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3.03 AVERAGE
3.03 AVERAGE
This book caught my attention immediately. I found the premise fascinating and flew through the pages to find out how everything would resolve. I really enjoy Berla’s writing style and loved this mystery/fantasy twist. Fantastic characters and detail, this YA fantasy is one that will appeal to all ages. Loved it!
Advanced reading copy supplied from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.
Ricochet was such a fun read! I loved the concept, it's something pretty unique that I haven't seen before in YA. And that cover.... just stunning. The pacing was fast, this was the kind of book you get through in two-three sessions because you're so eager to see where it goes. Learning about how different the four Tatiana variants were due to slight differences in their backstory was so interesting; the fact that they could even be entirely different nationalities because of one event really emphasised how much our choices matter. Looking at the acknowledgements and seeing that the author had contact with actual Russians to help with the characters was nice; there seems to be a big rise in Russian fiction in recent years and I've hated how most authors never actually learn anything about the culture. The class income gap and the stark contrast between the rich and the poor were quite accurate.
I did have a few problems though. In general, it just felt like the book wasn't developed enough. The ending felt very rushed and though I liked it, I felt that the storyline deserved two or three books instead of one. The plot didn't really go anywhere until the last 15% of the book, where it suddenly all happened at once. The love interest of the protagonist never got the time that she deserved, it seemed a real shame to have a wholesome lesbian relationship like that and just not take it anywere. Anthony was criminally underdeveloped. They were well-written people but lacked substance. There just wasn't enough time to get to know the characters well enough. There was no time to build up a sense of epicness because the story was over just as it began to get really interesting.
I also found the fact that all of the variants of Tati had pretty much the same name VERY confusing. I didn't catch onto it right away and spent the first half of the book mixing the characters up with one another constantly. Those beginning chapters feel kind of disjointed.
Despite the negatives though, I still believe Ricochet is worth a read if you're in the market for some light and fast YA entertainment with good LGBT rep that doesn't make being gay the central storyline.
Ricochet was such a fun read! I loved the concept, it's something pretty unique that I haven't seen before in YA. And that cover.... just stunning. The pacing was fast, this was the kind of book you get through in two-three sessions because you're so eager to see where it goes. Learning about how different the four Tatiana variants were due to slight differences in their backstory was so interesting; the fact that they could even be entirely different nationalities because of one event really emphasised how much our choices matter. Looking at the acknowledgements and seeing that the author had contact with actual Russians to help with the characters was nice; there seems to be a big rise in Russian fiction in recent years and I've hated how most authors never actually learn anything about the culture. The class income gap and the stark contrast between the rich and the poor were quite accurate.
I did have a few problems though. In general, it just felt like the book wasn't developed enough. The ending felt very rushed and though I liked it, I felt that the storyline deserved two or three books instead of one. The plot didn't really go anywhere until the last 15% of the book, where it suddenly all happened at once. The love interest of the protagonist never got the time that she deserved, it seemed a real shame to have a wholesome lesbian relationship like that and just not take it anywere. Anthony was criminally underdeveloped. They were well-written people but lacked substance. There just wasn't enough time to get to know the characters well enough. There was no time to build up a sense of epicness because the story was over just as it began to get really interesting.
I also found the fact that all of the variants of Tati had pretty much the same name VERY confusing. I didn't catch onto it right away and spent the first half of the book mixing the characters up with one another constantly. Those beginning chapters feel kind of disjointed.
Despite the negatives though, I still believe Ricochet is worth a read if you're in the market for some light and fast YA entertainment with good LGBT rep that doesn't make being gay the central storyline.
Advanced reading copy supplied from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.
Ricochet was such a fun read! I loved the concept, it's something pretty unique that I haven't seen before in YA. And that cover.... just stunning. The pacing was fast, this was the kind of book you get through in two-three sessions because you're so eager to see where it goes. Learning about how different the four Tatiana variants were due to slight differences in their backstory was so interesting; the fact that they could even be entirely different nationalities because of one event really emphasised how much our choices matter. Looking at the acknowledgements and seeing that the author had contact with actual Russians to help with the characters was nice; there seems to be a big rise in Russian fiction in recent years and I've hated how most authors never actually learn anything about the culture. The class income gap and the stark contrast between the rich and the poor were quite accurate.
