Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
Amazing! Such a brilliant story--couldn't put it down!
That was a transformation!
*Received in exchange for an honest review*
*Thank you, Harper 360*
Pivot Point is a book that I have been wanting to read for the longest time. When it arrived in the post I was overjoyed and couldn't wait to get stuck into it. Unfortunately, life got in the way and only now am I managing to read this book. I'd heard a lot of positive things about this book and really hoped that it would live up to my expectations. I was off to a fairly rocky start with this book. I had so much anticipation for it and the beginning felt quite empty for me. No events unfolded in the first third of the book, but this didn't necessarily make it a bad read. I read through it fairly quickly and my mind was soon changed. Half way through the book, events start to unfold and I couldn't put it down! I was completely captivated and couldn't wait to see how things would play out for Addie, Laila, Luke and Trevor.
Addie, Laile and Luke are students at Lincoln High, a school which houses those with extra psychological abilities. They are teenagers with newly developing powers. This just sounds like a recipe for disaster, but the rules and regulations of the Compound are so strict that it is almost impossible to take advantage of these powers. Addie, our protagonist, is a Searcher. She has the ability, if faced with a choice which involves her, to look into the future and to see how both options play out. This sounds like an ideal power to have but as the book progresses, we see that this power is certainly more of a burden than a help. I loved reading about Addie - she is the exact time of character that I love to read. So very real with real emotions and motives. Her actions aren't over inflated and she isn't represented as this perfect heroine - something I love to see in YA. She is someone many of us will be able to relate to easily.
Once this novel got going I was 100% captivated. It's a very quick read with each chapter keeping you flicking the page. With short, snappy chapters it is so easy to devour this in one sitting. I will admit though, I was a little disappointed with the ending. It wasn't a bad ending, I just wished that it had a little more oomph to it! There is plenty of action in the second half and I had an idea of how I thought it would pan out. I was wrong however, but wish that it had played out differently. The ending felt a little bland in comparison to what could have happened, but I suppose that's easy enough for me to say! I loved how the book delved into some deeper issues too: divorce, drug abuse, the darker side of society. It added more dimension to the book - it was great.
Overall I really enjoyed Pivot Point and definitely recommend it. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Split Second and seeing how Addie's choices pan out. The book holds so many realistic characters and the romance is beautifully played out. Definitely pick this book up for a quick and light read!
*Received in exchange for an honest review*
*Thank you, Harper 360*
Pivot Point is a book that I have been wanting to read for the longest time. When it arrived in the post I was overjoyed and couldn't wait to get stuck into it. Unfortunately, life got in the way and only now am I managing to read this book. I'd heard a lot of positive things about this book and really hoped that it would live up to my expectations. I was off to a fairly rocky start with this book. I had so much anticipation for it and the beginning felt quite empty for me. No events unfolded in the first third of the book, but this didn't necessarily make it a bad read. I read through it fairly quickly and my mind was soon changed. Half way through the book, events start to unfold and I couldn't put it down! I was completely captivated and couldn't wait to see how things would play out for Addie, Laila, Luke and Trevor.
Addie, Laile and Luke are students at Lincoln High, a school which houses those with extra psychological abilities. They are teenagers with newly developing powers. This just sounds like a recipe for disaster, but the rules and regulations of the Compound are so strict that it is almost impossible to take advantage of these powers. Addie, our protagonist, is a Searcher. She has the ability, if faced with a choice which involves her, to look into the future and to see how both options play out. This sounds like an ideal power to have but as the book progresses, we see that this power is certainly more of a burden than a help. I loved reading about Addie - she is the exact time of character that I love to read. So very real with real emotions and motives. Her actions aren't over inflated and she isn't represented as this perfect heroine - something I love to see in YA. She is someone many of us will be able to relate to easily.
Once this novel got going I was 100% captivated. It's a very quick read with each chapter keeping you flicking the page. With short, snappy chapters it is so easy to devour this in one sitting. I will admit though, I was a little disappointed with the ending. It wasn't a bad ending, I just wished that it had a little more oomph to it! There is plenty of action in the second half and I had an idea of how I thought it would pan out. I was wrong however, but wish that it had played out differently. The ending felt a little bland in comparison to what could have happened, but I suppose that's easy enough for me to say! I loved how the book delved into some deeper issues too: divorce, drug abuse, the darker side of society. It added more dimension to the book - it was great.
Overall I really enjoyed Pivot Point and definitely recommend it. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Split Second and seeing how Addie's choices pan out. The book holds so many realistic characters and the romance is beautifully played out. Definitely pick this book up for a quick and light read!
