Review: Rex Rising by Chrystalla Thoma

Synopsis:
In a world where parasites create new human races, Elei leads a peaceful life — until a mysterious attack on his boss sends him fleeing with a bullet in his side. Pursued for a secret he does not possess and with the fleet at his heels, he has but one thought: to stay alive. His pursuers aren’t inclined to sit down and talk, although that’s not the end of Elei’s troubles. The two powerful parasites inhabiting his body, at a balance until now, choose this moment to bring him down, leaving Elei with no choice but to trust in people he hardly knows. It won’t be long before he realizes he must find out this deadly secret – a secret that might change the fate of his world and everything he has ever known – or die trying.

Review:
First off, I want to address the cover of this book. I pretty much love it. It's got a cool looking guy and makes you wonder why he looks that way. Plus, it is one hundred percent perfect for the story and the character it's portraying.

Now, the story in Rex Rising is like nothing else I've read. The idea is that if a person is infected with a parasite it changes how their body functions, and it also changes how they look. Elei grew up on the streets and lived through two of the toughest parasites infecting his body. The two fought and eventually came to a sort of stasis within him. He has lived with them for so long that he wonders if the person he has become is really who he is . . . or if he's only a product of the parasites within.

Elei is caught up in a fight between the ruling (not to mention all female) Gultur and the ones fighting to break free from their increasingly hostile methods of rule. The first we see of him, he is shot, bleeding out and running for his life. He has something the Gultur want, but he has no idea what it is. The pace doesn't slow throughout the entire story as he finds help in unexpected places, but also finds out that not everyone is what they appear.

A cool and unique idea. I can't wait to see where the story takes Elei, and all the rest, in the next book!

Publication Date: August 11, 2011
Genre: Young Adult, Sci Fi, Dystopian
Source: Thanks to author Chrystalla Thoma for my review copy!