By staff reviewer Laura Lyndhurst: I’m impressed by this debut young adult novel by author Sean Armstrong in that he’s tapped a vein in ideas that I haven’t come across. Which doesn’t mean that nobody else has done it, but I’ve read many genres and haven’t seen this before.
Sometime in the future, a fledgling serum intended as a cure for cancer has been tried on people used as test subjects. It results in the unexpected change of their skin colour. They aren’t all the same, though. There’s grey, blue, orange and green, and in various shades; hence Stacey, the eponymous Green Girl, is lime green, whilst fellow Mega Human Greena is a much darker shade, further distinguished from Stacey by her flaming red hair.
The other unanticipated serum result—one with both fantastic and devastating effects— is that the human guinea pigs have mutated and developed extraordinary capabilities. Mainstream society fears them and has cast them out, which isn’t helped by some of the Megas using their superpowers for domination, leading to war. Factions have developed, and Haven is led by Stacey and her boyfriend, Ben. They seek to survive in the face of the Establishment, and a hostile band of Megas called The Outcasts.
The action moves at a good pace and is centred on Stacey, an insecure young woman, before her life-changing encounter with the serum. Her body and abilities are undergoing changes. Some are questionable in their effects. She’s more comfortable in her green skin than she was before. Though her sense of security is challenged by her relationships—she meets the father she has been alienated from and Dr Roberts, the scientist who developed the serum.
This is the first book in a series and leaves matters open to make way for the next. Please, bring it on.
Many thanks to Laura Lyndhurst for this staff review
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Katherine Black / Susan (Sooz) Simpson
Founder of Best Book Editors
Katherine has held almost every single job imaginable, from painting gnomes to zookeeper. She spent most of her life in the caring profession and has managed both a nursing home and a care agency. But her passion for the written language always brings her home to novel writing.
Born in Tyne-and-Wear, North-East England, she has settled in the beautiful Lake District, Cumbria, with her partner, two dogs, a cat, an iguana and a python (just don’t ask her which of those six things is her favourite!).
She specialises in content creation and social media outreach, and has been a developmental editor for hundreds of clients. She owns and operates bestbookeditors.com where she helps foundling authors polish their skills. However, after being diagnosed with a dramatic brain condition in 2022, she has had to let 23 staff go, and scale back the business. BBE is still very much open, we are just fewer and can’t take as much work on.
Katherine Black is the author of psychological thriller/detective/fantasy adventure novels.
