Feuds Review

This review is part of SciFi Month, hosted by Rinn Reads and Oh, The Books. 

Feuds by Avery Hastings
Visit the Author's website HERE
Publisher: St Martin's Griffin
Publishing Date: September 2, 2014
Goodreads Summary:

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.

I received this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Buy the book HERE.

My Thoughts:
Let's face it: the cover is what drew me in. I'm a sucker for a good ballerina and this one calls out to be read. But this cute dance element is about all that I found to save this novel.

'Feuds' reads as a futuristic Romeo and Juliet complete with insta-love, imminent war/battle, and crazy decisions to fake suicide. Add in a manufactured drug, a designer-baby generation, and a dash of Fight Club and you have 'Feuds'. Unfortunately, it was just all too much for the author and story to take on.

Our main character, Davis, didn't have enough 'oomph'. She was one dimensional, shallow, and although she shows more compassion than her fellow Priors, Davis' heart is selfish. Some may argue that this is the nature of a Prior but I find it just doesn't make for a good female, main character. Cole felt a tad more real, like a favorite pair of jeans, but the plot flew by too quickly to appreciate him and his role. And the FEUDS play too small a role to appreciate it being made the title of the book.

'Feuds' was not a favorite book of mine by any means. However, it wasn't poorly written enough for me to 'DNF'. I managed to read through it quickly and had my interest held well enough. Once I realized the Romeo and Juliet storyline I was interested in reaching the end of the story to see how it would play out. Hastings did do a good job of setting up for the second book; this novel's ending leads to the possibility of a better second novel.

Overall, the characters needed more development, Davis and Cole needed to slow down the relationship a *wee* bit, and the world needed so much more time to be truly appreciated. I could recommend this one to someone looking for futuristic Shakespeare tragedy with a slight ballet theme. Only 2 stars from me. I'll keep my eye out for something else to fit the bill.