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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, to hide in plain sight 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.
Stacey Kade (www.staceykade.com) is the author of The Ghost and the Goth Trilogy: The Ghost and the Goth, Queen of the Dead, and Body & Soul. She lives in the suburbs of Chicago with her husband and three retired racing greyhounds. Look for her on Facebook and Twitter (@StaceyKade).
KelliN
Posted June 15, 2013
Having read The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade, I already knew that I loved her writing. What I didn't know was how much I would love The Rules. I closed the cover to The Rules thinking, this book has everything it needed to have plus more. I thought to myself that some authors just "have it," meaning their talent seems to come naturally and easily. There are just some books that stand out and this was one of them.
I loved so much about this book. The plot was unique and very well-executed. I loved the fact that while Ariane is paranormal, she's a different kind of paranormal. I don't read too much about extraterrestrials and I really enjoyed the change of pace. Speaking of pace, Kade's pacing in The Rules was perfect. Things moved along fast enough to keep me flipping the pages excitedly, but not so fast that the plot felt rushed. The world-building was interspersed with the story, which I love because there are no slow patches to the book. I loved Ariane's history and thought that Kade did a very thorough job with Ariane's back-story.
One of my favorite styles of writing is when authors use an alternating POV. I love getting to really know both main characters, and alternating POVs really get the reader inside the characters' heads. I love that! I found the characters to be quite complex, more so than in other YA reads, and I really enjoyed that. It kept the book from feeling too young---because much of the story was set in high school, with typical high school drama. That "high school feeling" was the only thing I didn't love about The Rules. It is a necessary evil of YA, but I prefer it when the focus is not so much on school.
The ending was a nice surprise, and I really can't wait to read book two. Kade has done an outstanding job with book one in the Project Paper Doll series!
AlwaysYAatHeart1
Posted May 15, 2013
Good Book
Ariane Tucker isn't want she portrays herself to be. In fact, she isn't even entirely human. Born and raised in a genetic lab, Ariane is half human and have alien. After her adoptive father helped her escape when she was younger, she has now learned how to hide in plain site. She knows how to make herself seem invisible, and she knows how not to draw attention to herself. She has a set of rules to live by, and she and her father have a plan in place if things go wrong. When Ariane's best friend Jenna falls subject to a cruel prank, she must choose to help out or let her only friend down. What she doesn't expect is to become the focus of Rachel, the school's "mean girl," and she certainly doesn't want to be the focus of the hottie Zane Bradshaw, but winds up being just that. When everything gets turned up a notch, the rules change. When Ariane decides to take a chance on friendship and love. Ariane finds out who she can trust and who she can't as hidden secrets come to light, but what will happen to Ariane and those she cares about in the process.
The Rule's plot is mostly character driven with romantic overtones, and has a science fiction feel to it, with some danger and suspense thrown in. The story is told in alternating POV's, rotating between Ariane and Zane. I have to say, that I really liked Zane and enjoyed his POV's the most by far. I liked Ariane's character, though I wasn't crazy about her, but she did end up growing on me. I did like where the romance went in this story, and I was impressed with the choices Zane ended up making. Though the story does have definite science fiction elements, it really seems to fall more in the paranormal romance category, at least to me, set mainly in a high school type environment. It kind of reminds me of Mila 2.0, which I read recently, in some ways. There are some unexpected twists at the end of the story that set things up for an interesting second installment, and I am curious to see where Stacey Kade takes the story from here. Overall, this was a good read, and I did enjoy it.
Anonymous
Posted May 10, 2013
Meh.
That fairly sums up my feelings and I am sad to say that. I loved Kade's Ghost and Goth series. Tight plotting, great characters, etc. I just didn't get that here. It probably isn't fair of me to compare that series to this one, even if it is the same author, because the subject is different, but I did expect to have a plot that would pull me in and this didn't meet my expectations in any way. Mostly, I have to admit, I was bored. Perhaps it takes place too much in Ariane's head, her memory of this or her thought about the Rules and not breaking them.
