paperback December 24th 2012.
For more info and sneak peeks from the book, go to www.emilyjackhayden.com
What I feel bad about now is not the killing I did, so much as the killing I didn't do. My family and friends and everyone in our society considers us heroes- me, Nick and Andy. And I would wholeheartedly agree with the Nick and Andy part. But not me. I have failed miserably, and only I know it.
This weighs on me, of course, and I think it's only a matter of time before I'll have to come clean- expose myself for the coward I really am, and for the danger I've placed us all in. Because choosing not to act is a choice all its own, and it's the one I made at the time. I accept that- I do. I own it. So now if the world ends for humankind, any or all, it will be me who is to blame.
-Excerpt from ASSIMILATE, by Emily Jack Hayden ©2012
***
Sixteen-year-old Tan Michaels is pumped to have been chosen for his new assignment: to assimilate with students at the local high school. Tan's assignment is the first major step in his secluded society's overall plan to integrate with their local California community. His genetically enhanced mind and body make the transition easy at first- Tan breezes through his homework and stuns the judges and onlookers at his first gymnastics meet. He's also managed to capture the attention of Paisley, an artsy barista he discovered in history class. He feels less fortunate to have also captured the attention of Whitney, the girl his new friends say he should want.
When Tan's twin sister goes missing, he's ordered to put his assignment on hold along with his still-new relationship with Paisley. In the search for his sister, Tan secretly discovers some mind blowing information. Has the society's long-established goal of complete assimilation morphed into something much more sinister? When his new high school friend, Cole is found dead, Tan must face the possibility that the high commanders in his own beloved society may have had something to do with it.
With forty-eight hours to figure it all out, Tan and his posse find themselves faced with choices not merely of life and death, but of who lives and who dies. And the rot at the top may be closer than Tan would ever have imagined.
ASSIMILATE is available now in Kindle version on Amazon, and will be released in paperback December 24th 2012.
For more info and sneak peeks from the book, go to www.emilyjackhayden.com
324 pages, Paperback
First published December 6, 2012
605 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 17, 2012
Assimilate was a riveting story that had me turning pages late into night. At first I didn't know what to expect. The book starts out giving you the idea tha something terrible has happened and then chapter 2 immediately takes you back to the real beginning. The main character, Tan Michaels, is from a society that has not mingled with the rest of the world but their high commanders think its time. Tan is given an "assignment" (like a job for them)to attend the local high school and to begin to "assimilate". The book has some really humoros moments because Tan is SUPER good looking, SUPER muscular and SUPER smart because their bodies are genetically altered. Like when he tries out for the gymnastics team he is able to stand upside down on one finger. The story is told from inside Tan's head and you also get to know that he is SUPER nice and SUPER sensitive. I ablsolutely love Tan and told my boyfriend he should be more like him! All the characters felt like real people to me.
Tan falls in love with Paisley who isn't one of the popular kids. His devotion to her is enormous even when his friends think he should go out with Whitney, the popular girl who likes him too. Tan's twin sister, Sarah is a main character in the story and she is so awesome too. But then she disappears and no one knows where she is. Tan stops going to school to look for her. Tan also has a friend from in his society, Nick who tells him something that is VERY bad and that they have to do something to stop it. I was so engrossed in the story by this point that I was unable to think about anything else until I was done. Believe me, it was AWESOME!!!!!!!
Tan falls in love with Paisley who isn't one of the popular kids. His devotion to her is enormous even when his friends think he should go out with Whitney, the popular girl who likes him too. Tan's twin sister, Sarah is a main character in the story and she is so awesome too. But then she disappears and no one knows where she is. Tan stops going to school to look for her. Tan also has a friend from in his society, Nick who tells him something that is VERY bad and that they have to do something to stop it. I was so engrossed in the story by this point that I was unable to think about anything else until I was done. Believe me, it was AWESOME!!!!!!!
December 13, 2012
I enjoyed this book thoroughly. It's a young adult novel (and I'm not a young adult). But thought I'd give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself enjoying it like I did.I could relate to all the characters and the plot kept my attention. I would recommend this book to all ages.I started and finished in one night. I couldn't bring myself to put it down. I will be looking forward to the next one. Good job!
December 7, 2012
Page-turning Young Adult Sci-fi/Dystopian Romance about a genetically superior sixteen-year old guy from a reclusive society in California who is assigned to "assimilate" with the local teens.
If you liked the Matched series by Ally Condie, the Divergent series by Veronica Roth, or the Delirium Series by Veronica Lauren Oliver, you'll like this book.
If you liked the Matched series by Ally Condie, the Divergent series by Veronica Roth, or the Delirium Series by Veronica Lauren Oliver, you'll like this book.
