Toxic

by Lydia Kang

Overview

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 Cyclo as she expires, and the payment for the suicide mission will mean Fenn's sister is able to live. But when he meets Hana, he's not sure how to save them both.

As Cyclo grows sicker by the day, they unearth more secrets about the ship and the crew. But the more time they spend together, the more Hana and Fenn realize that falling for each other is what could ultimately kill them both.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781640634244
Publisher:	Entangled Publishing, LLC
Publication date:	11/06/2018
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Lydia Kang is an author of young adult fiction, poetry, and narrative non-fiction. She is a practicing physician who has gained a reputation for helping fellow writers achieve medical accuracy in fiction. Her poetry and non-fiction have been published in JAMA, The Annals of Internal Medicine, Canadian Medical Association Journal, Journal of General Internal Medicine, and Great Weather for Media. She believes in science and knocking on wood, and lives in Omaha with her husband and three children.

Editorial Reviews

2019-01-04

In Kang's (The Impossible Girl, 2018, etc.) YA sci-fi novel, a bioengineered girl and a boy sent into space to die find each other on an abandoned, sentient ship—along with a lot more than they bargained for.

Hana, a young woman with genetic enhancements that give her advanced abilities, wakes after a week of chemically induced sleep to find herself alone. Hidden away in the private chambers of her "Mother," no one knows of her existence except her creator and the sentient ship, called Cyclo. But when Hana asked where her mother is, Cyclo just tells her that her "mother is not here." Venturing out of her room for the first time since she was born, Hana discovers that the rest of the ship is completely empty, the crew having evacuated with no plan to return. Meanwhile, a young man named Fenn is on a small ship with a small team, heading toward Cyclo to figure out why the ship is dying and what the company in charge can do to ensure that future sentient spacecraft live longer. There may be no return for those onboard when Cyclo finally fails, but if Fenn's team manages to get enough information recorded, his ailing sister will receive enough money for necessary medical treatment. Finding Hana onboard is shocking enough—but then it's revealed that someone on Fenn's team may be a killer. Kang delivers a novel with a unique premise and solid storytelling, which makes it stand out in a sea of similar YA titles. Kang's version of a sentient ship, for instance—one that communicates mainly through the use of colors on displays—is a beautifully original creation; Hana's genetic enhancements, among other things, helpfully allow her to "see beyond the color spectrum that others can." The overarching plot offers readers a compelling mix of romance and horror, and it puts a new spin on the idea of star-crossed lovers. The pacing of the story is steady throughout, with enough momentum to keep readers consistently engaged.

Recommended futuristic fiction with a twist.

Kirkus Reviews

"[Adam and Ronconi] are perfect together." -Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell

From the Publisher