Perfected

Perfected #1

by Kate Jarvik Birch

Perfection comes at a price.

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.

But when Ella is kidnapped and thrust into the dark underworld lurking beneath her pampered life, she’s faced with an unthinkable choice. Because the only thing more dangerous than staying with Penn’s family is leaving… and if she’s unsuccessful, she’ll face a fate far worse than death.

For fans of Kiera Cass’ Selection series and Lauren DeStefano’s Chemical Garden series, Perfected is a chilling look at what it means to be human, and a stunning celebration of the power of love to set us free, wrapped in a glamorous—and dangerous—bow.

Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia, Romance, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery

281 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2014

About the author

Kate Jarvik Birch is a visual artist, author, playwright, daydreamer, and professional procrastinator. As a child, she wanted to grow up to be either a unicorn or mermaid. Luckily, being a writer turned out to be just as magical. Her essays and short stories have been published in literary journals including Indiana Review and Saint Ann’s Review. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband and three kids. To learn more visit www.katejarvikbirch.com

Reviews

[Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is fucking terrible.

"Arf, arf. Woof wood arf. RUFF. Yip. Arf! Yelp." *lusty moan*

Ok, fine. That's not act0ually a quote from the book, but I'm just translating it into dog. Why? The main character is a dog. No. Really. Bear with me. Yes, it is Friday night. Yes, I'm drunk as fuck, and yes, this is another one od my drunken reviews, but bear with me. I have a point, I swear to fucking god I haev a point, and I mean it when I compare her to a dog, It's a ruff life to wear, and she's a very sheltered little pup. The main character is so fucking vapid and empty-headed, that Bella Swan seems like Hillary Rodham Clinton in comparison.

Sorry for all the puns. Actually, I'm not. Hang in there. My bark is worse than my bite, and I swear you won't be begging for mercy.

Ok, so first off, the translation of the above quote, in human-speak, of course, is this:

I didn’t care about freedom. That’s not what I wanted. I just wanted Penn to look at me again under the silver moon while we danced.

I think I prefer my translation.

First of all, a warning. If you're offended by drnuken ramblings, get the fuck out. If you don't like dog puns, get the fuck out. Hell, if you dont like puns, period, you're not gonna like this review, lol. You don't belong here. You've been warned.

Ok, so first off, to clarify what I meant about the main character beinga dog. Shes not really a dog, of course. But she's the human evuivalent of one.

Did that make you paws? :D

Again, first off, which isnt really a "first off" since I alreadt had a "first off" point up there, but whatever. This is not a fucking dystopian. A fucking dsytopian has an actual fucking setting. You don't fucknig change one fucking thinf aboutthe present and fucking call it a dystopian. It doesn't make ayn fucking sense.

This is what passes for a fucking seting in this book: it is...I don't even fucking know what year it is. But for some reason theres' nothing dfifnerent about it except for the fact that WE'RE FUCKING BREEDING HUMANS AS PET. PRETTY HUMANS. PRETTY FEMALE HUMANS. WHY THE FUCK AREN'T THERE PRETTY BOY PETS?!

I mean, I want a pretty boy pet. Purely just to sit ther so I can look at him, of course. I wouldn't molest hum or anything, unless he looks like...this.



Really, I wouldn't :DDDD I swear on my brother's grave. (hint: I never had a brother)

But I digreess. You sersiouyl can't fucking tell this dystopian world apart from ours. The only difference is taht people are fucking breeding pretty girls and keeping them as pets for wealthy people. THey're breeding humans to be other humans' pets. for NO FUCKING REASON AT ALL. I DON'T FUCKING GET IT. ok then DYSTOPIAN WORLD WHATEVER YOU SAY. tHERE's some half-assed attempt at OMG THERE'S LEGISLATION PASSED SO THAT WE'RE ALLOWED TO HAVE HUMAN PETS1!11ONE. LIKE WHAT. THE.FUCK. WHERE'S THE EXPLANATION FOR THAT?! FOR ANYTHING. IT IS NOT. A. FUCKING. DYSTOPIAN.

OK, now we go back to my original point (was there one?) the reason I called this girl a dog. Ella is 17. She is human. She is a dog. She is human, but she has been specificlly bred for her looks, so that she could sit in someone's fucking living room and be pampered and cared for and loved until she loses her looks and then she gets send to the fucking RED DOOR. Aka the room where all dogs go to die.

So people really like their dogs irl. We fucking breed the hell out of them. Some of them turn out well, like this.



SOme of them have had the fucking shit bred out of them so that they can barely breathe, so they end up lookoing like this. I'm sorry, dog lovers, but you can't tell me taht is a pretty dog. Purebred or not, that is an ugly fucker. That is a face not even a mother could love.



Ella is not ugly. On the contrary, she is exceedingly beautful, but that's where it ends. She is petite, small, pretty, blonde, lovely beyond words. And she is a complete waste of fucking air.

In this fucking "dystopian" future, we have the equivalent of the American Kennel Society, or whatever it is that breeds purebred puppies. Ella is one of these dogs. I'm not calling her a dog as in "man, she's a dog!" meaning she's ugly, or "yo, what up, dawg!" I'm calling her a dog because she is the fucking human equivalent of a dog. Ella was bred to be sold. Ella was bred to be pretty. Ella is bred to be fucking useless at everything but blinking and shitting. And if she shits, she's got to shit daintily, because she's been fucking trained her entire fucking life to be a good fucking dog. Girl. Whatver, to her "masters."

ELla is so fucking subservient it drives me nuts. Yes, I realize that she was born and raised for a purpose, it's the fact taht she remains like this for the entire fucking book that drives me nute.

ELla can't read.

Ella can't swim.

Ella can't take a piss without asking her masters for permission.

ELla has to look pretty so she can't eat anything but like salads and lentils.

Ella has been raised her entire fucking life in an enclosed school of fellow girl-dogs, called the Greenwich Kennel, literally a fucking KENNEL, so she has no fucking clue of what the real world is like. Which doesn't really fucking matter because we don;t really see the fucking "dystopian" world at all.

ELla really is a dog. She has a microchip tracking device implanted inside her. She can be like what the FUCK, man. She can be chained and forced to live outside if she misbehaves. She was "raised to be a pet," and she's absolutely fucking content to be nothing but a wealthy family's pet for 95% of the fucking book.

Absolutely nothing happens in this book. Nothing. There is a hideous amount of insta-love that will give you paws. Ella meets a boy, the son of the man who bought her. He hates her. Then for some fucking reason, 5 seconds later, they're in fucking love and she would give her life to be with him.