I did have a few problems though. In general, it just felt like the book wasn't developed enough. The ending felt very rushed and though I liked it, I felt that the storyline deserved two or three books instead of one. The plot didn't really go anywhere until the last 15% of the book, where it suddenly all happened at once. The love interest of the protagonist never got the time that she deserved, it seemed a real shame to have a wholesome lesbian relationship like that and just not take it anywere. Anthony was criminally underdeveloped. They were well-written people but lacked substance. There just wasn't enough time to get to know the characters well enough. There was no time to build up a sense of epicness because the story was over just as it began to get really interesting.
I also found the fact that all of the variants of Tati had pretty much the same name VERY confusing. I didn't catch onto it right away and spent the first half of the book mixing the characters up with one another constantly. Those beginning chapters feel kind of disjointed.
Despite the negatives though, I still believe Ricochet is worth a read if you're in the market for some light and fast YA entertainment with good LGBT rep that doesn't make being gay the central storyline.
Ricochet was such a fun read! I loved the concept, it's something pretty unique that I haven't seen before in YA. And that cover.... just stunning. The pacing was fast, this was the kind of book you get through in two-three sessions because you're so eager to see where it goes. Learning about how different the four Tatiana variants were due to slight differences in their backstory was so interesting; the fact that they could even be entirely different nationalities because of one event really emphasised how much our choices matter. Looking at the acknowledgements and seeing that the author had contact with actual Russians to help with the characters was nice; there seems to be a big rise in Russian fiction in recent years and I've hated how most authors never actually learn anything about the culture. The class income gap and the stark contrast between the rich and the poor were quite accurate.
I did have a few problems though. In general, it just felt like the book wasn't developed enough. The ending felt very rushed and though I liked it, I felt that the storyline deserved two or three books instead of one. The plot didn't really go anywhere until the last 15% of the book, where it suddenly all happened at once. The love interest of the protagonist never got the time that she deserved, it seemed a real shame to have a wholesome lesbian relationship like that and just not take it anywere. Anthony was criminally underdeveloped. They were well-written people but lacked substance. There just wasn't enough time to get to know the characters well enough. There was no time to build up a sense of epicness because the story was over just as it began to get really interesting.
I also found the fact that all of the variants of Tati had pretty much the same name VERY confusing. I didn't catch onto it right away and spent the first half of the book mixing the characters up with one another constantly. Those beginning chapters feel kind of disjointed.
Despite the negatives though, I still believe Ricochet is worth a read if you're in the market for some light and fast YA entertainment with good LGBT rep that doesn't make being gay the central storyline.
3.5 stars
I went into this book not really knowing what it was about and I was pleasantly surprised. At first I wasn't sure what was going on, but once I got the gist of it, it was really good.
Basically, we're following a teen girl who suffers from seizures, but of course there's always more to it than that. This story talks about parallel universes and how even just a small change can alter everything. We get to see how different these alternate realities are but also how truly connected they are.
My problem with this book is that it felt like it was setting up towards something bigger but the ending kind of wrapped up to quickly for me. I honestly thought that it was just setting up for a sequel or something, but it just ended very abruptly.
Other that than I'd really recommend this book!
I went into this book not really knowing what it was about and I was pleasantly surprised. At first I wasn't sure what was going on, but once I got the gist of it, it was really good.
Basically, we're following a teen girl who suffers from seizures, but of course there's always more to it than that. This story talks about parallel universes and how even just a small change can alter everything. We get to see how different these alternate realities are but also how truly connected they are.
My problem with this book is that it felt like it was setting up towards something bigger but the ending kind of wrapped up to quickly for me. I honestly thought that it was just setting up for a sequel or something, but it just ended very abruptly.
Other that than I'd really recommend this book!
I want to start off by saying I typically do not like fantasy or sci-fi, so I was apprehensive to say the least.
This book is about Tatiana and her alternate universe selves. Initially it was hard for me to keep the different lives straight, but after a few chapters, I was able to tell them apart.
I found this book exciting! It was refreshing to have a YA that didn’t center on romance. There was a romance but it wasn’t a theme critical to the plot line.
I highly recommend this book. I did receive this book free for review purposes, but I would love to add a hard copy to my personal library.
This book is about Tatiana and her alternate universe selves. Initially it was hard for me to keep the different lives straight, but after a few chapters, I was able to tell them apart.
I found this book exciting! It was refreshing to have a YA that didn’t center on romance. There was a romance but it wasn’t a theme critical to the plot line.
I highly recommend this book. I did receive this book free for review purposes, but I would love to add a hard copy to my personal library.
Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Tik Tok | You can find my review here.
As always, a copy of this book was provided by the author or publisher in exchange for my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way.
At first glance, I half-expected Ricochet to be a lot like Orphan Black in terms of characters. Instead of clones, obviously, it would be based upon parallel universes. Kathryn Berla assured me almost instantly in the narration that this was a completely different, but no less compelling, tale.
The best way to describe Ricochet is that it is fast paced, clever and wholly enthralling. Not only was this book a breeze to get into, and through, the intrigue was on the highest level of high. Berla ensures a steady flow of mystery, action and sprinkles of coming of age woes.
Ricochet was a pleasant surprise that kept me on the edge of my seat, but it also had an edge to it that felt like the sharp sting of confusion. These confusing moments came by the hand of many twists in the plot as well as the multiple* POVs. While the characters could get a bit blurred together, Ricochet still kept it simple enough and once you got used to the various voices each possessed it became much more distinctive/easy to follow.
(*There were four POVS, which isn't a lot in theory. But because Ricochet was so short it kind of had this almost overwhelming feeling at first.)
I think that my only complaint in Ricochet has less to do with the writing or tone and more of a personal preference thing, but there was this abruptness to the ending that made me go, "What?" And also long for so much more within this world.
Ultimately, I really enjoyed this one. The writing was smooth, suspenseful and completely engaging. While it wasn't necessarily an all-time favourite, and I may no reread it again, Ricochet was still a blast from start to finish.
As always, a copy of this book was provided by the author or publisher in exchange for my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way.
At first glance, I half-expected Ricochet to be a lot like Orphan Black in terms of characters. Instead of clones, obviously, it would be based upon parallel universes. Kathryn Berla assured me almost instantly in the narration that this was a completely different, but no less compelling, tale.
The best way to describe Ricochet is that it is fast paced, clever and wholly enthralling. Not only was this book a breeze to get into, and through, the intrigue was on the highest level of high. Berla ensures a steady flow of mystery, action and sprinkles of coming of age woes.
Ricochet was a pleasant surprise that kept me on the edge of my seat, but it also had an edge to it that felt like the sharp sting of confusion. These confusing moments came by the hand of many twists in the plot as well as the multiple* POVs. While the characters could get a bit blurred together, Ricochet still kept it simple enough and once you got used to the various voices each possessed it became much more distinctive/easy to follow.
(*There were four POVS, which isn't a lot in theory. But because Ricochet was so short it kind of had this almost overwhelming feeling at first.)
I think that my only complaint in Ricochet has less to do with the writing or tone and more of a personal preference thing, but there was this abruptness to the ending that made me go, "What?" And also long for so much more within this world.
Ultimately, I really enjoyed this one. The writing was smooth, suspenseful and completely engaging. While it wasn't necessarily an all-time favourite, and I may no reread it again, Ricochet was still a blast from start to finish.
This ebook was given to me by NetGalley in return for an honest review.
The description of this book sounded amazing. I usually love to read about multiple universes or clones or genetic engineering. I find the topics fascinating but hard to get right. This is because there is complex science and theories behind these ideas. This book was a miss for me on that aspect. The science in this book wasn't very well explained and lead to more confusion than clarity. I was super interested in learning how Kathryn Berla explain her own take, but I just think it wasn't done well. I was left with more questions at the end of the book and it didn't feel like real closure. It wasn't even an open ending, it just wasn't very well ended.
The characters themselves seemed a bit blah as well. There were no real distinctive personality traits and they seemed to be reacting to others around them instead of relying on their own instincts and beliefs. They seemed to be a side character in their own story instead of the main protagonist. Even though there were multiple of the same genetic individual, there was nothing to really set them apart besides where they were from and their family dynamics. Maybe this was the point to comment on the whole "nature vs nurture" thing, but I didn't enjoy it very much.
Overall I was just a bit disappointed on the direction this story went.
The description of this book sounded amazing. I usually love to read about multiple universes or clones or genetic engineering. I find the topics fascinating but hard to get right. This is because there is complex science and theories behind these ideas. This book was a miss for me on that aspect. The science in this book wasn't very well explained and lead to more confusion than clarity. I was super interested in learning how Kathryn Berla explain her own take, but I just think it wasn't done well. I was left with more questions at the end of the book and it didn't feel like real closure. It wasn't even an open ending, it just wasn't very well ended.
