Inhuman by Kat Falls

    The basic premise of Inhuman is unique; I have to give it that. A plague broke out in the US 19 years before the beginning of the story, and it is explained that it was accidental outbreak caused by a Walt Disney-esque figure who wanted to create animal hybrids to display in her parks. When the plague hit there was an exodus to the West and the very same figurehead that caused the end of the country used her resources to build a massive wall called Titan that divided the safe and uninfected West from the wild and feral infected in the East. The virus has mutated, you see, and now it doesn't just kill, it creates hybrid animals that go through three stages of infection; the third stage is the one in which the infected becomes completely feral and is taken over by their animal aspect. Our protagonist is Delaney Park (almost all the children have been named for places their parents remembered or missed from the East) and she is summoned by the head of the military type body with an ultimatum- Delaney's father is a fetch (someone who goes illegally into the East to treasure hunt) and he will be executed unless Delaney can cross over, find him, and make him go to Chicago to retrieve her daughter's photograph. In the process of making her way over Delaney comes across a guard, Everson, and a hunter from the East named Rafe who was stealing medical supplies from the base at the Wall. The two boys are roped into helping her find her father and get to Chicago (although Everson does rope himself, to be fair).
     That's the gist. More happens, of course, but that's the main idea. I want to like this idea. I like the idea of ferals, kind of zombie-ish I thought until I read further, but the geek in me had an issue with the science of it. The humans infected with the virus don't just exhibit the behaviors of the animal, they look exactly like the animal they were infected with; fur, mole noses, walrus tusks and all. There are some who are infected with snake or other reptiles as well. It isn't explained how such experimentation as Mother Disney performed could have resulted in a virus that mutated the genes of the host. 
    There are a few other issues as well, in my opinion. There is the heavy handed racism issue (the only good feral is a dead feral sort of attitude) that may be accurate but still a bit much. The mother of the plague is still the richest and most powerful person in the country and I have problems believing that. My biggest problem, however, was the romantic implications for our Delaney. In classic love triangle mode, the book hints at a deep attraction between Delaney and both boys, and they for her. But there's no reason for it. And worse, it seems almost obligatory. 
    All that being said, Inhuman wasn't a bad book. There were storytelling snafus, yes, but it was still quite readable and a good way to pass the time. The main villain was reasonably frightening and while there was an unnecessary nod to The Emperor's New Clothes, I was still surprised at the small twist. My advice regarding Inhuman is that if you enjoy some new ideas and aren't married to the idea of a love story being necessary to complete a book, you should give it a try.