Cipher by Aileen Erin

Shadow Ravens #1

"In the not-too-distant future, the color of your helix tattoo shows exactly how your DNA was modified—green for super-smart scientists, black for pumped-up warriors, white for the immortal Seligo—but Cipher’s red helix is a death sentence. It’s a sign of unstable DNA, which is probably the reason she can manipulate electricity.

     When she was eight years old, Cipher made the mistake of showing her uncle the tattoo. In return, he killed her parents and tried to kidnap her.

     She’s been on the run ever since, and twelve long years later, Cipher is tired of hiding. Survival isn’t enough anymore. She wants her life back.

     Hacking into the Citadel mainframe is a huge risk, but it pays off when she finds a database on red helixes. Before she can copy it, she loses control of her power, charring her last processor, and the only person in the Arizona Voids that can get her back online is her oldest friend, Knightly. She hasn’t seen him in person since she started running, and Knight 2.0 is fully upgraded with a six-pack and knee-melting smile.

     For a girl like Cipher, trust doesn’t come easily, but Knight makes her yearn for a life she knows she can’t have, especially when every secret she reveals endangers them both."

I received this book from NetGalley for review.

Wow, this is one of the best books I have read in a while. I mean hot damn. It took me a little to get into this book because I kept getting distracted with other things, but as soon as I just ignored them and read this book I finished it in a couple hours.

Emma, aka Cipher, is one of the best female characters ever written. She's strong, funny, and smart. Since she's been on the run most of her life she doesn't trust anyone, something that is highly believable when 90% of society would either kill you or turn you in for a better life. Also I loved that she's short, it seems like authors forget that short people exist.

Hunter, aka Knightly, is also great. He's been searching for Emma since he she saved his life when they were kids. He's protective with out being overly macho and possessive. ( A pet peeve of mine in books is when the female character is supposed to be strong and independent and then she meets an attractive guy and goes all damsel in distress and becomes incapable of making decisions, this didn't happen.) Sure there's a super strong sense for him to keep her safe because of them being DNA bonded so he can help ground her abilities and at first because he feels he needs to repay her for saving him, and then because he starts to fall for her.

There is a touch of insta-love, but it wasn't annoying. They knew each other as kids, and talked to each other online though their hacker handles (even though they didn't know who it was they were talking to). The long time friendship bleed through into intense attraction when they eventually met in person.

This book was action packed and awesome. I can't wait to read the sequel.