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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
This wasn't the way it was supposed to happen. I wasn't ready for death. I tried to blink away the darkness closing in around me, fast, and steady. And then I welcomed it.
It's always such a fantastic thing to come across a book that is something different to most other paranormal books doing the rounds. The concept of Anomaly was something original, that I hadn't read before. Pushers, Retractors and Anomaly make up the basis for this exciting, action packed story.
Josie is having a bad day. Her dad is nowhere to be seen. her boyfriend dumped her, she thinks she's coming down with something and she walks in on her ex kissing someone else not long after he dumps her. What a great birthday!! But things are about to get a whole lot weirder with the emergence of the gorgeous, motorbike riding, Reid. Everything Josie thought she knew about her life seems to be based on lies. Josie is an Oculi and Reid has come to protect her and teach her everything she needs to know.
Anomaly is told from both Josie and Reid's POV. And I think this could be my new favourite thing, since it's the absolute perfect way to get a feel for the whole story and what makes the main characters tick. Josie is intelligent and has a great strength about her. She is thrown curveball after curveball but takes everything in her stride. She's a bit of a thinker and weighs things up. I loved that she was nerdy and had no trouble embracing that side of herself. That really allowed me to connect with her.
He was one of those guys who didn't try to be hot, he just was. He looked like a badass.
I liked Reid from the start. Sweet, caring , protective, motorbike riding... What wasn't to love! He always seemed to have Josie's best interests at heart and even when he was not being completely upfront, you knew that his reasons were honourable.
"The three rules of the Resistance."
"One, cause no harm. Two, never reveal Oculi abilities. Three, Don't play God."
There is plenty of action throughout the story and that really escalated as it moved towards it's conclusion. All that action along with plenty of surprises throughout really kept me turning the pages.
The only aspect of the story that I found slightly confusing was all the references to Star Wars and Star Trek and such. Not being a huge fan of either, it all went over my head a bit, so some of the humour was a bit lost on me unfortunately. And while it in no way detracted from the story, I would have liked to be in on all the little jokes that were shared between Josie and Reid, since that was a big part of their budding relationship.
Anomaly is a really great, solid debut from Tonya Kuper, and I'm incredibly eager and excited to see what she has in store next for Josie and Reid.
4/5 Awesome Debut Stars
It's always such a fantastic thing to come across a book that is something different to most other paranormal books doing the rounds. The concept of Anomaly was something original, that I hadn't read before. Pushers, Retractors and Anomaly make up the basis for this exciting, action packed story.
Josie is having a bad day. Her dad is nowhere to be seen. her boyfriend dumped her, she thinks she's coming down with something and she walks in on her ex kissing someone else not long after he dumps her. What a great birthday!! But things are about to get a whole lot weirder with the emergence of the gorgeous, motorbike riding, Reid. Everything Josie thought she knew about her life seems to be based on lies. Josie is an Oculi and Reid has come to protect her and teach her everything she needs to know.
Anomaly is told from both Josie and Reid's POV. And I think this could be my new favourite thing, since it's the absolute perfect way to get a feel for the whole story and what makes the main characters tick. Josie is intelligent and has a great strength about her. She is thrown curveball after curveball but takes everything in her stride. She's a bit of a thinker and weighs things up. I loved that she was nerdy and had no trouble embracing that side of herself. That really allowed me to connect with her.
He was one of those guys who didn't try to be hot, he just was. He looked like a badass.
I liked Reid from the start. Sweet, caring , protective, motorbike riding... What wasn't to love! He always seemed to have Josie's best interests at heart and even when he was not being completely upfront, you knew that his reasons were honourable.
"The three rules of the Resistance."
"One, cause no harm. Two, never reveal Oculi abilities. Three, Don't play God."
There is plenty of action throughout the story and that really escalated as it moved towards it's conclusion. All that action along with plenty of surprises throughout really kept me turning the pages.
The only aspect of the story that I found slightly confusing was all the references to Star Wars and Star Trek and such. Not being a huge fan of either, it all went over my head a bit, so some of the humour was a bit lost on me unfortunately. And while it in no way detracted from the story, I would have liked to be in on all the little jokes that were shared between Josie and Reid, since that was a big part of their budding relationship.
Anomaly is a really great, solid debut from Tonya Kuper, and I'm incredibly eager and excited to see what she has in store next for Josie and Reid.
4/5 Awesome Debut Stars
I'd like to thank Entangled Teen for providing me with a copy of this book to read and give an honest review. Receiving this book for free has in no way altered my opinion or review.
So this is one of those book that starts out with a bang. We're pushed right into Josie's world that takes a turn for the worst, and right on her birthday when her boyfriend decides to break up with her! Worst way to start it, right? But right from the start I knew that there were great things waiting for Josie, so I wasn't worried that she wouldn't bounce back. And that she did.
My most favorite part of this book was the geeky nerd that Josie is. And she's not afraid that others know about it. She intelligent, but she's also really strong. And she loves Star Wars, so what's not to like. She was easy to relate to and seemed down to earth and genuine. And I love that she's so open to all the changes she's going through.
Enter Reid. Yup, he's the swoon worthy man of the story. And I love that you get his point of view. He's got secrets he's keeping from Josie, things he can't tell her because he's sure they will make her run the other way. But when push comes to shove, it's really about his need to protect her, and so his secret remains locked away. At least for a while.
Kuper certainly fills her story with tons of action. While there were parts that were slow, there were enough twists and turns to keep me coming back and wanting to know how it would all end. And the way the characters can change things was really interesting. Kuper also did a nice job with the world building in this book. There really wasn't anything left to question, the descriptions really leant to understanding what exactly was happening and why. I did find a few plot holes in the book, places where I thought there really needed to be more explanation so it would coincide with what we had been exposed to earlier, but they didn't take away from my enjoyment of it.
