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I really liked the idea of this book, and when I started it I had very high hopes for it. The idea of a boy with an interest in genetics that's somehow connected to his past sounded so original compared to the slews of books that conform perfectly to the stereotypical demands of their respective genres (for example, the sword-and-magic-wielding fantasy hero who grew up on some country farm, or the teenager trying to get over the death of a parent and find who he/she truly is in the process) that I thought it had to be good. I was devastated when I turned out to be wrong.

I still have to give the author credit for the idea. I think it's really cool, and it's a good way (or so it seemed) to get kids interested in science. So I've decided to dedicate my first section to the various flaws in the presentation of that idea. None of them are very big, but their collective strength started to get on my nerves by the middle of the book.

First, the writing. It just had no detail. I couldn't visualize any of the characters; I knew that Eli was very tall, and Viv was very short, but nothing else. The lack of description made the story feel like a ghost world, without any reality or definition.

Second, the characters themselves. Like the descriptions, they had no depth. Maybe Eli was smart, a little cocky, too, but what else was he? None of his actions showed any personality. They were all just the expected reactions of an eighteen-year-old boy to a given situation.

Third, the plot. It moved more quickly than it should have, and it didn't fit together very well. The event at the end with Kayla and Dr. Wyatt didn't make sense no matter how I looked at it.

And fourth, the sexual references. I guess the author wanted to make the story realistic considering Eli's age, but the repeated mentions were completely unnecessary and I found them gross.

I could have dealt with these issues,...