Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Control | 2013 | Lydia Kang | Buy |
| 2 | Catalyst | 2015 | Lydia Kang | Buy |
The Control duology by Lydia Kang is a YA science fiction series set in a future where genetic traits are bought and sold. It was Kang’s fiction debut, published between 2013 and 2015.
Control introduces Zelia, who has been living in a safe haven for genetically unique individuals called Carus. When she starts to question the motives of those running the refuge, she realizes that the people she trusted may be treating her and others like experiments. Catalyst picks up the story as Zelia fights back against the system. Kang’s background as a physician gives the genetic science in the books more specificity than you typically find in YA dystopias, and the ethical questions about who gets to control human biology feel grounded in real scientific debates.