I will say that Josie's relationship with her mom made me sad. And the way her mom used her as a pawn also made me mad. I didn't feel like she cared about Josie. I suppose this leant to Josie becoming more independent and self-serving when the need arose, which was good since she's fighting some kind of evil at every turn.
Oh and did a mention my cover love for this book? From the first moment I saw it, the cover alone made me want to pick up a copy of this book. The blurb only made me that much more interested.
Overall it was a very enjoyable read. I am curious to see how Kuper plays the next book out.
So this is one of those book that starts out with a bang. We're pushed right into Josie's world that takes a turn for the worst, and right on her birthday when her boyfriend decides to break up with her! Worst way to start it, right? But right from the start I knew that there were great things waiting for Josie, so I wasn't worried that she wouldn't bounce back. And that she did.
My most favorite part of this book was the geeky nerd that Josie is. And she's not afraid that others know about it. She intelligent, but she's also really strong. And she loves Star Wars, so what's not to like. She was easy to relate to and seemed down to earth and genuine. And I love that she's so open to all the changes she's going through.
Enter Reid. Yup, he's the swoon worthy man of the story. And I love that you get his point of view. He's got secrets he's keeping from Josie, things he can't tell her because he's sure they will make her run the other way. But when push comes to shove, it's really about his need to protect her, and so his secret remains locked away. At least for a while.
Kuper certainly fills her story with tons of action. While there were parts that were slow, there were enough twists and turns to keep me coming back and wanting to know how it would all end. And the way the characters can change things was really interesting. Kuper also did a nice job with the world building in this book. There really wasn't anything left to question, the descriptions really leant to understanding what exactly was happening and why. I did find a few plot holes in the book, places where I thought there really needed to be more explanation so it would coincide with what we had been exposed to earlier, but they didn't take away from my enjoyment of it.
I will say that Josie's relationship with her mom made me sad. And the way her mom used her as a pawn also made me mad. I didn't feel like she cared about Josie. I suppose this leant to Josie becoming more independent and self-serving when the need arose, which was good since she's fighting some kind of evil at every turn.
Oh and did a mention my cover love for this book? From the first moment I saw it, the cover alone made me want to pick up a copy of this book. The blurb only made me that much more interested.
Overall it was a very enjoyable read. I am curious to see how Kuper plays the next book out.
REVIEW
I've had this book both from Netgalley and I bought it a while ago when it was available at a special price too! I was looking forward to reading Anomaly and then Entangled Teen generously offered me a copy of bk 2 in the Schrodinger's Consortium Series which is called Enigma.
The cover features a young female on the cover strawberry blonde/red hair and rather piercing green eyes. The female I had guessed and confirmed by reading the book is the main character Josie Harper. Behind Josie the sky looks dark and troubled, does that represent the teens mood? or can she somehow control lightening? Then there's the byline "Not everyone is born equal" The combination of the cover, byline and blurb had me asking those couple of questions and many more, so it certainly did it's job! Will it stand out on a book store shelf?. . .I think it would yes with the hair and those eyes! They really pull you in and make you want to pick up the book and read the blurb.
So a brief or my attempt at a brief description of the book. . .Well Josie Harper is now the eldest child of Mr & Mrs Harper as their eldest child Nick died about 2 years ago. Since they have always moved around a lot, and Josie and the other Harper children used to be home schooled, Josie doesn't really make friends very easily. At the moment Josie lives with her mother and younger brother Eli. Their father has been working away for longer and longer periods of time. As the book begins Josie isn't having a great time at all, her father isn't going to be home for her birthday, her boyfriend just broke up with her because ''she won't put out'' and a lab assistant job she had managed to get has also strangely fallen through. So she's not having the best day let alone a great birthday!
All that is about to change, in fact Josie has been having "strange things" happening, and they coincide with her having headaches and feeling ill. One such "strange happening" is when two motorbikes pull up at school where Josie and Hannah, the first person she would ever call a best friend are leant on the wall outside school. Josie thinks it would be nice if these bikers were hunks and goes into detail even including the intricate one off tattoo her brother had. When the guys remove their helmets and walk across to the girls they introduce themselves as Reid and Santos. And yep the guys are both just what Josie and Hannah have been dreaming and thinking about! Later in the book Reid and Santos are revealed to be there to help Josie hone her talents as an Occuli. Reid is an Oculi and an Anomaly like Josie, and Santos is an Oculi "pusher". I won't go into detail about the whole Anomaly, Resistance and Consortium, but lets just say Josie may have wished for Reid and a more exciting life and she sure gets one. In fact she has been living a life on the run, which is why they have been constantly moving whilst she grew up. It seems that Schrodingers Consortium want all Anomalies under their control. Reid, Santos, Mr & Mrs Harper, some of their old friends from years ago are part of the resistance. Reid and Santos have arrived to train Josie in the ways of the Oculi which is what they all are.
As Reid and Santos reveal and explain the oculi to Josie we as the reader learn about it too.
In one of the first Oculi lessons Reid tells Josie the three rules. Rule One, cause no harm. Rule Two, never reveal your oculi abilities, and finally Rule Three, Don't play God.
Then Reid and Santos explain the different types of oculi, Pushers who make the possible real. Meaning they can create items but only items that they are familiar with. Retractors retract reality, meaning they can take away anything/item. Then there is an Anomaly who can both push and retract. Oculi come into their powers at around the age of seventeen. In Josie's case she was a pusher initially and then her retracting power began, making her unusual and an Anomaly. The oculi "power" is not a bottomless energy, eventually oculi come to the end of their reserve of "power". Being an Oculi is hereditary, in fact both Josie's mother and father are Oculi. Josie learns about a lot of secrets that have been kept from her until now. Her mother explains about the Consortium and the Resistance.