Oh, Kasie West, what have you done to all of the synapses in my body responsible for my feelings? Pivot Point was one of those young adult gems that you’re not prepared for. It’s one of those books that take you so much by surprise and catch you so much off guard, that you never could’ve seen the tornado of feelings coming your way, no matter how good of a weather forecast you’re able to procure. Pivot Point emotionally wrecked me with so much reading anxiety, I actually had to put reading on hold a) to fend off the evident finish to the awesomeness of the story and b) because my body and mind were not capable to process and handle myself without falling into a rocking embryo position in the corner of my room. Or any room I’d find myself in, for that matter. You just know a book is for you when it infiltrates your daily life so much so that it takes over 24/7.
Taking place in a very X-Men-esque type of setting, Pivot Point tells the story of Addison, a young girl living in a society consisting of evolved human beings with super brains and powers, kept hidden from us normal folks so as not to infect them with our normal brain capacity. But despite her clairvoyant abilities, Addison’s life takes a turn for the ultimate normal teenage worse when her parents announce, out of the blue, that they’ve decided to file for divorce, and Addison’s father is set to leave for the outside of all things. Addison’s ability to see the future has her search for two possible outcomes depending on which option to chose – life with her mother or life with her father, and sets in motion heart-breaking, heart-mending and heart-rendering chains of events.
What makes Pivot Point stand out so much from all the X-Men inspired types of books out there, and what makes for such a fascinating and unique reading experience, is the fact that it is very much a what-if kind of story. And the more you read, the more you forget that what you’re reading is actually two hypothetical turn of events that haven’t come to fruition yet, all wrapped in one book told from Addison’s POV. I loved that while every other chapter takes place in each of the two alternate versions of Addison’s future reality, you start thinking of one as the more prominent one, and thus become more and more anxious for Addison’s final choice. Both realities have their positive and negative aspects, of course, but it’s exactly that option left open that drives you to read faster and keeps you from reading faster, because you know there’s going to be a whole lot of heartbreak at the end of the decision-making either way. I’ve never come across a book that had me so torn. Addison’s choice becomes your choice, and it’s unbearable to make. I also really enjoyed Addison’s narration. It was kept simple and yet managed to keep you on your toes and helped you immerse yourself as the reader in a complex background in a very palpable way.
While what I like to call Search 1 features a whole lot of Addison’s new love interest Trevor to make you swoon about, Search 2 has eccentric best friend Lily causing havoc. Add a drug lord, a special force agent father, a douche in a football jersey and Trevor’s adorable little brother to the mix of both timelines, and you just know you’re bound for drama. A great type of drama you need in your life as an avid reader, though. What I can’t fail to mention is the little sub-story of Trevor and Addison’s comic-writing efforts that I absolutely adored as well. It was such a fun and ironic way to mock the book’s own inevitable X-Men heritage while also acknowledging the irony in Addison’s new life in the Search 1 reality. The story-within-the-story was a cute and brilliant way to make Addison’s fears more tangible.
All in all, Pivot Point has become one of my favourite sci-fi reads. It’s just enough as X-Men as it is very, very different to have kept my attention so thoroughly, and even though I became an emotional cripple once I did finish it, I recommend this book to pretty much everyone. Getting my book BFF Cyra to buy it was one of the most fulfilling book shopping experiences ever, just knowing her spirit would wax and wain and wain some more while reading it. And you know, for me, having books channel your emotions in such a heightened and original and just genuinely exciting way damn well guarantees a 4-star-rating in my scale.
Taking place in a very X-Men-esque type of setting, Pivot Point tells the story of Addison, a young girl living in a society consisting of evolved human beings with super brains and powers, kept hidden from us normal folks so as not to infect them with our normal brain capacity. But despite her clairvoyant abilities, Addison’s life takes a turn for the ultimate normal teenage worse when her parents announce, out of the blue, that they’ve decided to file for divorce, and Addison’s father is set to leave for the outside of all things. Addison’s ability to see the future has her search for two possible outcomes depending on which option to chose – life with her mother or life with her father, and sets in motion heart-breaking, heart-mending and heart-rendering chains of events.
What makes Pivot Point stand out so much from all the X-Men inspired types of books out there, and what makes for such a fascinating and unique reading experience, is the fact that it is very much a what-if kind of story. And the more you read, the more you forget that what you’re reading is actually two hypothetical turn of events that haven’t come to fruition yet, all wrapped in one book told from Addison’s POV. I loved that while every other chapter takes place in each of the two alternate versions of Addison’s future reality, you start thinking of one as the more prominent one, and thus become more and more anxious for Addison’s final choice. Both realities have their positive and negative aspects, of course, but it’s exactly that option left open that drives you to read faster and keeps you from reading faster, because you know there’s going to be a whole lot of heartbreak at the end of the decision-making either way. I’ve never come across a book that had me so torn. Addison’s choice becomes your choice, and it’s unbearable to make. I also really enjoyed Addison’s narration. It was kept simple and yet managed to keep you on your toes and helped you immerse yourself as the reader in a complex background in a very palpable way.
