Freak of Nature (IFICS #1) by Julia Crane

Title: Freak of Nature
Author: Julia Crane
Publisher: Valknut Press
Source: NetGalley
Age Group: New Adult (NA)
Overall: ♥♥♥♥♥

Donate Body to Science. Check.

When seventeen-year-old Kaitlyn checked the box, she never suspected she’d have her life–and her body–stolen from her. She awakens one day in a secret laboratory to discover that her body is now half-robot and is forced to hide her own secret: that she still has human emotions and a human mind. If the scientists who made her find out, they’ll erase what remains of who she was.

Kaitlyn finds an unlikely ally in Lucas, a handsome, brilliant scientist who can’t get over the guilt he feels knowing she was once a vibrant, beautiful young woman. He never expected a science project to affect him the way she does. As he tries to help her rediscover her past, he finds himself falling for the brave girl struggling to find her place and acceptance between the human and computer worlds.

I absolutely adore this series! I really can´t wait to hold the next book in my hands as this is a book I devoured in a single sitting. I find it so hard to wrap my thoughts around this story, because it is still so vivid in my mind. I´m going to try though, hoping that I´ll find a few more constructive words then "amazing" and "wonderful".

Kate wakes up and suddenly she is not human anymore. She is a mixture of human and machine, programmed to obey every order and supposed to not feel anything. But what she doesn´t let on is: she can still think, and she still has feelings. She struggles to remember her past life, always dreaming of a beautiful boy. Who is he? And what do these feelings toward Lucas mean, the one who programmed her, the one who created her? As Kate finds out more about herself, she realises that her sole purpose in existing may be to be a deadly weapon. Will she face her feelings and show them to Lucas, even though exposing her secret could result in her ultimate death?

I love Kate. I absolutely adore her! If I´d wake up to being half machine, I think I wouldn´t be able to stay sane, but Kate shows such unbelievable strength at a time like this! She has an iron-like will to stay alive and to stay herself that it humbled me.
Kate has an innocent view on her surroundings due to the loss of her memories and her past life. It´s almost like she was just born. She doesn´t understand certain words and phrases that she is being confronted with, but is utterly intelligent in other areas. She is like a walking dictionary, because the computer in her brain provides her with the knowledge.
I think this story captured me so fast, because I believe that this scenario could actually be possible. I can imagine that somewhere out there a Dr. Frankenstein with too much money is actually trying to do such a project. I found it sickening and utterly fascinating at the same time.

I love how Kate is able to see everything so logical that it sometimes left me breathless. She wants to make the world a better place so badly, almost like a child when it witnesses something really bad happening. It wants to fix it. 
I mourned the loss of her memories and wondered together with her who that mysterious boy in her dreams is.

I also love the relationship of Kate and Lucas. I don´t think I would have accepted him as a partner for sweet and strong Kate, if there hadn´t been the chapters in which the story takes place from his point of view. I am able to love him, because I can see how much his conscience is nagging him. He is regretting this whole project so much, but on the other hand he is also proud and thankful for the opportunity. He still sees the wrongness in taking emotions and memories of a human being and that made me relax. Lucas is a good guy after all! Their relationship is a secret and very sweet one, as Kate has an innocent mind of a child, paired with the logic of a machine. It made her special and unique.

I´m really, really curious to see where this story goes and the next book will be highly anticipated by me! I´m hoping for some more bad-ass fight scenes starring Kate! Can´t wait!

The Yearning Mermaid says: "A brilliant book that left me breathless, because of the realistic plot! A fascinating scenario within the rules of the world we all know so well. Kate has enough strength and character to make every reader adore her! A MUST-READ!"

A strange sensation on her face gave her pause. She reached up and touched her cheek, then drew wet fingertips away. What...was that a tear? Her artificial heart pounded in her ears as she stared at her hand, captivated. After all the time she had spent at the facility, all she had been through, she´d never cried. She didn´t think she could. Across from her, Lucas stared. "Oh my god. Kate."

Kaitlyn scanned her information drive and was appaled to see that in the United States alone over 1.2 million incidents of violent crimes were reported yearly. Over 90.000 of those incidents involved rape. She stewed over the statistics for many miles, and it fueled her desire to make the world a better place. [...] She wondered if anyone on the bus had been a victim of a crime, or if there were criminals on board. More than likely there were both.