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Sarina, Sweetheart

Megan Carney (Goodreads Author)

4.40 · Rating details · 15 ratings · 10 reviews

Quarterfinalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award 2014 contest.

"This excerpt is meticulously crafted and detail oriented. The author seems in absolute control of the storyline and captures Sarina's voice in a chilling and authentic manner. The plotting is clever and we are immediately engrossed in Sarina's terrifying world as a lab rat. The doctors and nurse in the Quarterfinalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award 2014 contest.

"This excerpt is meticulously crafted and detail oriented. The author seems in absolute control of the storyline and captures Sarina's voice in a chilling and authentic manner. The plotting is clever and we are immediately engrossed in Sarina's terrifying world as a lab rat. The doctors and nurse in the laboratory are given just enough detail to feel individualized and differentiated from one another. There is conflict here in spades and the feeling of a building thriller."

"The strongest aspect of this excerpt is its prose style, which gives Sarina a distinctive and compelling voice without sacrificing readability or narrative pace. The language flows easily, and the exposition is well-balanced to draw the reader into the story without losing the spontaneous, natural quality of Sarina's monologue. There's nothing superficially flashy about the style, but its clipped rhythms give a sense of Sarina's personality: the drive, the quiet arrogance, the mordant sense of humor. Her drive and her sense of humor also keep the excerpt respectively fast-paced and bleakly funny for readers: lines like “I'm not sure which part of my life she's jealous of: the part where I am forced to be a lab animal, or the part where the lab hides their true plans for me” inject the narrative with a dark humor that complements its fast pace and high stakes. It's rare to encounter an unpublished novel with such command of the nuances of first-person narration."

Publisher's Weekly, ABNA 2014 reviews

Her name is Sarina Wocek. Her breath is poison. She was not born out of love.

Twenty-three years ago, government officials traced the budding epidemic of hemorrhagic fever HF186-2A in south Florida to the Wocek family and their adorable six-week-old daughter, Sarina. Her father, Gregory, admitted his role in genetically engineering a biological weapon with pride. She was taken to a lab hidden in a rural area of New Hampshire. She hasn't left since.

Her government keepers could cure her, but they won't. Genetically engineering a child to be a weapon of mass destruction, that's unethical. Refining a weapon of mass destruction that someone else created? That's just being clever.

After twenty-three years of captivity, she escapes. She crosses an ocean to put her father and the lab behind her, but it's not enough. When she sees the first bleeding sore, she knows she didn't leave the virus behind either.

The only way she'll be free is by destroying every trace of the lab. She only has one advantage; she doesn't care if she makes it out alive. ...more

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Kindle Edition, 227 pages

Published March 5th 2015

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May 20, 2015 Joana (The Boundless Booklist) rated it really liked it

Shelves: reviewed-on-blog

You can find more reviews on my blog: http://best-of-ya.blogspot.com/

Her mother wanted a baby to please her father, her father wanted a weapon that could destroy the world. Using the IVF lab at the hospital where he worked, he tinkered with embryos and their genes. Most died long before being implanted, but then on try number two Sarina was born. Her breath is literal poison and she in the only person in the world—besides her mother and father who were injected with the antidote—that can carry You can find more reviews on my blog: http://best-of-ya.blogspot.com/

Her mother wanted a baby to please her father, her father wanted a weapon that could destroy the world. Using the IVF lab at the hospital where he worked, he tinkered with embryos and their genes. Most died long before being implanted, but then on try number two Sarina was born. Her breath is literal poison and she in the only person in the world—besides her mother and father who were injected with the antidote—that can carry HF186-2A without dying. She was discovered at only six weeks old when her father decided to use his new weapon to infect tourists on a cruise ship docked in Key West. Somehow government officials traced the budding pandemic to her family and she has been locked up in a lab being tested and prodded ever since—until someone helps her escape.

I honestly wasn’t expecting to like this as much as I did. In my opinion this is sort of similar to Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi; both protagonists are locked in a lab being tested and detained because of “powers” they can’t control and each vow to destroy the people that have kept them captive their entire lives—no matter the consequences. However, I may actually like Sarina, Sweetheart better because I found Sarina to be a much more enjoyable character than Juliette. Sarina is ridiculously smart which isn’t surprising since she has spent 23 years basically doing nothing but reading and watching anything she can get her hands on. She knows so much I feel like I learned a thing or two from just reading the book. She is also extremely resourceful (she came up with and created some pretty impressive things while on the run), tenacious, and a bit socially awkward.

The overall plot was interesting and kept my attention throughout. The amount of action is just right and, more importantly, it is believable. She doesn’t automatically turn into a ninja when the time calls for it which I appreciated. There are also some graphic gory scenes (particularly chapter 8) so be aware of that if blood is something that freaks you out; it made me cringe a little, not gonna lie.

I didn’t like the romance aspect but I guess it wasn’t the main focus of the story so it didn’t need to be particularly amazing. She has 2 love interests throughout the book—one of which she claims to be in love with after about 3 days—but any time we spend with them is brief. She constantly refers to herself as an animal that can’t be controlled whenever she's around them…it was just kind of unrealistic to me. I know she’s been sheltered her whole life and these are the first guys around her age that she’s known, but I feel like that should make her hesitant to throw herself at them. But I don’t know maybe that’s just naive of me to say? I also didn’t particularly love the cover. I think this book deserves a much more badass, attention-grabbing cover so I hope it gets updated in the future.

