Review: Origin by Jessica Khoury

Title: Origin (Origin #1)
Author: Jessica Khoury
Publisher: Razorbill, Sept 4, 2012
Number of Pages: Hardcover, 394 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Romance, Fantasy, Mystery

Setting: Little Cam Facility, Amazon Rainforest, South America

Plot: (Goodreads.com) Pia has grown up in a secret laboratory hidden deep in the Amazon rain forest. She was raised by a team of scientists who have created her to be the start of a new immortal race. But on the night of her seventeenth birthday, Pia discovers a hole in the electric fence that surrounds her sterile home―and sneaks outside the compound for the first time in her life.

Free in the jungle, Pia meets Eio, a boy from a nearby village. Together, they embark on a race against time to discover the truth about Pia's origin―a truth with deadly consequences that will change their lives forever.

Origin is a beautifully told, shocking new way to look at an age-old desire: to live forever, no matter the cost.
Personal Thoughts: Just wow.... a very interesting plot with characters I fell for and fought for over and over again. 

I went into this book not really knowing a lot about the plot. I got to see Jessica Khoury at the 2012 Teen Book Festival in Austin, TX and heard about the book then for the first time. I listened to her talk about the book on more than one panal that day and I was interested but ending up not buying the book that weekend. On a personal recommendation from a friend to picked it up finally and I'm so glad that I did. 

Jessica Khoury has such a beautiful way of telling a story and I found myself highlighting PARAGRAPHS at a time! I love how she writes, and I love how she tells a mystery. She only allows the reader to learn a little bit at a time but as your learn part of Pia's story, you learn about who she is and why she does things that she does. 

Vague spoilers below... read with caution.
The plot to this story was so different and interesting and I found myself rooting for Pia to break the rules and to follow Eio into the jungle through the whole book. I found myself weary of what was happening in Little Cam and though I didn't know all the details, I found it hard to trust Pia's mother and all her so-called 'Uncles'. The story kept me guessing the whole time, while enticing me with answering some of my questions little by little. 

Once I finally found out the truth about everything later in the book, I was glad that I didn't feel completely betrayed and I was glad that my suspicions had been right! That made me feel good and makes me want to recommend this book to EVERYONE I know! 

Recommended Age Level: 12+
Rating: 5