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Vitro
(Corpus #2)
by
On Skin Island, even the laws of creation can be broken.
On a remote island in the Pacific, Corpus scientists have taken test tube embryos and given them life. These beings—the Vitros—have knowledge and abilities most humans can only dream of. But they also have one enormous flaw.
Sophie Crue is determined to get to Skin Island and find her mother, a scientist who left Sophi ...more
On a remote island in the Pacific, Corpus scientists have taken test tube embryos and given them life. These beings—the Vitros—have knowledge and abilities most humans can only dream of. But they also have one enormous flaw.
Sophie Crue is determined to get to Skin Island and find her mother, a scientist who left Sophi ...more
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Hardcover, 384 pages
Published
January 14th 2014
by Razorbill
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Lauren Merrifield
They are all different stories.
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Showing 1-30

Start your review of Vitro (Corpus, #2)

Closer to a 3.5 star.
While I didn't like this one quite as much as Origin, it was still an exciting read set on an isolated island full of secret experiments and shady operations. Even if you haven't read Origin, this is not actually a sequel; both are independent of each other. You could even say Vitro is more or less a refitted version of Origin. They both have a similar setting and mirroring scientific conspiracies. And Sophie, after a distressing email from her mother, gets trapped into its ...more
While I didn't like this one quite as much as Origin, it was still an exciting read set on an isolated island full of secret experiments and shady operations. Even if you haven't read Origin, this is not actually a sequel; both are independent of each other. You could even say Vitro is more or less a refitted version of Origin. They both have a similar setting and mirroring scientific conspiracies. And Sophie, after a distressing email from her mother, gets trapped into its ...more

Solid 2.5 stars
This book started out promising then went downhill fast. The blurb and cover are really interesting and grab your attention, but sadly they just don't hold it. Don't get me wrong, the premise starts out strong but just seems to lose you at less than a third of the way in.
Not only are the characters bland with too much unnecessary background information that comes in walls of text, but this book is rife with mommy issues. Both main characters (Sophie and Jim) were abandoned by the ...more
This book started out promising then went downhill fast. The blurb and cover are really interesting and grab your attention, but sadly they just don't hold it. Don't get me wrong, the premise starts out strong but just seems to lose you at less than a third of the way in.
Not only are the characters bland with too much unnecessary background information that comes in walls of text, but this book is rife with mommy issues. Both main characters (Sophie and Jim) were abandoned by the ...more

Vitro has pretty much all the key components necessary for a really fun action/adventure hit: we start with the setting and atmosphere of the creepy desert island (by the name of Skin Island, no less), which Jessica Khoury nails; then there's the handful of interesting conspiracies and twists, and behind it all, a villain whose motives are entirely believable (which makes everything even more spine-tingling). All of this, and more, make Vitro a really fun, action-packed read.
However, like most a ...more
However, like most a ...more

This book was nothing like what I expected. I think it deserves a 3.5/5. I was expecting it to be more like Origin. I expected great characters, heart-stopping suspense, and heart-melting romance. And although the story was still great and there was a lot of action.
Sophie and Jim are cool, but I did not love them like I did Pia and Eio. And I will not even categorize this as a romance. There are signs that Sophie and Jim like each other and we can assume something came of it in the future. Most ...more
Sophie and Jim are cool, but I did not love them like I did Pia and Eio. And I will not even categorize this as a romance. There are signs that Sophie and Jim like each other and we can assume something came of it in the future. Most ...more

"It seemed an eternity later, though in fact it was just a minute, that he opened his eyes and turned his head to look at Sophie. Her eyes were open, and she was staring directly back at him."

