BOOK REVIEW: DEADLY COOL BY GEMMA HALLIDAY

Title: Deadly Cool

Author: Gemma Halliday

Genre: Young Adult, mystery

Published on: October 11, 2011 by HarperTeen

Hartley Grace Featherstone is having a very bad day. First she finds out that her boyfriend is cheating on her with the president of the Herbert Hoover High School Chastity Club. Then he’s pegged as the #1 suspect in a murder. And if that weren’t enough, now he’s depending on Hartley to clear his name.

But as much as Hartley wouldn’t mind seeing him squirm, she knows he’s innocent, and she’s the only one who can help him. Along with her best friend, Sam, and the school’s resident Bad Boy, Chase, Hartley starts investigating on her own. But as the dead bodies begin to pile up, the mystery deepens, the suspects multiply, and Hartley begins to fear that she may be the killer’s next victim.

I usually research a book before I buy it, but this one drew me because of the cover. Admit it, the girl on the cover has got pretty mesmerizing eyes. Call me cliché, but baby blues have got such a beauty. I didn’t really start reading without prior info, though. The book description finished the job, and I was sold. I like mysteries, especially if they have some romance. The main character seemed compelling as well.

Deadly Cool has Hartley Grace Featherstone as its protagonist and narrator. We meet her just after she’s broken up with her boyfriend, Josh DuPont. He’s cheated on Hartley with another girl. Infuriated, Hartley sets out to confront them both. She is accompanied by her best friend, Samantha. The pair are in for a surprise when they get to Josh’s house. His new girlfriend, a color guard named Courtney, is found murdered in Josh’s closet. And he’s nowhere to be found. Hartley and Sam leave the house in a panic, after which the cops show up. The evidence they find seems to incriminate Josh.

BOOK REVIEW: A MILLION WORLDS WITH YOU BY CLAUDIA GRAY

Title: A Million Worlds With You

Author: Claudia Gray

Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult

Published on: November 1, 2016 by Harper Teen

The fate of the multiverse rests in Marguerite Caine’s hands. Marguerite has been at the center of a cross-dimensional feud since she first traveled to another universe using her parents’ invention, the Firebird. Only now has she learned the true plans of the evil Triad Corporation—and that those plans could spell doom for dozens or hundreds of universes, each facing total annihilation.

Paul Markov has always been at Marguerite’s side, but Triad’s last attack has left him a changed man—angry and shadowed by tragedy. He struggles to overcome the damage done to him, but despite Marguerite’s efforts to help, Paul may never be the same again.

So it’s up to Marguerite alone to stop the destruction of the multiverse. Billions of lives are at stake. The risks have never been higher. And Triad has unleashed its ultimate weapon: another dimension’s Marguerite—wicked, psychologically twisted, and always one step ahead.

In the conclusion to Claudia Gray’s Firebird trilogy, fate and family will be questioned, loves will be won and lost, and the multiverse will be forever changed. It’s a battle of the Marguerites…and only one can win.

The Firebird trilogy ends with this entry, A Million Worlds With You. It takes place not long from where the previous book ended. The main character is Marguerite Caine. She’s a teenager and the daughter of two brilliant physicists. Dr. Lera Kovalenka and Dr. Henry Caine invented the Firebird, the device from which this series gets its name. The Firebird is a high-tech pendant capable of transporting the wearer into parallel universes. This power is obviously invaluable, which inevitably means that nefarious entities seek to control it.

In Ten Thousand Skies Above You, Marguerite saved her friend/love interest Paul Markov. The series main antagonist, tech magnate Wyatt Conley, scattered pieces of his soul throughout the multiverse. Conley is from a parallel reality dubbed the Triadverse. The Triad is his evil group. They helped the Caines create the Firebird, and now are after something else. This book opens right into the action. Marguerite is inside one of the universes she’s visited previously. Only, she’s in grave danger...and there's nothing she can do about it.

BOOK REVIEW: TEN THOUSAND SKIES ABOVE YOU BY CLAUDIA GRAY

Title: Ten Thousand Skies Above You

Author: Claudia Gray

Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult

Published on: November 3, 2015 by Harper Teen

Ten thousand worlds. Ten thousand enemies. One love.

Marguerite Caine has done the impossible, traveling to alternate dimensions with the Firebird—the brilliant invention of her parents, her boyfriend, Paul, and their friend Theo. But she has also caught the attention of enemies willing to kidnap, blackmail, and even kill to use the Firebird for themselves.

When Paul’s soul is splintered into four pieces—pieces that are trapped within Pauls in other dimensions—Marguerite will do anything, and travel anywhere, to save him. But the price of his safe return is steep. If she doesn’t sabotage her parents in multiple universes, Paul will be lost forever.

Unwilling to sacrifice her family, Marguerite enlists the brilliant Theo to help. The two forge a plan to save Paul and the Firebird, but succeeding means outsmarting a genius and risking not only their lives but also the lives of their counterparts in every other dimension.

