Review: Outstanding Book
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 23, 2013
I'm going to start this review with a disclaimer. It is extremely rare for me to read any type of science fiction book. I took a chance on Seven because the blurb looked interesting and the cover is gorgeous. Never would I have dreamed that I would enjoy it as much as I did. I ended this book happy that I took that chance. It's a brilliantly written story and one that I have no doubt I will have a difficult time explaining in a review. Also, a lot will not be said in regards to specific details because I refuse to add any type of spoiler to this review.Chase Sarim is having a day from hell. He just lost his job and has been forced from his nice condo to a rundown, dilapidated apartment. He has just met his new neighbor Seven, who Chase later learns has a thing for aluminum hats and Spock ears. If only the crazy guy wasn't so damn hot."People who wore aluminum hats had to be inherently dangerous."Only Seven isn't quite as crazy as he appears.Seven is running for his life and is in constant hiding. He can't stay in the same place too long and wherever he is, he must constantly change his surroundings. He moves magazines around, upends chairs, switches out house plants constantly and even adds a ceramic rooster to the mix. He can't allow himself to get close to anyone because if he does, that person will be in the same danger as Seven. Seven escaped a research facility that created those like Seven, Sub-Floor. Sub-Floor was created by Dr. David Stone and a Dr. Radcliff. Each man had different ideas and goals for the facility as Dr. Stone is evil and only cares about his own personal and financial gain where Dr. Radcliff cared about doing research for the greater good. Radcliff paid the ultimate price to save Seven because Seven has a secret. While the Others (as the "experiments" are called) each have specific psychic abilities, Seven possesses an ability that if discovered by Dr. Stone could be used in ways that are unimaginable. Seven must stay one step ahead of those searching for him and that means never getting close to anyone.Until he meets Chase.There is something about Chase that draws Seven to him and makes him willing to take chances that could get both of them killed. Chase at first thinks that Seven is certifiable and with good reason. I mentioned the aluminum hat and the Spock ears. It doesn't take long, however, before Chase is thrust into something with Seven that he can't force himself to walk away from. There is a connection that cannot be explained and he can't stay away from the other man, crazy or no.There are other characters who are integral to the story. There are Three and Four, who you have to love even if you don't understand their relationship. They were both created in the facility and as prisoners, are used by Dr. Stone in horrific ways. Three has been programmed to fight and kill. Four is his center and the man he would die for. Four is a sweetheart and I can't tell you how many times I got teary reading about him and his and Three's relationship. Then there is Thirteen who has talents unlike any other. Thirteen is the one who Dr. Stone is convinced will bring Seven back to Sub-Floor. This is done from inside the facility as he is not allowed contact with any of the Others or outside the building. His contact with anyone is severely limited and this is done for a reason.Eighteen has only one use and that's to cause pain and he does so willingly and eagerly inside Sub-Floor. There is also Twenty-Three, who managed to escape when Seven did but he has major issues of his own. But the most important "character" in this book other than Seven is Nine. Nine is the one who the readers will love one minute and despise with every fiber of their being the next. Nine isn't like the rest of the Others and saying any more than that would be too telling. I will say that he has power that will either bring Dr. Stone down or make everything fall apart. The reader never knows from one page to the next if Nine is a good guy or a bad guy.There are other characters as well.  Chase's father for one, who forced Chase at a young age to do something that has had him living in guilt ever since. There's Martin, Chase's best friend.This is one of those books where you will be scared to turn the page sometimes. You know what the goal is but you don't know what lengths the characters will go to in order to accomplish it. You'll question if some of the decisions made are the right ones and you will wonder constantly how everything will ultimately come together. When everything does, it's done perfectly and I couldn't be happier with the resolution.Seven and Chase are the perfect couple and this is obvious early on. The sex is written well and their connection pops off the page from their first time together. The reader finds out later that their meeting might not have been as accidental as each thought.There are clues thrown in by the author that leads me to believe there will be a sequel. Some of those clues are obvious but some, not so much. There is one in particular that left me with hope that maybe two of my favorite secondary characters will someday find their own happily-ever-after. If so, I will be along for the ride every step of the way.I mentioned at the beginning of this review that I am not one for science fiction normally but I can assure you that I will be reading others by this author without hesitation. While I can't say I've been converted and have now become a sci-fi fan, I know beyond doubt that if the other books written by Adrienne Wilder are as good as Seven, I will reading them as soon as time allows.The cover is gorgeous and perfect for the story.Review originally published at ontopdownunderbookreviews.com