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Unnatural Selection
I had no name. My assignment was M001/A5. Marpesia Project Test One, Fifth Embryo. I wasn’t considered human. I was a thing to be owned.
I just wanted freedom. I wanted out of the lab and away from being the guinea pig for hundreds of scientists. I wanted to see the world with my eyes not through a computer monitor.
Instead I took two bullets, fell from twenty stories and ran to save my life. From who and what I had no idea and that wasn’t important at the time. Life was important.
I had my freedom but no idea what to do with it. There’s no way to out run the past, and I had to face it. There were too many strings loose and too many people that would be more than happy to lock me in a cage again.
Life was an evolution of natural selection but thanks to human intervention I was Unnatural. I would be deciding who to allow living, and who needed to die.
I just wanted freedom. I wanted out of the lab and away from being the guinea pig for hundreds of scientists. I wanted to see the world with my eyes not through a computer monitor.
Instead I took two bullets, fell from twenty stories and ran to save my life. From who and what I had no idea and that wasn’t important at the time. Life was important.
I had my freedom but no idea what to do with it. There’s no way to out run the past, and I had to face it. There were too many strings loose and too many people that would be more than happy to lock me in a cage again.
Life was an evolution of natural selection but thanks to human intervention I was Unnatural. I would be deciding who to allow living, and who needed to die.
234 pages, ebook
First published November 3, 2014
20 people want to read
About the author
Victoria Escobar
19 books128 followersBorn in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but with the ability to claim eight states as home; Victoria Escobar writes fiction from her current home in New York. She writes whatever comes to mind and because of such has a variety of genres written including Young Adult, New Adult, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, and Contemporary Fiction.
In spare time if not with family, and friends Victoria enjoys curling up with a book from a favorite author with music playing. If not reading or writing she spends time drawing, sketching, crocheting, or some other random art project. She enjoys staying busy, but most of all enjoys staying creative.
She reads anything she can get her hands on, and devours a book in five hours or less. Victoria reads the Young adult books and the science fiction fantasy books more than anything else. However, she can be caught reading romance novels, and classics at times depending on her whimsy.
In spare time if not with family, and friends Victoria enjoys curling up with a book from a favorite author with music playing. If not reading or writing she spends time drawing, sketching, crocheting, or some other random art project. She enjoys staying busy, but most of all enjoys staying creative.
She reads anything she can get her hands on, and devours a book in five hours or less. Victoria reads the Young adult books and the science fiction fantasy books more than anything else. However, she can be caught reading romance novels, and classics at times depending on her whimsy.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 4, 2015
Review to come ...
January 18, 2015
What I liked: I really liked Charlotte, or as she's known to those in the lab M001/A5. Treated as less than a human, but something that's only worth money to the company that biologically engineered her all she wanted was to be free from the confines of the lab that she was raised in and treated by most as just an experiment. I thought that Charlotte was rather brave to leave the only place she ever knew and escape to find a better life. All Charlotte had ever known was the building she was raised in, so even just leaving the building put her in unfamiliar territory from the start. I'm not sure how she managed to navigate around the city since she never left the building (and mind you, this building is in New York City the one place where if you don't know the city you can take one wrong turn and get lost for ages), but I suspect somehow she managed to get directions for where she wanted to go. Maybe?
What I didn't like: It would have been nice if there was more tension and suspense in the final chapters where Charlotte has her "final showdown" with the people hunting her down to bring her back to the facility she escaped. There was also a lot of hopping in the beginning with her escape where she travels from city to city as quickly as she can across the country to try and throw them off her trail the best she can. Plus, when you're trying to escape and fade into the background and be untraceable you pay everything you purchase with cash so you don't leave an electronic trail. Charlotte should have thought about that when she was planning her escape.
Overall Review: I really enjoyed seeing how Charlotte came to adapt to life outside the building after she manages to find a place to stay. I was expecting a different outcome because of the way the tarot cards seemed to read, but I wasn't completely let down by what happened. I feel like there's an opening for a second book at the end since we meet a character who only shows up for a little while and there's also the fact that Charlotte is still hiding from the people who run the lab. Charlotte herself though is human in every sense that we think of except that she wasn't technically "born." She grows, she learns, she makes mistakes, she makes bad choices. She is flawed just like any human, and that is what makes the people who engineered her wrong. Just because she was engineered to be what she is doesn't mean she's not human. And the morality of it all was something that makes you think about what if something like this did happen. It could be a terrible thing morally, but unless the human escaped no one outside the company would be any the wiser. I still feel though like all the characters have a long way to go with changing and growing in the future so if there is a second book in the works then it should be more interesting than I expect.
Recommend?: Yes! All of Victoria Escobar's books have been very good reads and I've enjoyed them. I'm ready to read my final one from her and then eagerly await whatever she puts out next!
What I didn't like: It would have been nice if there was more tension and suspense in the final chapters where Charlotte has her "final showdown" with the people hunting her down to bring her back to the facility she escaped. There was also a lot of hopping in the beginning with her escape where she travels from city to city as quickly as she can across the country to try and throw them off her trail the best she can. Plus, when you're trying to escape and fade into the background and be untraceable you pay everything you purchase with cash so you don't leave an electronic trail. Charlotte should have thought about that when she was planning her escape.
