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ashleighmacro's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved Pivot Point, but had no idea how Split Second was going to match its great storytelling and captivating concept. Kasie West totally nailed it with an intriguing plot that had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Highly recommend this duology!
aneeqah's review
4.0
For some reason, I still liked the first book better. I think the mystery element was just a tad more compelling. However, I loved getting into another character's head. Kasie West really has done magic- such an amazing story, awesome plot twists, and remarkable characters. It's a book that really kept me captivated.
j_elphaba's review
5.0
Opinião completa em: http://historiasdeelphaba.blogspot.pt/2014/08/split-second-kasie-west-opiniao.html
Num momento em que a ficção literária young adult explora exaustivamente o conceito de distopia aliado à ciência, Pivot Point conquistou-me pela sua originalidade, pelas suas personagens, boas e más, pelo seu enredo que tantas vezes me deixou expectante, na incerteza do que poderia acontecer, e completamente fascinada pelo seu final proibitivamente contraditório. Mas Split Second…. Split Second foi realmente mais além e conseguiu a proeza de alterar emoções convictas que eu tinha anteriormente.
Inteligente, Kasie West teceu uma narrativa que prima pelas múltiplas ilusões e possibilidades com o decorrer do texto, um texto em que nem tudo é o que parece e onde o poder de escolha é tanto uma benesse como uma maldição. A autora procurou, de forma diferente, revelar as muitas facetas da humanidade, transcendendo-a para tornar transparentes as suas qualidades e defeitos, enquanto reforçou a importância dos sentimentos.
(...)
Num momento em que a ficção literária young adult explora exaustivamente o conceito de distopia aliado à ciência, Pivot Point conquistou-me pela sua originalidade, pelas suas personagens, boas e más, pelo seu enredo que tantas vezes me deixou expectante, na incerteza do que poderia acontecer, e completamente fascinada pelo seu final proibitivamente contraditório. Mas Split Second…. Split Second foi realmente mais além e conseguiu a proeza de alterar emoções convictas que eu tinha anteriormente.
Inteligente, Kasie West teceu uma narrativa que prima pelas múltiplas ilusões e possibilidades com o decorrer do texto, um texto em que nem tudo é o que parece e onde o poder de escolha é tanto uma benesse como uma maldição. A autora procurou, de forma diferente, revelar as muitas facetas da humanidade, transcendendo-a para tornar transparentes as suas qualidades e defeitos, enquanto reforçou a importância dos sentimentos.
(...)
lauraew333's review against another edition
3.0
One general thought of mine I'd like to share before we get into the categories: I wish there was more. I haven't read many duologies so maybe it's just me being used to longer series' but it seemed like it ended prematurely. More on that in a little bit.
1. The Compound and the more fantastical elements. Keeping with my general theme, I wish there was more. More development, more details, more information in general. The Compound is there and we have a vague idea of what it is, what it looks like, and what goes on there but it isn't clear at all. This kept me from fully investing in the story because it just seemed to meh to be true. The Compound is a great idea, I just feel like it could have been fleshed out more. More on the abilities side, I felt like the author did a better job with developing the character's abilities in the first book. In the second book, it seemed like they were developing rather quickly and just in time to save the day. It didn't match what was said in the first book with abilities coming to their full potential slowly and in due time.
2. The characters. Like with the last book, I really liked all of the characters. While I didn't connect with most of them, I understood them which is what counts. I found it really interesting to read through all of their conversations and find out about their abilities, etc. Their lives were never boring to me and it kept me interested.
3. The ending. I'm going to talk about this more in the next bullet but I want to say that I felt it ended really prematurely and wrapped up much to quickly. It was a good ending, don't get me wrong, but a little more wouldn't have been amiss.
4. The fact that this series is a duology. It could just be prejudices in my head but I don't think a duology was the right choice for this series. Everything could have used so much more development that the third book would have given it. There were some actions, like how we never get a full explanation from Addison's parents about the programs they had Addison using. That was a pretty big portion of the plot and it seemed like there just wasn't time for the author to extend that story line. It was also difficult to pinpoint some of the character's motivations (especially Duke) because there just wasn't enough scenes with them (AKA, not enough time).
The Final Verdict:
A nice series-ender that, although fun and cool, wasn't developed enough for me. This book felt like a good surface story without much richness to it.
2.5 stars
Quotes:
“A wrong was just righted. Take care of my best friend.”
“Look at me, making one of your dreams come true. You and your Norm truck driving around Normville."
"You're practically a god.”
“Thank you," he whispered against my hair.
"How did that taste in your mouth?"
He laughed. "Awful.”
“Once Addie let someone in, she was impossible to forget. There was something about her that crawled inside a person and built a nice comfy home there, her goodness expanding until it filled every limb.”
“He sighed. "Does it get tiring?"
"What?"
"Always thinking you're right."
