All Things Halloween Review - Split Second

Split Second (Pivot Point, # 2)

By: Kasie West

Published: February 11th 2014 by HarperTeen

360 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal

Source: Personal Kindle Library (Christmas present from my sister-in-law)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--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.

You guys, it's been 2 years since I read Pivot Point. That being said, I forgot A LOT about that book. I remembered that Addie could see both futures when presented with a choice, and I remembered that she chose the future that didn't include Trevor in order to save her best friend, Laila's life. I also remembered how every little detail was important to the overall story. However, the downside to that was that two years later it's pretty impossible for me to remember every little detail. I can't believe that it took me this long to read Split Second.

At the end of Pivot Point before Addie chose a path, she wrote herself a note to be opened on a specific date. She then chose her path and had Laila erase her memory of the other option. Unfortunately, Laila chooses not to give Addie the note that she wrote herself because Laila doesn't want to add any stress to Addie. This means that when Addie goes to visit her father and she meets Trevor she has no memory of him in the alternative life that she could have chosen.

I should have been, but wasn't, prepared for it to take as long as it did for Addie to get her memories back. On the one hand, that made Addie's storyline not as interesting to me, yet made Laila's even more interesting. And on that note, Laila is an added narrator in Split Second. I wasn't thrilled about this at first, but as it turns out, Laila's part of the story was my favorite part.

It's not just that Addison doesn't have any memories of her potential life with Trevor, but because she didn't actually live that life Trevor also doesn't have any memories of Addison. But unlike Addison, Trevor can't get back memories that he never had. That made things interesting because the two have to develop a connection and fall for each other all over again. They do begin to develop that connection before Addie even gets her memories back, but it just didn't quite feel the same to me this time.

This time, instead of Addie fighting to save Laila, Laila is working to save Addie. She has to learn how to even restore someone's memory that she's erased in the first place. And she ends up needing Conner's help. The chemistry between these two made the book for me. They're hot and then cold. It starts off as one of those relationship where the two can hardly stand each other. I really enjoyed it.

Favorite quotes:

-"Because you need me, and I've never needed anyone more than I need you."

I'd say write this one down as another win for Kasie West. Paranormal...contemporary...it doesn't matter. She's great at writing characters that I can't help but get invested in. I've noticed more in this series than in her contemporary work, but every single piece is important. She's never let me down. Split Second gets 4 Stars from me. Have you read Split Second? What did you think? Let me know!

This review is part of my All Things Halloween event--a month of paranormal, supernatural, mystery/thriller, etc reviews and books.

Top Ten Characters I'd Want As Family Members

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Characters I'd Want As Family Members.

1. Mustang from The Red Rising Trilogy by Pierce Brown - because she's loyal but not blind.
2. Addie from Pivot Point by Kasie West - because wouldn't it be great to have someone close by who could search the future?
3. Sean from The Summer Series by CJ Duggan - because it would be awesome to have an excuse to visit his house in Australia on vacation.
4. Dany from A Song of Ice and Fire by George R R Martin - because...well...dragons of course.
5. Ismae from His Fair Assassin by Robin LaFevers - because it couldn't hurt to have an assassin in the family, right?
6. Val from V is for Virgin by Kelly Oram - because she would make an awesome role model.
7. Lisbeth from Millennium by Stieg Larsson - because should I ever need a computer hacked or to get out of some kind of legal trouble.
8. Rose from Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead - because she makes me laugh and because if I ever need to break out of prison.
9. Miles from Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover - because he could fly me anywhere in the world.
10. The Weasleys from Harry Potter by JK Rowling - because they just have the kind of family that everyone wants to be a part of.

This topic ended up being a bit harder than I expected it to be, but it has also inspired a topic for my next freebie post. What about you guys? Which characters would you want to be members of your family? Let me know!

Top Ten Series I Have Yet to Finish

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Series I Have Yet to Finish.

As if hosting the 2015 Series Enders Reading Challenge isn’t enough motivation for me to finish all of these series that I’ve gotten started! But it’s just almost impossible. I love a good series. I’ve got roughly 65ish series started and not finished. I know. I keep up with it in a spreadsheet because I’m a nerd. Some of these are series where not all of the books have been published so I physically can’t finish them just yet. But some of them have been published for way too long. I’m going to focus on the series where I only have one book left to read in order to complete them.

1. Age of X by Richelle Mead – The Eyes of Andromeda (not pictured)
2. The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater – The Raven King (not pictured)
3. The Grisha by Leigh Bardugo – Ruin & Rising
4. Partials by Dan Wells - Ruins
5. The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey – The Last Star (not pictured)
6. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer - Winter
7. Lux by Jennifer L Armentrout - Opposition
8. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick - Finale
9. Starbound by Meagan Spooner & Aime Kaufman – Their Fractured Light
10. Pivot Point by Kasie West – Split Second
11. Beautifully Broken by Courtney Cole – Until We Fly
12. Penryn & the End of Days by Susan Ee – End of Days

There are actually more I’m sure. Which series have you just not finished yet? Consider signing up for the 2015 Series Enders Reading Challenge as extra motivation to knock them out. Each series ender read and reviewed in 2015 gets you an entry into a monthly and yearly giveaway. Let me know!

Top Ten Books I Want Santa to Bring Me

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Books I Want Santa to Bring Me.

1. Breaking the Rules (Pushing the Limits, # 1.5) by Katie McGarry
2. Maybe Not (Maybe Someday, # 1.5) by Colleen Hoover
3. That One Summer (Summer, # 3) by CJ Duggan
4. The Certainty of Violet & Luke (The Coincidence, # 5) by Jessica Sorensen
5. The Resolution of Callie and Kayden (The Coincidence, # 6) by Jessica Sorensen
6. Mortal Heart (His Fair Assassins, # 3) by Robin LaFevers
7. Stolen Songbird (Malediction Trilogy, # 1) by Danielle L Jensen
8. Split Second (Pivot Point, # 2) by Kasie West
9. The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, # 3) by Michelle Hodkin
10. Ignite Me (Shatter Me, # 3) by Tahereh Mafi
11. Ruins (Partials, # 3) by Dan Wells

That’s not all the books I have on my Christmas Wish List, but I think these are the ones at the top of the list for priority. Which books are you hoping Santa brings you this year? Let me know!

Pivot Point - Review

Pivot Point (Pivot Point, # 1)

By: Kasie West

Published: February 12th 2013 by HarperTeen

343 pages

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository | Booksamillion.com )

*Note: The above links to Amazon, The Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--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.

I’ve read three Kasie West books at this point, and I have to say that I’ve been impressed with every single one of them. I’ve had Pivot Point in my possession for MONTHS. And anytime the subject of Kasie West came up someone would ask if I’ve read Pivot Point or they would recommend Pivot Point to me, and I would always say “I have it in my possession, but I just haven’t gotten around to it yet.” And so with the March Take Control of Your TBR Pile Challenge that Kimba The Caffeinated Reviewer hosted, I decided that was the time to pick up Pivot Point. It just so happened that I was also off work for a day. I woke up around 8:00 am and said “I’m just going to read until 9:00 am.” Nine came and I said “I’m just going to read until 10:00.” Ten came and I said “I’ll just read until 11:00 and then I’ll eat lunch and get up and get some stuff done around the house.” Eleven came and I did put the book down, ate lunch, and then I said “I’m so close to finishing. I might as well just knock this book out.” HA! That’s how that all went down. I just didn’t want to stop reading it. I also have to say that I was impressed with how different Pivot Point was from the other two (contemporary) books I’ve read by Kasie West.

I haven’t read as much paranormal over the last year or two as I used to so that aspect of Pivot Point I was both looking forward to and dreading. As descriptions can sometimes be, I felt like the Goodreads description above was slightly deceiving and gives off the impression of this book being “less” than it is. The description feels a bit juvenile to me. It kind of reminds me of the Vampire Academy movie advertising. The wrong portrayal of the book can give you a totally different impression of what this whole experience is about to be about. For one, Addie doesn’t enjoy Searching the future that much. I actually got the impression from reading the book that she only tries to search major decisions. It’s not about having an insurance plan against the menial aspects of teenage life. Though there are times she’s able to avoid disaster thanks to her ability.

In this particular case as the description says, her parents tell Addie that they’re getting a divorce and because of her gift they want her to see which future she will adjust to the best and which one she should pursue. So using her gift in this rare instance, Addie Searches even further than she normally would and Searches six weeks into the future. She sees two futures that both hold their own pros and cons. But unlike the description seems to indicate, it’s not really about which guy to choose or whether she wants to be popular by dating the quarterback or stuck in some boring Norm school. It’s much deeper than that.

We basically start Pivot Point in the present. Then when faced with the choice of which parent to live with Addie Searches both futures and the narration swaps back and forth between the potential futures—the one where she lives with her mother in the Paranormal compound that she grew up in or the one where she lives with her father off the compound in the Normal world. And then eventually Addie comes out of her Search and she has to choose a future. Luckily since we already know how that future goes for the next six weeks, we don’t have to live that future out, but instead skip six weeks ahead so that we know what happens after the last thing that Addie sees in her Search.

Addie as a character was easy for me to get attached to. I enjoyed seeing how true to character she was despite whichever future was playing out at the time. She’s all for the paranormal side of things and having gifts, but yet, she’s been manipulated by the different gifts she’s been around her whole life. Even when people aren’t using their gifts on her, she knows they have the ability to which prompts her to behave in a way that doesn’t force them to use their gifts on her. She dreams of a world and a relationship where she is completely not manipulated.

Addie’s best friend, Laila, has had a rough childhood. Her father has a drug addiction which has caused all kinds of problems for her family. This has led to Laila acting out at times as children from troubled homes often do. I got annoyed with Laila in both futures that Addie sees, but when push comes to shove Laila is a good friend to Addie despite everything.

And then there are the guys. Bobby who wanted to take Addie to homecoming but Addie saw him being a bit too aggressive in a Search prior to the start of this book. Duke who is the quarterback from the paranormal compound who pursues Addie in the future where she lives with her mom, and then normal Trevor who was injured last year and no longer plays football. Trevor is Addie’s only friend for a while in the future where she lives with her dad. I enjoyed all of the secondary characters, and I love how they are all present in both futures even if their roles and events that take place are different in both futures.

Pivot Point does have a mysterious aspect that Kasie West plays out quite well. Aside from wondering which future Addie will choose, the reader is given clues to each puzzle in the opposite reality. I loved this. Only the reader and the version of Addie performing the Search know all of the pieces to the puzzle. Information is released slowly, but as information is released I don’t think the reader will have too much difficulty figuring out the majority of the plot. This didn’t bother me because I was so wrapped up in seeing how every piece comes together that I wasn’t worried about the parts that were predictable.

Kasie West’s writing style is smooth and easy to get wrapped up in. Having now read three books by her, I find her stories and writing very consistent in quality. Pivot Point was so much more than I expected and so much more than I think the description lends to it. I loved the unique concept as well as the way Kasie West executed everything. I’m definitely looking forward to Split Second and would recommend Pivot Point to anyone who enjoys a bit of paranormal, a bit of mystery, with likeable characters that I found myself rooting for. Pivot Point gets 4 Stars from me. Have you read Pivot Point? What did you think? Let me know!

Favorite quote:

"Sometimes perfection reveals the lie, Addie, not the truth."