Dissonance and TSTL Syndrome

Published:  July 22nd, 2014
Dissonance (Dissonance #1)
By: Erica O'Rourke
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
ISBN-13:  9781442460249

Delancey Sullivan has always known there's more to reality than what people see.  Every time someone makes a choice, a new, parallel world branches off from the existing one.  Eating breakfast or skipping it, turning left or right, sneaking out instead of staying in bed - all of these choices create an alternate universe in which an echo self takes the road not travelled and makes the opposite decision.  As a Walker, someone who can navigate between these worlds, Del's job is to keep all of the dimensions in harmony.

Normally, Del can hear the dissonant frequency each world emits as clear as a bell.  But when a training session in an off-key world goes horribly wrong, she is forbidden from Walking by the Council.  But Del's not big on following the rules and she secretly starts to investigate these other worlds.  Something strange is connecting them and it's not just her random encounters with with echo versions of the guy she likes, Simon Lane.

But Del's decisions have unimaginable consequences, and as she begins to fall for the
Echo Simons in each world, she draws closer to a truth that the Council of Walkers is trying to hide - a secret that threatens the fate of the entire mutliverse.

Review

     Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm a nut for anything involving alternate universes or time travel.  Basically, anything that lets us explore the greatest mysteries in the universe, all beginning with the words: "What if?"  But I felt like that potential was wasted in this particular book.  I seem to be in the minority, with so many glowing reviews on this one floating around.  But I honestly found the world-building, mythology and technical terms to be really convoluted.  I may not be the most scientific person ever, but generally I can follow along in these types of books.  The way things were explained about the Walkers, the dissonance, the alternate worlds, etc. was kind of a mess.  I felt like at the end of the book I still didn't get exactly why Del was able to "cleave" worlds, or why the Council was after her and what all Simon had to do with it.  The connections were not clear between any of the key points of the conflict.  

     As for the characters, Del was an arrogant brat.  Yeah, her parents were pretty absent and her sister was a bitch.  But Del acts without thinking, has no thought for consequences and basically trys to elbow around them when they happen.  She's always pouting and sneaking out, walking through other worlds even when she's not supposed to.  Her crush on Simon seemed more like an obsession, as she uses more and more of her walks to find and hook up with alternate versions of Simon, under false pretenses.  There were a lot of filler scenes that seemed to lead nowhere, and really weren't necessary in the grand scheme of things.  I found myself flipping through pages and skipping a lot, mostly out of sheer boredom.  This book was about two-hundred pages too long, and those pages did nothing for the plot.  They gave no clarity, development or resolution.  It needed a lot more editing, that unfortunately it didn't receive.  

     The love triangle between Del, Simon and Del's friend Eliot was disgusting to me.  She's totally leading on Eliot and using him the entire book, until he calls her on it, all under the excuse that she "didn't know" he had feelings for her.  If that's true, Del's even stupider than I thought she was (better than cruel, I guess).  The outright lack of reasoning capability on the part of the protagonist and the lack of direction in the plot (which led up to a big reveal that made even LESS sense to me personally), leaves this one as a do-not-recommend for me.  Not a fan, and I feel like I wasted my time.  It only gets the rating it does because I got through it and it had potential, even if it was unrealized.

VERDICT:  2/5  Stars

**I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie.  No favors or money were exchanged for this review.  This book's was published on July 22nd, 2014.**

Journey to the Past

Published:  January 1st, 2014
Timebound (The Chronos Files #1)
By: Rysa Walker
Skyscape
ISBN-13:  9781477848159

When Kate-Pierce Keller's grandmother gives her a strange blue medallion and speaks of time travel, sixteen-year-old Kate assumes the old woman is delusional.  But it all becomes horrifyingly real when a murder in the past destroys the foundation of Kate's present-day life.  Suddenly, that medallion is the only thing protecting Kate from blinking out of existence.

Kate learns that the 1893 killing is part of something much more sinister, and Kate's genetic ability to time-travel makes her the only one who can stop him.  Risking everything, she travels to the Chicago World's Fair to try to prevent the killing and the chain of events that follows.

Changing the timeline comes with a personal cost, however -- if Kate succeeds, the boy she loves will have no memory of her existence.  And regardless of her motives, does she have the right to manipulate the fate of the entire world?