Being totally honest the pace of this book was initially a bit slow for my taste, then suddenly as certain things were revealed it caught my interest more and I became much more immersed in the book. It did remind me a little of the Seer's Series by Heather Frost and I truly adored that series. I am certainly enjoying this book more now that Josie knows what she is. .This book is well written and from the points of view of the two main characters, Josie Harper and Reid Wentworth. The detailed descriptions of the characters enable you to visualise them and by the latter part of the book you really do have enough insight into the characters to predict how they will react in certain situations. The book has plenty of action with all the pushing and retracting during the training sessions that Reid and Santos have with Josie. There is immediate chemistry between Josie and Reid. However relationships between trainer and trainee are forbidden. Reid also knew Josie's brother Nick and we discover more details about Nick's death within this book via Reid. This book is so in depth and comprehensive about the oculi history, the Resistance and the Consortium. A lot of work has gone into the background of the characters, the associations of the Consortium and the Resistance. There really is a lot to take in, but it makes the book all the more interesting to read.
My favourite characters are Josie and Reid but I also enjoyed learning about the background and relationships within the Harper family as a whole.
So what with great characters, oculi powers of pushing and retracting, then the Anomalies there's loads going on in this book. Then throw in a serum that everyone wants to get hold of and wow! I really enjoyed this book, and will certainly be reading the next book, Enigma as soon as I can! I would also checkout any other books by this author too.
My immediate thoughts when I finished reading Anomaly were, Loved reading this book. What a fantastic start to a potentially addictive brilliant series! When can I read the next one?
I've had this book both from Netgalley and I bought it a while ago when it was available at a special price too! I was looking forward to reading Anomaly and then Entangled Teen generously offered me a copy of bk 2 in the Schrodinger's Consortium Series which is called Enigma.
The cover features a young female on the cover strawberry blonde/red hair and rather piercing green eyes. The female I had guessed and confirmed by reading the book is the main character Josie Harper. Behind Josie the sky looks dark and troubled, does that represent the teens mood? or can she somehow control lightening? Then there's the byline "Not everyone is born equal" The combination of the cover, byline and blurb had me asking those couple of questions and many more, so it certainly did it's job! Will it stand out on a book store shelf?. . .I think it would yes with the hair and those eyes! They really pull you in and make you want to pick up the book and read the blurb.
So a brief or my attempt at a brief description of the book. . .Well Josie Harper is now the eldest child of Mr & Mrs Harper as their eldest child Nick died about 2 years ago. Since they have always moved around a lot, and Josie and the other Harper children used to be home schooled, Josie doesn't really make friends very easily. At the moment Josie lives with her mother and younger brother Eli. Their father has been working away for longer and longer periods of time. As the book begins Josie isn't having a great time at all, her father isn't going to be home for her birthday, her boyfriend just broke up with her because ''she won't put out'' and a lab assistant job she had managed to get has also strangely fallen through. So she's not having the best day let alone a great birthday!
All that is about to change, in fact Josie has been having "strange things" happening, and they coincide with her having headaches and feeling ill. One such "strange happening" is when two motorbikes pull up at school where Josie and Hannah, the first person she would ever call a best friend are leant on the wall outside school. Josie thinks it would be nice if these bikers were hunks and goes into detail even including the intricate one off tattoo her brother had. When the guys remove their helmets and walk across to the girls they introduce themselves as Reid and Santos. And yep the guys are both just what Josie and Hannah have been dreaming and thinking about! Later in the book Reid and Santos are revealed to be there to help Josie hone her talents as an Occuli. Reid is an Oculi and an Anomaly like Josie, and Santos is an Oculi "pusher". I won't go into detail about the whole Anomaly, Resistance and Consortium, but lets just say Josie may have wished for Reid and a more exciting life and she sure gets one. In fact she has been living a life on the run, which is why they have been constantly moving whilst she grew up. It seems that Schrodingers Consortium want all Anomalies under their control. Reid, Santos, Mr & Mrs Harper, some of their old friends from years ago are part of the resistance. Reid and Santos have arrived to train Josie in the ways of the Oculi which is what they all are.
As Reid and Santos reveal and explain the oculi to Josie we as the reader learn about it too.
In one of the first Oculi lessons Reid tells Josie the three rules. Rule One, cause no harm. Rule Two, never reveal your oculi abilities, and finally Rule Three, Don't play God.
Then Reid and Santos explain the different types of oculi, Pushers who make the possible real. Meaning they can create items but only items that they are familiar with. Retractors retract reality, meaning they can take away anything/item. Then there is an Anomaly who can both push and retract. Oculi come into their powers at around the age of seventeen. In Josie's case she was a pusher initially and then her retracting power began, making her unusual and an Anomaly. The oculi "power" is not a bottomless energy, eventually oculi come to the end of their reserve of "power". Being an Oculi is hereditary, in fact both Josie's mother and father are Oculi. Josie learns about a lot of secrets that have been kept from her until now. Her mother explains about the Consortium and the Resistance.
Being totally honest the pace of this book was initially a bit slow for my taste, then suddenly as certain things were revealed it caught my interest more and I became much more immersed in the book. It did remind me a little of the Seer's Series by Heather Frost and I truly adored that series. I am certainly enjoying this book more now that Josie knows what she is. .This book is well written and from the points of view of the two main characters, Josie Harper and Reid Wentworth. The detailed descriptions of the characters enable you to visualise them and by the latter part of the book you really do have enough insight into the characters to predict how they will react in certain situations. The book has plenty of action with all the pushing and retracting during the training sessions that Reid and Santos have with Josie. There is immediate chemistry between Josie and Reid. However relationships between trainer and trainee are forbidden. Reid also knew Josie's brother Nick and we discover more details about Nick's death within this book via Reid. This book is so in depth and comprehensive about the oculi history, the Resistance and the Consortium. A lot of work has gone into the background of the characters, the associations of the Consortium and the Resistance. There really is a lot to take in, but it makes the book all the more interesting to read.
My favourite characters are Josie and Reid but I also enjoyed learning about the background and relationships within the Harper family as a whole.
