Monday, February 17, 2014

Review: Split Second

SPLIT SECOND
Pivot Point #2
Kasie West
Paranormal Young Adult
360 pages
HarperTeen
Available Now
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
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 THOUGHTS
Split Second is a breezy sequel, one that flies by at a speed that will by no means be surprising for those who loved Pivot Point, giving us just enough tension to ensure we’re riveted without weighing our hearts down with an abundance of pain and tears. Though not quite as emotionally gripping as its predecessor, this sequel still manages to make the butterflies in our stomachs feel as though they have razor-tipped wings, every flutter we experience as Addie is forced back to square one with Trevor seeming to leave a trickle of blood in its wake, our desire to see them returned to the couple we know they’re capable of being an unrelenting throb of need as we read. What keeps us from being as fully immersed in this sequel as we were in the first book is the addition of Laila as a narrator, her point of view alternating with Addie’s and forcing us to make an unavoidable comparison between the two, one after which Laila is found a touch wanting.

Addie is as much a joy in this book as she was in Pivot Point, her sweet demeanor and her desire to be honest with Trevor despite what’s at stake for her if she is something that makes us want to wrap our arms around her and hold tight. Her first instinct is always to tell Trevor exactly who she is, and even though her memories of the Search path that included him in book one are still Erased (thus leaving him somewhat of a stranger to her once again), she still wants the communication between them to be free and flowing. When their worlds collide for a second time she’s upfront with how she feels, never resorting to game playing or speaking in riddles, providing us as readers with the comfort of knowing the two of them absolutely belong together and will do what it takes to find a way to make it happen.

Laila, unlike Addie, is very much a game player, a young woman who exerts the control she lacks in her home life through the emotional and mental manipulation (thanks to her ability to Erase memories) of those from whom she needs something. We get glimpses of a horribly poor excuse for a father, and while his treatment of her and her brothers causes both anger and sympathy to flare in our chests simultaneously, the fact that she in turn seeks to take back the control her father robs her of by robbing others of their own has us sometimes hurrying through her chapters to return to Addie. She uses her good looks to attempt to influence Connor (who thankfully doesn’t buy what she’s selling and gives as good as he gets), and when a moment arises where she has the chance to let him in the tiniest bit, she instead slams the door in his face with an intentionally provocative remark that’s often the exact opposite of what she actually wants to say. As the story progresses though, she does begin to grow on us, and her unwavering loyalty to Addie as well as her gradual thaw toward Connor brings a smile to our faces in the end.

Despite the fact that Laila isn’t quite as strong a character or narrator as Addie, Split Second is still a strong and hugely entertaining sequel, Ms. West’s writing style warm, flowing and oh-so easy to simply sink into and get lost.

Rating: 4/5 


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This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review
I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

42 comments:

  1. Oh I can't wait to read this one. The first book totally blew me away. For some reason I didn't expect to get two perspectives and that Laila is upgraded to be a main character too. Little sad that you don't find it so emotionally gripping ... hm.
    Still! I can't wait to read it :)

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    1. I love Addie so much, she and Trevor just make me happy:) Can't wait to see what you think!

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  2. Jenny! Omg, I just read this a couple days ago and loved it. Yeah, I was so glad Connor wasn't some sap at Lila's feet - he made her work for it. :D I love them both, though. Wonderful review!

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    1. YAY! I so enjoy Kasie West's writing, I will read anything and everything she writes. And I loved Connor too:)

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  3. I loved Pivot Point and hope that I can read this one soon. It's going to be a bit strange though to read about Trevor and Addie and not have them be a couple. I'm also curious to see things from Laila's perspective. It's too bad you thought her POV wasn't as great, Jenny, but I'm curious to see if I'll like her more here than I did in Pivot Point.

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    1. I'm just not into game playing Z, it's one of my pet peeves. I'm more of a "tell it like it is" type of girl, so I tend to get really frustrated with people who say the opposite of what they mean, even when I understand why they do it. It's a personal thing though, so I think a lot of people will really enjoy Laila's POV.

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  4. Um, heh. I don't want to read your review. I mean, I want to, yes, but I can't, because I don't want to spoil how it'll all end in Pivot Point, because I assume that she'll have to pick one future, yeah? So, after I'm done with Pivot Point, I'll read your review then :) Based on your rating I'm going to say YAYYYY!!!! :D superhappy you enjoyed it :) Gorgeous rating! :D

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    1. Yes, she does have to pick just one path at the end of Pivot Point:) I hope you get a chance to read it soon Siiri!

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  5. I'm currently reading this and although I'm not enjoying it as much as I enjoyed Pivot Point, I'm thinking that my rating will be similar to yours. I was a little surprised to see pov's from Laila too, when I had been so used to Addie's in the first book. At times I do feel like skipping out on her chapters, just so that I can get back to Trevor and Addie's story! Fab review Jenny!

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    1. Trevor and Addie will always be my favorites, I couldn't help but want to get back to their chapters!

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  6. I have seen some really positive reviews for this book. Unlike some sequels in series, some can be average and at all not that exciting in comparison to others. But I'm thrilled to see such a upbeat rating for this series. I for one haven't read anything by Kasie West but I'm hopefully going to be starting her contemporaries very soon. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on Pivot Point soon. Brilliant review, Jenny! :)

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    1. I LOVED Pivot Point so much Emma! I really enjoyed this one as well, but since I was so attached to Addie already after spending one whole book with her, I just didn't connect quite as much with Laila. Still thoroughly enjoyed it though and would definitely recommend!