Review

     I am one of those people who are kind of obsessed with the possibility of time travel and I absolutely love reading books about it!  After reading Timebound, I am still trying to figure out how to make my brain comprehend everything!  So many things can go wrong with a time travel book, but this one managed to weave all the threads of plot, the people and the action together in a way that was plausible and exciting.  Not to mention, this is the first book in a really long time that managed to capture me so much that I sat down, and basically finished it in one sitting!  Another thing that was impressive to me is that it's a debut novel.  I cannot wait to see what Rysa Walker does in her future books with this universe that she's created!
     We are introduced to Kate Pierce-Keller at the beginning of the book, who splits her time between living with her Dad and her Mom.  It's a mostly amicable divorced relationship and Kate gets along decently with both of her parents.  Introduce her estranged maternal Grandmother, also Katherine, to the situation and things start to get tense.  See, Mom thinks Grandma is a little bit crazy.  When she tells Kate that she's inherited the time travel gene and is needed to fix things that have gone wrong in the timeline, Kate thinks her Mom might be right.  Then Kate experiences a major shift in her reality, which causes her Mom to disappear from existence, her Dad to be across the country and married to someone else, and she herself doesn't exist either.  It turns out her Grandmother was born in the future, and time travelled as a historian.  But, Saul, the man she travelled with (who became Kate's Grandfather) wanted to use time for his own gains and began to change things.  Kate's Grandma is now training her to fix the timeline, back to the way it was before Saul began creating his own religion, and setting himself up to be a false prophet throughout history.  With the help of Katherine, Connor (her assistant), and Trey (a guy she meets along the way), it's up to Kate to pinpoint when exactly everything changed...and turn it back, before it's too late.
     So...yeah.  Everyone in this book has a reason for wanting the timeline to go back to the way it originally was.  Kate wants her Mom and Dad back, Katherine's assistant Connor wants his kids back because they disappeared during a timeline shift, Kate's best friend is now part of Saul's religious cult in this alternate timeline and if they don't outwit Saul her missing Aunt Prudence may never be found.  But then there are some cons to changing things back as well: Kate's newfound love Trey won't remember her or their time together, because they never would have met in the original timeline.  Kate's Dad is happily married with children in this new timeline, which also won't happen if they change things back.  Also, Aunt Prudence just happens to be working with Saul to destroy the universe as they know it - so she's a little bit beyond saving.  I loved the chunk of time that the narrative spends with Kate in the past, at the Chicago World's Fair.  It explains how she meets Kiernan (the mysterious guy another one of her selves in another timeline has a relationship with - he also happens to be Connor's ancestor), shows her interacting with her much younger, time-travelling Grandmother Katherine, and also gives us a subplot involving a historically real serial killer of the time.  It also allows us to meet Prudence, who is slightly crazy and happens to want Kiernan for herself.  Oh, the drama! :)
     Also, Walker gives some great worldbuilding in regards to the explanation for the Chronos gene, the rules of time travel and the reasons why things work or don't work.  I got a pretty clear understanding of what was possible and what wasn't.  It was also truly wonderful having a main character that didn't spend half of the book arguing that none of it was possible, she didn't want to save the world, blah, blah, blah!  I understand that it might have been more realistic, but I am so sick of the "poor me" schtick in YA books.  For once I was just happy to have a heroine kick-ass enough to willingly and easily take on the challenge.  She's not perfect and does do stupid things, like seeking out her Dad once she finds out she doesn't exist anymore.  But Kate is karate trained, willing to make a difference, has close friends and family, and doesn't mind fighting for what she wants.  Such a change - a welcome one!  The twists and turns of the plot, and how everyone was connected to each other were fresh and unique.  I enjoyed reading this and I'm not going to say anymore to avoid any really large spoilers, but some serious shit goes down at the World's Fair and it ends on a pretty big cliffhanger!  As the first series I have been truly excited for in a LONG time, I highly recommend it.  I cannot WAIT to read the next one!

VERDICT:  4.5/5 Stars

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**

One More Time for the Operator

Expected Publication: March 11th, 2014

Ask Again Later

By: Liz Czukas

HarperTeen

ISBN-13:  9780062272393

Despite what her name might suggest, Heart has zero interest in a complicated romance.  So when her brilliant plan to go to the prom with a group of friends is disrupted by two surprise invites, Heart knows there's only one drama-free solution: flip a coin.

Heads: The jock.  He might spend all night staring at his ex or throw up in the limo, but how bad can her brother's best friend be?

Tails: The theater geek...with a secret.  What could be better than a guy who shares all of Heart's interests -- even if he wants to share all his feelings?

Heart's simple coin flip has somehow given her the chance to live out both dates.  But where her prom ends up might be the most surprising thing of all.....

