Book Review: Hardwired by Trisha Leaver and Lindsay Currie

Media Type: Ebook (ARC)
Title: Hardwired
Author: Trisha Leaver and Lindsay Currie
Publisher: Flux
Pages: paperback; 240
Release Date: November 8, 2015
Source: Publisher/Netgalley
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Genre: Teens/YA Suspense
Content Screening:  Some violence

HDB Rating: 3 Keys to My Heart

Recommended to: Readers who enjoy a strong male lead in a not so distant dystopian future.

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When Lucas tested positive for the warrior gene—a genetic abnormality believed to predispose humans to violence—he was shipped off to the Bake Shop, an impregnable government facility. There, he underwent a battery of psychological tests aimed at making him crack. Now, labeled safe to return to normal life, he’s ready to put the horrific experience behind him.
Then the van transporting him home is forced off the road by a group of rebels who insist there’s more going on at the facility than anyone knows. To find the truth and save a friend’s brother who’s being held prisoner, Lucas infiltrates the Bake Shop’s inner sanctum. But a power outage leads to a security breach that strands Lucas in the dark . . . with a prison full of potential killers who could snap at any moment.

I had high hopes for this interesting dystopian world. The idea of a genetic predisposition to violence fascinates me and I was curious to see how the authors wove it into a “normal” society. The story moved quickly and while I enjoyed the pacing, this was not a “home run” book for me.

Lucas is a well written character and I enjoyed getting to know him. His innate need to prove the system wrong about his violent “genetics” is what motivated him to survive the Bake Shop. Having watched his older brother crumble after his stay in the Bake Shop, Lucas was ready to fight “the man” (aka government) by not only controlling his temper, but by coming out of their tests unbroken. It was his strong will that made his character shine.

Unfortunately, Lucas is the only character we really get to know and that was disappointing. His roommate Chris was an integral part of the story, but we didn’t really get to know him at all. Their friendship could have been developed much more. Carly’s character was shallow and frustrating to read. By the end of the story I was left wanting much more.

I don’t normally discuss the ending of a book, so suffice it to say that I was disappointed in the epilogue. Hardwired had some great potential and with a little bit of refining and more character depth could have been up there in the top dystopian books – Hunger Games, Mazerunner, etc- but it was a solid 3 for me.