And not in a good way. Jessica Khoury has previously stunned me with her debut novel, Origin. It was moving, it was everything I was looking for in an unique dystopia-science fiction romance book. But in her second book that somewhat relates to Origin's events, I was very disappointed.
Sophie is liv ...more

And not in a good way. Jessica Khoury has previously stunned me with her debut novel, Origin. It was moving, it was everything I was looking for in an unique dystopia-science fiction romance book. But in her second book that somewhat relates to Origin's events, I was very disappointed.
Sophie is liv ...more

Oct 12, 2013
Sara Grochowski
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
penguin,
young-adult,
mystery,
contemporary,
crossover-appeal,
scifi,
january-2014,
genetics
The author of Origin, Jessica Khoury, takes readers to a new locale and a new scientific experiment with her newest novel, Vitro.
Sophie Crue has spent most of her life living with her father in the United States, seeing her mother only a handful of times and only during exotic vacations, but before her parents divorced, they lived on a remote island in the Pacific. Her mother remained on the island after Sophie and her father set off for the States, staying behind to devote her life to making hu ...more
Sophie Crue has spent most of her life living with her father in the United States, seeing her mother only a handful of times and only during exotic vacations, but before her parents divorced, they lived on a remote island in the Pacific. Her mother remained on the island after Sophie and her father set off for the States, staying behind to devote her life to making hu ...more

Check out this review and others over at The Social Potato!
2.5, really.
This is one of those books that I picked up as a spur of the moment kind of thing. I saw the spine, recognized the novel from one of my Goodreads searches and bought myself a copy. I guess I could say that it was well worth it, although I would better recommend you borrow this at the library rather than buy it if you're interested, since it wasn't an amazing read.
The first thing that made me want to read it was the gorgeous c ...more
2.5, really.
This is one of those books that I picked up as a spur of the moment kind of thing. I saw the spine, recognized the novel from one of my Goodreads searches and bought myself a copy. I guess I could say that it was well worth it, although I would better recommend you borrow this at the library rather than buy it if you're interested, since it wasn't an amazing read.
The first thing that made me want to read it was the gorgeous c ...more

Apr 22, 2013
Holly
marked it as to-read
YAY!! Can't wait to read this follow-up to ORIGIN! I enjoyed that book so much (more than I thought I would, in fact) and really look forward to this one!
...more

Check out Scott Reads It for more reviews!
Jessica Khoury is easily one of the best sci-fi writers for young adults and Vitro is a testament to her extraordinary writing abilities. I was extremely impressed with Khoury's debut, Origin, but nothing could have prepared me for Vitro. I definitely believe that Vitro is a stronger book than Origin and it does an excellent job of raising ethical questions about scientific discovery.
When Sophie Crue receives a letter from her mother telling her to co ...more
Jessica Khoury is easily one of the best sci-fi writers for young adults and Vitro is a testament to her extraordinary writing abilities. I was extremely impressed with Khoury's debut, Origin, but nothing could have prepared me for Vitro. I definitely believe that Vitro is a stronger book than Origin and it does an excellent job of raising ethical questions about scientific discovery.
When Sophie Crue receives a letter from her mother telling her to co ...more

I wish I enjoyed this more, but Vitro seemed kind of average for what it was. The heroine and her love interest, Jim were kind of bland and one dimensional and I didn't really feel anything for the characters at all.
Skin Island had some pretty interesting secrets but my problem was that I never felt any excitement while reading it. It was executed in a really bland and boring manner. The only interesting part about it when the novel really picked up was when we met the Vitros, especially Nichol ...more
Skin Island had some pretty interesting secrets but my problem was that I never felt any excitement while reading it. It was executed in a really bland and boring manner. The only interesting part about it when the novel really picked up was when we met the Vitros, especially Nichol ...more

Wow, this book is just wow!!
The plot, the characters and the twists-
All of it!!!
This story follows Sophie Crue, Jim Julian and Lux Crue as they discover all the mysteries of Skin Island and themselves.
Sophie grew up with her parents for most of her life until her Mum moved to Skin Island to work 10 years prior to the story. She receives an e-mail from her Mother, saying it's an emergency and she has to get to Skin Island immediately. With the help of her old friend, Jim Julian, the two go on a ...more
The plot, the characters and the twists-
All of it!!!
This story follows Sophie Crue, Jim Julian and Lux Crue as they discover all the mysteries of Skin Island and themselves.
Sophie grew up with her parents for most of her life until her Mum moved to Skin Island to work 10 years prior to the story. She receives an e-mail from her Mother, saying it's an emergency and she has to get to Skin Island immediately. With the help of her old friend, Jim Julian, the two go on a ...more

