Split Second (Pivot Point #2) - Kasie West

Goodreads summary:

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.


My review:

4/5

Kasie West, I love you. When have you ever written something I didn't like?

This book puts an end to a fantastic series. The idea of a world where a small part of the population live secluded and have awesome abilities is incredibly intriguing, which is why so many readers can't stop reading once they begin. When you start reading, you're impressed by these people and wish you could have such powers, but as the story goes, you start doubting that it would be a nice world to live in, because there will always be people using their abilities to do bad things. I really liked seeing the deterioration and wondering what I would do if I were in Addie's place.

I really liked Laila in the first book, so I have thrilled to see more of her in the second one. She's so fierce, independent and smart that I wish I could be like her. I loved her relationship with Connor, who's an awesome character. Although he's described as a bad boy in the summary, I think he's actually the opposite of that, because once you get to know him, you realize he's so incredibly nice and caring. I think he and Laila might be one of my new favourite ships. 

I wish we could've seen a bit more of Addie's ability in this book, because it's awesome and there are pretty much no possibilities of doing something bad with it. Also, I thought the ending could've been a little bit more complex and interesting, because I didn't get that much into the story by the time it ended. 

In the end, I really enjoyed reading this series and I would recommend it to anyone. Kasie West will always be a favourite of mine, even though I must admit that I preferred her romance novels now that I've read everything that can be read from her.

Pivot Point (Pivot Point #1) - Kasie West

Goodreads summary:

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 review:

4/5

When Kasie West writes a book, you read it, obviously. Because Kasie West is Kasie West, and her books are simply amazing. Well, you know what? This book's no exception. Although it isn't my favourite, I still enjoyed reading it, which isn't a surprise. 

The universe created by West is really intriguing. I didn't know much about it before I started reading, but it's easy to understand and I became interested in it after a couple of pages only. Having powers such as this population does sounds awesome, even though they're not always using them to do something good. I'm not sure if I would like to have Addie's ability, but it can truly be useful, which we realize later in the story. I liked seeing both versions of the future and how they had similarities, because some actions are not influenced by her choices. It's interesting to see how one choice can affect your future, because although this is all fictional, it's the same in real life. Laila's ability is great and I think it really suits her rebellious side, which completed her personality, in my opinion. Some of their abilities sounded plain scary to me, especially the ones messing with the others' brains and feelings, because I'm all about honesty and authenticity and being influenced by someone without realizing it is pretty much the opposite. I wouldn't want to live in such a world, but it's definitely nice to imagine. 

I loved the characters I discovered in this book. Addie and Laila's friendship is amazing and it reminded me of my own with my best friend, which made me relate even more later in the story. Personality-wise, I'm kind of similar to Addie, so some of her reactions were the ones I would've had and it made me get into the story even more. As for the love interests, my choice was very clear and I'm glad it didn't change later on, because I hate when this happens. I do wish this book had been more about how you can have a great future with two different people, like I thought it would be, because I believe that love can be just a matter of timing and that your love life could be completely different yet perfect because of one choice you made. 

I wasn't expecting the plot to be that way, but I really enjoyed the way it went. It was different from Kasie West's usual genre, but I could still find similarities that I enjoyed. My only problem with the story is probably how, after the initially surprising turn of events, many things turned out to be predictable. While it's the good kind of predictable in her other YA novels, it wasn't really in this book, because the whole point of the story was to know what would happen, where the point of her YA stories is usually to see how everything happens, if that makes sense. I still got a few surprises, but there was an entire part that I had guessed would happen, which means it must have been really predictable, since I'm not one to predict right, usually. 

In the end, I had a really nice time reading and I had to start the second book, especially since I wanted to know more about Laila (she's amazing!). As always, I recommend Kasie West's books!

The Darkest Minds - Alexandra Bracken

Goodreads summary:

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she’s on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.

When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.


My review:

4.5/5
GUYS THIS BOOK IS JUST SO GOOD! Obviously, I knew it would be, from all the good reviews I read about it, but now I just don't know why I didn't read it sooner.

I liked how intriguing this dystopian world is. In some dystopian novels, there's basically an explanation at the beginning of how the world works, why it's that way, what it means, etc. In this book, everything was just explained detail by detail through the story, which kept me on the edge, wanting to know more about this strange world and this strange life. I wasn't disappointed! It's complicated, crazy, infuriating, interesting and completely different from everything I've read before.
With the characters on the run, I was constantly scared that someone would be lying, or that trouble would be around the corner. It made me read this book quite quickly, since I couldn't let go of it without being forced to do so. I liked this fact about it, since it's been a while since I read something action-packed. With all the superpowers in this book, I felt like I was reading Percy Jackson sometimes, which obviously isn't a bad thing, since I love Percy Jackson.

This book has great characters. I loved Ruby, who's fierce yet fragile, and I loved how she acts with people around her. Her story is heartbreaking, so I truly have a soft spot for her, now. My least favorite part of this book is probably the romance, since I didn't fall in love with Liam or anything. For me, it was just alright, while the friendships are incredible. I absolutely hate Clancy, because he's the creepiest guy on Earth and I want him to die right now. I hate people who pretend to be someone else and who manipulate others, so obviously, I couldn't stand him. I felt so much anger and fear at the same time that I thought I would explode if something else didn't happen sooner or later.

I think this book has a great plot. I loved the story and I sure as hell am ready for the next book. I loved the importance of colors at the beginning of the book, which is why I kind of liked the book's first title, Black is the Color. I do think it could've been slightly altered, but I love how it fits the book.

I would highly recommend this series, even though I'm only at the first book. It sounds awesome and I can't wait to continue reading it!