I couldn’t ignore him. The need to be with him was a sickness. All I wanted was to be back in the garden with him.

People try to rescue her beacuse there's a 2-sentence attempt at a subplot of FREE THE DOG GENETICALLY BRED GIRLS that doesn't even fucking work because the fucking second someone rescues her, all she can think of is OMG I HAVE TO GET BACK TO MY PAMPERED LIFESTYLE AND BE WITH MY MASTER AND THE BOY I LOVE.

THe insta-love is so fucking strong. I don't believe it at all. It is not love. It's infatuation. It is omg I hate you you are not natural omg you like my music ok I'm in love with you now, let's fuck.

Yeah.

Fuck that shit.

It is fine to have a naive character. It is not fine for that character to be an empty-headed fucking vapid brat who does fucking nothing bt fall into insta-love for much of the novel. It is not fine to have zero character dvelopment and no serious plot.

But then again, I am a bitch.

[Nenia ✨ I yeet my books back and forth ✨ Campbell · Rating 2 out of 5]

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DNF @ 25%



I'm currently trying to audit my book collection and get rid of anything that doesn't strike my fancy. PERFECTED is a very strange book, kind of in line with those chick-lit dystopians that were popular a while back-- books like THE SELECTION, THE JEWEL, or MATCHED. In some ways, PERFECTED is like the poor man's HANDMAID'S TALE: it takes place in a dystopian near-future where genetically modified human girls are bred in special "kennels" as pets for the super rich.



Our heroine-- who is named "Ella" by her adopted family-- is taken in by the very congressman who approved this rule. He's also creepy as all get out. Like, right away, Ella starts getting warnings from both his children about his creepiness, which is super awkward and uncomfy. I don't think this is supposed to be a comfortable read but the tone in which it's written (light, breezy, vapid) doesn't really fit with the dark subject matter. The result is jarring and doesn't really work.


>Some of my friends really hated this book and some thought it was an underrated gem. I think how you feel about it will depend on whether you really like those girl-targeted dystopian novels I mentioned. Maybe a teen girl would enjoy this more than I did. I didn't hate it and I didn't think it was bad, but it's also really not to my taste and the writing style didn't work for me at all. Next.



2 to 2.5 stars

[Nasom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full Review
This is one of those books I did not even know existed or remembered that I actually added to my tbr pile lol. I decided to give it a go and I actually quite liked it.

What I liked
- I found the concept interesting and unique: A world where some girls are made (literally with genetical reengineering) to become pets to people. Our main character, Ella is one of these people and she is bought by a congressman as a pet to his daughter. I liked reading from Ella's POV as she navigates her new life (before she was bought, she was pretty much living in isolation with other pets). She pretty much has the mentality of a child.

What I didn't like
- Romance: it's not that I hated it, I just didn't understand it. Like why did Penn, the congressman's son, fall in love with Ella? Like I said, she has the mentality of a child giving her situation so I didn't understand the connection. The only reason i can see was that she was unique but that should not have been enough. They had some romantic moments though, but in general, it was a little bit overly dramatic especially at the end.

- So Ella didn't know how to read or swim, which are things that the congressman's daughter liked so I didn't really get her purpose. The pets are supposed to be trained to serve their masters well but there was clearly a mismatch.

Overall, it was good but I don't think I would be reading the rest of the series. It should have been a standalone or duology (I won't have minded only one more book)

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable YA Sci-Fi/dystopian story, and I’m looking forward to book 2.

Poor Ella was treated like a dog at times in this book, and I could see why people were so against the whole ‘pet’ thing, because it was like one person owning another. I thought it really bad that the pets hadn’t been taught how to swim or how to read though, as those seem like important skills to me.

The storyline in this was pretty good, although Ms Harper stealing Ella and then just abandoning her was pretty awful! I thought it a bit obvious that the previous pet had fallen pregnant from quite early on in the story, but I didn’t realise that it wasn’t known who the father was.

The ending to this was pretty good, and it will be interesting to see what happens in book 2.
7 out of 10

[Danielle's · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfected is the first book in a series. Book 3 is due out at the beginning of April.

The elite families want to own the latest in thing and when money comes easy anything is possible. Congressman passed the bill and now to show good faith he must have a show pet.

Human's are being genetically modified to perfection. Petite, articulate and beautiful. Greenwich takes the best girls from
the kennel and trains them to be prize pets. A must-have toy for every rich family.

Ella is chosen as the congressman's pet and is welcomed into their home. She is dressed like a doll and shown off at parties. Ella struggles to fit into her life. Her training didn't include how to play with children and Ruby (The congressman's daughter) is desperate for a friend. The family are difficult to read when you don't know what's the right thing to do. Perfected is Ella's story. She sees our strange world and try's to fit in as a good pet. Not everyone is happy with humans being kept as pets and Ella has to try to work out how to exist. She likes Ruby and wants to please her but it doesn't come naturally to Ella.

Penn is the Congressman's son and he makes Ella want things she shouldn't. Can she find a little slice of happiness in this cruel world?

I like controversial stories and forbidden romance. This was an interesting concept and Ella was a well thought out character. She behaves like someone who isn't world-wise and she struggles with her inner voice. 4.5 stars out of 5. This is a great start to a series.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I'm lucky enough to be reading the continuous series so stay tuned for more!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is there a sequel? For the love of God, someone tell me if there's going to be a sequel! I NEED A FREAKING SEQUEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *composes self* Ok, I'm good. But for real. I'm gonna need more because that ending was NOT okay with me! I mean it was, but.... but..... sigh. The ending was imperfectly perfect. Does that even make sense?

I really enjoyed this book. I do wish there was a bit more world building, as I would have liked to find out more about how this whole 'owning girls as pets' came into being, or how the law was passed, etc. I think a bit more backstory would have made this even more compelling and frightening. This book both fascinated and sickened me. I thought the premise was a really neat one, but when you think how some owners used these girls as pets.... it is very upsetting.

Pacing: I felt the story flowed really well. I was hooked from the start and I was curious to see how Ella would do as a pet, as she is constantly worrying about whether or not she's doing or saying the appropriate thing. Most of all, I liked seeing Ella's transformation from a pet to a girl. With Penn and even Ruby, she started to feel more comfortable and acted more like a girl than a toy to be played with. I like that she didn't always censor her thoughts, especially with Penn. She's confused as to what she's feeling for him, and knows she shouldn't, but she's never felt these feelings for someone else before and wants to explore them.