3.5/5 Stars
So while I loved the first book, Origin, I didn't love this. Though I did still enjoy in it's own way!
So this leads on from the first book, although it could also be read as a standalone if the reader wanted.
This story was good, I enjoyed it, however I didn't get the feels that I did with the first, perhaps it didn't help that this time the story was told from multiple POV's and third person rather than first, therefore not connecting the full relationship between reader and charact ...more
So while I loved the first book, Origin, I didn't love this. Though I did still enjoy in it's own way!
So this leads on from the first book, although it could also be read as a standalone if the reader wanted.
This story was good, I enjoyed it, however I didn't get the feels that I did with the first, perhaps it didn't help that this time the story was told from multiple POV's and third person rather than first, therefore not connecting the full relationship between reader and charact ...more

2.5-3.0/5.0
First of all: the cover is amazing and what had me drawn first to this book. The premise did sound interesting too.
Unfortunately the book couldn't live up with my expections. The story couldn't really grab me from the first chapters and continues throughout the whole book.
I felt no connection with the characters: some of their actions felt illogical to me. The protagonist stayed shallow over the whole book. I didn't see any progress in their actions and feelings.
The story was really s ...more
First of all: the cover is amazing and what had me drawn first to this book. The premise did sound interesting too.
Unfortunately the book couldn't live up with my expections. The story couldn't really grab me from the first chapters and continues throughout the whole book.
I felt no connection with the characters: some of their actions felt illogical to me. The protagonist stayed shallow over the whole book. I didn't see any progress in their actions and feelings.
The story was really s ...more

How far would you go to save someone you barely know?
After a disarming email from her absentee mom, Sophie flies off to Skin island (a.k.a the island of no return) with an old pal named Jim. Together, their morals will be put to the test as they discover the atrocities that occur on the island. When everyone isn't who they claim to be, who can you trust?
This book had me feeling like I was watching A-Ha's Take on me video on a loop: boy saves girl, bad guys try to stop them, boy saves girl, and s ...more
After a disarming email from her absentee mom, Sophie flies off to Skin island (a.k.a the island of no return) with an old pal named Jim. Together, their morals will be put to the test as they discover the atrocities that occur on the island. When everyone isn't who they claim to be, who can you trust?
This book had me feeling like I was watching A-Ha's Take on me video on a loop: boy saves girl, bad guys try to stop them, boy saves girl, and s ...more

And to think I almost DNFd this. Review to come.

To see the post in all its formatted glory, go to http://reviewsfromabookworm.blogspot....
Title: Vitro
Author: Jessica Khoury
Publisher: Razorbill
Buy This Book: Book Depository
On Skin Island, even the laws of creation can be broken.
On a remote island in the Pacific, Corpus scientists have taken test tube embryos and given them life. These beings—the Vitros—have knowledge and abilities most humans can only dream of. But they also have one enormous flaw.
Sophie Crue is determined to get to Skin ...more

Author: Jessica Khoury
Publisher: Razorbill
Buy This Book: Book Depository
On Skin Island, even the laws of creation can be broken.
On a remote island in the Pacific, Corpus scientists have taken test tube embryos and given them life. These beings—the Vitros—have knowledge and abilities most humans can only dream of. But they also have one enormous flaw.
Sophie Crue is determined to get to Skin ...more

Full review:
Vitro is one of those books where I end up sitting on my review for months on end, largely because I'm of two minds about the book. On the one hand, Jessica Khoury's writing, plotting and world-building are absolutely superb in her sophomore novel.
Khoury introduces us to Sophie, a girl on a mission. After receiving an alarming message from her scientist mother, Sophie is now on her way to her mother's work base of Skin Island to try and figure out what's going on. However, once ...more
Vitro is one of those books where I end up sitting on my review for months on end, largely because I'm of two minds about the book. On the one hand, Jessica Khoury's writing, plotting and world-building are absolutely superb in her sophomore novel.
Khoury introduces us to Sophie, a girl on a mission. After receiving an alarming message from her scientist mother, Sophie is now on her way to her mother's work base of Skin Island to try and figure out what's going on. However, once ...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