I smiled. "No, not really. It's other people not realizing I'm right that gets tiring.”
“Dad, she's beautiful. I remember where she was standing.”
“Thanks for choosing me, Addison.”
1. The Compound and the more fantastical elements. Keeping with my general theme, I wish there was more. More development, more details, more information in general. The Compound is there and we have a vague idea of what it is, what it looks like, and what goes on there but it isn't clear at all. This kept me from fully investing in the story because it just seemed to meh to be true. The Compound is a great idea, I just feel like it could have been fleshed out more. More on the abilities side, I felt like the author did a better job with developing the character's abilities in the first book. In the second book, it seemed like they were developing rather quickly and just in time to save the day. It didn't match what was said in the first book with abilities coming to their full potential slowly and in due time.
2. The characters. Like with the last book, I really liked all of the characters. While I didn't connect with most of them, I understood them which is what counts. I found it really interesting to read through all of their conversations and find out about their abilities, etc. Their lives were never boring to me and it kept me interested.
3. The ending. I'm going to talk about this more in the next bullet but I want to say that I felt it ended really prematurely and wrapped up much to quickly. It was a good ending, don't get me wrong, but a little more wouldn't have been amiss.
4. The fact that this series is a duology. It could just be prejudices in my head but I don't think a duology was the right choice for this series. Everything could have used so much more development that the third book would have given it. There were some actions, like how we never get a full explanation from Addison's parents about the programs they had Addison using. That was a pretty big portion of the plot and it seemed like there just wasn't time for the author to extend that story line. It was also difficult to pinpoint some of the character's motivations (especially Duke) because there just wasn't enough scenes with them (AKA, not enough time).
The Final Verdict:
A nice series-ender that, although fun and cool, wasn't developed enough for me. This book felt like a good surface story without much richness to it.
2.5 stars
Quotes:
“A wrong was just righted. Take care of my best friend.”
“Look at me, making one of your dreams come true. You and your Norm truck driving around Normville."
"You're practically a god.”
“Thank you," he whispered against my hair.
"How did that taste in your mouth?"
He laughed. "Awful.”
“Once Addie let someone in, she was impossible to forget. There was something about her that crawled inside a person and built a nice comfy home there, her goodness expanding until it filled every limb.”
“He sighed. "Does it get tiring?"
"What?"
"Always thinking you're right."
I smiled. "No, not really. It's other people not realizing I'm right that gets tiring.”
“Dad, she's beautiful. I remember where she was standing.”
“Thanks for choosing me, Addison.”
fawzias's review against another edition
5.0
OMG I loved this book so much!!! It was even better than the first book which I adored!! I just loved everything about it! Connor and Laila's relationship was just so beautiful now that they both understand the struggles that each of them are going through. Duke pissed me off so much but I've come to hate him less in the end. And I absolutely love Trevor and Addie's relationship I'm so glad they're finally together! I also loved the duel perspectives I really liked seeing the life of both of them. All in all this book was fantastic and I adored it!! Kasie West is definitely one of my favourite authors ever!!
scythefranz's review against another edition
5.0
Dear Laila,
Please don't erase my memories reading Pivot Point and Split Second! I really loved them.
Please don't erase my memories reading Pivot Point and Split Second! I really loved them.
joyousreads132's review against another edition
3.0
Kasie West is a phenomenal author. Prior to reading this book, she’s 2 for 2, and while I can admit that this book is a strong follow up to Pivot Point, I, however, did not fare very well with Split Second.
Quick Story:
Addie’s eventual choice from the first book brought on some dire consequences that she wishes she could unmake, but with the other path equally damning, she had no choice but to live out the path she chose. She, not only could Search the future; she is also now saddled gifted cursed with the ability to manipulate time. In the meantime, living with her father for six weeks will bring out some family secrets that will expose the real truth about the Compound, and an elaborate plan to test her loyalty.
Laila’s guilt over her betrayal fills her with an overwhelming determination to enhance her ability. With the knowledge that she can restore memories, she will do everything in her power – including befriending the Compound’s “dealer” – to enhance that ability, and all for the sake of absolving some of the guilt.
My Thoughts:
I’d like to reiterate that this book is a fantastic follow up to Pivot Point. The 3-star rating is more reflective of this reader’s experience and the book’s failure to meet my expectation. And we all know how inadvisable it is to set such a high expectation. Regardless of how wonderful it is, Split Second comes with its brand of flaws. It would be far more beneficial if I’d re-read Pivot Point before jumping head first to Split Second. This is one of those instances when I couldn’t follow along with the story, and considering it wasn’t too long ago since I read Pivot Point, I thought for sure reading it would be a breeze. The author jumps right into the story without preamble. There’s a lot to be said for laying out a sturdy plot foundation so your readers will not feel like they missed the boat entirely. This is how I felt while reading the story. I was lost.