Overall Review: I really enjoyed seeing how Charlotte came to adapt to life outside the building after she manages to find a place to stay. I was expecting a different outcome because of the way the tarot cards seemed to read, but I wasn't completely let down by what happened. I feel like there's an opening for a second book at the end since we meet a character who only shows up for a little while and there's also the fact that Charlotte is still hiding from the people who run the lab. Charlotte herself though is human in every sense that we think of except that she wasn't technically "born." She grows, she learns, she makes mistakes, she makes bad choices. She is flawed just like any human, and that is what makes the people who engineered her wrong. Just because she was engineered to be what she is doesn't mean she's not human. And the morality of it all was something that makes you think about what if something like this did happen. It could be a terrible thing morally, but unless the human escaped no one outside the company would be any the wiser. I still feel though like all the characters have a long way to go with changing and growing in the future so if there is a second book in the works then it should be more interesting than I expect.
Recommend?: Yes! All of Victoria Escobar's books have been very good reads and I've enjoyed them. I'm ready to read my final one from her and then eagerly await whatever she puts out next!
January 13, 2015
This story grabbed from the very first page and had me fevering for the main character before the first couple of chapters were done.
A teenage girl has been brought up in a lab and not even given a name since her engineers don't really consider her human. She's been genetically engineered and the only successful case in the entire project. But she wants more than a life in a cage. Her escape is fast-paced, and her enemies dangerous - the perfect recipe for a great story.
I enjoyed following Charlie, as she is later named, and had no trouble sympathizing with her. Her actions were well thought-out and understandable. Even when she runs into her first 'friends', the author does a terrific job bringing insecurities and inexperience to life. The interaction and growth of these friendships was believable and well done.
Although I really enjoyed this story, I personally would have liked a little more action, mystery and tension in the last chapters. The fight scenes are well described and when the bad guys come, tension rises, but it would have been nice to see just a little more at the end. As it was, I read the entire thing in one sitting and wouldn't mind reading a book #2.
Summed up, this story takes a great twist in the questions of genetic engineering and the moral boundaries, while throwing it into an adventurous and fast-paced YA adventure. It's worth a read.
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
January 17, 2015
I was provided with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The story revolves around M001/A5, or Charlie, as we later come to know her as, a rebellious teenager brought up in a genetic engineering lab. Craving for a life away from the clutches of her controllers, she is determined to seek her freedom, whatever it takes. Facing dire consequences for her bold pursuits, she needs to gather her wits to keep herself alive in the first case, before she can think about how to live a free life. Does Charlie manage to do that, is what the book takes us through.
I loved the premise of the story. The author's words in the blurb about how something natural is made unnatural, thanks to pesky humans. Charlie's characterisation was adorable - shows how despite all the genetic engineering advancements, the human elements of flawed decisions, fears, insecurities and survival instincts are instilled into her, making her very endearing, and easy to empathise with. I would have loved the pace to have been a tad more brisk, but the narrative is engaging nevertheless.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read and would definitely recommend this to all sci-fi lovers.
My rating: 4 stars
The story revolves around M001/A5, or Charlie, as we later come to know her as, a rebellious teenager brought up in a genetic engineering lab. Craving for a life away from the clutches of her controllers, she is determined to seek her freedom, whatever it takes. Facing dire consequences for her bold pursuits, she needs to gather her wits to keep herself alive in the first case, before she can think about how to live a free life. Does Charlie manage to do that, is what the book takes us through.
I loved the premise of the story. The author's words in the blurb about how something natural is made unnatural, thanks to pesky humans. Charlie's characterisation was adorable - shows how despite all the genetic engineering advancements, the human elements of flawed decisions, fears, insecurities and survival instincts are instilled into her, making her very endearing, and easy to empathise with. I would have loved the pace to have been a tad more brisk, but the narrative is engaging nevertheless.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read and would definitely recommend this to all sci-fi lovers.
My rating: 4 stars
January 15, 2015
This sci-fi, dystopian genre has really become one of my favorites to read, and I knew when I saw this book, this was one that I had to pick up and read, and I am so glad that I did.
We start out meeting M001/A5 a.k.a Charlie. She wants to be like everyone else, but she isn't and one of her doctors make sure she knows that. But luckily for her, she has another doctor who does care for her and love her like she was his own child. The story begins strong and takes off on an adventure ride that doesn't seem to end. I was taken aback in the middle of the book, once she arrives at the school, only because it seems to deviate a little bit from the initial story, but it picked back up in the end.
I loved Emery and An right away, especially An. He just seemed like the guy friend we all wish that we had. It was interesting to learn about Rhys background too, that helped out a lot too with understanding the whole story.
The ending was so intense I couldn't put the book down. I definitely loved this book!!
We start out meeting M001/A5 a.k.a Charlie. She wants to be like everyone else, but she isn't and one of her doctors make sure she knows that. But luckily for her, she has another doctor who does care for her and love her like she was his own child. The story begins strong and takes off on an adventure ride that doesn't seem to end. I was taken aback in the middle of the book, once she arrives at the school, only because it seems to deviate a little bit from the initial story, but it picked back up in the end.
I loved Emery and An right away, especially An. He just seemed like the guy friend we all wish that we had. It was interesting to learn about Rhys background too, that helped out a lot too with understanding the whole story.
The ending was so intense I couldn't put the book down. I definitely loved this book!!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews