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If you had the power to choose between to futures with every choice you made, playing them out and seeing where your choices take you, would you be interested in knowing every detail of your life? Or would you rather leave it up to chance? In Kasie West's Pivot Point, Addison has an ability anyone would covet... unless they knew the consequences of it.
Addison's life on the Compound is fairly typical. Strengthen her abilities, use them to hone her senses, and enjoy a more technologically advanced life away from the Norms (people who don't have abilities). Then her parents drop a bomb on her simple life where the biggest decision was who to go to the prom with (NOT Bobby Barker after a peak into her future saw him groping her). When they announce they are getting a divorce, they tell her she is to pick whom to live with and they fully expect her to use her ability to find out which is the better choice. As a Divergent, Addie can look into the future for both sides of a decision in order to find which she wants to choose. It is a power that comes in handy, especially when avoiding a gross date to a dance, but she doesn't like to use it often because living out the chosen path is not easy when you know everything that is coming. Luckily her friend Laila is an Eraser and can take away her memories of her future peeping.
When Addie delves into her two choices- stay with her mom on the compound in Para-land where all the technology and use of her ability is encouraged, or go with her father to Dallas where she has to hide her ability and fit in with the Norm World- she gets more than she bargained for. In the compound, she knows Duke just isn't her type- the ever popular charming jock- but there is something so irresistible about him. He seems to charm his way with everyone. When she starts to get suspicious of the football team and the possibility they might be hurting the competition with their abilities, it is hard for her to look the other way. In the alternative, when she goes to live with her father, she realizes just how different it is in the norm world without the compound's technology, healers, etc. When she meets a boy named Trevor, she is excited to have a new friend. What she doesn't expect is to find herself really caring for him. When his friend floats his theory that Trevor's recent football injury that blew out his throwing arm, Addie can't help but listen. Especially when she finds out the injury's are about her old school- a team of Paras who have the powers to cause all these injuries. Which reality would you choose?
WOWZA! This was one unique, catch-you-by-surprise kind of story! First, when reading the premise, I didn't know it centered around a compound of people who had paranormal powers. And the idea of this compound? I was so into it! My only problem was I didn't get enough of it. There was different technology, houses that anticipated your needs, different kind of cars, etc. I wanted more! I think the only thing this book lacked was a little more world-building to flesh out this paranormal bend to things. I wish there had been more about it, not just little snippets here and there.
But the purpose of the story was Addie's choice, and the coolest way to show two divergent paths is to juxtaposition them, right? So West alternated chapters. One for her mom, one for her dad. I loved this. Sometimes it took me a minute to realize the change (a different font or color or heading would have stopped that), but it was only because I was so wrapped up in the story I was turning the pages like a madwoman. I loved this alternating realities so much I almost wanted to go back and try it with one then the other to prove how great these alternating chapters were!
The greatest part about this story is how it took a genre staple (paranormal teens) and put a unique spin on it. Not an easy feat! But West really came up with a unique approach to the YA genre and went with it, and what you got was pretty freaking awesome! I loved the concept, the characters, and especially the difficult choice Addie had to make, because it wasn't all about the divorce- there were darker acts at play here, and she had to navigate through a maze of them. The book was a great surprise! I didn't expect it to be so good, and I was pleasantly surprised when it knocked my socks off!
Teenagers can be unpredictable. Teenagers with extreme supernatural powers are an entirely different phenomenon altogether. In Robison Wells' Blackout, a virus has changed some teens into powerful individuals who could rival the X-Men.
Aubrey's secret landed her a connection to the most powerful girl in school, and as a result, she has gotten a taste of popularity. She had to ditch her previous friends, but becoming invisible at will has been a gateway into the popular crowd. Unfortunately, now that she is there, she isn't sure she wants to stay there. At the school dance, her invisibility lets her hear just what people really think of her, but her own self-torture is cut short when a group of soldiers storm the school and round up the kids. Luckily, her invisibility helps her escape, but not before she watches her date hulk out and attack the soldiers. After he is killed in front of everyone, Aubrey realizes she has to get out of there. She sees Jack, a friend from what feels like another lifetime, and they manage to escape, but they know life as they knew it has changed.
Meanwhile, Laura, Dan and Alec are following through with their mission. As they attack specific targets using their powers, they know they are achieving maximum damage, not only to their targets, but also to the American sense of security. When they appear to be trapped, however, they will go to great lengths to escape, even if it means sacrificing one or more of the group. As they get split up, the world around them is scrambling to try and stop the terrorist attacks. But that isn't easy when you are fighting your own adolescent population who have powers the government can't even fully understand yet. With no choice but to fight fire with fire, the government makes a bold decision: kids with powers can help in the fight against the other kids with powers. In a draft like no other, the newly talented children of the United States find themselves with a decision that will forever change their lives... again.
While the few plot holes and multiple POVs that narrate the story were occasionally in the con column for me with this story, I actually really enjoyed it overall. The powers of the kids were fascinating, and since the kids weren't born with them, there was a great element of "coming into your own" with whatever ability you got. Some were scary (the ability to compel people to do anything) and some appeared trivial (the ability to change the color of something), but kids were at different stages of comfort with their new-found abilities, and the adjustment period was intriguing. I also really liked Aubrey and Jack, so following them around became my favorite part of the story. Of course, Laura, Alec, and Dan's parts of the story were creepy, to say the least, but there was more to that story than we get in this installment of the new series.
That was one of the biggest plot holes. We know there is a purpose for Laura, Alec, and Dan's destruction, and the government explains the systematic attacks, but we never really find out who or what is behind the terrorist activities. Someone is certainly leading them, but even the kids don't have the full story. While it was definitely a plot hole, I suspect it will be cleared up in installments to come and the hole didn't really interfere with your understanding of the story. You will find yourself trying to figure out who it could be, but you can still understand the story without that information. Also, the multiple POVs can be confusing occasionally, but I thought Wells did a good job of bouncing around and still keeping the reader focused and connected. I have seen this technique go horribly awry before, but Wells was quite adept at it. I also know this technique is a "love it or hate it" move, so if you don't like multiple POVs, this story will certainly bug you.
This was a fun and intriguing start to a promising series, and I am looking forward to where Robison goes with it. It feels a little like the Avengers meets the Breakfast Club, but in a great way! It is appropriate for any strong reader who can keep up with the different narrators throughout the story. They will flip the last page dying to know what happens next!