I loved this book so much! I read "Vitro" right after reading "Origin" and I had some high expectations. Jessica Khoury though knows how to write a book. I still love "Origin" more but this book captivated me from the very beginning and I couldn't wait to see how the story ended for Sophie and Jim. There are some twists and turns, just like in "Origin". Some things happened that I was not expecting at all, which was a nice surprise. All in all a great novel. Make sure and add Khoury to your TBR
...more

After reading Origins, Jessica Khoury's first book, I had high expectations for Vitro and it definitely hit the mark. I'm always intrigued by sci-fi books about genetics; there are many different ways to tell that story and Vitro tells it wonderfully. The book has excellent world-building, is fast-paced, and has enough twists to keep you on the edge of your seat. I also loved the cover; it's a refreshing change from most YA novel covers and will definitely stand out on the shelves.
...more

I'm still wigged out about the whole idea but Vitro is wonderful! I love Jim. The name invokes old school James T. Kirk and I pictured his cheeky smile almost the whole time. The characters were so believable and they all invoked such emotion. Can easily picture this as a movie.
...more

DNF
I really liked Origin by Jessica Khoury, but I just lost interest in this book. I felt like it ran out of steam, people were just chasing each other around an island - and I really disliked the chapters from Lux's point of view. This one just wasn't for me. ...more
I really liked Origin by Jessica Khoury, but I just lost interest in this book. I felt like it ran out of steam, people were just chasing each other around an island - and I really disliked the chapters from Lux's point of view. This one just wasn't for me. ...more

Jul 29, 2013
Alicia
marked it as to-read
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction,
young-adult
I already have more review copies than I can handle at the moment, so I'm going to restrain myself from requesting this on Edelweiss.
...more

This is a companion novel to Origin, which I liked better. I have so many issues with this book, I don't even know where to begin. Next!
...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

I am actually quite conflicted with whether or not I liked this book. In the end, I can only say that I found it entertaining and gripping, maybe enjoyable. However, really liking it is a bit of a stretch. The story's progression was consistently forward moving without any room for breath--there was constant action and constant activity, and everything was just moving so fast you don't get much of a chance to think about anything.
Jessica Khoury's writing is great and the premise of Vitro an atte ...more
Jessica Khoury's writing is great and the premise of Vitro an atte ...more

DNF @ Chapter 10
Story felt formulaic and unbelievable, and the characters just felt stereotypical. I was not at all intrigued by the obvious "mystery."
Unfortunate, because I really enjoyed Origin. ...more
Story felt formulaic and unbelievable, and the characters just felt stereotypical. I was not at all intrigued by the obvious "mystery."
Unfortunate, because I really enjoyed Origin. ...more

This was a good read that took me by surprise! It's full of action and mystery. Also, Jim. What a guy 🥰
...more
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Colleen Houck Boo...:
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74 | 101 | Dec 30, 2014 06:12PM | |
Goodreads Librari...: IS it a Series? | 6 | 29 | Aug 04, 2014 04:53PM | |
Crazy for Young A...: Vitro by Jessica Khoury → Start Date: May 8th, 2014 | 25 | 24 | May 16, 2014 02:07PM | |
Blogger Lift: Interview with Author Jessica Khoury | 1 | 9 | Feb 09, 2014 01:31PM |
Jessica Khoury wrote her first book at age 4, a fan fic sequel to Syd Hoff's Danny and the Dinosaur, which she scribbled on notebook paper, stapled together, and placed on the bookshelf of her preschool classroom. Since that day, she's dreamed of being an author.
When not writing, Jess enjoys spending time with family, playing video games, and oil and watercolor painting. She is also a professiona ...more
When not writing, Jess enjoys spending time with family, playing video games, and oil and watercolor painting. She is also a professiona ...more
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Corpus
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