Hello lovely readers and Happy Saturday! I hope you have some fun plans this weekend! Today, I’ll be sharing my review for The Unexpected Inlander by Kellyn Thompson so let’s get to it!

Genre(s): Sci-fi, Romance, Fiction

Agent Christopher Rockford has been the best assassin in the agency for eight years, and he loves his job. He loves his solitary lifestyle. He loves eliminating criminals. He loves his comfortable life as a member of society’s wealthy coastal upper class.

But in pursuit of a target, he meets Jenna, a mysterious civilian who belongs to society’s lowest and most shunned group. Being around her is fun and intriguing, but it forces him to see things through her eyes—causing him to reconsider the world around them and The Order he so obediently serves. As he falls in love with her, he fears telling her the truth about his profession may cause him to lose her.

But Jenna has her own secrets to keep.

Interesting Sci-fi Romance

The Unexpected Inlander by Kellyn Thompson was a good science fiction dystopian story with a fun romance, but it was not what I expected it to be.

I wanted to really be into this book because the beginning instantly had me hooked. There was mystery, intrigue, suspense and murder. I expected there to be tons of action and excitement throughout the story. However, the pacing was just a bit too slow for me and I found myself feeling indifferent about the characters and the story. I love being able to experience the story as I read and connect with the characters. I’m also addicted to feeling all the FEELS and just blissfully getting lost in stories. Unfortunately, I didn’t really get that with this book. I liked the writing and thought it was easy to read… so maybe I just wasn’t in the mood. I guess I was expecting this to be really intense. I mean some parts made me think and it was chilling and quite horrifying… but, I just never felt that magic.

Having said that, this book wasn’t terrible. I thought the concept and the ideas the author presented in the story was intriguing, creative and thought-provoking. I also liked the sci-fi aspects and the romance was kind of fun. The world building was very descriptive and well-developed and there were a lot of fascinating things about it that I enjoyed. Thompson’s ideas about the political system, the segregation, and the genome medication in this futuristic world were all interesting to read about. The events in the story seemed realistic and I liked that I was able to imagine that version of the world. That’s probably what I enjoyed most about this book. Just being able to picture a terrifying new world and really think about what life would be like.

Christopher and Jenna were both likable characters. I also liked reading their POVs. I wasn’t crazy about their romance, but I thought it was fun. I liked how their relationship progressed and some of their adorable moments.

Overall, Unexpected Inlander was an interesting read. I enjoyed the concept and world-building. I thought Thompson had some very fascinating ideas about the future world and I really enjoyed that about this book. So, if you love a well-written dystopian sci-fi romance that will make you think, then this might be the book for you.

I received a reader copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

(Taken from the author’s webpage)

• Yes, Kellyn Thompson is a pen name. Why? Because I write non-fiction science articles and am into SciComm, for which I use my given name. I thought it would be best to keep my fiction writing separate from the non-fiction science writing, ergo I used a different name when I decided to write fiction.
• I do love writing (hence my first blog post, titled, “Why I love writing“), but I hate writing about myself. Maybe this blog will help me on that front. But I much prefer the solace I find in the objectivity of science or the dreamy unreality of fiction.
• I reside in the great Pacific Northwest in the United States.
• I have a dark sense of humor. My whole family does.
• I need at least two cups of coffee to get going in the morning. It’s not a good idea for me to try to do anything substantial before finishing that second cup.
• I love animals and biology and the magic (er…science) of life in general and, of course, books and cats.
• I loooooooove being dramatic in my fiction writing, haaaaate being dramatic IRL.
• And, finally, in case it’s not obvious, I am very new to blogging–Thank you for your patience! and any tips you have 🙂

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Thank you for stopping by and reading. Have a wonderful day!