Origin
by Jessica Khoury

Reviewed by 
Elizabeth Mosolovich

Everyone dreams of being immortal — never sickening, growing old, or dying. Well, Pia is. She is the crowning success of a few scientists' genetic research after five generations experimenting with the Elysia flower. Pia's skin is uncuttable, and she has no blood. She will stop aging at a certain point, and she will never, ever die.

But a success like Pia's can't just be announced to the world, which is why the scientific compound she calls home is located in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. Pia knows she is not allowed outside the gates, and for the most part she is fine with this — until one night she decides to sneak out and ends up meeting a native boy named Eio. Immediately intrigued, Pia keeps meeting up with him, all the while training to be part of the team that will teach her how to make others like herself.

But when contributors of the research start demanding more progress, Pia begins to learn that the people she's always looked up to are hiding dangerous secrets. Because making an immortal comes at a high price, and as Pia meets Eio's tribe and begins loving them as much as she loves Eio, she might decide that it is too high..

 This book is a bit slow in the beginning, but once it starts picking up it's hard to stop. A few characters aren't as fleshed out, but the important ones certainly. A truly fascinating, original book, this is a must read. Find out what Pia chooses, eternal life or eternal love, in Origin.