Love it!

A fast-paced action-packed, romantic, sci-fi adventure that grabs hold of you and does not let go.

Once again I want to state these opinions are my own, and I want to thank Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for allowing me to read Toxic by Lydia Kang. Toxic would not be possible without the creative thoughts of Kang.

I had really high hopes for this book, but they fell very short in the first hundred pages. The idea Kang had for this novel is very cleaver, but it was poorly executed.

First off, I really don't like Hana; she is needy and weird. I couldn't find a connection to her or the other characters. Most of the background was of Hana, Fenn, and Cyclo. The only person who really interested me was Fenn, but his background/history was played on repeat. Fenn isn't a very deep character, but I appreciate the thoughts he has and his depressing past. Moreover, the reason why I didn't like the charters were the fact that they lacked any depth to them. They were all just there on the ship waiting to die.

The plot... Dear Lord. The plot would have been amazing if Kang would just stop with the scientific terminology most people don't understand and the lack of character connection/build between the characters. THe way Fenn and Hana fell in love wasn't realistic or logical. Hana has this child-like nature to her and well Fenn is a thief. It somewhat grosses me out how Hana is just falling so fast for Fenn when this is her first interaction with people. Also, the fact that they actually "do the do" makes it extremely creepy; I don't know how Hana can automatically go from being this shy little naive girl to knowing or not being embarrassed by sex. I mean even people who are experienced still get nervous and embarrassed. I'm just not loving the personality dynamics in here. The plot was also completely predictable with what was going to happen in the end. The ending felt like a cliche "cherry on top" kind of ending. "Oh yay everyone will live and Cyclo may even live on, even thought shes a murderous space ship!" Not the sequel I'm really looking for in books right now.

Ultimately, the book need serious work on both the characters and the plot. Both which are key elements to a novel. Once again I want to say these opinions are my own, and I'm sorry it took so long to get back on the review. I was really struggling to finish Toxic, because it was so boring and predictable.

Cheers, Lovelies.

Fenn and his crew of mercenaries are on a one way trip to gather critical data on Cyclo, a sentient biosynthetic spacecraft, which is dying. Their contract with ReCor, the company that builds ships like Cyclo, states if they can complete 90% of their mission before they die with the ship, a substantial death gratuity will be given to whomever they wish. Fenn doesn't want to die but his sister needs the money for her medical bills.
When the crew boards the ship they discover it wasn't abandoned as expected. Hana, a sixteen year old bioengineered human who was created and kept secret from the crew, was left behind. As Fenn and Hana's feelings for each other grow, they explore ways to keep the ship functioning in order to survive this ordeal. Time is running out, tensions are high, and then a crew member is found murdered...Cyclo knows who the killer is but she's not telling. Someone or something is trying to sabotage their assignment and kill the crew in the process. Fenn and Hana must try to discover who is behind the murders before it's too late.

Toxic is an intense YA sci-fi fantasy about a crew embarking on an impossible mission in which everything seems determined to kill them. I really enjoyed the unique characters, especially the non-human crewmembers. I didn't really care for Fenn or Hana's characters as they felt a little juvenile for 17/18 year old's, with Hana it makes sense, but that doesn't stop them from trying to cram every romantic/sexual experience into the few weeks they have left to live. Be warned...the novel does incorporate some pretty graphic and violent content. Overall, I felt this was an exciting and entertaining novel with some mystery, thrills, romance, and a few surprises as well.

Thanks for the early review copy!

I recommend this novel to fans of young adult novels. It was well-written and interesting novel.

Hana isn't supposed to exist. She's grown up hidden by her mother in a secret room of the bioship Cyclo until the day her mother is simply gone along with the entire crew. Cyclo tells her she was abandoned, but she's certain her mother wouldn't leave her there to die. And Hana isn't ready to die yet. She's never really had a chance to live.Fenn is supposed to die. He and a crew of hired mercenaries are there to monitor.When I started reading I couldn't put it down.Lydia Kang is magnifysent writer.I cannot wait to read more of there books.Keep up the great work.You should definitely read this book.Can't wait for the next book.