FYA Book Club of Charm City discussion

Ellon and I are starting this... I can't remember if we said the 14th or the 15th. But come read with us!

I think we said 14th but I'd be fine with either one :)

There are 30 chapters. 5 a day?

Works for me. We starting today or tomorrow?

Doesn't matter. You can make the call!

I want to read my friend's novella tonight, so we can start tomorrow.

Sounds good!

Just read the first chapter. It was fantastic! Definitely drew me in. I never read book previews but if I did, this chapter would definitely make me want to read the book. :)

I think the premise is interesting, but the social psychologist in me is upset. If 80% of homicides are caused by people with the kill gene, that doesn't mean that everyone with the kill gene becomes a murderer. You need to look at how many people with the kill gene actually commit murder. Also, treating people like criminals before they do anything is creating a self-fulfilling prophesy. But the book is good, so I am trying to accept the premise as a philosophical exploration and moving on.

I definitely thought about the self-fulfilling prophecy aspect while reading the beginning but I'm finding it interesting.

Yes, the premise is definitely interesting. I just think it makes a big difference with self-fulfilling prophesy if it's "No, really, 98% of people with this gene become violent criminals" and "Eh, about 40-50% do, which is way higher than the average of the population."

I feel like we really needed more background on the Tori/Davy friendship. It was kind of "Tori was never really my friend because x" and "I guess I had always used Tori." But I didn't have the background to really appreciate where either of them was coming from.

Ugh I hate Tori! What a jealous bitch!

This book is actually making me very mad right now. Gathering up the carriers and sending them to camps is way too close to Nazi death camps and it makes me super uncomfortable and angry.

Yeah, I kind of feel like they're going for over-the-top trauma for heroine instead of exploring what would actually be going on. I mean, if this really happened, there would be some vocal people saying that HTS was not that bad. The media is all about "showing both sides." And Davy is kind of a Mary Sue.

I want to know more about what Sean is thinking. It would be cool to have a book from his POV.

I dunno. I kind of feel like Sean has turned into typical YA boy.

He is a little overprotective.

Finished book today. It was all right, but I would have liked it better if had included any of the following elements:

1. Actual science. Linking genes to behavior is pretty much impossible at this point. So I would have liked to see some mention of that, or at least some of the percentages of people with the gene who went on to commit violent crime.

2. Some variety in the discussion around HTS. No way the news media outlets would have stuck to the "HTS people are evil!" party line. There would have been some vocal minority who disagreed.

3. Some efforts on the part of anybody to help the people with HTS. Like, why weren't Davy's parents trying to move her to a new location with a fake identity and a way to fake any future DNA test? These are people with resources. They could have done it.

4. Some depth to the HTS people. It was like they were all either TOTALLY INNOCENT or raging sociopaths. I would have liked to see some people with violent tendencies who fought them. Maybe some people who had violent tendencies, so they were wrestlers or joined the military or something. Or people who repeatedly restrained their violent tendencies. Or people who had no violent tendencies and were wtf. Really, any attempt to get inside the head of any HTS carrier who was not Mary Sue Davy.

5. Davy NOT being a Mary Sue. It would have been cool if she actually had had violent tendencies or urges that she had been fighting.

I really didnt like the ending. It seemed like their escape was wayyyy too easy. I also don't really like when books leave off without a resolution because the author has a sequel in the works.

I'm unsure as to whether I will read the next one. I think it will probably provide some of the stuff above? But that really needed to be in the first book.