An encounter at a Nova Genetics gathering for her brother (who has cystic fibrosis and is eligible for various experimental treatments) leads Aislyn to a rogue doctor who offers her a dose of Charisma, an untested genetic therapy intended to completely change the personality of the recipient.
*Contains moderate language, moderate sexual content, and moderate substance abuse.Aislyn appears to have it all together, but her crippling social anxiety keeps her from achieving all that she wants.
In all, Charisma is a thriller to read, but not necessary for a book collection.
Ryan has chosen to emphasize the ethical quandaries of gene therapy instead of the science of gene therapy, which is the right choice for this genre, though it can lead to some plot questions among more scientifically-minded readers. It is fascinating to watch Aislyn’s journey from shy to fully confident in a matter of hours, but once she has reached full confidence she starts to feel a little one-dimensional, as do many of the secondary characters. Jeanne Ryan has encapsulated the feeling of social anxiety very well, especially written in first person. Anyone who’s struggled with shyness will find a friend in Aislyn, as her painful symptoms clearly mirror their own. It is a heart-pounding look into a world very similar to ours – where gene therapy provides unlimited opportunities but can be easily misused. She must find the cure fast, before Charisma kills any more people, or she succumbs to its effects.Ĭharisma is a cautionary thriller about the potential pros and cons of using gene therapy, and leaves readers racing through its pages to reach the conclusion. However, she’s not the only person who accepts the Charisma, and soon Aislyn and other teens around her start to exhibit escalating symptoms that leave them in comas, or worse. When approached with a potential cure called CZ88 (Charisma), Aislyn says yes immediately. Aislyn is trying her best to put herself out there, but after she completely fails her science fair presentation, has a panic attack at a party, and can’t say more than a couple words to her crush, Jack, she’s ready to try anything to get rid of this terrible shyness. Aislyn is painfully shy – so shy she can’t present her science fair project to the judges, enjoy parties, or talk to anyone besides her best friend Evie.
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