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Enhanced
by Candace Kade
Published by Enclave Escape
If I made a pie chart of all the books I’ve read and loved, science fiction would be a skinny slice. I think because most sci-fi seems to take place in cold, dark space. Brrr.
But I do love a few dystopian sci-fi novels like The Hunger Games and Divergent, plus the four Brandon Sanderson books I’ve read. Enhanced, by Candace Kade falls into that second, not-set-in-freezing-outer space group.
I picked up Enhanced at the Realm Makers Writers Conference mainly because I met and enjoyed chatting with the author. Due to my aforementioned science fiction aversion, it sat on my shelf, silently accusing me of spending money on an unread book.
I shouldn’t have waited.
From the moment I slid it from my “to be read” shelf to when I snapped it closed the next day, I was on a thrilling ride. One with a quicker pace than the motor-speeder ridden by the heroine down an icy hill, powered by jet fuel.
Our girl, Lee Urban, lives in a future society where genetic manipulation before birth has created a generation of “Enhanced.” Their abilities range from breathing underwater to heightened intelligence to flying.
Lee has none.
She’s adopted, a “Natural,” and hiding that fact because if anyone discovers the truth, bad things could happen to her and her family. I think most teens will relate to that feeling of being the fish out of water, the one person who doesn’t seem particularly special.
One of the coolest things about Enhanced is its setting. The story takes place in the Asian Federation, in what feels like a slick, shiny Beijing a hundred years in the future. I kept thinking, Wow, this writer knows so much about China. Then I read Candace Kade’s bio. She grew up there! Her love and knowledge of the culture seep into every scene.
If you like romance, this book has that too, though not quite in the way you might expect. Lee already has a boyfriend when the novel begins, and instead of being a jerk, he’s pretty dang awesome.
My only down-vote? Sometimes the visual descriptions and unique characters border on over-the-top. Layer upon layer!
But hey, at least it doesn’t take place on a spaceship or an arctic planet.
Enhanced is a gleaming, futuristic book unicorn. I haven’t read the sequel, Hybrid, yet.
I just need a couple of free days.
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