December 28, 2012
This book is great... and unexpected! It starts out with a bit of a high-school romance feel, and continues into a story with a lot of suspense and action. I loved all of it. It is written from a first person point of view. The main character, Tanner (mostly called 'Tan'), is from a society of genetically altered beings. He has been chosen to attend the local high school to gain information to assist with his society's long held plan to assimilate into the "normal" human population.
The author has a knack for mixing humor into even the most serious of scenes. When two of the main male characters, Tan and Nick, are discussing how to move forward after discovering some very disturbing news, Tan is trying to express his appreciation for Nick by saying "You've always been there for me ..." Nick responds, "Blah, blah, blah. I love you too, sweetie." Tan responds, "You really think I'm sweet?" This sequence made me laugh.
The scenes feel so real and are set up perfectly without a lot of extra "fluff".
Assimilate is part of a series of books, the next of which are not apparently yet available, but I am excited to continue reading this series, and would suggest this book to anybody.
The author has a knack for mixing humor into even the most serious of scenes. When two of the main male characters, Tan and Nick, are discussing how to move forward after discovering some very disturbing news, Tan is trying to express his appreciation for Nick by saying "You've always been there for me ..." Nick responds, "Blah, blah, blah. I love you too, sweetie." Tan responds, "You really think I'm sweet?" This sequence made me laugh.
The scenes feel so real and are set up perfectly without a lot of extra "fluff".
Assimilate is part of a series of books, the next of which are not apparently yet available, but I am excited to continue reading this series, and would suggest this book to anybody.
January 14, 2013
This book was pretty awesome. The fact that it was an original science fiction was the best part. I can't say I've read anything similar to it before. Assimilate really grabbed me in right from the beginning, especially after I read the prologue. I really liked the characters in the book, even if I didn't like what kind of characters they were. They were really well developed and the author did a great job of providing some background information and history so I could really see what type of person they were. My favorite characters were Paisley and Sarah. They both had enough of each of them to be similar to relate to me. There is a character for everyone in this book. I thought that when the action scenes were going on, they were very well written. I could almost place myself right there in the chaos. Even the emotional parts during the action really got to me. I could really feel for everyone who had to do something hard. Assimilate is one of those books I could really resonate with and it made me think about a lot of things in society. Books that make you think are the ones that are really good. I would definitely recommend this book to anybody that wants to be made to think about life.
December 24, 2012
A friend recommended it and i am looking forward to read it. it sounds like an interesting read :)
February 2, 2013
I really wanted to love this book. The excerpt used as the back cover story gripped me right away and I was super excited to jump into this story.
The overall plot was interesting. Genetically enhanced people living in an underground society, trying to merge into the real world. It was kind of cool, especially the explanation of the gene manipulation.
The first chapter was great. It gives a little bit of everything: nervous tension, suspense, mystery. It was a perfect start, but then…it slows, and even though it was interesting, at 43% done I still felt like nothing had really happened. The main character, Tan, was very methodical, with little emotion, and I found him very hard to care about.
The second half of the book was much more gripping, and so was Tan. The plot thickens, and the action starts. Tan makes friends, falls in love, and he begins to show some emotion. His supporting characters were well developed and they really helped bring out his stand up morals and his charm.
Here’s the thing, it wasn’t until about the 70% mark, that I really got into this book and, that is why it lost stars for me. But, when the action hit and things started to pull together, the book was awesome.
Overall, this book was okay. The idea was great, the secondary characters were splendid, but the overall pacing and action was lacking. If you like sci-fi with splashes of romance and mystery, and you don’t mind a slower pace then check this one out.
The overall plot was interesting. Genetically enhanced people living in an underground society, trying to merge into the real world. It was kind of cool, especially the explanation of the gene manipulation.
The first chapter was great. It gives a little bit of everything: nervous tension, suspense, mystery. It was a perfect start, but then…it slows, and even though it was interesting, at 43% done I still felt like nothing had really happened. The main character, Tan, was very methodical, with little emotion, and I found him very hard to care about.
The second half of the book was much more gripping, and so was Tan. The plot thickens, and the action starts. Tan makes friends, falls in love, and he begins to show some emotion. His supporting characters were well developed and they really helped bring out his stand up morals and his charm.
Here’s the thing, it wasn’t until about the 70% mark, that I really got into this book and, that is why it lost stars for me. But, when the action hit and things started to pull together, the book was awesome.
Overall, this book was okay. The idea was great, the secondary characters were splendid, but the overall pacing and action was lacking. If you like sci-fi with splashes of romance and mystery, and you don’t mind a slower pace then check this one out.
February 20, 2013
I can't wait for more in this series! Really great book, storyline and characters! :-)
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews