Review: Split Second by Kasie West

Title: Split Second
Author: Kasie West
Series: Pivot Point, book #2
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: February 11, 2014
Source: borrowed ARC from Sara
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Life can change in a split second.

Addie hardly recognizes her life since her parents divorced. Her boyfriend used her. Her best friend betrayed her. She can’t believe this is the future she chose. On top of that, her ability is acting up. She’s always been able to Search the future when presented with a choice. Now she can manipulate and slow down time, too . . . but not without a price.

When Addie’s dad invites her to spend her winter break with him, she jumps at the chance to escape into the Norm world of Dallas, Texas. There she meets the handsome and achingly familiar Trevor. He’s a virtual stranger to her, so why does her heart do a funny flip every time she sees him? But after witnessing secrets that were supposed to stay hidden, Trevor quickly seems more suspicious of Addie than interested in her. And she has an inexplicable desire to change that.

Meanwhile, her best friend, Laila, has a secret of her own: she can restore Addie’s memories . . . once she learns how. But there are powerful people who don’t want to see this happen. Desperate, Laila tries to manipulate Connor, a brooding bad boy from school—but he seems to be the only boy in the Compound immune to her charms. And the only one who can help her.

As Addie and Laila frantically attempt to retrieve the lost memories, Addie must piece together a world she thought she knew before she loses the love she nearly forgot . . . and a future that could change everything.

And Kasie West does it again.  It's now guaranteed that I will purchase a copy of every book she writes, even if I've already read a review copy.  It's my desire and my duty to support and promote such awesome authors.  West just jam-packs her novels with imaginative storylines and humor and swoons and just everything that makes a book fun.

I loved diving into the world of the Compound, into the seedy underbelly of it, as it were.  We get to experience more of their tech, their hierarchy, and what crossing them leads to.  We also get to see more of life outside of the Compound and just how hard it is to keep it a secret from your average human.  So, in essence, this sequel built upon everything I already loved in Pivot Point.

This time around, we don't get to experience two different paths Addie's life could take by way of the Search.  Oh, she still uses her power -- when she remembers it! -- but it's in small doses as compared to what we saw in the first book. And her power has changed...it's evolved into something more, which was quite interesting to witness as Addie practiced it.

In this book, Addie is spending her winter break with her father in the Norm world, so to fill in the gaps with what's happening back at the Compound, we've got Laila's point-of-view.  I wasn't sure how this would sit with me, considering her betrayal in the last book.  Yes, I know she was coerced into it, but it still felt like betrayal, and I'm not the only one having a hard time coming back from that.  Addie hasn't voiced her lack of trust in her best friend, but it's easy to see in what she doesn't say.

The Addie-Trevor thing is still there, even if neither understands why they feel such a connection since they can't remember how it was forged in the first place.  Even if Trevor is starting to become suspicious of Addie, after witnessing a couple superhuman feats of speed.  It's still just as sweet and adorable as it was in the first book, though.  But now that we have Laila's perspective, we have another ship to cling to.  Where Addie and Trevor are almost saccharine sweet, Laila and Connor are like Sour Patch Kids:  first they're sour, then they're sweet.  I loved how their relationship progressed, what they were willing to do for each other, what they learned about and from each other, how they made it work.  I don't know if I'd call it a slow-burning kind of romance because I felt the intensity of their feelings almost immediately, and it wasn't entirely a hate-to-love type of romance either because of that.  It was just perfect for the characters that they were.  So, if you were afraid after the ending in Pivot Point that the sequel would be lacking in swoons, fret not.  Kasie West wouldn't do us that way.  =)

Also, lots of stuff happens.  Like, stuff that even *I* didn't see coming, which is quite unusual indeed.  And it all wraps up nicely.  I'm a super-huge fan of duologies these days.  Like, over-the-moon happy with this trend.  Less waiting.  More story but with less filler.  Yep.  Let's keep this duet-thing going, okay?  That said, I'd still be okay with a third book in this series because I still have a ton of unanswered questions about Addie and this world.

If you liked Pivot Point, you're going to like Split Second, no doubt about it.  If you haven't started this series yet, I highly recommend it.  It's just fun.  Good, good fun.  It's got superpowers, football, swoons, and -- maybe not best of all, but I still highly treasure this fact -- it's set in Dallas where yours truly is from!

GIF it to me straight:

Yeah, I'm like crazy-person happy!  Such a fun series!

About the author:

I write YA. I eat Junior Mints. Sometimes I go crazy and do both at the same time. My novels, published through Harper Teen are: PIVOT POINT, its sequel SPLIT SECOND (Feb 2014), and THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US (a contemporary novel). I also have two more contemporaries, ON THE FENCE coming out July 1, 2014, and THE FILL-IN BOYFRIEND coming out the summer of 2015. My agent is the talented and funny Michelle Wolfson.