So what with great characters, oculi powers of pushing and retracting, then the Anomalies there's loads going on in this book. Then throw in a serum that everyone wants to get hold of and wow! I really enjoyed this book, and will certainly be reading the next book, Enigma as soon as I can! I would also checkout any other books by this author too.
My immediate thoughts when I finished reading Anomaly were, Loved reading this book. What a fantastic start to a potentially addictive brilliant series! When can I read the next one?
ANOMALY
TONYA KUPER
Josie’s pretty sure she’s a normal girl, sure a little nerdy but nothing special defiantly not a powerful anomaly, a person who can create and retract objects from thin air. But when a strange boy on a motorbike comes to town Josie’s life changes forever, she discovers who she really is, who her parents are and that her brother didn’t really die in a car crash he went evil and tried to destroy the world.
Her life is now a mess but as if she needs more pressure she has her first mission in six days, yep that’s right six days to learn the skills someone like her takes years to learn, luckily she’s a fast learner and has an excellent teacher, Reid’s hot there’s no doubt about that but to Josie he’s more than that, he was her brothers best friend and her long time crush. But their relationships forbidden but there are more pressing matters at hand like escaping the Consortium a secret dangerous organisation that wants to destroy the world. Their agents are everywhere and very dangerous to an anomaly like Josie.
I really enjoyed this story, I liked the scientific side of it and really liked Josie’s personality she was a really bad ass and didn’t take shit from anyone. I can’t wait for the second book in this series out in November this year.
TONYA KUPER
Josie’s pretty sure she’s a normal girl, sure a little nerdy but nothing special defiantly not a powerful anomaly, a person who can create and retract objects from thin air. But when a strange boy on a motorbike comes to town Josie’s life changes forever, she discovers who she really is, who her parents are and that her brother didn’t really die in a car crash he went evil and tried to destroy the world.
Her life is now a mess but as if she needs more pressure she has her first mission in six days, yep that’s right six days to learn the skills someone like her takes years to learn, luckily she’s a fast learner and has an excellent teacher, Reid’s hot there’s no doubt about that but to Josie he’s more than that, he was her brothers best friend and her long time crush. But their relationships forbidden but there are more pressing matters at hand like escaping the Consortium a secret dangerous organisation that wants to destroy the world. Their agents are everywhere and very dangerous to an anomaly like Josie.
I really enjoyed this story, I liked the scientific side of it and really liked Josie’s personality she was a really bad ass and didn’t take shit from anyone. I can’t wait for the second book in this series out in November this year.
Review: http://bennitheblog.com/bookbiters/anomaly-by-tonya-kuper/
Josie is your typical nerd and honor student, except not typical at all, as she is poised to accept the National Physics Honors Award.
But her seventeenth birthday is Grade-A Awful. Her boyfriend Tate dumps her, her dad can’t be bothered to come home, and Josie has come down with a virus that makes her want to throw up. On top of that, she’s the same age as her older brother was when he died in a car accident, and she will never stop missing him.
Things start to look up when a boy named Reid shows up on the first day of school, looking just as hot under the motorcycle helmet as Josie pictured him. Soon, Josie learns that she can bend reality with her thoughts alone, and her life will never be the same.
Based on the blurb, I thought Anomaly was going to be a blast to read—Josie makes Star Wars references, and actually sounds like she’s ready to have fun with her own newfound abilities. Unfortunately, the book was a bit of an uneven mess. Sure, there are some funny Star Wars analogies; when Tate breaks up with her in front of others, Josie describes to us how that feels (keep in mind all quotes are from an ARC and are subject to change):
As Josie later explains:
More often than not, however, most nerdy references are just thoughtless throwaways. Josie wears tight Star Wars shirts that turn Reid on; Josie likes saying, “for the love of Khan” or “I’d bet the USS Enterprise…”; Reid calls Josie “Spock” when she’s being smart, etc. Nothing particularly clever.
The hugest disappointment was how Josie wasn’t nearly as fun as I thought she’d be. I understand that shock and doubt may be the most reasonable responses to huge, world-altering revelations, but if we’re already dealing with people who can form objects out of thin air, I’d prefer we drop the pretense of realism (and not trying to explain the phenomenon with pseudo physics).
I can also only handle so many emo teens who lament how they are Curse with Awesome; I am pretty much at my limit. And if one must be emo, I’d want her to be more eloquent than this:
Josie compares her training with Reid to The Empire Strikes Back Dagobah training scenes. Indeed, that’s what the bulk of the book consists of: training scenes. This is the whole of Anomaly comprising of Star Wars scenes: (1) Luke finding out he possesses the Force in A New Hope (Josie finding out she has superpowers), (2) Luke training with Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back (Josie training with Reid, so imagine a sexy Yoda taking all the time in the world to train Luke as they flirt but try to be serious but can’t help flirting again), and then (3) the Ewoks fighting the stormtroopers in Return of the Jedi (some silly action scenes at the very end).
Have you ever noticed while watching a tv show, nothing particularly exciting is going on, but the camera is swirling and moving around to help build tension? That’s how most of the action scenes felt. People are running around, shifting appearances, creating guns from scratch, but none of it felt compelling. Not enough time was spent building up the stakes; instead, it was training scene after training scene where Josie and Reid more or less ogled each other.
Anomaly held a lot of promise. In particular, although Josie and Reid seem like they’re in “insta-love” or at least “insta-attraction,” there’s good reason for it. Part of it’s because Josie inadvertently wields her superpowers to turn Reid into having an appearance that is most attractive to her. The other part I won’t spoil, but I did like the two together.
The twists and turns of the book could have been fun, too, had the book’s pacing evened out a little more.
So, this being the first book of the Schrodinger’s Consortium series, there’s room for improvement and growth. The premise is promising, but I’ll need a more focused plot and fewer whiny teens in the follow-up adventures.
I received a digital review copy of the book via NetGalley, courtesy of Entangled Teen.
