review: the rules by stacey kade

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Stacey Kade’s The Rules is a fantastic example of how to do the first book in a series—it has a compelling enough plot to make additional books viable, but also has an ending that satisfies for those who don’t wish to read another book. In The Rules, a high school student is hiding in plain sight from the company that created her. Her “father” took her from the laboratory when his six-year-old daughter was dying from cancer. From that point on, he has raised the half-human/half-alien as his daughter, but with five very important rules to keep them safe. But Ariane can’t help but break some of the rules. Kade beautifully blends science fiction into a teen romance that has excellent characters. There are some great twists too that were hinted at in some bits of dialogue, but still seemed like bombshells when they happened.
5/5
Review copy provided by the publisher, Hyperion.