Origin is a mysterious story about a girl in the jungle who is made immortal by the scientists at Little Cam, a base deep in the Amazon jungle
Here's the detailed review, MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
So Origin has an interesting premise. Our main character, and narrator, is the immortal and âperfectâ Pia. She's everything you could imagine, beautiful, smart, clever and curious, almost abnoxiously so. I couldn't decide if I liked her, or not. Perfect Pia grows up among some of the brightest minds from around the world, all of whom have set up a base in the most remote place on the planet. The Amazon Jungle. Now, this is one of the only parts I truly enjoyed without complaint in the entire book. Lush descriptions of the hauntingly beautiful and equally dangerous jungle. But the tasteful imagery and descriptions all shatter when Pia's 17th birthday arrives (and it just so happens that a storm blows in) a tree falls over and the electric fence sourrounding Little Cam (the jungle Denice base) collapses on one side. The alarm malfunctions and doesn't go off, and then creates a hole perfectly sized for a teenage girl in a dress to sneak out of. WHERE ARE HER PARENTS? Oh, her mother is having an affair with the head scientist, and her father is slowly descending into insanity, locked away in his lab and shunned by the rest of the secntists, for a reason we don't yet know.
So the story further declines when Pia crashes into an unexpected jungle boy (god only knows what he was doing so close to a dangerous facility late at night in a storm). Either way, then smash into one another, Eio is his name, and besides Pia's father, he might be the only good character in the entire book. Let's just say this, they fall madly in love right away, but the author tries to draw it out so it won't seem like insta-love. Ha! Love that term, insta-love, like some powdered drink you can buy at the grocery store that will make anyone fall head over heels for you! Anyway, for a time, a VERY meaty portion of the book, consists only of Pia repeatedly sneaking out to see Eio and coming back with a new cover story. She also gets help from a friendly new addition to the research facility, cigarette-woman, let's just call her that. She teaches Pia about the outside world, by which Pia is completely ignorant and the act of her learning anything other than science is strictly forbidden. Up until this point, things are pretty innocent, the story just seems like a basic trope love story, with a touch of sci-fi. Then things get sinister, and they get sinister fast.
Here's where the entire plot goes right off a cliff. The author tried to hide everything from the reader up until this point, and STILL wants to stretch the mystery out a bit. Everything was a bit of a surprise, which was fun until it wasn't. The whole thing is very complicated, but the change of mood and tone in the story is stark. We go from intriguing scientific research, pretty descriptions of the jungle and adorable love stories to a murdered kitten, a bunch of man-eating ants, AK-47's, and a poor kiddnapped child, Eio's little sister, who is about to be murder for the sake of immortality.
From then on, I would turn pages fast enough... Not because I was so invested, but just because the the whole story felt like a slap in the face. I was not expecting things to get so violent. The characters to be so immature. Eventually things settle down, Pia allies with the native tribe and burns down Little Cam compound and the field where MUCH NEEDED immortality flowers grow. All the while though, Eio is gone, presumably dead because he got injured in the flight and told Pia to go on without him.
The end is strange, the scientists flee, Pia drinks out of a Immortality Lilly (a poison flower) which is the only thing that can kill her. And... dies? Not really, but it takes her immortality away forever. Her and Eio live happily ever after in the village. Pria who is used to modern living... settles among the primitives... Wanna know the best part? Even Holywood couldn't have made happier ending then this. And that's it. Besides a bizzare epilogue narrated by an unknown speaker.
So yeah. 2 stars. And my reasoning is this; i was kept not guessing at all. The plot was predictable. Only the mystery of the origin was to be resolved. It was served to me after I was dragged through well written mud-filler of 250pg of inconsequential "happenings", until I was bored out if my mind.
Here's the detailed review, MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
So Origin has an interesting premise. Our main character, and narrator, is the immortal and âperfectâ Pia. She's everything you could imagine, beautiful, smart, clever and curious, almost abnoxiously so. I couldn't decide if I liked her, or not. Perfect Pia grows up among some of the brightest minds from around the world, all of whom have set up a base in the most remote place on the planet. The Amazon Jungle. Now, this is one of the only parts I truly enjoyed without complaint in the entire book. Lush descriptions of the hauntingly beautiful and equally dangerous jungle. But the tasteful imagery and descriptions all shatter when Pia's 17th birthday arrives (and it just so happens that a storm blows in) a tree falls over and the electric fence sourrounding Little Cam (the jungle Denice base) collapses on one side. The alarm malfunctions and doesn't go off, and then creates a hole perfectly sized for a teenage girl in a dress to sneak out of. WHERE ARE HER PARENTS? Oh, her mother is having an affair with the head scientist, and her father is slowly descending into insanity, locked away in his lab and shunned by the rest of the secntists, for a reason we don't yet know.
So the story further declines when Pia crashes into an unexpected jungle boy (god only knows what he was doing so close to a dangerous facility late at night in a storm). Either way, then smash into one another, Eio is his name, and besides Pia's father, he might be the only good character in the entire book. Let's just say this, they fall madly in love right away, but the author tries to draw it out so it won't seem like insta-love. Ha! Love that term, insta-love, like some powdered drink you can buy at the grocery store that will make anyone fall head over heels for you! Anyway, for a time, a VERY meaty portion of the book, consists only of Pia repeatedly sneaking out to see Eio and coming back with a new cover story. She also gets help from a friendly new addition to the research facility, cigarette-woman, let's just call her that. She teaches Pia about the outside world, by which Pia is completely ignorant and the act of her learning anything other than science is strictly forbidden. Up until this point, things are pretty innocent, the story just seems like a basic trope love story, with a touch of sci-fi. Then things get sinister, and they get sinister fast.
Here's where the entire plot goes right off a cliff. The author tried to hide everything from the reader up until this point, and STILL wants to stretch the mystery out a bit. Everything was a bit of a surprise, which was fun until it wasn't. The whole thing is very complicated, but the change of mood and tone in the story is stark. We go from intriguing scientific research, pretty descriptions of the jungle and adorable love stories to a murdered kitten, a bunch of man-eating ants, AK-47's, and a poor kiddnapped child, Eio's little sister, who is about to be murder for the sake of immortality.
From then on, I would turn pages fast enough... Not because I was so invested, but just because the the whole story felt like a slap in the face. I was not expecting things to get so violent. The characters to be so immature. Eventually things settle down, Pia allies with the native tribe and burns down Little Cam compound and the field where MUCH NEEDED immortality flowers grow. All the while though, Eio is gone, presumably dead because he got injured in the flight and told Pia to go on without him.
The end is strange, the scientists flee, Pia drinks out of a Immortality Lilly (a poison flower) which is the only thing that can kill her. And... dies? Not really, but it takes her immortality away forever. Her and Eio live happily ever after in the village. Pria who is used to modern living... settles among the primitives... Wanna know the best part? Even Holywood couldn't have made happier ending then this. And that's it. Besides a bizzare epilogue narrated by an unknown speaker.
So yeah. 2 stars. And my reasoning is this; i was kept not guessing at all. The plot was predictable. Only the mystery of the origin was to be resolved. It was served to me after I was dragged through well written mud-filler of 250pg of inconsequential "happenings", until I was bored out if my mind.
This book is a total winner! I could not put it down. The writing is so detailed and and keeps you wrapped right up in the action. It is a MUST have. Can't wait to read the next one coming.