Review: http://bennitheblog.com/bookbiters/anomaly-by-tonya-kuper/
Josie is your typical nerd and honor student, except not typical at all, as she is poised to accept the National Physics Honors Award.
But her seventeenth birthday is Grade-A Awful. Her boyfriend Tate dumps her, her dad can’t be bothered to come home, and Josie has come down with a virus that makes her want to throw up. On top of that, she’s the same age as her older brother was when he died in a car accident, and she will never stop missing him.
Things start to look up when a boy named Reid shows up on the first day of school, looking just as hot under the motorcycle helmet as Josie pictured him. Soon, Josie learns that she can bend reality with her thoughts alone, and her life will never be the same.
Based on the blurb, I thought Anomaly was going to be a blast to read—Josie makes Star Wars references, and actually sounds like she’s ready to have fun with her own newfound abilities. Unfortunately, the book was a bit of an uneven mess. Sure, there are some funny Star Wars analogies; when Tate breaks up with her in front of others, Josie describes to us how that feels (keep in mind all quotes are from an ARC and are subject to change):
I felt like I was wearing Princess Leia’s buns at a Star Trek convention.
As Josie later explains:
I threw myself into movies and books even more than I had before Nick [her brother] died. I find comfort in fiction—it’s safe. I can lose myself and find myself in books.
More often than not, however, most nerdy references are just thoughtless throwaways. Josie wears tight Star Wars shirts that turn Reid on; Josie likes saying, “for the love of Khan” or “I’d bet the USS Enterprise…”; Reid calls Josie “Spock” when she’s being smart, etc. Nothing particularly clever.
The hugest disappointment was how Josie wasn’t nearly as fun as I thought she’d be. I understand that shock and doubt may be the most reasonable responses to huge, world-altering revelations, but if we’re already dealing with people who can form objects out of thin air, I’d prefer we drop the pretense of realism (and not trying to explain the phenomenon with pseudo physics).
I can also only handle so many emo teens who lament how they are Curse with Awesome; I am pretty much at my limit. And if one must be emo, I’d want her to be more eloquent than this:
The agony and despair bored a non-repairable hold in my heart. There was no filling it.
Josie compares her training with Reid to The Empire Strikes Back Dagobah training scenes. Indeed, that’s what the bulk of the book consists of: training scenes. This is the whole of Anomaly comprising of Star Wars scenes: (1) Luke finding out he possesses the Force in A New Hope (Josie finding out she has superpowers), (2) Luke training with Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back (Josie training with Reid, so imagine a sexy Yoda taking all the time in the world to train Luke as they flirt but try to be serious but can’t help flirting again), and then (3) the Ewoks fighting the stormtroopers in Return of the Jedi (some silly action scenes at the very end).
Have you ever noticed while watching a tv show, nothing particularly exciting is going on, but the camera is swirling and moving around to help build tension? That’s how most of the action scenes felt. People are running around, shifting appearances, creating guns from scratch, but none of it felt compelling. Not enough time was spent building up the stakes; instead, it was training scene after training scene where Josie and Reid more or less ogled each other.
Anomaly held a lot of promise. In particular, although Josie and Reid seem like they’re in “insta-love” or at least “insta-attraction,” there’s good reason for it. Part of it’s because Josie inadvertently wields her superpowers to turn Reid into having an appearance that is most attractive to her. The other part I won’t spoil, but I did like the two together.
The twists and turns of the book could have been fun, too, had the book’s pacing evened out a little more.
So, this being the first book of the Schrodinger’s Consortium series, there’s room for improvement and growth. The premise is promising, but I’ll need a more focused plot and fewer whiny teens in the follow-up adventures.
I received a digital review copy of the book via NetGalley, courtesy of Entangled Teen.
Review: http://bennitheblog.com/bookbiters/anomaly-by-tonya-kuper/
YA. Paranormal. Romance. On her seventeenth birthday - because seventeen is the magic age for YA paranormal romances - Josie suddenly develops superpowers, the use of which gives her headaches, but she does not know what is going on. Enter Reid, incredibly cute guy whose job it is to train her to use her superpowers to be part of the Resistance against the evil Consortium in order to help save all of mankind. Her parents knew about it and were part of it, but of course they never told her. If you like YA paranormal romances then you will enjoy this book. It is well written and fast paced and will keep your interest. I received this book free to review from Netgalley and I look forward to reading the next one in the series.
Anomaly Review on K-Books
Anomaly was one of those books that I couldn't wait to read right from the moment that I first heard about it. I've been a huge fan of all things Entangled Teen since their beginning and when I heard about their new book Anomaly, and then saw the cover I just couldn't wait to read it. I was so beyond excited when I got my hands on an ARC. Anomaly was not a disappointment. I absolutely loved it.
Josie never expected her life to change as drastically as it does when she turns 17. Suddenly she is thrown into a world of magic, intrigue, danger and secrets. As she comes to terms with the fact that she has magical powers and that the family secret is why her brother really died Josie has to train hard with super-hot trainer Reid. A relationship between trainer and trainee is forbidden... but the more time Josie and Reid spend together the more the sparks fly. But when it comes to light that the secret organisation trying to capture Josie is getting closer Josie and Reid must discover a way to get out of their clutches, before there is nothing left to fight for.
Anomaly is one of those YA books that you just devour. I absolutely loved it. I couldn't get enough of this amazing world where the Oculi are magical but how that magic can also be explained through science. I LOVE IT! Tonya is definitely a breakthrough debut author of 2014. Her writing style is fantastic. I was completely hooked right from the start and she threw twist after twist after turn at me and made me just adore this book.
Josie and Reid are without a doubt one of the most amazing duo's I have seen in YA literature. I loved them so much. Josie goes from normal highschool girl to a kick-ass heroine. Reid... oh my Reid. He was so awesome. He is smart, hot and swoony all rolled into one. He is the character that every girl will fall in love with. Together they grew into such a strong team. I just loved them both.