Storyline: Imagine a world where human girls are bred to perfection and poise. Now imagine those same girls being bred in what are called 'kennels' and sold as pets to the elite. However, not all pets are purchased JUST for their children to enjoy... I'll let you read between the lines. Yeah, NOT OKAY. Luckily, there are those in this world who feel as you and I do and they want to help these girls earn their freedom and flee such an environment. And then there are those who would chain their pets up for running away and wrongdoing. As appalling as it is to read about this, it is equally interesting to see how Ella is treated in the Congressman's home she was sold to. She was sold to entertain their 10 year old daughter, Ruby, but that may not be her sole purpose... It is evident the Congressman's wife and 16-year-old son do not care for Ella and do not want her there. There are several references to the family's previous pet, but we do not find out what happened to her until much later in the book. One can deduct their disdain stems from that previous girl and that is why they are resistant to accepting Ella.

Characters: Ella is a very naïve girl. She doesn't know any different- she was raised to believe she is only there for others' enjoyment and that her happiness is irrelevant. She lives with the constant fear of being sent back to the kennel and being put down for displeasing her masters. With her new family, she is very unsure of how she should act and is always wary she won't say or do the right thing. I felt so much sadness and agony for her. Not only does she have to worry about those things, but she has to worry about her feelings as a girl and what that could mean for her. She is drawn to Penn and I like that Birch explored that relationship, as it shows just how human Ella is and how young she is.

I really liked Penn. He starts off wary and a bit dismissive of Ella, but he has his reasons and after finding them out I can't say I blame him. As he starts to get to know Ella and see that she's not just this perfect little pet, he starts to empathize with her and even show her compassion, which eventually leads to more. He sees her passion for music and the love for it she desperately tries to keep hidden. He doesn't like that his father whisks her away to show off for his other elite friends and the two really butt heads on Penn's future. I have to say Penn really surprised me towards the end and it made me want to squeeze him so tight and not let him go.

Ruby was a great character too. Being 10 years old, Ella is more than just a pet- she becomes a friend, someone to spend time with. I liked seeing them together and their relationship was very sweet.

There are some surprises with the Congressman and his wife and I wish I could discuss their characters a bit more, but I don't want to spoil anything. Let's just say some of their actions were not what I was expecting at all.

Final Thoughts: I definitely agree with the blurb in saying that if you enjoyed Kiera Cass's The Selection, you will probably enjoy this one too. I do think we needed more world building and I would have liked to find out more about those opposed to girls being owned as pets and that resistance. I am also curious about other pets like Missy, who have been jaded and see this whole debacle for what it really is. And I need a sequel. Like WHOA.

*Received a copy of this book via the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.*

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the concept was really interesting, definitely unique in the way it was written, and I liked this book enough, but it was much too simple, and I don't think it portrayed an extreme enough case for the premise. I was just disappointed that it didn't elicit more extreme emotions from me.

I thought this book was going to anger me. Plainly put, Ella was being treated like a dog. A well-cared for dog, at times, but a dog nonetheless. From the food, to the tags, to the chip, to the chains, even when she was lost. While it was all wrong, I just felt apathetic. It's not that I'm condoning it or even think it's okay. I just didn't think Birch put Ella in extreme enough situations for me to feel passionate about her story.

In a way, I felt Ella was always several steps behind. Sure, she was sheltered, and she didn't know any better than what she had been taught. But I just felt she just didn't have enough of that innate feeling that what she was living was wrong. She had to be told by Ms. Harper or Missy or someone else before the thought even occurred to her. Or I guess I'm just used to reading too many dystopian books, where the heroine realizes the way their oppressed government was running everything and decided to do something about it. I just didn't feel that Ella was too bright of a heroine, and I think her slowness at picking up things was part of the reason why I was so uninvested in her story.

I think another problem, at least for me, was this book glossed over a lot of things. I mean, I don't want to drag out the story, but it was such a quick read, that a lot of things that should have had more emphasis seemed to be rushed.

The romance for example. One minute, Penn could not stand her, and a few pages later, he had started to soften. There wasn't a period of time where he got to know her and realized he was wrong to judge her so quickly, nor was there some story-changing event that shed some light on his presumptions.

Another thing was I had guessed what had happened to the previous pet, but the book just gave us a really quick explanation of it later - not even enough to satisfy all of the questions I had considering Birch put so much mystery into bringing it up mysteriously all those times at the beginning of the story.

Also, I guess I was just expecting a lot more action in this book. I expected HIM to be a bigger villain, and from the summary of the book, I'd expected to find that he was a cruel man behind some terrible, evil plan. And I expected Ms. Harper to have a bigger role. She was kind of a lame activist, who just dumped her instead of seeing her mission through. Or why Claire was so set to hate Ella, other than she knew what had happened to the previous pet. And I'd expected a bigger end than what happened. It was just too typical and frankly, not all that exciting compared to more elaborate endings I've read before.

Having said this, I don't think this was a bad read either if you're into books about genetically engineered humans who learn about free will and realize there's more to life than what they were taught and strive to gain their freedom. I think Birch did a good job of paralleling how humans treat dogs to how these people treat their "pets." Still, I just with there was more - more extremity, more wrongness to it, more depth to the story, more to the explanations, more to elicit stronger emotions from me. It just wasn't enough.

[Mary Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The legislative and ethical exploration of cloning is what intrigued me the most about Perfected. That, and the fact it is not post apocalyptic or post regime change. It takes place with our current system of government intact. No plagues, wars, or coups change the rules. Our own process allows it. *shudder*

[Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfected was my FAVORITE read of 2014. That's right, 20-frigging-14! And I loved it so much that I hadn't felt ready to compose a review for it up until this point (which is really stupid considering how often I find myself talking about it, even over a year later). Have you ever enjoyed something so much that no matter how much you gush about it in a review, it never seems to do it justice? That's how I feel about Perfected – it was such an experience!

I'm a self-proclaimed addict of the sub genre "girls wearing pretty dresses in a slightly dystopic era" and Perfected is right up there alongside Lauren DeStefano's Chemical Garden Trilogy. Birch created an intriguing fraction of society that puts on a glamorous, prestigious face to hide some pretty messed up practices. I mean, breeding and selling tiny, genetically engineered girls as pets?? That's pretty disturbing, and it comes along with a whole host of nasty issues that Birch does an excellent job of acknowledging without dwelling on (until the second book, which expands on many of these dark issues in a way that breaks your heart while at the same time giving the main character insights and epiphanies she needed to grow in strength and determination… more to come on that in my upcoming review of Tarnished).

