This was one of those books I was mildly interested in reading when I first saw the blurb and the cover. When I finally got hold of it and started reading, I really liked the writing style but thought the beginning as a whole was kind of slow. I didn't really get into the story until page 150 or so. But after that, there was no stopping me. I plowed through the story like nobody's business. 
 I went back and forth with Pia for a bit. Sometimes, I really enjoyed listening to her narrative and other times she really aggravated me. But I guess I can't blame her for being a little conceited here and there, what with everyone constantly telling her how perfect she was. When she started unraveling the secrets of her life and existance, I really began to care for her, because I saw what a good heart she had. 
 The romance was really very sweet. It didn't take very long at all for Eio and Pia (those names sound cute together), to fall in love. I think it took about a week for them to be declaring it. Normally, this would bother me a great deal. But the urgency of their circumstances and certain events that occured throughout the story made me pretty much indifferent to this. They just had a really good connection, a real love between them that was awesome. 
 The author did a very nice job of describing Pia's surroundings, Little Cam and the rainforest. She definitely did her research for Origin, I can be positive about that. Everything was very vivid and clear in my mind, and a good mental picture always helps to make a novel better. 
 The characters all left different impressions upon me, in their own ways. The epilogue in Harriet's POV at the end was a nice surprise. She was probably my favorite character aside from Pia and Eio. I felt like the villians of the story had good substance to them - really, it's not unrealisitic at all to think of scientists going way over the top to accomplish their goal. I can only imagine the things people in this world would do if they knew they could gain immortality through the use of a flower or something along those lines. Really, it's chilling to think about, because people would stop at nothing. 
 The way the story ended was a little shocking to me. I didn't expect a certain twist at all. But now that I think about it, it was probably the perfect way to end the book. 
 The only thing that bothered me about Origin was the animal deaths. I realize that maybe this was a crucial point in the story (i.e. the sick tests Pia and others had to pass) but I have a really hard time with this type of thing. It makes me sick. Someone has to be really sick to inject a vial of poison into an innocent kitten. 
 Overall, though, I was stunned by how much I enjored Origin, and am just now realizing that this is not actually a series. It's a standalone. I'm not quite sure how to deal with this. Everything seems to be a series these days. On one hand, I'm kind of disappointed, because I would love to read more about Pia and Eio. But on the other hand, their story is pretty much all told, so I can appreciate how it's not dragged on. 
 4 stars.