Anomaly is one of those paranormal YA books that doesn't come along often and when it does you just fall head over heels in love with it. It was filled with all of my favourite things. Romance, action, intrigue, mystery. I loved absolutely everything about it. It was just fantastic and I cannot wait to read the second book in this series. A definite must-read.
Anomaly was one of those books that I couldn't wait to read right from the moment that I first heard about it. I've been a huge fan of all things Entangled Teen since their beginning and when I heard about their new book Anomaly, and then saw the cover I just couldn't wait to read it. I was so beyond excited when I got my hands on an ARC. Anomaly was not a disappointment. I absolutely loved it.
Josie never expected her life to change as drastically as it does when she turns 17. Suddenly she is thrown into a world of magic, intrigue, danger and secrets. As she comes to terms with the fact that she has magical powers and that the family secret is why her brother really died Josie has to train hard with super-hot trainer Reid. A relationship between trainer and trainee is forbidden... but the more time Josie and Reid spend together the more the sparks fly. But when it comes to light that the secret organisation trying to capture Josie is getting closer Josie and Reid must discover a way to get out of their clutches, before there is nothing left to fight for.
Anomaly is one of those YA books that you just devour. I absolutely loved it. I couldn't get enough of this amazing world where the Oculi are magical but how that magic can also be explained through science. I LOVE IT! Tonya is definitely a breakthrough debut author of 2014. Her writing style is fantastic. I was completely hooked right from the start and she threw twist after twist after turn at me and made me just adore this book.
Josie and Reid are without a doubt one of the most amazing duo's I have seen in YA literature. I loved them so much. Josie goes from normal highschool girl to a kick-ass heroine. Reid... oh my Reid. He was so awesome. He is smart, hot and swoony all rolled into one. He is the character that every girl will fall in love with. Together they grew into such a strong team. I just loved them both.
Anomaly is one of those paranormal YA books that doesn't come along often and when it does you just fall head over heels in love with it. It was filled with all of my favourite things. Romance, action, intrigue, mystery. I loved absolutely everything about it. It was just fantastic and I cannot wait to read the second book in this series. A definite must-read.
Anomaly definitely jumps right into the action. We learn right away about Anomalies, Pushers and Retractors. My mind actually took a minute to wrap around what was going on…for some reason I had weird images in my head of retracting and pushing. Anyway wants the story got started things evened out for me. I really liked the concept of how their power works. I also like the idea of the fact that nothing is infinite. It addressing that whole thing that if people are so powerful why don’t they take over the world.
I loved Josie and her nerdiness. Although I thought it was weird to want to be called a dork instead of nerd. Nerd implies you are smart, I think dork is just people think you are weird. I loved that she would make all kinds of different geeky references to different superhero things as well as Star Trek. I thought she was an interesting character because she things for what they are. Maybe it’s because she is so analytical but I’m not meaning just the fact that she accepts her powers but also because she’s able to see past anger. When truths come out and she is hurt, she still manages to see the things people have done for her not just the things they haven’t done. I really liked that.
Reid was a great guy. Loyal to a fault, truly believing his cause. Also willing to sacrifice things for Josie’s safety. He also has an interesting view on things being that he doesn’t think anyone should have too much power. I like that he really considers things before jumping in.
I really liked the plot. It had a good flow and vibe to it. The ending felt good, like excited you for the next book but doesn’t leave you hanging too much. You can tell that there were things eluded to that we will find out about later.
I feel like it’s weird to say this is a satisfying read but it was. I’ve been engrossed in a couple of series and I read this book in between them. I was able to get into it so much so that I read it in a day and I had that, that was a good read feeling after.
Cool plot with action that keeps the things moving. Characters that are interesting and definitely likable. A solid ending for the first book. I would say definitely pick it up.
I loved Josie and her nerdiness. Although I thought it was weird to want to be called a dork instead of nerd. Nerd implies you are smart, I think dork is just people think you are weird. I loved that she would make all kinds of different geeky references to different superhero things as well as Star Trek. I thought she was an interesting character because she things for what they are. Maybe it’s because she is so analytical but I’m not meaning just the fact that she accepts her powers but also because she’s able to see past anger. When truths come out and she is hurt, she still manages to see the things people have done for her not just the things they haven’t done. I really liked that.
Reid was a great guy. Loyal to a fault, truly believing his cause. Also willing to sacrifice things for Josie’s safety. He also has an interesting view on things being that he doesn’t think anyone should have too much power. I like that he really considers things before jumping in.
I really liked the plot. It had a good flow and vibe to it. The ending felt good, like excited you for the next book but doesn’t leave you hanging too much. You can tell that there were things eluded to that we will find out about later.
I feel like it’s weird to say this is a satisfying read but it was. I’ve been engrossed in a couple of series and I read this book in between them. I was able to get into it so much so that I read it in a day and I had that, that was a good read feeling after.
Cool plot with action that keeps the things moving. Characters that are interesting and definitely likable. A solid ending for the first book. I would say definitely pick it up.
4½ Out of 5 Stars
Josie's seventeenth birthday sucks – latest in a line of suckiness. Her dad's vanished. Her boyfriend broke up with her. An awesome interning job fell through. Her mom's being super protective. And she's now the age her brother was when he died. All in all, a great day. Not.
But also... things keep happening. Things that don't make sense...
And then a total hottie rolls up to school on a motor bike, sporting a tattoo just like Josie's brother had...
The hottie is called Reid. He's come to drop a huge bomb.
Josie has powers. She's in danger. Bad guys are gunning for her. Her life has been a lie. Oh, and he's got to train her quickly – as in, before it's too late and war starts.
No pressure there. I mean, where are the Avengers when you need them...?
I saw Anomaly on NetGalley and instantly thought: gots to have it! From the moment I began reading, I fell totally and utterly in love. This book... Holy Thor! It was freaking amazing. I was just instantly hooked! Anomaly was hilarious, exciting, action-packed and full of brilliant nerdy references. Many of its elements weren't stunningly original (nerdy lead girl, former crush, snarkiness, hotness, sci-fi stuff), but when put all together, along with a whole load of awesome, the result meant Anomaly was just stunning. It was so much fun and I loved every single second of it. I seriously cannot recommend Anomaly enough!
