Description: Blay lives in a work camp for homeless children, where they dig through a garbage dump to retrieve valuable items such as paper. There is not much technology left after the recent technocaust, when scientists were blamed for environmental disasters and taken to concentration camps. Due to her love of reading, Blay is chosen to help Marella, the new bio-indicator, with her studies. In the past, these individuals, whose bodies react to poisons in the environment, served as warning mechanisms for others, but now, as the Earth heals and the danger lessens, they are expected to collect and interpret scientific data. As she helps Marella pass a series of tests, Blay discovers that she has a natural talent for science. As she starts to live a more normal life, she realizes how misled she has been by the people in charge of her society.
Note: Description taken from amazon.com
Review: "The Secret Under My Skin" is an excellent teen sci-fi that contains parallels to things that are happening today. The futuristic society (the book is set in the year 2368) is well-done and definitely believable, nicely avoiding the usual science fiction pitfall of being too over-the-top. Blay is a good character who reacts realistically to her environment and to the things she finds out. The other characters can be slightly distant and unsympathetic, however. I think that the book's romantic aspect feels off, and the book would have been just as good, if not better, without it. But the plot makes up for character/relationship shortcomings and ensures that the book is definitely worth reading. Readers will love Blay and will want to keep reading to find out more about her past and what her future will ultimately be.