Split Second
by Kasie West
To be published on February 11, 2014
by Harper Teen
Connect with the author: Twitter | Blog | Facebook
Synopsis from Goodreads: 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.My take: I was a big fan of Pivot Point -- you can read my review here -- and was both excited and a little nervous to read Split Second. There was no reason for nerves! I really recommend this duology. If you haven't tried these books because you don't like parallel universes or you hate love triangles, I am here to assure you that you can proceed with confidence.
Pivot Point and Split Second are more like paranormal/superhero romances than parallel universe books. Yes, Pivot Point took advantage of main character Addie's ability to look into the future and see the consequences of each side of a decision. In Addie's case, the the decision was whether to live with her mother (in a Compound for people with special abilities) or leave with her father and live in the normal world after the divorce. Yes, there is a boy down each path, but it's pretty clear which of them is Decoy Guy and which is the Real Thing.
Split Second also has a back-and-forth structure. It stays in one reality, but shifts from Addie's point of view to that of her outrageous, outspoken best friend Laila. I thought this was a really smart move -- not only are Laila and Addie polar opposites, for much of the book one of them is inside the Compound and the other outside, so it's easy to keep everything straight.
There are a lot of reasons I love these books, and I'll just give you a few. First, I love the way that superpowers are used in the story. In a lot of books, superpowers are just thrown in so that the characters can do cool stuff now and then. These books really think about the implications of the characters' having different abilities. What would it be like to have a parent who could tell if you were lying? What would it be like to be able to hear other's thoughts all the time? If you could selectively erase people's memories, would you?
I also love the fact that these books are about relationships -- family relationships, friendships, and romance. Addie feels torn between her bickering parents. She and Laila, different as they are, have a special bond. And in Split Second, it was fun to watch her rekindle her relationship with a certain guy. As a romantic bonus, feisty Laila meets her match in the love department as well.
Finally, there's a lot of plot in these books. There's the Compound -- a place with a lot of rules and secrecy. There's a subplot about Compound kids using their powers for evil. In Split Second, there's a family mystery that Addie has to solve, and we also get to know more about Laila's family -- her troubled father and her brother Eli. I thought all these plotlines were very skillfully woven together, and I was interested in all of them, something rare for me as a reader.
Wait -- just one more thing. These books are really funny. I'm a sucker for funny, and Kasie West does that very well, whether it's Addie/Laila banter, Laila/Connor banter, or watching Laila and Connor try to ignore their attraction to one another while Laila's brother Eli practices his ability at their expense.
Goodreads seems to indicate this is a duology, but my blogger friend Kim from On Wings of Books emailed me when she saw that I was reading this, and said that she thought there were still storylines to be explored. I agree. I'd love to stay in this story world a little longer, but if that's not possible, I'm glad that Kasie West seems to be a prolific writer, because I really enjoy reading what she writes.
I think I'm the only one who hasn't read her books. But they're on my wish list and I hope to read this series very soon. Great review, Jen.
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy them as much as I did!
DeleteI'm so excited for Split Second. I really liked Pivot Point and can't wait to read both Addie's and Laila pov, and like you, I love the banter between these two friends as well in her characters romances too. Glad this was a great read for you. :)
ReplyDeleteLove their friendship and loved it even more in this book :)
DeleteGreat review. I'm excited to read this one as well. It's just so different from the superpowers tropes due to the parallel universe thing thrown in the mix. Glad you loved it.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a big fan of superhero books but I think the powers were incorporated in such a smart and interesting way!
DeleteI loved Split Second too. I think it's so wonderfully plotted and I just love how everything connects. Kasie West is definitely one of my new favorite authors. I can't wait to buy a finished copy.
ReplyDeleteI'm sad it's over. But I may re-read at some point..
DeleteI would have never read this on my own. I'm not a fan of alternate universe stories. It's usually a ploy to over complicate the plot but it sounds well done here.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love the term "decoy boy"!!! lol
Since you said it's a duo logy but you feel there's more to explore - is there a solid conclusion?
Karen @ For What It's Worth
Pivot Point is really not an alternate universe story per se. It's really more of a "looking into the future" story. I would definitely try it. These books are funny, romantic and well plotted.
DeleteYay! I'm so glad you enjoyed this one!
ReplyDeleteI read Pivot Point last month because I've heard it was good (I loved it), so I didn't have to wait more to read Split Second!
I love everything Kasie West writes, I just finished reading On the Fence and it was fantastic.
I can't wait to read this one!!
Lis @ The reader lines
I'm a huge fan of hers too :)
DeleteI really enjoyed Pivot Point and was actually super nervous to read Split Second. You have put my fears at ease and I'm now really excited to finally get to it!
ReplyDeleteDo not be nervous. You will love it!!!
DeleteI loved, loved, loved this and am so glad you enjoyed it too! Agree with how awesome the dual pov worked out with such different characters and how well done the super powers were. I'm actually really glad it is only a duology but of course, wouldn't mind more of anything Kasie West writes. Great review!
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm all for duologies in general..
DeleteThis series is very high on my tbr. I'm hoping I'll get to them this month. I love Kasie after reading The Distance Between Us and chatting a little with her. I asked her about this series for my post with her tomorrow. It's a great interview! Don't you love how I didn't tell you what she'll be saying? :)
ReplyDeleteTressa @ Tressa's Wishful Endings
These are different from her contemporaries. They both have humor and engaging characters, but these have a really clever plot too. Highly recommend!
DeleteGlad you enjoyed and I know that I can't wait to get back in the world. I]
ReplyDeleteI'm sad that I had to leave it...
DeleteThis is another series I need to catch up on. Nice review!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely!!
DeleteI'm really liking this trend to duets. But I can see where they can also feel like there could be a lot MORE story. I haven't read this one, because I generally avoid parallel world/alternate reality books. BUT this has rave reviews, and I might binge read one and 2 someday. I've also been told the triangle isn't that annoying or goes away? You'd have to confirm that.
ReplyDeleteIt feels triangle-y to a point, but then there's a big revelation and it's not at all. I think you should try these!
DeleteSo many storylines to explore, but I agree, if she doesn't explore them that's ok as long as she keeps on writing!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to read this, I'm so thrilled that this worked well for you, and that you loved the humor and the plot. I can't wait to get back into this world (though I feel like I need to re-read Pivot Point, cause I'm having serious book amnesia). Great review!
ReplyDeleteYou might want to re-read the last few chapters of PP...
DeleteI was surprised by how much I enjoyed Pivot Point because I didn't enter it with very high expectations. However I was just blown away and, though I was skeptical about the necessity to continue the series, I have seen changed my mind and am really looking forward to Split Second especially for more humorous moments.
ReplyDeleteLaila's brother is pretty funny, and I love the bantering relationship she has with her guy...
DeleteI've heard these books are really good but for whatever reason I've been putting them off. You're making me really want to give it a try though.
ReplyDelete