Now, when dealing with awesomeness, start with the awesome characters. And Josie was awesome. She was nerdy, funny, clever and, if you haven't gathered by this point, awesome. Her Star Trek, Star Wars, Big Bang Theory and Marvel comics references killed me every time. I also loved her "I was just wired to be weird" – the girl had some brilliant snark! Her reaction to what she really was felt so utterly believable and realistic – I mean, who deals with 'you're not quite human' and 'your life's a lie' with a happy grin? She was brilliant and so was her development!
Reid was amazing too – and totally crushworthy! He, too, was snarky and funny – but he was serious and motivated too. And badass – do not forget the badassness of Reid! He was just amazing.
Oh, and Rosie (Jeid?) was perfect too! They were so cute, so hot and so brilliant. I loved seeing the two of them together and just loved them!
I loved Josie's best friend Hannah as well – she was the perfect counterpoint to Oculi craziness and was really sweet and funny. And Santos killed me too! Oh, and I loved that Josie's mom had to use a cane, but that she hated any help. She didn't want to be treated like she was incapable, like all disabled people (well, unless the hill is really steep...) Go Mrs H! Well, not really. Mrs H was also rather cold and rational. I was very torn about Mom…
But the writing was perfect. Split between Reid and Josie, the action was non-stop and also funny as hell! I loved getting both sides of the story – loved Josie's nerdiness and Reid's badassness. Together, it was like the perfect little mix for my bookish loves! I mean, all those geeky/dorky references... it was like dying and ending up on the Enterprise (not really, since I'm not really into Star Trek, but the dorkiness of the statement seemed fitting). Seriously, all I needed was the mention of D&D or Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizards, Spock and I literally would've been on geekdom cloud nine!
And damn this plot was good! I mean, oh my Star Lord! It was fast-paced, exciting, unpredictable, and awesome. I read this book in one sitting – that good! I was just so hooked and so desperate to know what would happen next! I may have seen a few plot twists coming, but there were so very many twists and turns that I was always, always hooked and on the edge of my seat. I cannot wait for the next book in the series! I need it so badly!
As for this world... Oh. My. Thor! It was so cool! The whole sci-fi edge to the paranormal aspects just blew me away. Everything felt so real – I mean, there was all kinds of science-talk, as well as mentions of scientists – all of which made these unbelievable acts of projection seem, well, believable. And man do I want to be Oculi!
Oh, how I hearted Anomaly! It was the perfect book to just sit and read (preferably in a single sitting) and then gush about afterwards. I’m recommending it to all sci-fi, paranormal and Marvel lovers out there – this is not one to miss! It’s just the most amazing, nerd-a-licious, exciting, thrilling, fun book to read and I shall be desperately waiting for my second hit of the Schrodinger’s Consortium series!
Josie's seventeenth birthday sucks – latest in a line of suckiness. Her dad's vanished. Her boyfriend broke up with her. An awesome interning job fell through. Her mom's being super protective. And she's now the age her brother was when he died. All in all, a great day. Not.
But also... things keep happening. Things that don't make sense...
And then a total hottie rolls up to school on a motor bike, sporting a tattoo just like Josie's brother had...
The hottie is called Reid. He's come to drop a huge bomb.
Josie has powers. She's in danger. Bad guys are gunning for her. Her life has been a lie. Oh, and he's got to train her quickly – as in, before it's too late and war starts.
No pressure there. I mean, where are the Avengers when you need them...?
I saw Anomaly on NetGalley and instantly thought: gots to have it! From the moment I began reading, I fell totally and utterly in love. This book... Holy Thor! It was freaking amazing. I was just instantly hooked! Anomaly was hilarious, exciting, action-packed and full of brilliant nerdy references. Many of its elements weren't stunningly original (nerdy lead girl, former crush, snarkiness, hotness, sci-fi stuff), but when put all together, along with a whole load of awesome, the result meant Anomaly was just stunning. It was so much fun and I loved every single second of it. I seriously cannot recommend Anomaly enough!
Now, when dealing with awesomeness, start with the awesome characters. And Josie was awesome. She was nerdy, funny, clever and, if you haven't gathered by this point, awesome. Her Star Trek, Star Wars, Big Bang Theory and Marvel comics references killed me every time. I also loved her "I was just wired to be weird" – the girl had some brilliant snark! Her reaction to what she really was felt so utterly believable and realistic – I mean, who deals with 'you're not quite human' and 'your life's a lie' with a happy grin? She was brilliant and so was her development!
Reid was amazing too – and totally crushworthy! He, too, was snarky and funny – but he was serious and motivated too. And badass – do not forget the badassness of Reid! He was just amazing.
Oh, and Rosie (Jeid?) was perfect too! They were so cute, so hot and so brilliant. I loved seeing the two of them together and just loved them!
I loved Josie's best friend Hannah as well – she was the perfect counterpoint to Oculi craziness and was really sweet and funny. And Santos killed me too! Oh, and I loved that Josie's mom had to use a cane, but that she hated any help. She didn't want to be treated like she was incapable, like all disabled people (well, unless the hill is really steep...) Go Mrs H! Well, not really. Mrs H was also rather cold and rational. I was very torn about Mom…
But the writing was perfect. Split between Reid and Josie, the action was non-stop and also funny as hell! I loved getting both sides of the story – loved Josie's nerdiness and Reid's badassness. Together, it was like the perfect little mix for my bookish loves! I mean, all those geeky/dorky references... it was like dying and ending up on the Enterprise (not really, since I'm not really into Star Trek, but the dorkiness of the statement seemed fitting). Seriously, all I needed was the mention of D&D or Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizards, Spock and I literally would've been on geekdom cloud nine!
