Imagine being the perfect high school student. You go to a fancy prep school, are extremely popular, and have the hottest boy/girlfriend on campus. This is Davy’s existence; at least it was. In the science fiction novel, Uninvited by Sophie Jordan, Davy’s life changes forever. And not for the better.

Davina Hamilton lives in an extravagant house, goes to a fancy prep high school, and has a hot boyfriend. But when her results for the Homicidal Tendency Syndrome come back positive, her whole world is flipped upside down. Davy is sent to the public school, where she stays in “the Cage” with all the other carriers around. Suddenly, everything changes again. All carriers of HTS are forced into camps. But a few select carriers, including Davy and her friends are sent to training, where they will learn to control their anger. Will Davy ever be treated like a human again?

I really loved how Sophie Jordan made the characters relatable. Every event occurring between Davy and her friends could happen to a real, normal teenager. I read somewhere that Sophie Jordan is really into writing romance novels, which are written under a fake name. She really showed that through Davy’s obsession with her boyfriend and later, Sean. I totally loved how all of her thoughts, in every situation, were included. “Ironically, being labeled a dangerous individual has left me a target for violence. How messed up is that?”(Page 70). I certainly liked how Davy “talked” like a normal teenage diva.

I definitely enjoyed the book’s message; that even if you’re abandoned, someone will take care of you. After Davy was discovered for HTS, her friends and family deserted her. She was kicked out of her school, dumped by her boyfriend, and threatened multiple times by a marked carrier in about 3 days. Then, suddenly, she had two friends and a brother who came back to take care of her. She was going to get through it. This shows that you can’t give up, ever. No matter how bad it got, Davy kept working hard to get away from it all.

Uninvited is a fairly easy read for middle school students, if you know your Greek and Latin roots. There are sexual references and choice words a few times, so it’s definitely not for the younger reader. But if you like science fiction and romance, get ready to turn some pages.