Review

     I absolutely adore anything to do with alternate realitites, two majorly different outcomes to a choice of some sort, or just anything wonky to do with the space time continuum.  I should have known better to read a book about a girl named Heart who doesn't believe in love, and has to choose between two different prom dates!  I didn't really like Heart as a main character, and felt like she was a poseur and a complete pushover.  Instead of going with her friends to the prom in their group of No Prom-a Drama (gag me at that name, ugh) she lets herself be guilt tripped and or coerced into going to the prom with a guy she doesn't really want to go with (depending on your reality).  I didn't mind Heart's friend Ryan all that much, although his secret was such a plot device that he barely existed except to cause drama between Heart and the guy who (not-so-secretly) likes her for real.  I also don't get why he told Heart his secret, because yes she accepted him and didn't tell anyone about it, but she stereotyped him at every turn and was just an inconsiderate d-bag about it.  And her brother's friend is described as a big, dumb teddy bear of a guy but spends the majority of the book drunk and ignoring Heart - when he's not kissing her against her wishes (total sexual assault, and everyone just brushes it off and justifies it - including her brother and "love" interest!).  

     Her actual love interest is a boy from her drama class named Chase, who Heart calls Schroeder (he plays the piano like the Peanuts character), who teases her by calling her other body parts instead of her name (i.e. pancreas, etc.).  He's hot and cold to the extreme, never actually coming out and telling Heart he likes her as more than a friend/frenemie.  Schroeder spends most of the book as a belligerent asshole, treating Heart like crap because he's pissed she hasn't figured out he likes her - what, is she supposed to be a mindreader or something?  How does he not notice how overall oblivious and kind of dumb Heart happens to be?  His behavior throughout the book does NOT endear him to me as a love interest.  Their relationship will NOT be a healthy one, in any way, shape or form.  Also, everytime I read Heart's full name, I was calling her Heart Heart in my head (her last name is LaCoeur - "the heart" in French)!  It was distracting, sickening in it's cutesiness and it made Heart's Mom seem like a complete and utter moron (which might have been the point, to show what a deadbeat, dumb young teen Mom she was).  Yet another stereotype.  Either than or the author was trying to be clever.  In which case, EPIC FAIL.  Overall I really disliked it, and thought it was seriously superficial development wise in character and plot.  This book was a very bad type of shallow.  I spent most of the last half skimming it rather than reading closely.  I do not recommend this unless you are obsessed with Prom and like thick-skulled protagonists.  The only reason this gets as many stars as it does is for the premise, and due to the fact that I managed to finish reading it (barely).

VERDICT:  1.5/5  Stars

**I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie.  No favors or money were exchanged for this review.  This book's expected publication date is March 11th, 2014.**

So Hard to Say Goodbye, To Yesterday

Published:  September 3rd, 2013

All Our Yesterdays (All Our Yesterdays #1)

By: Cristin Terrill

Disney-Hyperion

ISBN-13:  9781423176374

"You have to kill him." Imprisoned in the heart of a secret military base, Em has nothing except the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain.

Only Em can complete the final instruction. She’s tried everything to prevent the creation of a time machine that will tear the world apart. She holds the proof: a list she has never seen before, written in her own hand. Each failed attempt in the past has led her to the same terrible present—imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic man called the doctor while war rages outside. 

Marina has loved her best friend James since the day he moved next door when they were children. A gorgeous, introverted science prodigy from one of America’s most famous families, James finally seems to be seeing Marina in a new way, too. But on one disastrous night, James’s life crumbles apart, and with it, Marina’s hopes for their future. Now someone is trying to kill him. Marina will protect James, no matter what. Even if it means opening her eyes to a truth so terrible that she may not survive it. At least not as the girl she once was. 

All Our Yesterdays is a wrenching, brilliantly plotted story of fierce love, unthinkable sacrifice, and the infinite implications of our every choice.

Review

     Marina is experiencing the joy and heartache of first love, possibly unrequited.  Four years later, Em is imprisoned and tortured endlessly to give up her secrets, with only one true recourse - to go back in time and kill the man responsible for the destruction of the world.  She must kill him before he creates the time machine, as it causes the world to become unrecognizable and for him to become evil/power mad.  The only problem is that Em has a vested interest in making Marina's life one free of pain and suffering.  Of course the guy she needs to kill just happens to be Marina's next door neighbor, best friend and first love, James (whom they now call the Doctor).  With the help of her friend Finn who is in the cell next to hers, Em escapes and makes it back in time, four days before the turning point that will make it impossible to succeed.  But can she manage to go through with it, even with her and Finn's own lives on the line, when it could destroy things in an entirely different way?