And damn this plot was good! I mean, oh my Star Lord! It was fast-paced, exciting, unpredictable, and awesome. I read this book in one sitting – that good! I was just so hooked and so desperate to know what would happen next! I may have seen a few plot twists coming, but there were so very many twists and turns that I was always, always hooked and on the edge of my seat. I cannot wait for the next book in the series! I need it so badly!
As for this world... Oh. My. Thor! It was so cool! The whole sci-fi edge to the paranormal aspects just blew me away. Everything felt so real – I mean, there was all kinds of science-talk, as well as mentions of scientists – all of which made these unbelievable acts of projection seem, well, believable. And man do I want to be Oculi!
Oh, how I hearted Anomaly! It was the perfect book to just sit and read (preferably in a single sitting) and then gush about afterwards. I’m recommending it to all sci-fi, paranormal and Marvel lovers out there – this is not one to miss! It’s just the most amazing, nerd-a-licious, exciting, thrilling, fun book to read and I shall be desperately waiting for my second hit of the Schrodinger’s Consortium series!
REVIEW ORIGINALLY POSTED ON WHATANERDGIRLSAYS.COM
I absolutely LOVED this book. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I read it and I had such high hopes for it. I met Tonya back in the summer when I went out to Las Vegas for the ALA Conference. I was standing in line to meet Holly Black (for, like, the third time) and the line ran alongside the Entangled booth. Tonya was just finishing up her signing and she came to talk to us in line, handing us bookmarks and pens promoting her book. She was SO nice and genuine, and really excited about her book so I was immediately sold.
I’ve been anxiously waiting for MONTHS to get my hands on this book and so I felt quite lucky to be a part of the team to help promote Anomaly. I helped hand out postcards to promote it at Mockingjay, which I did at the red carpet premiere, and I got my hands on an early copy and DOVE into that book.
What really caught me about this book was the main character. Josie immediately caught my eye because…I felt like I had a lot in common with her. Within the first few minutes of reading, there were several different nerd references and I was sold, because I was laughing my ass off. As a girl who literally owns no other clothes besides t-shirts with Doctor Who, Star Wars, Harry Potter and various other fandoms adorned on them, I was immediately sold on Josie as a character. I also just recently went through a break up, so I understood that sort of “fun time” as well. Josie immediately felt real, and relatable, and because of that, its easy to follow her journey as her world gets turned completely upside down.
I also really loved how unique it was. This is a story that hasn’t been told before. The ability to manipulate reality? That’s not exactly a NEW concept but its fairly unique in the YA genre and I was immediately interested in how it would work out. Both Josie and Reid pull some off in the first few chapters and it blows my mind and I had to keep reading because I have to know how things work. Why could they do that? How could they do that? That kept me turning the pages, especially as more of the mystery is revealed. As more secrets are unraveled, more is hidden. Its incredible.
Plus there’s just the relationship between Reid and Josie. Its infuriating and beautiful. I love the banter they have with each other, how they’ve obviously attracted to each other. They gravitate to each other, they’re often so close that they don’t even realize it. But you’re sitting there, eyes scanning the page, hoping they’ll get even closer. They have such a back and forth relationship and I even tweeted Tonya one day because I was so frustrated haha! I ship the two of them so bad, and she does an amazing job of creating an incredible chemistry between these two main characters but without making it easy or flawless. Its difficult and I like that, because it leaves me wanting more and more.
Plain and simple, its a great debut by Tonya and I can’t wait for more. She’s a fantastic writer and an awesome person and this is a novel that you MUST pick up!
I absolutely LOVED this book. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I read it and I had such high hopes for it. I met Tonya back in the summer when I went out to Las Vegas for the ALA Conference. I was standing in line to meet Holly Black (for, like, the third time) and the line ran alongside the Entangled booth. Tonya was just finishing up her signing and she came to talk to us in line, handing us bookmarks and pens promoting her book. She was SO nice and genuine, and really excited about her book so I was immediately sold.
I’ve been anxiously waiting for MONTHS to get my hands on this book and so I felt quite lucky to be a part of the team to help promote Anomaly. I helped hand out postcards to promote it at Mockingjay, which I did at the red carpet premiere, and I got my hands on an early copy and DOVE into that book.
What really caught me about this book was the main character. Josie immediately caught my eye because…I felt like I had a lot in common with her. Within the first few minutes of reading, there were several different nerd references and I was sold, because I was laughing my ass off. As a girl who literally owns no other clothes besides t-shirts with Doctor Who, Star Wars, Harry Potter and various other fandoms adorned on them, I was immediately sold on Josie as a character. I also just recently went through a break up, so I understood that sort of “fun time” as well. Josie immediately felt real, and relatable, and because of that, its easy to follow her journey as her world gets turned completely upside down.
I also really loved how unique it was. This is a story that hasn’t been told before. The ability to manipulate reality? That’s not exactly a NEW concept but its fairly unique in the YA genre and I was immediately interested in how it would work out. Both Josie and Reid pull some off in the first few chapters and it blows my mind and I had to keep reading because I have to know how things work. Why could they do that? How could they do that? That kept me turning the pages, especially as more of the mystery is revealed. As more secrets are unraveled, more is hidden. Its incredible.
Plus there’s just the relationship between Reid and Josie. Its infuriating and beautiful. I love the banter they have with each other, how they’ve obviously attracted to each other. They gravitate to each other, they’re often so close that they don’t even realize it. But you’re sitting there, eyes scanning the page, hoping they’ll get even closer. They have such a back and forth relationship and I even tweeted Tonya one day because I was so frustrated haha! I ship the two of them so bad, and she does an amazing job of creating an incredible chemistry between these two main characters but without making it easy or flawless. Its difficult and I like that, because it leaves me wanting more and more.
Plain and simple, its a great debut by Tonya and I can’t wait for more. She’s a fantastic writer and an awesome person and this is a novel that you MUST pick up!