Today, I’m welcoming a new-to-me author, Hetty Waite and her book, Mutate.

Let’s have a look at the cover.

Blurb

One change can be deadly…

In the city of Galex, all that matters is your genetics. Living with a virus that only affects the Y chromosome, men – Ys – are at risk of death or mutation and considered too dangerous to live freely. Women – Xs- rule the city.

Cara must navigate a world where the one she loves is considered a deadly enemy. With her sister Myla in charge of Galex and driven by a hatred of Ys, Cara has a dangerous secret.  If discovered, it will not only destroy her relationship with her sister, but will threaten the life of the Y she loves.

Brown has spent his life enslaved, knowing he could mutate at any moment. After seeing his best friend killed, he volunteers for a deadly mission.  He is soon to face a difficult decision: protect Cara and sacrifice her sister, or betray his fellow Ysand place all his loyalty in the hands of an X.

Excerpt

There are two main narrative perspectives in Mutate: Cara, an X, and Brown, a Y. Cara is a powerful figure in the new city of Galex, whereas Brown is treated as a slave.

This excerpt is from the beginning of the novel, from Cara’s perspective.

One of my earliest memories is the first time I witnessed a Y transformation.

I must have been about three years old. We were moving between city hostels at the time, trying to find safe havens. There weren’t many back then. Ys were still running free without controls, so the risk of them becoming infected and mutating was high. The army was struggling to keep control: so many soldiers had died, they hardly had any manpower left, and the ones they did have were at risk of changing. It’s a shame that, at the time, the army was overwhelmingly made up of Ys.

Why I was out alone in the street at that age is anyone’s guess. Myla always says I must have been on the hunt for food, as I never stopped eating. We’d joke about poor parenting skills leading to kids being made breakfast by monsters.

At the time I didn’t laugh, though. I can still remember how hard my heart pounded, how afraid I was, when this human-lizard hybrid looked at me like I was human-shaped snack. I can still remember my Mum’s angry, hysterical shriek as she yelled at me. I can still remember Myla peeking out from behind her legs, barely six years old herself, shaking in fear as she witnessed her mother killing a Saurian to save her little sister. 

Unfortunately, that’s no longer the worst monster I’ve seen.

Buy Link

amazon

About the Author

Hetty Waite lives in Derbyshire with her husband, daughter and cavapoo.

She is always looking to get lost in a good book and has spent years passing on her love of reading by teaching English to teenagers. Whilst no longer in the classroom, (and definitely not missing the marking), she is keen to continue helping young people engage with literature.

Nowadays, when not pandering to the whims of her demanding 4-year-old or tutoring GCSE students, she finds time to write YA fiction.

The Chromosome Trilogy Book 1: Mutate is her first novel.

Follow Hetty at these links:

WEBSITE – https://hettywaite.co.uk

FACEBOOK – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086494572838

INSTAGRAM – https://www.instagram.com/hettywaite

X – @HettyWaite