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  7. I've finished reading this book last week, Jenny and really enjoyed it. It was actually the opposite for me in that I enjoyed Laila's POV more than Addie's although I have to admit that that might be because of Connor's presence. I did like Addie's willingness to be honest too. She's such a sweetheart.
    Lovely review, Jenny!

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    1. I quite liked Connor as well Nick! I just don't deal well with girls that play games, and Laila was all about the game playing with everyone. I understood why she did it and why she needed to feel in control, it just rubbed me the wrong way at times. Still loved the book though!

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  8. I've heard nothing but good things about SPLIT SECOND, and since I enjoyed the first installment so much, you'd better believe I'm excited for this one, too! I worry that I'll hate Laila, but I sure hope that Addie will temper that for me. Lovely review, Jenny!

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    1. I'm looking forward to your thoughts on this one Melissa:) I ended up warming to Laila in the end, she was just tricky for me at times.

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  9. It's so interesting to me to read opposing viewpoints -- and I just read a review of someone who was less than impressed with this story. Me, I'm not the biggest fan of the whole parallel world thing but I definitely appreciate when a sequel works (or doesn't, depending on the reader).

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    1. This one was just one timeline at least Mary, so you don't have to worry about the parallel ones as we did in Pivot Point:) I thought it was a great sequel overall, I just fell so hard for Addie and Trevor in book one that I was greedy and wanted to spend all my time with them in this one too!

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  10. I'm so glad you enjoyed this one, Jenny! It didn't work out for me, simply because I felt as if this novel was a bit of a re-hash of the same events and I didn't feel much of an emotional connection to these characters the second time around, but I know I'm the black sheep when it comes to West's work. Lovely review, as always, dear!(:

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  11. YES TO ALL OF THIS! Jenny, you know I adore Kasie West. She has quickly won her way into my top 5 favorite authors ever and I am a diehard fan. I loved this follow up to Pivot Point!

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    1. Kasie West for the win for sure! Glad you enjoyed this one too:)

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  12. Second review I have seen today, people seem to like it

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  13. Even if Laila isn't as strong I am so glad to see you felt this was a strong second book. I picked up book one and I am anxious to try it. Wonderful review Jenny!

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    1. I loved Pivot Point so much Kim! I can't wait to see what you think. I really enjoyed this one as well, it just took me a little time to get on board with Laila:)

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  14. I can't wait to read this, I loved Pivot Point! I'm actually excited to read both girls perspectives this time around. I can't wait for more of Trevor *sigh*!

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  15. I <3 Trevor and I can't wait to meet him again! I'm surprised about the duel narrative of her friend and its sounds like she is much more complex than I originally thought. Sad to see this is the last book (it's a duology).

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    1. Laila is definitely a complex young woman. I struggled with her at times, but in the end I was a fan:)

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  16. YES! I have this coming up and I can't wait! Although, I am a little nervous about Laila's POV, I don't think I realized she narrated in this as well.

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    1. I enjoyed my time with Laila in the end, I just loved Addie so much that I wanted all my time to be spent with her. I'm greedy like that!

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  17. I'm glad you enjoyed this one. I guess it had a bit of the sophomoric syndrome, but I usually don't mind unless it really shows it. Second review where Laila isn't quite the character she should be. I hate not really connecting to a character. However, if you weren't too bothered by it to ruin the story, I doubt I would either. I really should get that first book to start this series!

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  18. Even though this book falters a tiny bit in comparison, this is still a series I really really want to try since I love the premise.

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  19. Glad to hear that this sequel is overall quite good. I love that it is a fast read and I am curious about both books in the series. :) Thanks for sharing!
    ~Jess

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  20. "Ms. West’s writing style warm, flowing and oh-so easy to simply sink into and get lost." - I love the sound of her writing! I have the first book on my Kindle, so I'll have to start it soon.

    Great review :)

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  21. I've had Pivot Point for AGES! I really need to read it soon! I skimmed your review since I didn't want spoilers, but I'm really glad you enjoyed it!

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  22. I'm back to commenting! It's taken me a full week to get over my jet lag. Ugh. And then last night I had the wonderful experience of having the basement toilet literally explode. So as you might imagine, my day today has been spent getting familiar with a wet vac and a lot of bleach. Thankfully, I don't own this house because I think they're going to need to replace the main plumbing line.

    Back to the book...I've meant to read Pivot Point for such a long time. I like that there are two female lead characters instead of just being about a girl and boy. And Addie sounds like a particular joy.

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  23. I'm going to a signing this coming weekend with this author. I'm looking forward to reading her work even though you and Keertana differ so greatly on your opinion of this second book. I think for me, it's going to be, am I smart enough to understand parallel universes?? That is the question!! I like butterflies with razor tipped edges. Very nice visual/feeling.

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  24. love this review. i just finished this today and maybe my expectatoins were too high? it was good but i missed that emotional connection i had in the first one.

    this is a really great thorough review!

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  25. Awesome review! I have this book on the shelf waiting for me to read. Glad to hear that you enjoyed it.

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  26. I absolutely loved the first book, and I can't wait to read this! Even though I think I'm probably going to be zipping through Laila's sections so I can return to Addie, it sounds like I'm going to have a lot of fun with this. Lovely review Jenny!

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