Publication Date: February 12, 2013
Publishing House: HarperTeen
ISBN: 9780062117373
Source of Copy: Purchased from Fully Booked
Summary:
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 to a dangerous game that threatens everything she hold 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.
Review:
Pivot Point had such an interesting summary but as much as I wanted to like it, I thought that it fell flat on some points.
It's got an interesting concept, Addie being able to see the paths she can take when faced with a choice. She's got a form of clairvoyance that's specific only to things that will affect her and that's basically all the story was about. Addie's parents are getting a divorce and she has to choose between her mother who will stay in the Compound - home for all the people with powers of course - and her father who wants to venture into the human world. She delves into the future to see what choice to take.
Personally, I had a hard time getting through the first half of the book. I found Addie to be a bit clingy and mildly annoying and her best friend Leila was only slightly entertaining. The book alternates between the Addie who chose to stay with her mom and the Addie who chose to leave with her dad. It was only during the second half of the book that things got more interesting, but not really by much. All the talk about murdered girls and a killer within the compound seemed forced and they didn't even have to work much to find out who the killer was. I just wish that maybe the whole mystery killer part had been fleshed out a little bit more.
As for the love interests, Addie gets one on each side. You have Duke - the school quarterback with telekinesis as his power who just so happens to have his eye on Addie and a strange interest in her powers. Next up is Trevor - a normal boy who was his school's ex-quarterback due to sustained injuries of strange origin. Can I just mention that he can draw? Plus points for that particular talent. I wasn't exactly surprised to see that Trevor had a nasty ex-girlfriend that Addie had to put with - why does there always have to be a mean ex-girlfriend?
A few things that I did like about Pivot Point were the abilities and how they're not set in stone and that it's possible to actually learn a few tricks along the way in conjunction with your own powers - like Leila who has the ability to compel others can learn to do telepathy or something. I also liked the romantic moments of both delves and Addie's growth as a character, she had some pretty tough choices to make in the end, but story wise I thought it was a bit weak and I was constantly looking for something bigger to happen. I kind of got that seeing into the future isn't exactly a good thing and knowing the choices you can make and how it will affect others is a definite burden - so kudos to Addie for not going crazy even if her powers are limited to herself alone.
I felt like there was so much more that the author could have explored instead of just focusing on Addie and her problems but aside from that, Pivot Point had a solid ending and at the same time set things up for a next book. Would I recommend this series? Why not? If you're looking for an easy read where people get interesting powers you might want to pick this one up.
Source of Copy: Purchased from Fully Booked
Summary:
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 to a dangerous game that threatens everything she hold 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.
Review:
Pivot Point had such an interesting summary but as much as I wanted to like it, I thought that it fell flat on some points.
It's got an interesting concept, Addie being able to see the paths she can take when faced with a choice. She's got a form of clairvoyance that's specific only to things that will affect her and that's basically all the story was about. Addie's parents are getting a divorce and she has to choose between her mother who will stay in the Compound - home for all the people with powers of course - and her father who wants to venture into the human world. She delves into the future to see what choice to take.
Personally, I had a hard time getting through the first half of the book. I found Addie to be a bit clingy and mildly annoying and her best friend Leila was only slightly entertaining. The book alternates between the Addie who chose to stay with her mom and the Addie who chose to leave with her dad. It was only during the second half of the book that things got more interesting, but not really by much. All the talk about murdered girls and a killer within the compound seemed forced and they didn't even have to work much to find out who the killer was. I just wish that maybe the whole mystery killer part had been fleshed out a little bit more.
As for the love interests, Addie gets one on each side. You have Duke - the school quarterback with telekinesis as his power who just so happens to have his eye on Addie and a strange interest in her powers. Next up is Trevor - a normal boy who was his school's ex-quarterback due to sustained injuries of strange origin. Can I just mention that he can draw? Plus points for that particular talent. I wasn't exactly surprised to see that Trevor had a nasty ex-girlfriend that Addie had to put with - why does there always have to be a mean ex-girlfriend?
A few things that I did like about Pivot Point were the abilities and how they're not set in stone and that it's possible to actually learn a few tricks along the way in conjunction with your own powers - like Leila who has the ability to compel others can learn to do telepathy or something. I also liked the romantic moments of both delves and Addie's growth as a character, she had some pretty tough choices to make in the end, but story wise I thought it was a bit weak and I was constantly looking for something bigger to happen. I kind of got that seeing into the future isn't exactly a good thing and knowing the choices you can make and how it will affect others is a definite burden - so kudos to Addie for not going crazy even if her powers are limited to herself alone.
I felt like there was so much more that the author could have explored instead of just focusing on Addie and her problems but aside from that, Pivot Point had a solid ending and at the same time set things up for a next book. Would I recommend this series? Why not? If you're looking for an easy read where people get interesting powers you might want to pick this one up.
Rating:
Funny, I just reviewed this also in my blog! Because of your review, I realized the flaws of Pivot Point that I didn't even feel or detected while reading it. I guess I was just enjoying myself too much. And I guess I enjoyed it too much that I'm still not lowering my rating even upon recognition of said flaws. Hee. Wonderful and honest review as always!
ReplyDeleteThank you Dianne! I know how you feel though, there are some books that you can't help but love despite the flaws. :) Thank you so much for dropping by!
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