Review: Perfected - Kate Jarvich Birch

“All that mattered was how things looked on the outside.”

Title: Perfected

Author: Kate Jarvich Birch

ISBN: 9781622662685

Publication Date: July 1, 2014

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Source: publisher

As soon as the government passed legislation allowing humans to be genetically engineered and sold as pets, the rich and powerful rushed to own beautiful girls like Ella. Trained from birth to be graceful, demure, and above all, perfect, these “family companions” enter their masters’ homes prepared to live a life of idle luxury.

Ella is happy with her new role as playmate for a congressman’s bubbly young daughter, but she doesn’t expect Penn, the congressman’s handsome and rebellious son. He’s the only person who sees beyond the perfect exterior to the girl within. Falling for him goes against every rule she knows… and the freedom she finds with him is intoxicating.

~*~

I’m a total sucker for dystopian reads, be they YA, Middle Grade, or Adult.  I love being moved and disturbed by the often times believable glimpses into what could be our future.  Especially when the stories take a turn towards the dangerous realm of human slavery, and the different facets of said slavery.

Perfected begins with a group of perfectly poised, posed young ladies with no names waiting to be purchased and taken to their forever homes.  Birch immediately draws you into the world she’s created, your heartstrings being tugged at from page one.  The concept she brings to page is one which I have to admit is a favorite of mine, even as it worries me that the thought of specially bred, or raised humans being considered less human than everyone else.

Ella very quickly wormed her way into my list of well crafted characters.  She’s just so naive and innocent, and yet sure of herself and her place in the grand scheme of things; until she starts developing feelings and emotions she’s not ‘supposed’ to have.

Without exception, I found Birch’s characters to be solid throughout the entirety of Perfected.  Even when I didn’t, personally, like the character they still fit the personas they were meant to.  From the anti-Pet ‘nut’ to the disturbing Congressman, every one was believable and added to the overall story.

If I had a complaint with Perfected it was that there were so many questions left unanswered.  Like, what event in history led to people thinking ‘oh hey, let’s genetically engineer girls affluent people can own to raise their status’?  How did Ella’s ‘childhood’ in the kennels go?  And, why aren’t there male pets?  I’m really hoping that some of my questions are answered in Tarnished, otherwise I may have to hunt Birch down to politely demand answers. ;)

-Digital ARC provided by publisher, in exchange for an honest review.