The Goodreads ratings and reviews will contradict this, to be sure. This book is highly rated and well reviewed. But to be honest, I don’t get it. I have multiple problems with it that consequently earned it a middle-grade rating. I felt like there really wasn’t any developments with the characters. It was like meeting them for the first time again. It wasn’t so much as a deja vu as it was repetitive. However, just because Trevor and Addie’s relationship was sort of a dud here for me, fans of this pairing will be thrilled as Stephanie’s role is wholly revamped. Gone is the innate hostility she felt towards Addie, replaced by a startling friendliness.
This book also features a Laila perspective, which in my opinion, didn’t really help the book’s cause. I understand why there needed to be a Laila POV though. Look forward to an explosive Connor/Laila pairing! Seeing them butt heads, and Connor not give into Laila’s feminine wiles was a lot of fun to watch.
What was surprising, however, was how easily Addie and Laila forged on a stronger relationship despite the latter’s betrayal in the first book. Granted, Laila has done her best to earn Addie’s trust again, I was still surprised by how seemingly apathetic Addie had been.
Moreover, I didn’t find any relevance to her newfound ability. There was some drivel about Addie absorbing Bobby’s powers (the guy from book 1), but to be perfectly honest, it held very little consequence to the plot. Though it was the reason why she’s being monitored, that story arch was simply not explored enough.
In the end, die hard fans of Kasie West will find very little faults in this book. I was just a little disconnected with this story and therefore able to look outside of the hype. Ultimately, a disorganized plot and a story that lacked substantial heft made for a disappointing read.
Quick Story:
Addie’s eventual choice from the first book brought on some dire consequences that she wishes she could unmake, but with the other path equally damning, she had no choice but to live out the path she chose. She, not only could Search the future; she is also now saddled gifted cursed with the ability to manipulate time. In the meantime, living with her father for six weeks will bring out some family secrets that will expose the real truth about the Compound, and an elaborate plan to test her loyalty.
Laila’s guilt over her betrayal fills her with an overwhelming determination to enhance her ability. With the knowledge that she can restore memories, she will do everything in her power – including befriending the Compound’s “dealer” – to enhance that ability, and all for the sake of absolving some of the guilt.
My Thoughts:
I’d like to reiterate that this book is a fantastic follow up to Pivot Point. The 3-star rating is more reflective of this reader’s experience and the book’s failure to meet my expectation. And we all know how inadvisable it is to set such a high expectation. Regardless of how wonderful it is, Split Second comes with its brand of flaws. It would be far more beneficial if I’d re-read Pivot Point before jumping head first to Split Second. This is one of those instances when I couldn’t follow along with the story, and considering it wasn’t too long ago since I read Pivot Point, I thought for sure reading it would be a breeze. The author jumps right into the story without preamble. There’s a lot to be said for laying out a sturdy plot foundation so your readers will not feel like they missed the boat entirely. This is how I felt while reading the story. I was lost.
The Goodreads ratings and reviews will contradict this, to be sure. This book is highly rated and well reviewed. But to be honest, I don’t get it. I have multiple problems with it that consequently earned it a middle-grade rating. I felt like there really wasn’t any developments with the characters. It was like meeting them for the first time again. It wasn’t so much as a deja vu as it was repetitive. However, just because Trevor and Addie’s relationship was sort of a dud here for me, fans of this pairing will be thrilled as Stephanie’s role is wholly revamped. Gone is the innate hostility she felt towards Addie, replaced by a startling friendliness.
This book also features a Laila perspective, which in my opinion, didn’t really help the book’s cause. I understand why there needed to be a Laila POV though. Look forward to an explosive Connor/Laila pairing! Seeing them butt heads, and Connor not give into Laila’s feminine wiles was a lot of fun to watch.
What was surprising, however, was how easily Addie and Laila forged on a stronger relationship despite the latter’s betrayal in the first book. Granted, Laila has done her best to earn Addie’s trust again, I was still surprised by how seemingly apathetic Addie had been.
Moreover, I didn’t find any relevance to her newfound ability. There was some drivel about Addie absorbing Bobby’s powers (the guy from book 1), but to be perfectly honest, it held very little consequence to the plot. Though it was the reason why she’s being monitored, that story arch was simply not explored enough.
In the end, die hard fans of Kasie West will find very little faults in this book. I was just a little disconnected with this story and therefore able to look outside of the hype. Ultimately, a disorganized plot and a story that lacked substantial heft made for a disappointing read.
introreads's review against another edition
5.0
Awesome
While this book wasn't as good as the first one in my opinion, it was still great! I hated for it to end!
While this book wasn't as good as the first one in my opinion, it was still great! I hated for it to end!
madeleine_knutsson's review against another edition
4.0
4,5 stars
Not as good as the first book, but still really good.
Not as good as the first book, but still really good.