Freak of Nature by Julia Crane

Freak of Nature by Julia Crane
Series: IFICS, #1
Source: Bought
Publisher: Valknut Press
Publication Date: February 2, 2013
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.

Freak of Nature was a disappointing read for me. I went into it expecting the cyborg girl, Kate, to have some awesome insights and to have real, actual feelings. And while it does say that Kate has feelings, well, I never felt them. She goes about everything so robotically that it was hard to see anything else. She approaches everything as if it's a chore. Which, let's face it, sucks.

I couldn't connect with her on any level, and most of the time her character just confused me. I had no idea where some of her logic came from, and her narration was spotty at best. I was often left wondering how and why I got from one place to the other. Sometimes it was so bad that I went back and re-read, only to still not understand what had happened.

But let's talk about what really got me on this one-- the romance. There was absolutely no build up. It happened pretty dang instantaneously, and to make matters worse, the guy says that it "happened gradually" which was completely untrue. It happened three to five chapters in. It was really hard for me to believe that they even liked each other, and I saw no chemistry in their interactions. No spark.

Nothing, nada, zilch-- I didn't understand the idea that they were in love-- I never really felt it from either of them. Their kisses just felt like a meeting of parts, and don't even get me started on them having sex. O.o

All in all, Freak of Nature just didn't work out for me. I found it hard to believe that Kate as a cyborg had feelings, and I also felt that it all fell into place way too easily. Let's get real, in a top secret area like that; it would be a lot harder to get a new job or escape. (That does not mean what you think it does.)