Book Review: Freak of Nature (IFICS #1) by Julia Krane

The blurb as seen as Goodreads:
Release Date: January 9, 2013
Publisher: Valknut Press
167 Pages

Donate Body to Science. Check.

When seventeen-year-old Kaitlyn checked the box, she never suspected she’d have her life–and her body–stolen from her. She awakens one day in a secret laboratory to discover that her body is now half-robot and is forced to hide her own secret: that she still has human emotions and a human mind. If the scientists who made her find out, they’ll erase what remains of who she was.

Kaitlyn finds an unlikely ally in Lucas, a handsome, brilliant scientist who can’t get over the guilt he feels knowing she was once a vibrant, beautiful young woman. He never expected a science project to affect him the way she does. As he tries to help her rediscover her past, he finds himself falling for the brave girl struggling to find her place and acceptance between the human and computer worlds.

*For mature teens due to some sexual content.

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Well…this book was interesting. When she was 17, Kaitlyn died and her body donated to science, to a company called IFICS actually. It was at IFICS where they turned her into a super cyborg solider. Her main organs were replaced with computers and parts of her exterior body were now plastic. She had super speed, perfect accuracy in shooting, and the ability to measure a threat from any person. The only problem was that Kaitlyn wasn’t supposed to retain human emotions, but she did. 

Kaitlyn is kept secret in a compound in the Northeast. Here she receives her training and upgrades to her system so that she performs perfectly. Her creator’s objective: to sell her to the government for some top secret missions (aka: mercenary). One of the head programmers, Lucas, who has been with Kaitlyn since the beginning starts to feel more for the robot girl and wishes that she could feel. Meanwhile, Kaitlyn is mooning over Lucas and wishes she could tell him that she feels. 

Half the book is spent with Kaitlyn and Lucas going back and forth over confronting each other and then when they finally reveal their secrets to each other, Kaitlyn is set to be sold off. Here is where it starts to get more ridiculous. Lucas and Kaitlyn decide that they can’t be apart and start to plan ways to get her out of her deal with the government. Along the way, a love story abounds. 

Now, I know we were supposed to feel for Kaitlyn and ship this love with Lucas, but I just couldn’t. The whole thing just felt off. Kaitlyn was very one dimensional and kind of bland. I’m not sure if this was because she was a cyborg and her emotions and characteristics were very stilted, but I felt no connection to her. And while I liked the character of Lucas, he became very intense very fast. It went from ‘I think she’s pretty and wish she felt something’ to ‘I love her and my very existence depends on her’. Instead of a book about finding out who you are, it became a book about being with a boy. The ending came a little too easy and it was missing the drive that makes you want to read the next one. 

Oh, and side note, the love scene was really awkward and kind of disturbing to me. Kaitlyn is constantly described as having plastic parts, but yet she’s able to have sex? What parts are plastic? How is this possible???? Yeah, this confused me more than it should.  

Ultimately, I guess I just wanted more from this story. More fight, more spunk, more something.

I received an e-copy of this novel for my honest opinion and review from the publisher via Netgalley.