The characters themselves seemed a bit blah as well. There were no real distinctive personality traits and they seemed to be reacting to others around them instead of relying on their own instincts and beliefs. They seemed to be a side character in their own story instead of the main protagonist. Even though there were multiple of the same genetic individual, there was nothing to really set them apart besides where they were from and their family dynamics. Maybe this was the point to comment on the whole "nature vs nurture" thing, but I didn't enjoy it very much.
Overall I was just a bit disappointed on the direction this story went.
Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher and netgalley. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Ricochet
Author: Katheryn Berla
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 2/5
Publication Date: October 8, 2019
Publisher: North Star Editions
Pages: 328
Recommended Age: 16+ (some violence, science stuff)
Synopsis: When seventeen-year-old Tati sends a saliva sample to a DNA ancestry testing site her results come back inconclusive. What’s wrong with her DNA? And what does it have to do with her unexplained seizures and the beckoning tunnel she sees during them?
What Tati discovers is more than she could have ever imagined possible. Parallel universes exist and her abnormal DNA compels and condemns Tati and her other selves—shy Ana—privileged Tatyana—and on-the-run Tanya, to a lifetime of ricocheting between their parallel lives in the multiverse.
With knowledge of their existence a deadly threat in every universe, the only chance all four have to survive is to work together to take down the scientist responsible: their father.
Review: I really like the premise of this book and I thought the characters were well developed and the world building was well done as well.
However, this book is confusing and the ending doesn't make sense to me. It was also slow and overall I had to downgrade my rating because of the ending.
Verdict: It wasn't for me.
Book: Ricochet
Author: Katheryn Berla
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 2/5
Publication Date: October 8, 2019
Publisher: North Star Editions
Pages: 328
Recommended Age: 16+ (some violence, science stuff)
Synopsis: When seventeen-year-old Tati sends a saliva sample to a DNA ancestry testing site her results come back inconclusive. What’s wrong with her DNA? And what does it have to do with her unexplained seizures and the beckoning tunnel she sees during them?
What Tati discovers is more than she could have ever imagined possible. Parallel universes exist and her abnormal DNA compels and condemns Tati and her other selves—shy Ana—privileged Tatyana—and on-the-run Tanya, to a lifetime of ricocheting between their parallel lives in the multiverse.
With knowledge of their existence a deadly threat in every universe, the only chance all four have to survive is to work together to take down the scientist responsible: their father.
Review: I really like the premise of this book and I thought the characters were well developed and the world building was well done as well.
However, this book is confusing and the ending doesn't make sense to me. It was also slow and overall I had to downgrade my rating because of the ending.
Verdict: It wasn't for me.
This book had so much potential. It started off really really well. (Which is why I felt like I had to stick it out when things started to go downhill.) As soon as the character Tati crossed over into another universe, is when things took a turn.
A lot of the science in this book was confusing/unrealistic/not explained well. I felt like almost everything was just clumsily thrown together. The plot was all over the place. And the ending was worse than the ending to Lost. (If you know what I mean.) I was so disappointed. I just kept hoping it would get better. Especially because Berla’s writing was so readable.
Overall I gave this one 3 stars.
A lot of the science in this book was confusing/unrealistic/not explained well. I felt like almost everything was just clumsily thrown together. The plot was all over the place. And the ending was worse than the ending to Lost. (If you know what I mean.) I was so disappointed. I just kept hoping it would get better. Especially because Berla’s writing was so readable.
Overall I gave this one 3 stars.
This book was a mixed bag for me. It's great and fast paced, full of surprises and a great premise I was really intrigued with, It was a nice quick read, entertaining and fast, I found myself hooked on the story and devouring it quickly, I enjoyed the non stop action. Even though there were some confusing elements to the plot, it was easy and light to read.
BUT I couldn't keep up with the four main characters - it was way too easy to confuse them and forget who was who. I got a little bit lost. The ending was a let down as well; it just seemed to sneak up on me when I was reading... it felt almost rushed. That does mean it'd be perfect for a sequel, but still, I think it deserved a much better and more fleshed out ending.
Overall it was a bit of fun, but there were some problems that left a slightly bitter after taste.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
BUT I couldn't keep up with the four main characters - it was way too easy to confuse them and forget who was who. I got a little bit lost. The ending was a let down as well; it just seemed to sneak up on me when I was reading... it felt almost rushed. That does mean it'd be perfect for a sequel, but still, I think it deserved a much better and more fleshed out ending.
Overall it was a bit of fun, but there were some problems that left a slightly bitter after taste.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.