About this item
Best friends Kayla and Mishalla know they will be separated when the time comes for their Assignments. They are GENs, Genetically Engineered Non-humans, and in their strict caste system, GENs are at the bottom rung of society. High-status trueborns and working-class lowborns, born naturally of a mother, are free to choose their own lives. But GENs are gestated in a tank, sequestered in slums, and sent to work as slaves as soon as they reach age fifteen. When Kayla is Assigned to care for Zul Manel, the patriarch of a trueborn family, she finds a host of secrets and surprises -- not least of which is her unexpected friendship with Zul's great-grandson. Meanwhile, the children that Mishalla is Assigned to care for are being stolen in the middle of the night. With the help of an intriguing lowborn boy, Mishalla begins to suspect that something horrible is happening to them. After weeks of toiling in their Assignments, mystifying circumstances enable Kayla and Mishalla to reunite. Together they hatch a plan with their new friends to save the children who are disappearing. Yet can GENs really trust humans? Both girls must put their lives and hearts at risk to crack open a sinister conspiracy, one that may reveal secrets no one is ready to face.
About the Author
Karen Sandler published numerous romances for adults in the late '90s and early 2000s (yes, those books your mom used to read) , then shifted to young adult in 2011. Her YA science fiction Tankborn Trilogy, which includes TANKBORN, AWAKENING, and REBELLION, was released by Lee and Low/Tu Books and is available in hardcover, paperback, & Kindle. She is also the author of the gritty Janelle Watkins Investigations mystery series, which includes CLEAN BURN and HANGTOWN. Her romances and mysteries are all available on Kindle.
In addition to writing novels, Karen loves horseback riding and is also an avid folk dancer. A proud old lady, she lives in Northern California with her husband and dance partner, Gary, and two cats--pleasingly plump Tenka and formerly feral Zak. She is a founding member of We Need Diverse Books, and her opinions are her own. For more about Karen, visit http://www.karensandler.net, https://www.facebook.com/KarenSandlerAuthor/ or tweet her at @karensandlerYA (young adult) or @karensandler (mysteries and romances) .