Their mission takes them to the most dangerous universes yet: a war-torn San Francisco, the criminal underworld of New York City, and a glittering Paris where another Marguerite hides a shocking secret. Each leap brings Marguerite closer to saving Paul—but her journey reveals dark truths that lead her to doubt the one constant she’s found between worlds: their love for each other.

The Firebird trilogy continues with this second installment. Ten Thousand Skies Above You picks up almost right where the first book left off. It also drops protagonist Marguerite Caine straight into action. She’s the teen daughter of two renowned physicists, Dr. Henry Caine and Dr. Lera Kovalenka. They created the Firebird, a wearable device used to move through parallel realities. In the first book, Marguerite was able to clear her friend Paul Markov's name. She also discovered that her father was still alive. Triad, the corporation that funded Firebird research, had been holding him hostage. 

The Caines explain the truth: multiversal travel is not only possible. Triad wants to be the sole entity with that power. Their leader, tech CEO Wyatt Conley, used a spy to keep an eye on the Caines. He also turned Marguerite into a “perfect traveler”. If you remember, the Firebird transfers the user’s mind, not their body. The latter apparently vanishes into some quantum state. Regular travelers can’t stay too long in a parallel reality, or their doppelgänger regains control. As a perfect traveler, Marguerite stays in control no matter how much time she spends in a given parallel universe. 

BOOK REVIEW: A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU BY CLAUDIA GRAY

Title: A Thousand Pieces of You

Author: Claudia Gray

Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult

Published on: November 4, 2014 by Harper Teen

Marguerite Caine's physicist parents are known for their groundbreaking achievements. Their most astonishing invention, called the Firebird, allows users to jump into multiple universes—and promises to revolutionize science forever. But then Marguerite's father is murdered, and the killer—her parent's handsome, enigmatic assistant Paul— escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.

Marguerite refuses to let the man who destroyed her family go free. So she races after Paul through different universes, always leaping into another version of herself. But she also meets alternate versions of the people she knows—including Paul, whose life entangles with hers in increasingly familiar ways. Before long she begins to question Paul's guilt—as well as her own heart. And soon she discovers the truth behind her father's death is far more sinister than she expected.

Well thought-out and crafted science fiction is a joy to read for me. I’ve read books about time machines and incredible genetic powers. A Thousand Pieces of You piqued my interest partly because of the stunning cover. It does a great job of showing the book’s theme: parallel realities. The protagonist is Marguerite Caine, the young daughter of two prominent physicists. The premise is that they’ve developed a world-changing invention: the Firebird. It is a small electronic device fashioned into a pendant. The Firebird enables its wearer to travel across the multiverse.

There’s a big setback right from the start. Dr. Henry Caine gets himself murdered. Paul Markov is the alleged killer. He’s one of the Caines’ brilliant assistants and friend to Marguerite. Paul uses the first perfected Firebird prototype to escape arrest. Filled with grief and rage, Marguerite decides to hunt him down. Theo, Paul and Marguerite’s other friend (and the second assistant) agrees to help her. Theo manages to get two more Firebird prototypes working, and they go after Paul.

BOOK REVIEW: SPLIT SECOND BY KASIE WEST

Title: Split Second
Author: Kasie West
Genre: Young Adult, fantasy
Published on: February 11, 2014 by Harper Teen

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.

Pivot Point is one of the most intriguing paranormal novels I’ve read, so I was eager to get the sequel. I took a little long because Split Second was a bit expensive. Back when I bought it, the Kindle version cost around $11. I’m not a bean counter, and I respect that authors need to make money. I’m just more hesitant to buy an $11 ebook than an $18 physical book. This duology was worth every dollar, so I’m not complaining.

The protagonists of this book are Addison Coleman and her best friend, Laila. If you’ll recall, they live in a closed-off society with other people that have mind-based powers. They call themselves Paranormals. Addison’s power is Divergence, the ability to see her own future. To do so, she needs to have a decision to make. Addie can then see the outcome of either choice and pick the one she’d rather live through. Most of Pivot Point centered on one of Addie’s visions, as she needed to make one of the most crucial choices of her life.

BOOK REVIEW: PIVOT POINT BY KASIE WEST

Title: Pivot Point
Author: Kasie West
Genre: Young Adult, fantasy
Published on: February 12, 2013 by Harper Teen

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. 

The premise of this book is one of the things that drew me to it. A young woman who can “see” the outcomes of her decisions before taking them? That power is cool! Most of us would like to be invisible or super strong, but Addison “Addie” Coleman’s gift is so useful. Wouldn’t you wish you had it?

At the start of Pivot Point, Addie’s parents drop a bomb on her: they’re getting divorced. Not only that, her father is moving away. So, Addie has to choose whom she wants to live with. In a normal world, the decision would already be difficult to make. Addie lives in the Compound, a closed-off town where only people with special abilities reside. That’s one thing that surprised me at the start. I thought Addie would be the only character with a gift. The abilities in this book are all mind-based. Addie is mostly referred to as a Searcher. Her gift is a special type of Clairvoyance, which allows Addie to see only her future. Laila, Addie’s best friend, has the ability to Erase memories. Other abilities in Pivot Point include telekinesis, lie-detecting, and even phasing.