     OH. MY. GOSH.  This book went beyond all expectations!  It's the time travel/alternate reality fiction that I've been waiting on all this time, while I've been drowning in a sea of mediocre books!!!  But for me as much as I enjoyed the theory behind this particular sort of time travel (I really prefer my principles a bit vague and the book to be not very scientifically oriented, to be honest about it) and the intricacies of the plot, for me it was all about the characters.  Anyone who reads reviews on this site knows that I am nuts about character development and detail.  For me it's one of the main focuses when I read.  If the characters are truly awesome and the plot only good, I can get past that and end up loving the book anyways.  The other way around, it's not as easy for me as a reader.  This book definitely had what I've been wanting in terms of characters to fall in love with.

     Ms. Terrill writes this in alternating points of view between Marina four years earlier, and Em who is living in the aftermath of Marina's reality and decisions.  That's all I'm going to say because I don't want to give away any really major spoilers, but the dynamic between the two and the way their lives affect one another absolutely crushed me.  Em wants nothing more than to protect Marina and shelter her, the way she speaks of her almost sounding like a Mother about a daughter at times.  It makes the revelations about their connection to each other all the more crushing and chilling when it comes.  Marina's relationships with James and her new friend Finn are especially fraught, because she's unsure of how to behave or feel when James' older brother is shot and everything begins to crumble.  In the beginning Marina is kind of spoiled, shallow and has her head in the sand quite a bit.  Throughout the novel we get to see her evolve and grow as a person, learning her own heart and mind better than she ever has.  Especially her bickering/tension filled relations with Finn, who has a life situation completely opposite of her own, and is a better friend that Marina ever could have known. 

     The development of Em is different, in that for her developing means coming to terms with her past and what it has formed her into.  Em is trying to hide from herself, the decisions she's made and even the life she's living.  By the end she has come to love herself, which lets her open herself to loving Finn as well.  James and Finn are two different sides of the same coin.  They are best friends, both inherently good but making plenty of mistakes in their lives.  Mainly what separates them is James' downwards spiral into a quest for power, a rationale of "for the greater good" and a blindness to the evil he's inflicting.  James becomes unable to see the truth between right and wrong and teaches everyone involved in his past AND future that not everyone can be saved, with some second chances not being for the best.  I did like the political aspect woven into the narrative, with the assassination of James' brother Nate serving as the (apparent) catalyst for everything that happens in regards to the time machine.  It really is a scary thought to think of what a major government could do with a time machine.  I also enjoyed the reference to Greek mythology (or so I'm assuming) in the name of the time machine.  

     The plot was well-paced, with the action never becoming too much or too little as the book got deeper into the narrative.  There were a couple of side characters I think weren't very well fleshed out (such as Marina's housekeeper/surrogate Mother and her actual parents), but as this is the first in a series maybe more will be expanded on later on.  Overall, one of my absolute favorite books of the year and I definitely want my own copy for keeps!  It was a beautifully written, very thought-provoking novel and I highly recommend it even to those who are wary of time-travel infused narratives.

VERDICT:  5/5  Stars

**I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie.  No favors or money were exchanged for this review.  This book was published September 3rd, 2013.**

The Bermuda Triangle Is NOT a Vacation Spot!

Expected Publication:  June 18th, 2013
Triangles
By: Kimberly Ann Miller
Spencer Hill Press
ISBN-13:  9781937053369

A cruise ship. A beautiful island. Two sexy guys. What could possibly go wrong?

In the Bermuda Triangle—a lot.

Hoping to leave behind the reminders of her crappy life--her father's death years ago, her mother's medical problems, and the loser who’s practically stalking her--seventeen-year-old Autumn Taylor hops on a ship with her sister for a little distraction. When she wakes up in the Bermuda Triangle, she fears she's gone nuts for more than one reason: that loser’s suddenly claiming they're a happy couple... a hot guy is wrapping his arms around her and saying "Happy Anniversary"... and suddenly, she’s full of bruises, losing her hair, and getting IV medication. Autumn visits the ship's doctor, hoping for a pill or a shot to make the craziness go away. Instead, she's warned that these "alternate realities" could become permanent.

She just has to ask herself one question—how the hell is she going to get out of this mess?

