Wow, Ultraviolet is probably one of the most interesting books I've read in a long time. It wasn't like I thought it would be, but it was still awesome. The premise was so intriguing that I just had to put it on hold at the library. 
 Allison's condition, called synesthesia, is really baffling when it is described to someone who doesn't have it, like me. But being able to do things like see music and taste words and lies? Sounds great. But it also makes Allison incredibly sensitive to thinks like loud noises and bright colors, because the feelings they bring about are magnified times ten. She's so sensitive, in fact, that blaring noises sometimes cause her to freak out completely because she's in so much pain. Understandably, in my opinion, this condition could easily be confused with a mental illness, which, as R.J. Anderson points out in the author's note, synesthesia is not. 
 So, her difference from other people combined with the suspicion that she killed a fellow classmate named Tori lands her in asylum named Pine Hills, where she meets a selection of people, all with their own mental disorders. Allison doesn't like being there, but on a subconscious level she belives she belongs there because she thinks she did kill Tori, even though she doesn't exactly know what happened the day Tori disintigrated. 
 But even though Allison isn't sure whether or not she killed Tori, she still doesn't think she's crazy. So she tries repeatedly to show her doctor that she's sane and weans herself off her medication. I really felt sorry for Allison throughout the novel, because of how people treated her. 
 She finds solace in a scientist named Sebastian Faraday, who studies her and is fascinated with Allison's condition. It became fairly obvious the first time she talked with him that he was the love interest of the story. I really enjoyed Allison's and Faraday's relationship; they were so kind to each other, and later on in the novel they turn to each other because the world thinks that they're both crazy. 
 The big reveal of Ultraviolet was a surprise to me. I guess I should have paid more attention to the colorful sticker on the spine that shouts, "SCI-FI!" Still, after I adjusted to the different road the story was headed down, I found that I still really enjoyed it. 
 The writing was great, because by the end of the book I felt like I could really understand the things Allison sees and feels, and I really felt for all the characters. For example, I really hated Allison's mother throughout the book, but when she explains her reasoning for putting Allison in the asylum, I can understand why she did what she did and feel sorry for her. 
 Ultraviolet is a book I highly recommend.