Review by Madeline Oliver
Enhanced by Candace Kade
Enhanced follows Urban Lee in the dystopian world of the Eastern Federation in New Beijing where your sosh, or social score, is everything. All Urban wants is a high sosh and to become an art major but she’s a Natural among Enhanced individuals. She has to work double time to keep up with them but no matter how hard she works, she can’t seem to raise her sosh so she can pursue her dream career.
On top of her school and necessary social life, someone else knows Urban is a Natural and is trying to kill her because of it. However, Urban’s sosh needs a boost so she decides to enter a motorcycle contest. While racing to the finish line, Urban is locked out of her motorcycle as she flies off a ramp and then plummets into the building below. She nearly dies but her motorcycle is utterly destroyed and she’s forced to rent one.
Ashamed, Urban returns to her college dorm to attend the tryouts for the Games. While there, Urban follows an acquaintance upstairs to the Inventors room where she is knocked out and later finds herself in an elevator traveling up to take her into the Arena where the AI program is supposed to scan Urban’s nonexistent enhancements and give her an obstacle that will challenge them. Thankfully Urban’s sister and friend hack the AI program but their hack causes the AI to spit out every kind of obstacle. However, another one of Urban’s friends rescues her as the building evacuates. Because Urban manages to survive all the AI obstacles, her sosh reaches a whooping 87.
But some people now believe Urban is the hybrid. The answer to make Naturals enhanced. The Enhanced want her dead. Someone with nearly seven enhancements, which is illegal, attacks Urban while she’s flying a friend. After the incident, Urban is forced to go into hiding in the house of her ex-boyfriend’s parents’ house. However, her boyfriend broke her heart and now Urban’s unsure how to proceed now.
Content Warning: None
Page Count: 350
Age Recommendation: 14-18
Other Works by Candace Kade: Hybrid and Augmented