Overall, I really enjoyed Carney’s writing. She doesn’t overpower with details, but the way she describes things really brings them to life. I will definitely be picking up her next release! ...more

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Jul 03, 2015 C.J. Anaya rated it it was amazing

This book was so cool. I'm striving for eloquence here, but seriously the first thing that came to my mind after I finished it was, "Geez, this book was so friggin' cool." The idea of some zealous scientist genetically engineering his own baby to essentially be a biological weapon was such an astounding idea, and certainly something I've never come across. What kind of a father could do something so heartless to his own daughter?

This one question plays a huge part in the massive emotional crisis This book was so cool. I'm striving for eloquence here, but seriously the first thing that came to my mind after I finished it was, "Geez, this book was so friggin' cool." The idea of some zealous scientist genetically engineering his own baby to essentially be a biological weapon was such an astounding idea, and certainly something I've never come across. What kind of a father could do something so heartless to his own daughter?

This one question plays a huge part in the massive emotional crisis of Sarina's psyche. To know that your father created you as a tool to spread disease to others isn't information that imbues someone with much self-confidence. She relinquishes control of her body to the lab that captured her as a baby because she knows of no other way to live and also because she knows she presents a danger to anyone she might come in contact with outside of her own special prison.

The author created a complex dilemma for the MC because Sarina wants to be free, but her very existence threatens the lives of innocent people. It's only after she discovers that she's partially cured that she dares hope she can venture forth and escape the lab if given the opportunity. Fortunately, she has someone on her side willing to open that door for her.

There is a caveat to having this new found freedom. She may be able to hide from those who would return her to her prison, but she can never truly live a normal life and form normal relationships without placing the people she cares for in serious danger, a lesson she learns the hard way. The author really held nothing back when it came to upping the stakes for the MC and punishing the poor girl with obstacle after obstacle. It's the best kind of conflict for an author to create if they really want to grab their readers attention and keep them involved in their book.

Honestly, the complexity of this character and her development was so enthralling. In the end, Sarina can choose to either run or thwart those that would use her as a weapon. I'm still reeling with the events that transpired in this story, and I think the author forces us to do a little internal reflection in regards to our own moral character. Are we willing to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to protect people we don't even know?

This book was suspenseful, thrilling and one hundred percent thought provoking. I'm hoping there will be a follow-up to this story due to the way it ended. There's clearly more that can be explored here. Megan Carney is an author I intend to follow with fan girl ardor. ...more

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Jun 30, 2015 Amy Shelton rated it it was amazing

Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian – I Dig Good Books

**I received a copy of this book from Xpresso Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review.**
Sarina is living a nightmare. She is a living, breathing, walking, talking weapon. She was bred to kill. She is locked in a cell and is operated on frequently. She longs for a different life. A life of love and happiness. How can Sarina achieve this when all she knows is death and murder?
This book was intriguing, thrilling, and suspenseful. ...more

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Jul 20, 2015 Alicia Peek rated it really liked it

Sarina never knew the outside world, never felt love or friendship. All she knew was the four walls and eyes that glanced upon her. All she ever felt were the bruises and fresh surgery marks of the everyday life she has become accustomed to. The only friend she ever knew was the one on the other side of a chess game through a computer. It all changed, when a door was left open and fire became a cover.

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review. At first I was hesitant on a paranormal, ...more

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Jun 27, 2015 Sage Knightly rated it really liked it

Shelves: xpressoreads

*I’m posting this as part of the XpressoBookTours Sarina, Sweetheart Blog Tour. I recieved a free ebook copy of this in order to do so.

Sarina, Sweetheart is full of action, bravery, survival, self-discovery, romance, experiments, and evil military leaders working to make weapons out of young girls! It's full of pain, regret, revenge, and learning to trust as well as love. It's a tale in which Sarina carries a virus that kills all she comes in contact with once the trigger is activated. It's ...more

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Jun 30, 2015 Melissa rated it really liked it

A Unique Thriller
This book was a really enjoyable read, it has a very intriguing premise, is fast paced and full of suspense. This book grabbed my attention right off and the story was so captivating that I just had to keep turning pages until the very end. The concept of Sarina and her makeup and her designated destiny is very gripping. The story was never predictable, and kept me guessing all the way through. There were a few times during reading that didn't totally come across as exactly ...more

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Jul 02, 2015 Heather Duff rated it really liked it

This was a little different to my usual sci fi read, good different that is!

It was a really clever idea, Sarina is a weapon, her father a genius scientist has made her a carrier of a strain of Haemorrhagic Fever, she was created by him not through love but in the name of science.

She has been hidden in a lab for twenty three years, too dangerous to be out in public for fear of her spreading the virus, she has lived her life in the confines of the lab, being subject to constant tests and constant ...more

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Jun 27, 2015 Jessica Figueroa rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc

I don't even think I even read the description when I signed up for the tour to receive the book so I had no expectations or a clue what it was a bout. This book was a pleasant surprise. I loved how the book turned out. There was suspense of wondering what was going to happen on Sabrina's journey. I loved that this book didn't focus on romance, there was a bit but not the focus which is pretty much a breath of fresh air since most books I've read focused on just that. I loved that this book was ...more

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Apr 18, 2015 Carol rated it it was amazing

This is a cleverly plotted and well-written story with a brilliant heroine. Sarina needs to be brilliant, because she's been raised since infancy in laboratory confinement, studied, tutored, and subjected to involuntary surgery. She knows why: she was bred to be a biological weapon. From her restricted environment and meager opportunities she has forged secret skills and plans that may help her avoid killing others.

Recommended for all who like a realistic, compelling story.

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Dec 05, 2015 jeri gragg rated it it was amazing

Great read!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It had intrigue, mystery, romance. I loved the sci-fi theme. Strong characters and a fast-moving plot made for an enjoyable read. I also loved the settings-many places I have visited.

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