Review: The Rules by Stacey Kade

Project Paper Doll:The Rules by Stacy Kade
Publisher- Disney Hyperion
Released- April 23rd 2013
Purchase- Amazon / B & N / Chapters

1. Never trust anyone.2. Remember they are always searching.3. Don’t get involved.4. Keep your head down.5. Don’t fall in love.Five simple rules. Ariane Tucker has followed them since the night she escaped from the genetics lab where she was created, the result of combining human and extraterrestrial DNA. Ariane’s survival—and that of her adoptive father—depends on her ability to blend in among the full-blooded humans in a small Wisconsin town, to hide in plain sight at her high school from those who seek to recover their lost (and expensive) “project.”But when a cruel prank at school goes awry, it puts her in the path of Zane Bradshaw, the police chief’s son and someone who sees too much. Someone who really sees her. After years of trying to be invisible, Ariane finds the attention frightening—and utterly intoxicating. Suddenly, nothing is simple anymore, especially not the rules…

My Thoughts:
Escaping the GenTex Labs (GTX), home to the Paper Dolls project where Ariane Tucker was created as a half-human, half-alien hybrid- her only source of survival, with the help of her 'adopted' father, depends on blending in with the humans and following 5 simple rules. But after a cruel joke that gets under Ariane skin, she snaps and loses control and get the unwanted attention of Zane Bradshaw. Zane, the police chief's son and one of the more popular boys at school, starts to see Ariane in a different way, starts to see the real her and after so long of being the invisible girl with her head down, Ariane is starting to enjoy the feeling of being noticed for the first time in her life but risks breaking all the rules and catching the notice of GTX once again.

I've read Stacey Kade's The Ghost and The Goth series, which were filled with fun humor and ghostly banter, so I was looking forward to seeing what she had up her sleeve for her newest release, Project Paper Doll: The Rules. I'm happy to say that not only did I enjoy this book, but I can't wait to see where Kade takes us next!

Wow! This story really impressed me. It has a pretty even mix between high school drama complete with your typical mean girl, pranks, plots, revenge, paybacks and unlikely alliances. Then we have the sci-fi edge to the story which fascinated me the most.

Now, I've never minded a good ole' fashion high school drama and angst in my reads, but I've never been a fan of the whole 'mean girl' thing. In fact, I find it quite annoying, and Rachel Jacob really puts herself at the top of the list. But for whatever reason, it seemed to work really well for this particular story line, specially at the end, so I had to push that aside. But if I'm being honest, the reason why I got along with this book so well is because I have a thing for sci-fi abilities, well developed characters with sass and fire and a love story that screams with chemistry but without all the instant-fluff that takes all the fun out of it. I also thought the flashback moments during the time when Ariane was in the lab was very cruel and inhuman to endure but it really puts an entirely different perspective to Ariane unique situation, gaining my sympathy and attention throughout the entire novel.

My heart really goes out to this girl. Ariane is a complex character but at the same time she feels down to earth and easy to like. I simple adore her personality and the way she stands up for herself and others. Beating down a bully always deserves a cheer in my book. I thought her lack of basic social knowledge was really very cute (French kisses anyone?) but it's her flare, heart and determination that really makes readers want to follow her on this journey right till the end.

Zane turned out to be good people, but I wasn't sure about  him in the beginning. He's always had to live in his brothers shadow and will never be good enough for his father and has no real sense of control in his life. I think that's why he took to Ariane the way he did, he knows what its like to be bullied and understand her in ways no one else can. Their start may not have been the most conventional way to start a friendship, but it really doesn't matter come the end. This turned out to be a really sweet, honest and tender romance that made me want to hold on to those moments a little bit longer.

Rachel did her job well. Seriously could not stand this girl to the depth of my soul. Kade did extremely annoying and hated brilliantly.

The betrayal-character in the end was a really shocker. The first rule is, after all, never trust anyone, but still. I never saw that coming and thought it was a great, surprising and unpredictable move on Kade's part.

All in all, I really enjoyed this one. The writing is strong and these characters are fighters. The Rules is a promising start to what I think will be an amazing series. I have high hopes for the second book and I can't wait to see where Kade takes Ariane and Zane next. Maybe Rachel wont be apart of that book. One can only hope;) Well done!

Find the author

Goodreads / Website

                                                                   4 Snowflakes