e-ARC Review of Gypsy by Trisha Leigh

Release Date: May 13, 2014 (not yet released as of this review)

Publisher: Self-published

Page Count: 370

Format: e-ARC

Genre: YA

Inconsequential: not important or significant.
Synonyms: insignificant, unimportant, nonessential, irrelevant

In the world of genetic mutation, Gypsy’s talent of knowing a person’s age of death is considered a failure. Her peers, the other Cavies, have powers that range from curdling a blood still in the vein to being able to overhear a conversation taking place three miles away, but when they’re taken from the sanctuary where they grew up and forced into the real world, Gypsy, with her all-but-invisible gift, is the one with the advantage.

The only one who’s safe, if the world finds out what they can do.

When the Cavies are attacked and inoculated with an unidentified virus, that illusion is shattered. Whatever was attached to the virus causes their abilities to change. Grow. In some cases, to escape their control.

Gypsy dreamed of normal high school, normal friends, a normal life, for years. Instead, the Cavies are sucked under a sea of government intrigue, weaponized genetic mutation, and crushing secrets that will reframe everything they’ve ever been told about how their "talents" came to be in the first place.

When they find out one of their own has been appropriated by the government, mistreated and forced to run dangerous missions, their desire for information becomes a pressing need. With only a series of guesses about their origins, the path to the truth becomes quickly littered with friends, enemies, and in the end, the Cavies ability to trust anyone at all.

This e-ARC was provided by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review

I first found out about Gypsy through Twitter when the author was offering e-ARC's in exchange for reviews, after reading the description and finding it interesting I signed up. A couple of days later I received an email that had the e-ARC attached, soon afterwards I started reading it and finished it in a couple of days (it took me so long because of school). After finishing Gypsy I can say that it was really good and I thoroughly enjoyed it, I'm even planning on buying a paperback copy once it releases.

Gypsy had an X-Men-like touch to it, the main characters are ten teenagers who each have a genetic mutation that gives each of them a power. One can control fire, one has telekinesis, another with teleportation, and so on. The beginning of the book is set on an old slave plantation that is far removed from society. The teenagers, called Cavies, have lived there since they were months old babies, it is the only life they've known for their entire existence. When the plantation gets raided by police, they are taken to their families or group homes and everything changes. From that point on, things get increasingly dangerous and mysterious as the Cavies try to unravel the mysteries that have surrounded them their whole life. The second part of the book is set in several areas, including a city, graveyards, and school. I really enjoyed all the settings of this book, it's not often that I read a book that has scenes in a graveyard or cemetery and so that was a refresher. The scenes were described very well and contributed to the plot of the story.

Gypsy had some of my favorite characters yet, out of all the books I've read in my life. The main character is one of the Cavies, her name is Gypsy and when she touches someone she can tell when they are going to die. The other major characters include the rest of the Cavies, several friends of Gypsy from school, and the Olders (previous generations of Cavies). There weren't that many secondary characters besides the Cavies' parents, kids and teachers from Gypsys' school, and the government. I felt like Trisha very accurately described and portrayed these characters, they felt very realistic and true. There was even some romance added in, it complicated some of the problems Gypsy faced and made things a bit more interesting. The characters were realistic, engaging, and contributed vastly to the plot of the book.

I had average expectations for this book but it met and greatly passed them, I couldn't put it down and kept on wanting to read it. While I wouldn't have minded some more info about the Olders and a bit more action I still really enjoyed it. Gypsy ends in a cliffhanger that had me staring at my phone for ten minutes after it ended trying to understand that the book had ended. I really hope there will be a sequel for Gypsy in the future because I definitely want one and would snatch it up the day it comes out. If you like X-Men, supernatural powers, contemporary YA, or a really good read then I would 100% recommend Gypsy to you. Even if you don't like the above you should still try out Gypsy because I'm sure you'll like it as much as I did.

5/5 - Really good book