Review

 

     Autumn Taylor's life completely sucks.  She works at an auto-mechanic shop with a guy who is practically stalking her, her Mom is in a coma that she's pretty sure is her fault, her sister has decided that she's in charge of Autumn's every move and she's pretty sure she'll never save up enough money to leave New Jersey for good.  She's excited when her sister tells her that they're going on a cruise their Mom had planned before her accident.  Maybe Autumn can get away from Joey (stalker-boy), her crazy & depressing life and let herself relax for a change.  But when Joey and hot, local playboy Marcus are both on the ship with her things are bound to get crazy - especially when they're passing through the Bermuda Triangle!  Each day in the triangle has Autumn living an alternate reality and trying to figure out the meaning of her real life in comparison.  Can she get back to her own reality or will she be trapped in another version of her life?
     From the synopsis, I expected a little more mystery about the Bermuda Triangle and it's strange effects to be present.  If that's what you're looking for TURN BACK WHILE YOU STIILL CAN!!!  What I got instead was a book full of rom-com fluff (if you can call man-whore playboys and stalkers romantic), mixed with some moments trying to emotionally heavy and 'important' to character development.  The feel of this book is distinctly New Adult hormones/actions/language, mixed with middle-grade maturity levels.  In other words, at times it is a serious train wreck.  Autumn has had a lot of bad stuff happen in her life and I can understand how that might make her unreceptive to other peoples' attempts to connect with her.  But other than when she wants something from others, Autumn is a complete and total rude, unfeeling, manipulative, spoiled, selfish, little bitch to everyone.  Including her sister, who is doing her best to take care of an uncooperative teenager who refuses to act like a human being.  And yes Joey was pretty much the epitome of a creepy stalker, but Autumn uses him when she feels like it and treats him like dirt while she's doing it!  Then when she wants him to go away, Autumn completely ignores him!
     The alternate realities are an interesting idea and the fact that they take place in the Bermuda Triangle is a fresh concept for a YA book.  The first alternate universe had Autumn with playboy Marcus, in a 'committed' relationship and Joey doesn't even know who she is, plus her dead Dad is alive.  The next time Autumn is married to Joey, has an infant daughter and her sister is with Marcus.  The third time Autumn is sick with cancer and dying (Joey is her step-brother).  As she goes through the different realities, Autumn learns to appreciate the things she has in life, the people around her and everything else she's taken for granted.  That said, I feel like even being guided by the mysterious ship's Doctor (who is otherworldly in some way...) that Autumn still didn't understand the fact that the entire universe didn't center around herself by the time the end of the book rolls around.  I enjoyed this book overall, but in spite of the main character and not because of her like I would have preferred.  As a character driven reader, this book's extremely unlikeable characters were a letdown.  But the plot kept me going, even though the ending was a little too clichéd for my tastes.  I would have preferred more scientifically-supernatural material to be included based on the Bermuda Triangle connection.  The fantasy execution of that plot point is respectable but not anything new or extremely interesting.  Overall, not something I will read again and I might recommend it but only to very specific people. 

VERDICT:  2.25/5 Stars

*I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie. No favors or money were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is June 18th, 2013.*

Stay On The Other Side of the Mirror

Expected Publication:  May 14th, 2013
Parallel
By: Lauren Miller
HarperTeen
ISBN-13:  9780062199799

Abby Barnes had a plan. The Plan. She'd go to Northwestern, major in journalism, and land a job at a national newspaper, all before she turned twenty-two. But one tiny choice—taking a drama class her senior year of high school—changed all that. Now, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Abby is stuck on a Hollywood movie set, miles from where she wants to be, wishing she could rewind her life. The next morning, she's in a dorm room at Yale, with no memory of how she got there. Overnight, it's as if her past has been rewritten.

With the help of Caitlin, her science-savvy BFF, Abby discovers that this new reality is the result of a cosmic collision of parallel universes that has Abby living an alternate version of her life. And not only that: Abby's life changes every time her parallel self makes a new choice. Meanwhile, her parallel is living out Abby's senior year of high school and falling for someone Abby's never even met.

As she struggles to navigate her ever-shifting existence, forced to live out the consequences of a path she didn't choose, Abby must let go of the Plan and learn to focus on the present, without losing sight of who she is, the boy who might just be her soul mate, and the destiny that's finally within reach.