Despite all this grit surrounding a fascinating main character, Birch found a way to tell a beautifully innocent love story, and do so with writing that was beautiful and poetic without ever becoming flowery or overdone. It struck a chord with me, which is why I can still vividly remember every bit of Perfected over a year later, and I'm already feeling the itch for a reread.

Overall, Perfected has landed itself as one of my all-time favorites, and I find myself talking about it often and passionately. It was just so well done and unique! If you enjoyed any of my recommends below, I suspect (and hope) you'll love Perfected just as much!

Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com

[Carrie Slager · Rating 1 out of 5]

[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

This is another book where I honestly don’t know where to start because there are so many things wrong with it. I’ll try my best, though.

Okay, so the premise of Perfected is that genetically perfect humans are being engineered and sold as pets. This is not quite stupid but so ridiculous my eyes nearly popped out of my head when I realized that Kate Jarvik Birch was tone-deaf about things like politics or social movements. I would have believed this premise had she actually done some decent world-building instead of just setting this in what seems to be the present. There’s a lot of problems with setting it in the present but I’ll start with the main one: the American people would never again accept slavery.

Yes, there is illegal slavery all around the globe, even in the United States. But for it to be ingrained into the legal system as actual legislation when the government can’t even pass the simplest bill right now? That’s ridiculous. It would be political suicide in this current culture to even mention something that might possibly be resembling slavery, let alone outright slavery of human beings. No one can even agree on genetically modified food, for crying out loud! How do you think making designer babies would go over in the next five years? And for them to be made into slaves? Yeah, right.

Like I said, I would have been more lenient with the premise of the books had the author done her work and did some real world-building. I could have understood maybe slavery coming about after some catastrophic events that reshaped the American social and political environments forever. Something like a world war, perhaps. At least then it would have an aura of possibility. But as it is, saying that the legislation got passed simply because of corporate donations and pressure is so simplistic it’s insulting to the readers. I’m Canadian and I understand that it’s not that simple in American politics, even with outrageous amounts of money.

It doesn’t take a cynical reader like me to realize that young, beautiful girls being bought by wealthy old men is a recipe for sexual slavery. It’s alluded to in the novel and is revealed as the reason Ella’s predecessor was removed from the home but it’s never really explored or even presented realistically. The fact that Ella doesn’t even know what kissing is beggars belief when these girls are trained to go into the homes of wealthy men. Add that to the fact they’re sold into prostitution when they’re no longer cute and you have to wonder why the ‘breeders’ (the people who create these girls) don’t have them spayed (their word, not mine) in the first place or at least teach them basic sex ed. Yes, I know they’re kept naïve and innocent but some things are just too unrealistic.

Okay, even if I ignored all of the things wrong with Kate Jarvik Birch’s premise and world-building I still wouldn’t be a huge fan of this book. Ella has been bred and taught to be compliant so she makes a ridiculously boring narrator. She’s not interesting and not even really that sympathetic. Penn, just don’t get me started on him. One minute he hates the sight of Ella the next he’s got his tongue in her mouth. Ugh. I really, really, really hate Insta-Love.

The plot is moderately paced but there are absolutely no surprises. Of course the previous girl got pregnant with the Congressman’s child and was killed. That’s why his wife was so opposed to getting a new ‘pet’. Of course Penn and Ella try to escape and claim refugee status at the Canadian border. There were no real twists or turns to the plot and I don’t think you have to be a cynical reader like I am to figure out what’s going to happen in the end. Mind you, it ends on sort of a cliffhanger so they can make a franchise out of this if it does indeed become the new Chemical Garden series or The Selection.

Don’t be fooled by pretty covers, folks. It’s not worth it.

I give this book 1/5 stars.

[Noémy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh boy. I'm so sorry I really don't mean to be cruel but...how can you just write a book about nothing ? Because this story was a whole lot of nothing piled onto layers upon layers of nothingness. I started off thinking the writing was pretty and the concept wasn't half-bad. But then I soon realized the author never truly had a clear picture of where her story was supposed to go to begin with. Because how is it possible to write a novel set in a world such as the one described in Perfected where young girls are bred in kennels to be sold as pets like you would a hamster or a cat...for absolutely no reason at all ? It's not even some sort of metaphor against modern slavery because these girls are only bought to sit perfectly still at dinner tables and look pretty, so can someone please tell me what is the point ? oh, there is some hinting at sexual slavery but to what end really ? it's perfectly clear this book and its future sequels will never get on that road so there isn't even a powerful and meaningful message to take out of it.

I just can't take this book seriously knowing the author didn't even bother explaining her world's basics to the readers.

[Jilly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know how to rate this book. It was funny. But, I don't think it was meant to be funny.

But, come on! The main character was a pet and they treated her like a dog - literally! She was bought from a kennel, was named by her new owners, wasn't allowed to eat at the table, had her own "special food" and wasn't allowed "people food", was taken out for walks, played with by the kid, was microchipped, had a collar with her owners' name and number on the back of it, had the option of being "spayed", and was even put on a leash.
If that's not supposed to be funny, I don't know what is!

The thing is, I think the book is supposed to be a serious and shocking story about women being treated as animals, but it's too much. If anything, it just made me want to treat my dogs better. Although they are currently crashed out on the couch where their permanent body imprints are solidly etched into the cushions.

It's not even really set in a future time. Everything in the world is just as our world is - the technology, food, and environment - it's the same. So, how did we get to this point - human pets - so quickly from where we are now? There is no explanation! Just that Congress passed a bill. Yeah, they are so quick to get things done, there would be no problem passing something that controversial at all! *eye roll*

[Kyla Harris · Rating 2 out of 5]

1/31/16 - 2.5 stars
This was a short cute read but the story as a whole was not planned out well at all! And this goes specifically for the characters. We barely got to know them! She would mention one character and then never go back to them or add in someone but never explained the consequences of her actions, she'd just write them off with a sentence or two and move on with the story. With Ella and Penn it was SO instant love the moment she meet him I thought was cute but after that? It was all so cheesy and totally forced. Plus throughout it all Penn just seem like a guy who wanted to take advanced over her. And then the master? seriously? I had no idea what to think about him! at the begging he seem chill and then he was bad then he was evil, etc. it was like the author didn't know what to do with him! I'm sorry Kate but you still had a lot of work to do beforedyou got this book published but I think it could have been a great base there just SO many things that were missing. Sorry Ella.. Penn but no.

