Review: Great YA, Sci-Fi Romance!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 13, 2013
Perception is the first book in the Perception series by Lee Strauss, it's a sci-fi young adult book with plenty of mystery and romance to keep all readers satisfied!Zoe Vanderveen has it all, she's a genetically-altered person (GAP) so she's healthy, beautiful and wealthy, living in a sheltered utopia. She has a hot boyfriend, and an older brother she's close to. But this seemingly idyllic existence is thrown into disarray when her brother Liam goes missing, and his traceable chip is missing and the police don't appear to be much help.A distraught and desperate Zoe turns to Noah for help.Noah is the maid's son, and he is a natural who lives on the outside. Noah's taken up his late father's protests against genetic alteration and the elitism it represents, so he obviously doesn't have the greatest liking for GAPs, but he agrees to help Zoe.Zoe starts off as a spoilt and sheltered girl, it's not that she's particularly unlikable- it's just how she's been raised, it's all she knows. She's very ignorant to many issues in the outside world, and has very prejudiced views on naturals and religion. One of my favourite aspects of this book is the character development that occurs throughout the story. Zoe changes into a person that you can like and admire once here eyes are opened. She's very strong and determined, as she searches for answers.Noah is also great, and has the same development. As he gets to know Zoe properly, he realises that he's also got some prejudiced views of GAPs and they learn to trust each other. He's very determined, but the interaction with his family shows you his sensitive and compassionate side. Their chemistry was dynamite, and the romance built at a great pace and became fabulously intense!The world-building in Perception was wonderful, it was so easy to picture exactly how the world had become this place. The pacing was great, it didn't lag at all and it kept me glued to the pages. I loved the mystery aspect, I was very intrigued as to what was happening and there were plenty of twists and turns!I'm ready for Volition (Book 2)!