Review

 

     Abby Barnes had a pretty great life until she was thrown a curveball - she has to take either drama or astronomy her senior year because her chosen elective was cancelled.  So she takes drama, which instead of leading her to Northwestern for journalism like she's planned on forever, threw her into the lead of the school play.  Then she was discovered and cast in an action movie.  Now Abby is feeling like her life is going in a direction that she never approved of and so she wishes for a do-over.  The next morning she wakes up in a dorm room at Yale with no idea how she got there.  Someone out there must have been listening, because Abby's wish has been granted.  But after the collision that put her in this parallel world happened, Abby is year behind in her memories.  And with her parallel making new decisions daily, every time she wakes up things are different.  With the help of her friend Caitlin and each new set of memories, Abby is able to piece together some semblance of a life.  But when the decisions of her parallel (who is still trying to live by the rules) begin to get in the way of what Abby really wants, will she find a way to forge her own path and take control of her destiny?

     The premise of this book is one of my favorites - surviving when time travel/parallel universes/alternate realities throw things out of whack.  I don't necessarily even require a well-drawn scientific explanation (although that's definitely a bonus factor).  What I do require is a coherent plot, interesting and relatable characters, and a satisfying ending that makes me feel like I didn't completely waste my time as a reader.  This book started out with the first two requirements being met, but things degraded as the plot progressed.  I'm still trying to decide if it met the last requirement in any capacity whatsoever.  Abby, the displaced and disillusioned girl who finds herself in a parallel life was like an alien lifeform to me.  She treated everything that didn't fit into her life plan with complete disdain, was a jerk to almost everyone she came into contact with and don't even get me started on the Josh/Michael debate.  The little plot twist about their connection to each other had me gagging and seeing red alternately.  Her best friend Caitlin, on the other hand, is the best kind of character.  One with faults, but who doesn't let bumps in the road completely derail her.  The evolution of her character was my favorite part of the book.  Well, besides crazy Dr. Mann's lectures and odd little mannerisms/actions.  I felt like most of the side characters were very underdeveloped, with the most cardboard ones being Ilana (the stock slut character), Tyler (the 'sensitive' jock/popular guy), and Michael (the mysterious/perfect boyfriend).  It made the interactions with the secondaries very bland and kind of annoying to me.  When the book was focusing on the disparity between realities and the affect on Abby and Caitlin, it had my attention and interest.  But when it became completely centered around 'soulmates' (Bish PLEASE!) and who was in love with who, it really took a nosedive.  By the time it ended I was completely disgusted and mad that I hadn't quit reading it earlier on.  The full circle idea for the ending was a good one, but the destiny concept pissed me off so bad I couldn't see past my anger/disdain.  Such an easy out for an author!  Overall, if you like romance and EXTREMELY light sci-fi, this might be the book for you,  Especially if you believe in using people like your own personal toys, without remorse and in predestination.

 

VERDICT:  2/5  Stars

 

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via Edelweiss. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is May 14th, 2013.*

What's Behind Door Number Three?

Expected Publication:  February 12th, 2013
Pivot Point (Pivot Point # 1) 
By: Kasie West
HarperTeen
ISBN-13:  9780062117373

Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier . . .

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.

Review

     Addie has a serious decision to make - whether or not to leave the Compound she's lived in her entire life to live with her Dad or to stay there with her Mom.  On the outside things would be completely different with the Norms, people without special abilities like Addie, her friends and family have at their fingertips.  So Addie does what she always has, she uses her ability to search both potential outcomes to decide what to choose.   But when things get dangerous and it looks like Addie's only choice is what way she prefers to be unhappy, what will she choose?  And can her choice mean the difference between life or death, hate or love?  This was an extremely interesting book.  I loved the fact that Addie could search into the future and DECIDE which choice to make based on the outcomes.  Usually in fiction, if a characters has a time travel/alternate dimension related ability, they can't use it to make their future different in any way.  Addie is able to bypass that stifling rule and do things her own way.  The relationships she has with her parents and best friend, Laila,  are very well developed and highly realistic. I loved the snarky comments and the rebel hair-streaking in the reality where she chooses her Mom.  The romances with Duke and Trevor, respectively, were both carried off perfectly.  Only at the end do you realize that one of them has been playing Addie  and using her for their own purposes.  There is also a side story with the paranormally inclined teens using their powers to hurt other athletes, striking out competition.  Honestly, I didn't find it completely necessary but it did help tie the two realities together nicely and bring things full circle.  The ending was something that disappointed me but also made me happy.  Addie did what was right and missed out on her happy ending.  But it seemed like she might find her way back to it at the end.  Overall, a fun and well-written mystery/romance that I would recommend to fans of time travel and alternate realities.  I will definitely be reading the next one in the series! :)

VERDICT:  4/5  Stars

*I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie. No favors or money were exchanged for this review. It will be available for purchase on February 12th, 2013.*