Added on Goodreads:
This book sound absolutely amazing!!!!! I can't wait to read this!

[mindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

So.. I finished this book a few hours ago, but I needed some time to process exactly what exactly I just read. It's also making me question my relationship with my dog.

The basic premise is sometime in "Future America" we are now genetically breeding girls to be owned by rich men (and their families) and we call them "pets." So this pet, Ella, gets purchased by a congressman and goes to live with his family. There is some shady business about how they used to have a pet, but she was sent away because of some "condition" she had.. (it becomes so obvious, and really doesn't have any bearing on the plot whatsoever). The pet and the congressman's son fall in love and the congressman gets weirdly jealous and then they escape to Canada, because apparently in this version of Future America, Canada is not a fan of the fact that people can own pet humans.

The way this was written, you almost feel like you're reading about an actual dog. I don't genetically engineer humans, so i don't know the real logistics of it, but she was apparently bred to be subservient and 5 feet tall and the whole business is FUCKING CREEPY. At the beginning, someone says "they look like they're 12 not 16" so that really set the tone. The congressman seriously parades her around in front of her friends, strangers just randomly touch her, shes microchipped, THE CONGRESSMAN BUYS HER A COLLAR, she gets put on a leash, & at one point she gets locked in a car and kidnapped THEN ABANDONED and she doesnt know what to do because its too loud and people are everywhere, and I'm just like... oh my god is this how my dog feels every day???????????

It's important to note that this was a part of my hate-read January, but it wasn't *that* bad. Ella was an annoying character, but she was also bred to be subservient so.... the Love Interest Penn was very Generic Teen Romance. He loves jazz music, he has a secret garden, he doesn't want his dad's life, basically everything he says is an eyeroll moment for me. Ruby, the little sister is adorable. I just loved her. Even if she didn't understand why owning a human as a pet was bad. I was liking the mom character until she called Ruby fat and ugly for having freckles for no reason. I don't even care that she was the only reason Penn and Ella could escape at the end. She's a bitch to me for calling a little girl fat and putting her down for reading. The congressman was CREEPY. He doesn't have sex with the pet, but he does kiss her on the cheek, watch her sleep, spy on her, parade her in front of his friends, whisper in her ear a bunch, gets jealous that shes attracted to his teenage son and not him, *TRIES TO HAVE HER SPAYED* like... just gross. The wife also loses points because shes not like "you're a pathetic weirdo why would i be married to someone like you KIT LYLAS HAGS"

Anyway, there's a sequel, but I will probably just read the spoilers and skip reading it. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go ask my dog if its alright if i pet him.

[Shilo Harney · Rating 5 out of 5]

What?!?? I wish I could rate higher than 5!

This book was absolutely amazing and I am dying to read more!! My heart broke in two when the ending of this book suddenly crept upon me!

The story line makes you think a lot: how we treat our pets, how we treat people, etc.

These people treated their HUMAN pets like a mixture of a dog and a call girl. It made my skin crawl. The congressman and his friends are super skeevy. I really hate that man!

Penn and Ruby are the sweetest. I love that Ella fits so perfectly with both characters and plays a completely different role to each. Ruby is so smart and I hope there's eventually more to her story. Penn might be my new crush (sorry honey!) he's disheveled and thoughtful and likes good music. But he is a believable character as well, sometimes the hero boy seems too good to be true, even though Penn doesn't really do anything to sully that image his personality explains a lot of that. Because of how much I liked Ruby and Penn I was really disappointed by Claire, maybe she has more story to redeem herself as well though, the story does hint that she's maybe not all bad!

The congressman's wife is awesome. I don't know why but I liked her from the beginning even before she really redeemed herself. I had a feeling she was on the good side. And I lied how the butterscotch candies were tied back in!

Ella's voice is very real. I felt connected to every emotion she was experiencing. The author did an amazing job at painting a scene with Ella's voice, I felt like I could really see the places through her description!

There are some badass characters I hope to hear more about and there's so much more I need to know about Ella and Penn!! I'm really nervous but hopeful for them both right now. And Ella sounds like she's about to become a badass herself!

My only complaints about this book are: it wasn't longer! And it was white! I went and bought a book cover to keep it safe while reading! It's a beautiful design but I didn't want to have to wear gloves to read :)

Go read it! Everyone! I love it and will die if there isn't more!!

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Entangled Publishing, LLC and NetGalley.)
16-year-old number 8 is a pet; genetically engineered, bred in a kennel, and raised to be subservient to her master.
When she is bought by a councilman, she’s given the name Ella, but is totally naïve about the world around her.
What does being a pet really mean? And is it a life that Ella can really live with?


This was an interesting YA dystopian, and I really enjoyed it.

Ella was such a good pet! She totally had the whole subservient thing down, and her training really showed. I felt so sorry for her that she had never been taught to read and write though! Why wouldn’t you teach a pet to read and write? What if their owner wanted them to read to them, or take notes? Ridiculous! I also thought it awful that Ella hadn’t been taught how to swim! Talk about an important life skill!

The storyline in this was pretty good, and reminded me a bit of ‘The Selection’. It was quite difficult to know in places whether being a pet was a bad thing when you were owned by a rich family, and never had to work to support yourself, but then at other times it was obvious that it was a bad thing.
There were some twists and turns in this, but some of them were a bit obvious. Especially the reason that Ella’s owner’s previous pet got ‘sick’ and had to be returned.
There was some romance, and again, it was a little predictable, it was sweet though.

The ending was pretty good, but it was a cliff-hanger. I really want to read the next book in the series now to find out what happens to Ella next!
Overall; an interesting YA dystopian, and I really enjoyed it,
8 out of 10

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really unique YA dystopian. There was no destroyed earth, corrupt government or maniacal leaders to depose, it was just about people and it honestly got to me far more than some of the epic dystopians I've read. Now that I've finished this I feel pretty heartbroken.

It kills me that after everything, there wasn't even a happily ever after. Maybe Kate Birch was going for realism but I need some semblance of a happy ending or what's the point. Hopefully there's a sequel.

“Maybe freedom wasn't a state of being. Maybe it was an act of courage. Maybe freedom was defiance and sacrifice and pain, something that couldn't be won without giving away something else in return.”

In perfected, the US has essentially legalised slavery. They breed and train young women to be sold as pets to the rich and powerful. Pets aren't considered people, they've been genetically engineered and bred in a lab and so even though they're human, they're considered property.

