Review: Hybrid

May 4, 2011

Summary: Seven years ago, everyone died in the Honduran camp from the EDH1 virus, but Red Cross worker Amanda Flynn. Airlifted home to America, medical professionals tried to identify why Amanda survived when others died gruesome, agonizing deaths or became violent savages. Little did they know that anyone who survived…changed.

Since her escape from quarantine, Amanda has been in hiding slowly realizing the powers that could have only come from her infection. She can sense things, do things using her mind, things that are incredible and sometimes incredibly dark. But as she resists the pull toward violence, a new survivor has entered her consciousness – one without her willpower to block evil impulses. One who revels in bloodlust and seeks to expand his mastery by forcing the end of human society. And he’s coming for Amanda.

Other key characters include Dr. Phil Rucker, the coroner whose Asperger’s syndrome comes complete with its own demons; Father John Oliver, the kindly priest whose faith is brutally tested; Rodney Patton, the homicide chief who sees what others miss; and Greg Flynn, Amanda’s father-in-law and the man whose moral center guides others in the storm.

My Thoughts: Hybrid has a good, fast-moving, suspense-filled plot. I really enjoyed reading it, and found it to hold my attention well. The beginning was a little slow, but nothing to deter me from reading. And the pace picked up quickly. Once the action gets going, the reading flies by.

I do have two issues with the book. The first is that the ending felt rushed. I’m not sure why, though. Yes, resolution is reached. Yes, the ends are (mostly) tied. The question of what becomes of anyone “altered” by the virus isn’t really answered, but then that is beyond the scope of this engaging, fast-paced tale.

The other issue I have is with the copy editing. While this isn’t the worst book I have read over the course of reviewing here at Proud Book Nerd, it was bad enough that I found it distracting. It is entirely possible that many readers might not even notice a lot of it, but my experience with copy editing doesn’t allow me to overlook these problems. One, I feel is a big one to miss. Amanda’s mother-in-law is Lisa, but in a couple of spots (most, if not all, of page 153 and again on page 274) she is called “Linda.” Then we have some spots where the wrong words are used: “to” when “too” should be used; “passed” instead of “past”; “insure” when it should be “ensure”; and more. A few examples:

After two months she finally relented, and three and a half years latter they were married. ~ page 151 (my emphasis)

After attempting to kill the magistrate in the courtroom, he once again was subdued and latter hospitalized. ~ page 200 (my emphasis)

“Walk up, Phil,” and Reisch gave Phil’s brain a jolt.
~ page 257 (should be WAKE up)

It wouldn’t have the impact they had original hoped, …
~ page 338 (should be ORIGINALLY)

Add to these issues were problems with punctuation. There were spots where quote marks were missing or seemed to be randomly in a spot where no one was speaking. There were some other errant punctuation marks, too. Slogging through that and the spelling/grammar/usage errors was a bit frustrating.

Still, the plot and characters were interesting enough to keep me reading. And to keep me from docking my rating too much.

Favorite Quote: I think this one states a universal truth.

“We are all driven by the same needs, we all want the same things, and we are all plagued by the same insecurities. All the same basic programs have been written into our souls, and that’s what connects us.” ~ page 276

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Source: Thank you to Tracy G. Minsky from Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, Inc., for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

Read It: Get your own copy HERE. (This is a Book Depository link, and purchase through this link will result in my receiving a small commission at no cost to you. Your support is appreciated!)

Challenges: Counts for 100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 and the Mystery & Suspense Challenge 2011.

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FTC Disclosure: All items reviewed were either obtained by me for my own enjoyment or sent (from the author, publisher, publicist, via tour sites, etc.) in exchange for an honest review. I receive no monetary compensation for my posts. All opinions expressed are my own.

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