Find Kasie:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Labels: contemporary, favorites, harper-collins, kasie west, must-read, paranormal, pivot point, superpowers

Review: Pivot Point by Kasie West

Title: Pivot Point
Author: Kasie West
Series: Pivot Point, book #1
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: February 12, 2013
Source: from publisher via Edelweiss
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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.

We've all wondered what might have been, where life might have taken us if we'd done things just a little differently.  I know I have.  But Addison Coleman has a gift:  she is divergent, which means she has the ability to view a choice by looking into the future for a specified period of time and determining which path will leave her with the least regrets once it's run its course.  Her ability is often confused with clairvoyance by her peers, but either way, it's a superpower I wouldn't mind having.

When I started Pivot Point, I was expecting more of a science fiction story, mostly because of the paranormal elements and superpowers, but in truth, once Addie uses her power and the two paths diverge, it became more of a contemporary story, not that I'm complaining.  Each chapter is split between her time in the Compound (PARA) and her time in the Normal world (NORM).  At times, the two paths converged, and I liked the sense that no matter which choice(s) you make, some things are meant to be.  Maybe it's not set in stone how they come about, but one way or another, they are going to occur.

Besides the diverging path plotline, there was an underlying murder mystery plot that I found equally intriguing.  Even more so was how it involved Addie and those closest to her and it ended up intermingling with each of the separate lives Addie was living.  And even better was the fact that I thought I'd put all the pieces together, that I knew who the culprit was and how they were doing it, only to be completely blind-sided by several aspects of the story at the conclusion.  Bravo to all these new YA reads that are capable of fully throwing me off the trail.  I'm an avid reader and that's admittedly a hard feat for a novel/author to accomplish.  So, whether the author really is that tricksy or I'm simply so immersed in the story that I'm not watching as closely for clues, the author deserves a big ole pat on the back.

I immediately connected with the characters, as well, even the ones I didn't like so much, because they all felt authentic and true to self.  Each of Addie's relationships -- be it with her parents, her best friend, or the potential love interests -- was realistic and full of the emotions and drama that befit a confused teenage girl.  Not once did I question the authenticity of Addie's narration or whether she was manipulating Searches for the best possible outcome.  It was clear that she used her gift with extreme caution, unlike many of her fellow paranormals.

One aspect I would have liked to see expanded was the setting, both in the Compound and in the Normal world, but that's simply because the book is set in Texas, specifically Dallas in the Normal world, and I love novels set where I live.  But the only thing that really came about because of the setting was the stereotypical obsession with football.  I get it.  Anyone who's seen Friday Night Lights assumes all Texans are inclined toward a preoccupation with the sport.  Whatever.  It's fine...I just think that more could have been done with the setting and the abilities, but this is totally on a personal level and should no way impact your reading enjoyment because the passion for football does play an important role in both of Addie's paths.  I'm just spittin' out my two cents here.

Overall, I really enjoyed Pivot Point.  I've never seen that movie Sliding Doors, though I've heard that's the best comparison to make for this book.  Either way, I loved the duality of this book, the two possible outcomes.  I mean, how do you choose if both options seem right...or if neither of them do?  That's a difficult question that inevitably leads me to believe that it's better that I can't see the outcome of my decisions until it's too late.  Be steadfast in your choices and have no regrets, right?  At any rate, I liked the ending to this book immensely and am so excited to see that this is only the first book in a series.  I can't wait to see what other paths Addie's decisions might lead her down.

Favorite Quote:

“When I read, I feel emotion all on my own. Emotion no living person is making me feel.” 

Rating:   1/2

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Labels: contemporary, dac 2013, harper-collins, kasie west, pivot point, psychological thriller, reviews, sci-fi, superpowers

Teaser Tuesday #43: Pivot Point by Kasie West

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


This week's teaser(s) comes from the following book(s):

Title: Pivot Point
Author: Kasie West
Series: Pivot Point, book #1
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: February 12, 2013
Source: from publisher via Edelweiss
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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.

My teaser:

"You should tell that to your face, because it was looking at him pretty dreamily in the parking lot yesterday.  Duke's charm is already working its magic."

-- 22%/Loc 932 of galley

Hehe...sounds like this book is going to get fun.  =)  I've heard great things about this book, and I've wanted to read it for awhile now.  I'm so glad it finally came up on my reading schedule!!

What are you teasing this week?  Share it in the comments or leave a link so I can visit!

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Labels: harper-collins, kasie west, pivot point, sci-fi, teaser tuesday