Despite being YA, this had dark undercurrents and it really disturbed me. There wasn't any outright abuse in this but it was alluded to and in this world I can see things getting very bad very quickly for pets.

“Powerful men tire of their toys easily. And the novelty of a pet doesn’t last forever. After a while even the prettiest things become ordinary.”

I really hope there's a sequel to this, I so want Ella and Penn to get their happily ever after.

[Gabrielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The actual rating is a 3.5 . i felt like the ending could have been resolved much more it was really rushed. i never felt like Ella ever real wanted freedom she wanted to want freedom because that was what was expected. she never struck me as a kick butt admirable character she was just naive and stupid. i saw everything coming from the beginning the story was so predictable. ella never knew what she wanted or what her real feelings were. i was so confused because by the end she could not even tell Penn she loved him after everything he did for her. the plot was nonexistent and predictable. the plot improved but only by the end it was too late . the only thing i really liked was the relationship between ruby and ella and that of penn and ella i just wish it was fleshed out more. i wish there was more information about this world and how the pets came to be. i like the banana split scene and the floating scene. would i recommend this? yes i guess if you want a quick breezy read i was in a reading slump but this got me out of it when i finally buckled down and read this i flew through it . it was shockingly short for a dystopian.

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt really sorry for Ella in this. The way she was treated like a dog was awful.

The pacing in this was quite slow, and parts of the story were predictable, but I really enjoyed it.

This ended on a cliffhanger, and I really want to read book two now to find out what happens next!

[Zey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gerçekten bayıldım. Hiç bu tarz bir distopya okumamıştım. Çok çok hoşuma gitti.


Alıntılar;

Duygular olmadan sözcükler anlamsızdı.

*

Hayatımın geri kalanını her şeyin farklı olmasını isteyerek geçirebilirdim, ama gerçek olamayacak bir şeyi dilemek faydasızdı.

*

Aklımı dolduran düşünceler bir başkasına, onunla aynı masada yemek yiyebilecek birisine aitti. Herkesin önünde onun kolları arasında dans edebilecek, kendisini öpmesine izin verebilecek ve onu öpebilecek birisine aitti...

Ben o kız değildim, ama olmak istiyordum...

[✨faith✨trust✨pixiedust✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was more of a 3.5 star.

Honestly, I forgot I read it so I can't say much about the plot. I wish the story had more depth, but it was entertaining enough. I think if the author had an adult audience in mind, there could have been more substance because the themes weren't explored to the fullest extent, probably because of the YA audience (and remember, this was before SJM decided that YA should be porn). I also wish there hadn't been so much insta-love.

I read it solely because I watched a YouTube video that piqued my interest.

[Kristen Cansler · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Good
•Characters
•Plot
•Writing
•Romance

The Bad
•Lack of background information
•Cliffhanger



I'm not going to lie. I adored Perfected. Once I got into the story, nothing could draw me away from it. I'm the last person in the world who hasn't read the Selection series, so I was fascinated with my first foray into this type of story. At times, I was truly horrified and disgusted at the way the "Pets" were treated. It may not have the hallmarks of other dystopians, but the view and treatment of "Pets", humans bred and trained to be pets for the highest echelons of society, definitely solidified its place in the genre for me. Sometimes it isn't violence that marks the decay of civilization; it's the treatment of one another.

I cracked the lid and stared down at the gold chain that glittered ever so softly in the dim light. On the end of it was a round pendant. I lifted it back up and held it to the light so I could see that the gold pendant was encircled with a ring of shining diamonds. Inside something was engraved in loopy script.
"It's your name," he said, reaching out to run his fingers over the letting. "And on the other side it has our address and phone number."

I felt so badly for Ella. Really, I had sympathy for Ella's entire family except for the vile congressman. The characters are all so well developed. They each felt like their own person as I read Perfected. I cannot imagine how Ella felt. I really enjoyed watching her come into her own. She grew a lot over the course of this story, and Kate Jarvik Birch did a phenomenal job at writing that.



Even though I enjoyed the pacing of the story and the premise, I felt like there was a lot missing. There were a lot of whys that built up at the beginning that were never resolved. Why did humans decide to keep others as pets? When did this take place? What about Ella's life at the kennel? And omg cliffhanger. The buildup was insane and fast paced. Then boom. That's it. If this book isn't going to be part of a series, that was brutal.

I'd never imagined a ceiling so high, or so grand. The golden gleam of it was lit below by the most enormous chandeliers. An elaborate velvet curtain almost four stories high in front of the stage like the gown of some beautiful, monstrous woman. If it had lifted up, I wouldn't have been surprised to see two enormous feet perched on the stage.

See, you guys. Kate Jarvik Birch is like a masterful wordsmith. Just reading her book was an exercise in decadence. It was such an easy read. And the way the story moves really captures your interest wholly. I hope to see more from the world of Ella and from Kate Jarvik Birch. I think I've just found my newest Young Adult obsession.



**I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review with no compensation.

[Paula M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, that's new. Perfected has a very thought provoking premise.

The story is about Ella, a girl in our world, but a pet in a world she's living in. She was born or maybe made to make her Masters happy. And she's completely fine with that. She obeys and she doesn't complain at all. But all is changed when he got close to her Master's son, Penn.

It's been so long since I encountered a Main Character that I completely adored. Some readers may find Ella stupid or dense. The truth is, she is. (lol) But maybe stupid and dense are such strong words. She's more like, clueless. She was raised to be perfect! To function everyday as demure and composed as she can be. She isn't supposed to be silly or to be caught up in imperfect moment. I really felt for Ella. She doesn't even know how to read! But you can really see that the world outside Greenwich (where she came from) scared her a lot. The desire to fit in or be educated was there. But you can also see how she fought for those thoughts. For a girl that is so clueless and who doesn't have any idea how this cruel world works, she's brave. I like that a lot.

Penn isn't an exception, he just stole my heart then completely stomped on it (the ending omg) He isn't your typical bad boy, he isn't your usual nerd boy, he's real. There's nothing cliché about him. If I have one complain though, it's that he can be a wimp sometimes. Especially to his father. But good thing the author made some character developments. Although I think that Ella might still need some improvement, Penn was a brilliantly written character.

Side characters are detailed. From Ruby, to her mother, to the creepy congressman (who is Ella's master) You will really see and feel Ella's world.