While what I like to call Search 1 features a whole lot of Addison’s new love interest Trevor to make you swoon about, Search 2 has eccentric best friend Lily causing havoc. Add a drug lord, a special force agent father, a douche in a football jersey and Trevor’s adorable little brother to the mix of both timelines, and you just know you’re bound for drama. A great type of drama you need in your life as an avid reader, though. What I can’t fail to mention is the little sub-story of Trevor and Addison’s comic-writing efforts that I absolutely adored as well. It was such a fun and ironic way to mock the book’s own inevitable X-Men heritage while also acknowledging the irony in Addison’s new life in the Search 1 reality. The story-within-the-story was a cute and brilliant way to make Addison’s fears more tangible.
All in all, Pivot Point has become one of my favourite sci-fi reads. It’s just enough as X-Men as it is very, very different to have kept my attention so thoroughly, and even though I became an emotional cripple once I did finish it, I recommend this book to pretty much everyone. Getting my book BFF Cyra to buy it was one of the most fulfilling book shopping experiences ever, just knowing her spirit would wax and wain and wain some more while reading it. And you know, for me, having books channel your emotions in such a heightened and original and just genuinely exciting way damn well guarantees a 4-star-rating in my scale.
Probably my least favorite Kasie West book just because I prefer her cute romance. It took me some time to get into it but once I read the first 100 pages, I flew through it.
This is great. Loved how the story was told. I recommend. 4.75 stars
This is more of 4.5 stars. I liked the book, I really liked the idea about the two possible realities, it's an original way to look at the "seeing the future" ability. What I didn't like was the ending. I really wanted to know if Addie got her memories about the other future back.
I loved this book so much. Kasie West, you need to be writing more books like these.
3 1/2 stars. I liked this book well enough to, upon finishing it, immediately put the sequel on hold at the library.
What this book had going for it most was its unpredictability. Until the last few chapters, I truly had no idea how this would end, which doesn't happen very often.
There were a few moments where the writing felt a little rocky to me, but overall I enjoyed the parallel story lines and the strong ending. Fans of the YA paranormal or dystopian genre should give this a chance.
What this book had going for it most was its unpredictability. Until the last few chapters, I truly had no idea how this would end, which doesn't happen very often.
There were a few moments where the writing felt a little rocky to me, but overall I enjoyed the parallel story lines and the strong ending. Fans of the YA paranormal or dystopian genre should give this a chance.
The premise of this book is one of the things that drew me to it. A young woman who can “see” the outcomes of her decisions before taking them? That power is cool! Most of us would like to be invisible or super strong, but Addison “Addie” Coleman’s gift is so useful. Wouldn’t you wish you had it?
At the start of Pivot Point, Addie’s parents drop a bomb on her: they’re getting divorced. Not only that, her father is moving away. So, Addie has to choose whom she wants to live with. In a normal world, the decision would already be difficult to make. Addie lives in the Compound, a closed-off town where only people with special abilities reside. That’s one thing that surprised me at the start. I thought Addie would be the only character with a gift. The abilities in this book are all mind-based. Addie is mostly referred to as a Searcher. Her gift is a special type of Clairvoyance, which allows Addie to see only her future. Laila, Addie’s best friend, has the ability to Erase memories. Other abilities in Pivot Point include telekinesis, lie-detecting, and even phasing.
If Addie chooses to live with her father, then she’ll have to adapt to life in the outer world. To help her choose, Addie Searches her future to see which one would be better. The rest of the chapters in the book alternate between two timelines. In one timeline, Addie stays with her mother and lives life as she’s always known it. Only, Addie is pursued by her school’s popular quarterback, Duke. In the other timeline, Addie moves with her father. She attends a Norm (that’s what they call people without powers) high school. Soon enough, Addie makes new friends. One of them is Trevor, a laid-back but cute boy who Addie's drawn to. At first glance, both of the possible futures seem all right. Addie has no idea what awaits her, though.
Keeping track of the two timelines seemed challenging at first. I thought it would be like reading two books at once. I’ve never done that to avoid losing track of either story. In Pivot Point, the dual timelines worked well, though. I was never confused when I continued reading. You may notice that every chapter starts with a word definition. They’re not there just for decoration. Starting with chapter three, you’ll find that those definitions give you a clue as to which timeline the chapter belongs to. The definitions are also loosely related to the events in that chapter. I thought those were clever additions, and quite helpful.