And the twist . . . for me, personally, that didn't work, because I suspected it all along. Hiding in plain sight? I truly thought that begged my ability to suspend disbelief and stretched it to the limit.
So, those are my objections.
But all of that aside, there is an interesting story here. There is growth from the characters, both Ariane and Zane, more self-awareness of who they are or, perhaps more correctly, of who they want to be.
So, while not completely satisfied, I will sign on for the next book in the series and hope it improves.
I really enjoyed this first book, the pacing was great, and there was character growth as well as a romance that I cheered for.
The Rules sucked me in right away. Even though I was a bit confused on the whys and hows of Ariane's condition, as well as who she replaced and how exactly that worked, I still immediately liked what I was reading, and I wanted more. Though I will say that I expected something different from this book based on the synopsis, but I wasn't disappointed in what I got.
Ariane is a mixture of human and alien DNA, and I really like how that gives her strengths, but also weaknesses. Big ones, that she has to deal with. As her back story is revealed little by little, I learn why the Rules are in place, and more about her connection with her "dad" Michael Tucker. Who, for the record, I really admired. I liked how much he cared for her, and his reasoning for taking Ariane in the first place. He is so protective, and their relationship seems so authentic.
I connected with Adriane and her feelings of not belonging. That yearn to fit in. It was so sad how she really couldn't get too close with anyone because she doesn't want to draw attention to herself or else the lab she escaped from could notice her. But even though she has the different DNA, it really begs the question what makes a human. She shows the full range of emotions, from anger, protectiveness, and love in its different forms. She has special abilities, so I know that sets her apart, but at her core, how different is she really?
And I don't know if having someone as a narrator makes me more susceptible to like someone, but being in Zane's head did that for me. I don't think that I would normally fall for someone in the "in crowd" like him. But seeing that he had some deeper emotional value behind the pretty face, and that even though he was friends with people like Rachel, the "it and mean girl" of their high school, he didn't support all that she stood for or did. As I learned more about his home life, and the more I was in his head, the more that I liked him. He had pure a pure heart underneath the tough exterior and the things that he did to fit in.
The romance between the two is sweet, and I really enjoyed those moments. I love how it started out of revenge and then evolved into something else.
The twist near the end really got me. I was expecting one part but DEF not the other. I guess I should have read Rule 1: Don't trust anyone more closely. It makes me want to retract one of the statements above that I wrote while in the middle of the book and had started jotting down my thoughts, but it is true for that part in the story, so I will leave it. I am eager for the next book, and sadly can't find much else about it, but I will certainly be watching Ms. Kade's blog and goodreads for more info.
Bottom Line: Sweet and fast paced story from two characters that I rooted for.
Readergirl_Revus
Posted April 29, 2013
What a find! I didn't know a thing about this book before I read the summary and I was pleasantly surprised. This story was really unusual. I mean, I've read books before where one of the main characters was experimented on, but this one had a few other things going on that combined to make it a really unique story.
The experiment that went awry, of course, is Ariane herself. She's grown up assuming the name of her "father's" deceased daughter. I loved Ariane's personality. She's completely devoted to her father, to his rules, keeping herself hidden and the two of them safe from discovery. When she gets involved with Zane, even to help him teach the school's mean girl a lesson, it was really great to watch her personality changing. The reader gets to experience her discoveries right along with her. There are situations she's never been in before, emotions she's never felt, and all of these begin to hit her at once as she spends more time with Zane. She was a truly unique character and I loved watching her kind of come alive. The author did a fabulous job balancing her human side with her not so human side.
Zane was also intriguing. This is a guy who wasn't always a good guy, and I liked to see his conscience awaken. We get to know him, even as he begins to change and grow into something so likeable as he is coaxed out of being a part of the horrible crowd he's always hung with. Including Rachel...who I hated!
The book had great pacing. I tore through it very quickly and loved the suspense. The two main characters carried the story so well together, and their building romance was sweet, a gentle discovery that made the story so poignant. At the end, I had more than one shock in store for me, and it just upped the suspense level so well. I just about wailed when the ending came... I can't believe I have such a long wait for the next book. But I think it will definitely be worth the wait!
Overview
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 ...