The plot is disturbing. I got scared while reading this because there's a chance that this kind of platform will be true if it'll be based on our goverments state. That's what my first thought when I was reading chapter 1. They're like a (sorry for the word) but they're like prostitutes. They're purchased and will spend the day of their lives for the pleasure of their Masters. So I really applaud the author for executing it very well. However, I believe it needs more world building. I wanna know the history of it all! When does this 'having a pet means we're regal' started? How does someone become a pet exactly? Are pets like Ella born or made?! But most importantly, WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO PENN AND ELLA?

I mean, I'm sorry but you can't end a book like that and not make a sequel! That's just not how it works.

The ending just blew my mind. I love how it crushed me but made me excited too. I really hope that the sequel comes out soon. I'm looking forward to EVERYTHING.

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story idea isn't super original in the dystopian arena, but the writing style and the interesting developments within the novel made it stand out as I read. This is a beautiful and terrifying world that Kate Jarvik Birch has woven and the story she takes us on, while not as dark as I expected it to be, showed just the beginning of the horrors that this world has to offer.

The story starts pretty quickly. The opening scene throws us right into the situation Ella is in and I was horrified but also really intrigued watching the auction where Ella and the rest of the pets were bought. It was so nerve racking seeing different buyers come up to her and inspect her and the other girls. Just thinking about it now makes me feel all yuck.

When we finally do meet the family that decided to take her home, I was both relieved and wary. The Congressman and his wife were okay, although, I had a feeling it wouldn't stay that way long with ho the wife was acting. I suspected what had happened to their last pet from the beginning but it didn't lessen the horror of having it spelt out. And the story progressed, I felt more and more disgusted by the Congressman. The other family members, Penn and Ruby, were fine. I liked Ruby a lot from the start but wished we had gotten more of a chance to get to know her. The same applies to Penn. Even though he was the love interest and we did see quite a lot of him, I never felt any whoa-this-is-meant-to-be connection between them so I didn't really understand his sudden loyalty and attention toward her.

The plot didn't move too quickly but, this time, I didn't mind. I liked seeing the way Ella interacted with the family and how the world was. I was happy to learn more about it but at the same time, I was waiting for Ella to do something for her situation. I also wish this had been a little bit less about the romance and more about the world and how it affected her.

The ending was what I had a huge problem with. It happened so quickly and left us seriously hanging. It reminded me a lot of a similar ending in Delirium by Lauren Oliver . That ending had completely pissed me off and this one did the same. Luckily, I've been told that the author is working on a sequel so I hope that's true. I don't want to just be left with that ending.

Perfected was a novel that held a lot of promise, a haunting world, and a plot that kept me interested. The ending was upsetting but I hope to read the second book in the series (hopefully) soon so I can find out what happens!

For more reviews, check out Wonderland's Reader!

[Kristal Kitap]

Bugün kendimi pek verimli hissediyorum. Kusursuz Evcil'de bitti. Ufak tefek yetersiz hissettiğim noktaları olsa da genel olarak sevdim kitabı.

Akıcılığı ve sıkmadan okutması kitabın en büyük artısı. Kitaba şöyle bir bakayım dememle 100 sayfasını devirmem bir oldu neredeyse. Çok hızlı ilerledi ve kızın ne ara atağa geçeceğini okumak için sabırsızlandırdı. Sonu ise devam kitabını merakla beklememe sebep olacak bir olayla bitti. İkinci kitap için umarım yayınevi bizi çok bekletmez! :)

Genetiği değiştirilmiş bir "evcil"imiz var kitabımızda. Sonrasında ise 4 yıllık bir eğitim sürecinden geçiriliyorlar, "kusursuz birer evcil" olmaları için. Onlar üst düzey bürokratların, zenginlerin, yeni eğlencesi. 16 yaşında satın alınıp sahiplerini mutlu etmeleri bekleniyor. Ella'da satın alınan evcillerden biri. Yeni hayatında her şey onun için çok yeni. Kendi mutluluğunu bastırıp sadece sahiplerini mutlu etmeye odaklanmış, onlar ne isterse yapmaya hazır canlı bir süs eşyası.

Yalnız yazarın yaratmış olduğu dünya biraz geri planda kalıyordu. Ben konusu itibariyle daha sert bir distopya beklerdim mesela. Evet çarpıcı bir konu fakat işlenişi çok vurmuyor insana. Ella, 50 yaşındaki milletvekilini mutlu etmek için satın alınmışken neredeyse kitap boyunca 10 yaşındaki ufak bir kızla ve Penn ile vakit geçirdi. Sahnede daha fazla milletvekilini görmeyi arzu ediyordum. Daha çok acımasızlık görmek, daha zalimce olaylara şahit olmak isterdim. Bu haliyle biraz daha pembe geçilmiş hikaye. Yazar genç okurlarını irrite etmekten, ürkütmekten kaçınmış gibiydi.

Neyse işte. Genel olarak dediğim gibi sevdim. Ona buna bakmadan okunabilecek, keyif alınabilecek bir seri belli ki. Ve sanırım Yabancı'nın Kusursuzlar kitabıyla benzer öğeler taşıyor. Onu sevdiyseniz eğer bence Kusursuz Evcil'e de bakmaktan kaçınmayın derim.

[Jessie Potts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfected by Kate Jarvik Birch is this delightfully creepy story about "pets" — but not animal pets, human female pets. The government has passed legislation that these genetically altered humans can be kept as pets by the rich and powerful. Ella is one of these pets and has been chosen as a companion to a congressman and his young daughter, but things aren't what they seem … there was a previous pet, and there's a beautiful son who piques Ella's interest, even though she's not allowed. There's also kidnapping, parties, creepy men petting, and a young hero falling in love. The world-building is slow building, and this is because we get to see only as much as the congressman allows Ella to see. Snippets and plotlets trickle in half-formed. Even at the end, readers and Ella are left wondering just how far the conspiracy runs and just what will happen.

I love the idea. It is despicable and eerie, but interesting to read. The kennel scene is so bad, I can't even imagine what type of people would want to own a genetically altered tiny girl. Eck! All in all, though, it's a great first novel in the series, and I can't wait to see how Kate expands on Ella's world and if Ella will ever truly be free.

Head over to the HEA Blog to see Kate answer questions about pets and Ella!
http://www.usatoday.com/story/happyev...