As the events unfold, Addie is drawn into a murder investigation in both of the timelines. Simultaneously, she falls for both of her love interests. Addie seemed to grow closer to Trevor, though. I thought they made a better couple than Addie and Duke. There’s the obstacle of Trevor having an ex-girlfriend, but he isn’t interested. In the end, Addie’s decision turns out to be much harder to make than I expected. Both futures end with awful consequences, and Addie must choose the future she’s more willing to live with. The synopsis tells you that Addie needs to decide who she’s willing to live without. Will it be Duke, or Trevor? The answer may surprise you.
As marvelous as Pivot Point was, some things were just plain silly. It appears that the author took a leaf off J.K. Rowling’s book, and the results were rather embarrassing. You know how wizards are all but helpless in the Muggle world? They suck at picking an outfit, for instance. Kasie West tried to do the same with her gifted people. There was a scene with Addie and Duke in which the latter gets stuck in a bathroom in the normal world. He has no idea how to unlock a door with a knob, as all doors in the Compound are automatic. I mean, seriously? A dog could figure out how to open a door, given enough time. The people of the Compound are said to be able to use 100% of their brain (that’s the reason why they have gifts). Getting bested by a door? Unbelievable.
Should you pass up this book? I say definitely not. If you’re a fan of romantic paranormal fantasy with really likable characters, you’ll enjoy Pivot Point. Just forgive the author for the gaffe I mentioned above. Other than that, this book is a gem. It was riveting.
My rating: ★★★★
4 stars - Definitely enjoyed it!
At the start of Pivot Point, Addie’s parents drop a bomb on her: they’re getting divorced. Not only that, her father is moving away. So, Addie has to choose whom she wants to live with. In a normal world, the decision would already be difficult to make. Addie lives in the Compound, a closed-off town where only people with special abilities reside. That’s one thing that surprised me at the start. I thought Addie would be the only character with a gift. The abilities in this book are all mind-based. Addie is mostly referred to as a Searcher. Her gift is a special type of Clairvoyance, which allows Addie to see only her future. Laila, Addie’s best friend, has the ability to Erase memories. Other abilities in Pivot Point include telekinesis, lie-detecting, and even phasing.
If Addie chooses to live with her father, then she’ll have to adapt to life in the outer world. To help her choose, Addie Searches her future to see which one would be better. The rest of the chapters in the book alternate between two timelines. In one timeline, Addie stays with her mother and lives life as she’s always known it. Only, Addie is pursued by her school’s popular quarterback, Duke. In the other timeline, Addie moves with her father. She attends a Norm (that’s what they call people without powers) high school. Soon enough, Addie makes new friends. One of them is Trevor, a laid-back but cute boy who Addie's drawn to. At first glance, both of the possible futures seem all right. Addie has no idea what awaits her, though.
Keeping track of the two timelines seemed challenging at first. I thought it would be like reading two books at once. I’ve never done that to avoid losing track of either story. In Pivot Point, the dual timelines worked well, though. I was never confused when I continued reading. You may notice that every chapter starts with a word definition. They’re not there just for decoration. Starting with chapter three, you’ll find that those definitions give you a clue as to which timeline the chapter belongs to. The definitions are also loosely related to the events in that chapter. I thought those were clever additions, and quite helpful.
As the events unfold, Addie is drawn into a murder investigation in both of the timelines. Simultaneously, she falls for both of her love interests. Addie seemed to grow closer to Trevor, though. I thought they made a better couple than Addie and Duke. There’s the obstacle of Trevor having an ex-girlfriend, but he isn’t interested. In the end, Addie’s decision turns out to be much harder to make than I expected. Both futures end with awful consequences, and Addie must choose the future she’s more willing to live with. The synopsis tells you that Addie needs to decide who she’s willing to live without. Will it be Duke, or Trevor? The answer may surprise you.
As marvelous as Pivot Point was, some things were just plain silly. It appears that the author took a leaf off J.K. Rowling’s book, and the results were rather embarrassing. You know how wizards are all but helpless in the Muggle world? They suck at picking an outfit, for instance. Kasie West tried to do the same with her gifted people. There was a scene with Addie and Duke in which the latter gets stuck in a bathroom in the normal world. He has no idea how to unlock a door with a knob, as all doors in the Compound are automatic. I mean, seriously? A dog could figure out how to open a door, given enough time. The people of the Compound are said to be able to use 100% of their brain (that’s the reason why they have gifts). Getting bested by a door? Unbelievable.
Should you pass up this book? I say definitely not. If you’re a fan of romantic paranormal fantasy with really likable characters, you’ll enjoy Pivot Point. Just forgive the author for the gaffe I mentioned above. Other than that, this book is a gem. It was riveting.
My rating: ★★★★
4 stars - Definitely enjoyed it!
