Feuds

An Exciting New Series Begins

I would like to thank NetGalley & St. Martin's Griffin for granting me a copy of this e-ARC to read in exchange for an honest review. Though I received this e-book for free that in no way impacts my review. Technically I'd give this book 3.5 stars, but since only whole numbers are allowed I'm rounding up to 4 stars, thanks to the twist unveiled at the end of the book.

Goodreads Blurb:
<blockquote>In this breathless story of impossible love, perfection comes at a deadly cost.

For Davis Morrow, perfection is a daily reality. Like all Priors, Davis has spent her whole life primed to be smarter, stronger, and more graceful than the lowly Imperfects, or “Imps.” A fiercely ambitious ballerina, Davis is only a few weeks away from qualifying for the Olympiads and finally living up to her mother’s legacy when she meets Cole, a mysterious boy who leaves her with more questions each time he disappears.

Davis has no idea that Cole has his own agenda, or that he’s a rising star in the FEUDS, an underground fighting ring where Priors gamble on Imps. Cole has every reason to hate Davis—her father’s campaign hinges on the total segregation of the Imps and Priors—but despite his best efforts, Cole finds himself as drawn to Davis as she is to him.

Then Narxis, a deadly virus, takes its hold--and Davis’s friends start dying. When the Priors refuse to acknowledge the epidemic, Davis has no one to turn to but Cole. Falling in love was never part of their plan, but their love may be the only thing that can save her world...in Avery Hastings's Feuds.</blockquote>

Davis is a sweet girl who works very hard to live up to her deceased mother's memory. Her mother died giving birth to her, but before that she was a prima ballerina and was a medalist in the Olympiads. Like all her Prior friends, Davis takes numerous supplements each day, designed to enhance anything they can think of. Priors are considered to be superior beings, when they're really just medically 'made' people. The meddling begins in utero and continues for their entire lives. Parents select for certain qualities, and then continue to increase those qualities through rigorous training and medication. Of course Priors never get sick, for they've been bred to be immune to everything.

On the other end of the scale is Cole. He is an Imperfect, or Imps. Imps work for the Priors, but are segregated in all other ways; forced to live across the river and essentially survive on what the Priors discard, they could be equated to African Americans in the United States, all the way up to civil rights movement. Any fraternizing between Priors and Imps ends badly, the Prior being shunned and the Imp either spending life in prison or being killed outright.

Born into this miserable life, Cole is desperate to get himself and his family away, to move to someplace better. But that takes money. And the only way he can make that kind of money is to win the last match of the Fights Established Under Demolition Sites (FEUDS) - locked cage fights that sometimes end in the death of one of the fighters. But to get into the FEUDS fights you need money for the entry fee, and for that you need a sponsor. Cole's got a sponsor he can't stand, but he won't walk away from his one chance to get his family out of the horrible place they're forced to live. A few more fights and he could have everything he's ever dreamed of; everything that is until he met Davis.

After they meet life is turned upside down for both Cole and Davis. Davis has no idea that Cole isn't who he claims to be, so she's willing to explore the feelings he sparks in her. Willing regardless of the mystery surrounding him, because she has never felt so intensely about anyone before. And much to Cole's surprise he finds that he too is drawn to Davis. She's nothing like he thought she'd be, and everything he's always dreamt of. But their relationship is probably doomed before it even begins. Just one small slip and both they and their families would be ruined. But all that fades into the background when Davis' friends start dying. No one on the Priors' side will admit to any problems, but everyone on the Imps' side knows something bad is happening to Priors.

The two star-crossed lovers are in a race to find a cure for this new disease that is only targeting Priors, as well as find a way to stay together. Their emotional responses to the various situations they find themselves in feel spot on, and feel very authentic to both characters. As they race against the clock to solve this deadly mystery more questionable issues keep cropping up, until it seems that everything they've ever learned has been a lie.

Will the young couple be able to stay at least one step ahead of those in power, those determined to maintain the status quo? Are all their allies really allies, or are they being played? Will Davis get this deadly disease, or will she remain safe while they hunt down the answers needed to survive this radical shift? So many questions, and not all are answered, leaving me wondering how long we'll have to wait for the sequel to come out. Near the end of the book Ms. Hastings adds a completely unexpectedly complex twist, one that will leave you completely anxious to know what happens next!