Luceat Lux Vestra

Release Date: September 3rd, 2013 from Simon and Schuster

Summary from Cover: 

"Sixteen-year-old Jeff Jacobson had never heard of Jeffrey Dahmer, the infamous serial killer who brutally murdered seventeen people more than twenty years ago. But then Jeff discovers he was constructed in a laboratory only eight years ago, part of a top-secret government cloning experiment called Project Cain. And scientists created him entirely from Jeffrey Dahmer's DNA.

Jeff isn't the only teenage serial-killer clone. Others have been genetically engineered using the DNA of the Son of Sam, the Boston Strangler, and Ted Bundy. Some clones were raised, like Jeff, in caring family environments; others within homes that mimicked the horrific early lives of the serial killers they were created from.

When the most dangerous boys are set free, the summer of killing begins. Worse, they hold a secret weapon even more deadly than the terrible evil they carry within. 

Can Jeff help catch the "monsters" before becoming one himself?"

I somewhat enjoyed this book, When I read the summary on BookOutlet, I was instantly drawn in. Serial killer clones? Secret government organization? Deadly weapon? All of those things strung together made my inner dark fiction reader very happy. When I read it though, it just didn't deliver for me. 

First off, I'll say the one thing that I enjoyed about the book. The structure of the book and the fact that there was no direct dialogue intrigued me. I can honestly say that I have never seen anything like it before. Reading through the book made me feel as if I was Jeff Jacobson living through these events. Most of the books that I have read do not evoke that sense of connectivity, and it was nice experiencing the story line through the eyes of the protagonist rather than standing on the sidelines. 

Other than that, I had a hard time getting through this book. I will admit, school had a part in the struggle of finishing. (It took me over a month to read) Every time I went to read this book, I would get into it for about...3 pages. After that, I felt like I was treading through mud to finish a chapter. I found myself skimming rather than actually reading the book. There was a lot of history thrown into the plot, and I personally thought it was meant as a filler to get the story moving along. I understand that Jeff Jacobson loved history and science, but I felt that Project Cain focused on those aspects too much. Don't get me wrong, I love those two subjects and I found the information interesting, but I didn't see why Girard felt the need to add so much of it into this story.

Towards the end of the story line, the plot began to drawn me in fully. Instead of skimming and wishing to finish it as soon as I could, I began to experience the book. That ending....wow. There was so much suspense within it that I was surprised that all that happened happened in those last 20 pages or so. I was captivated. Intrigued. Just every adjective that could possible fit.....fits. Sadly, I just wish that the whole book had me feeling that way,

All in all, this book receives a 2.5/5 stars. If anyone is interested in science, history, cloning, and serial killers, I would still recommend this. I think that this is a "required taste" sort of read. Some will love it, some will think "ehhhh", or some will hate it.

(Also, there was another book released by Girard in the perspective of Castillo that is an Adult novel. Cain's Blood travels the plot of Project Cain through a highly trained veteran's point of view.)