Split Second

March 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-In this follow-up to Pivot Point (HarperCollins, 2013), Addie leaves the Compound after a bad breakup. As a Searcher, Addie can see two possible futures, and she finds it hard to believe this is the one she chose, the one in which she is betrayed by her best friend and her boyfriend. Heartbroken, she enters the Norm world where her father decided to go after divorcing Addie's mom. In the Norm world, Addie's kind is forbidden to use their powers for fear that they will expose their secret abilities. The protagonist accidentally slows time more than once while Trevor, the Norm boy who feels incredibly familiar, watches. As Trevor begins to figure out what Addie truly is, she recovers her memories, which reveal the future she actually chose before the Compound had them Erased. Now Addie and her friends have to put the pieces together. Why were her memories Erased? What is the Compound hiding? In this fast-paced fantasy, the plot is slow to begin but takes off after the first few chapters. Recommended for readers who love dystopian stories with a bit of romance.-Jeni Tahaney, Duncanville High School Library, TX

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2013
Best friends Addie and Laila uncover secrets about their community and the development of supernatural abilities. Addie, having had her potential future in Dallas wiped from her mind in Pivot Point (2013), visits her father outside of the Compound, secret home to the paranormal community. Her path crosses with Trevor's again, but this time, romance doesn't come as easily. The Containment Committee has threatened her with a memory wipe if she tells anybody about the Compound, and her precognitive abilities are growing, causing headaches and moments where she loses control and slows down time itself. This time, West's dual narrative technique weaves Addie's story with Laila's viewpoint. From snooping and reading the letter Addie wrote to herself, Laila learns that in the other, lost future, she gained the ability to restore memories, and she wants to acquire it now in order to restore Addie's memory. This brings her to Connor, a handsome bad-boy who sells illegal enhancement programs and is immune to Laila's considerable natural and paranormal charms. As analytical Laila investigates, she discovers increasingly troubling information about the Compound's leadership--information that spells danger for the unknowing Addie. Although the climax passes a little too easily, the story effectively builds momentum that will leave readers pondering the questions it raises. A fast, smart thriller populated by lively characters. (Paranormal romance. 13 & up)

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July 1, 2014
Temporarily living outside the Compound (home to those with secret extrasensory powers), Addie tries to figure out why she had her memories of an alternate future (Pivot Point) erased. Meanwhile, she juggles romance and family issues. The memory wipe may disorient readers even more than it does Addie, but the combination of interpersonal drama, special powers, and secret society intrigue is winning.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)