[Betül Kızılkaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gerek konu, gerek isimler yerine hitap sekillerinin defalarca tekrarlanmasi beni cok yordu... Koleligin, evcillestirilmenin hicbir turlusunu kabullenemiyorum, okumasi en zor kisimlardan biri kesinlikle kolelik tavirlari ve kiza olan o tutumdu. Ve kizin saf olmasi da beni sinir etti ama yetisme seklinden kaynakli safligi gayet dogal... İcindeki o minik ask sahneleri bazen salakliklariyla beni darlasa da genelde kitabi okunabilir kilan seylerin başında geliyordu.

[lacy white · Rating 3 out of 5]

A special thank you goes out to Entangled Teen and Netgalley for allowing me an eARC copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"...Sometimes it's nice to have a little bit of imperfection, isn't it?"

tw: fat shaming, intones of pedophillia

Well. This book was interesting. I originally found it when I did a cover reveal for the last book, which you can find here. A week or so later, I was offered the whole series through Netgalley and Entangled Teen. I eagerly accepted, thinking this was right up my alley because it was a dystopian/utopian world. And it was. Kind of.

Ella is a pet. She was bred to be a companion for her master and the family. And yes, she's an actual girl. A human. The United States allowed the breeding of girls with near perfect genetics so they look breathtakingly beautiful and are incredibly healthy. They are allowed to eat only certain foods in order to maintain the health and the one objective for a pet is to make their masters happy. A pet's happiness in their masters happiness. They are treated slightly better than dogs. Most of them are anyway.

Using this concept in a book was certainly interesting and it's something I haven't really read about before. I understand why the author made this choice but it was just so unsettling to me. The congressman (Ella's owner) was talking about spaying her and at one point, chained her up. Like wtf mate? The family would talk about her like she wasn't there and take her for walks. Like the whole thing just got to be really unsettling. The fact that some people are completely okay with owning humans just floors me. Of course there were others who were not okay it and I think that gets explored more fully in the second book.

I think what my main problem with this book was I wanted to know more about the history of the breeding program. Ella didn't know anything about the program, besides her training at the kennel (this is so unsettling), the real reason why she was bred or anything like that. I think if I knew the history, it would have been easier to read. Having first person POV may not have been the best choice.

I also must discuss my trigger warnings. Don't worry. I will not go into detail so I don't upset or trigger you guys. But I got to discuss it. In this book, the pets of Ella's kennel are high end. They only go to those that pass rigorous background checks and have thousands to spend. But the congressman that buys Ella doesn't seem to have the best of intentions. He's very loving to Ella as a pet, at first, but he gets more and more creepy as the book progresses. One example of this is he always wants Ella to sit in his lap and he's really touchy feely about it. Ella is 16, I believe, and the congressman is in 40's at least. That is why I put the trigger warning of the intones of pedaphillia.

Overall, I'm intrigued enough to keep reading. The second book sounds promising and it sounds like I will be learning more about the breeding program and the seedy side of it. Which is always something I can be down for. As for the usual recommendation sentence at the end, I don't know, friends. This is a different story and I don't know how to sell this. I think I will read the next two books and give a better rec then.

ps: Isn't the cover just gorgeous? The entire series is just top notch pretty!

[Tonya Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfected was nausea inducing, mind-boggling and disturbing. Although the topic of this book is touchy, I felt the book was really light and didn't focus on the things it should have. Nor did it really get a huge reaction out of me, overall. That's a lie, I was disturbed.

I have to say though, this did not feel like a dystopian to me. There are many reasons for this - but I feel it's because it had a current day in age feel to it, with an added, morbid law allowing people to own humans as pets. I would go into this without any assumptions about a dystopian world, because you will be disappointed if you do.

As I said, the premise is a disturbing one. Teen girls being bred and raised as pets, then sold to the highest bidder. For awhile there, I didn't understand the WHYs. Why pass the law? Why fund it? Why buy one? Unless you are thinking really really awful thoughts about why men would want perfect, pretty teenage girls, I just don't see the point in it. A "my size" Barbie? I mean, what? It was explained a little, but that, along with many other things left unsaid, is why I just didn't LOVE this book.

However, I did feel that Ella was a reliable character. She is very naive, which is something that I would expect out of her. She doesn't know much about how the "real world" works. Yet, she shouldn't because all she knows is her training. She is passionate though, and I loved her passion and how she saw beautiful in everything.

I felt like the transition of Penn's feelings were too abrupt for me. He generally did care for Ella, I know that, but it just felt like their relationship went from 0-60. BUT. I really liked it. I loved that Penn actually talked to Ella, got to know her, and especially loved that they shared a passion for music.

On a side note - set aside the naive thoughts of a 9-year-old girl, the relationship between Ella and Ruby was sweet.

Kate's writing is easy to read, flowing smoothly from page to page. But it's light, with no real solid depth to anything. This is one of those things that we need more information on. It isn't this way just BECAUSE. There is obviously a reason this bill was put into law and passed, so what was it? As such, I felt it was just too light for the subject matter. One thing I will say, her strong suit is the romance.

My Peeve -

There are several things here. For one, I had a sense of deja vu while reading the ending. Want to know why? Just ask. Mainly, the lack of back story behind the law being passed and the lack of depth all around. Which I said. Many times.

Overall -

Although I had my issues with Perfected, I did enjoy it. It's a light, quick read. If there IS a sequel, I will probably read it.

Recommend -

Ehh. I'm gonna go with yes. Keep in mind, if you are looking for a more in-depth, dystopian novel, I would skip it.

*I received this book from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

[megHan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this in exchange for an unbiased review. No other consideration was offered, expected or received.

This is a very interesting and fun story, where the family pet is a human specially bred, raised in a kennel and trained. But there’s more to her than that, just like there’s more to the family (and its individual members) that purchased her.

I knew there was going to be a twist. I expected it because, in some ways, it was just too good. But some of the twists were completely unexpected and some people’s behavior really bothered me, while some other’s really surprised me.

I like Ella, Penn and Ruby – and I like how much all three grow throughout the story, especially Ella. I love how Ella is so innocent and the way she’s learning things like a young child – the author’s really eloquent describing this, but sometimes it’s a bit too much and it becomes annoying.

At first I thought the congressman was okay, but after a few chapters he really began to creep me out and I couldn’t trust him (the point, I’m sure). The wife I felt nothing for, except that I think she should have protected her family more. She behaves very cold and I had trouble trusting her as well. As with all stories, though, no one is exactly who you think they are.

I was mad at the end – not because of the book or the writing, but because of what happened (you’ll have to read it to find out what I’m talking about). I can’t wait to get my hands on book #2 because I need to know how things turn out.