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3.03 AVERAGE
3.03 AVERAGE
I was honestly trying to avoid DNF this book, especially because it’s an ARC, but honestly I got about 20% into it and just kept getting so confused by the entire thing. It has a great premise, but trying I keep the different versions of the MC straight was a bit much for me and I didn’t understand where the story was going. I’m sorry to say that this book just wasn’t for me.
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.
How do I review this? Because I don't wait to give a single thing away. I knew very little about this book. All I knew about this book was the first line of the blurb. (When seventeen-year-old Tati sends a saliva sample to a DNA ancestry testing site her results come back inconclusive.) That's all I needed to know to make me wait to read this book. So, if that line draws you in, stop reading the review or the blurb and wait till you can read the book yourself if you need more than, please finish this review.
We start off by following Tati, a high school student starting of a project for school that has to do with her DNA. We soon learn that something is up when things start being weird. We learn about Parallel universes and mee Tati. I loved how we, the reader, learn about these different universes. I also like how we can see how one thing can totally change a person's life.
Knowing that I only need that one like going in I didn't know and the Parallel universes or that the four need to team up to take out scientist aka their father. And I'm glad I didn't know those things because for me those were twists in the story that made it that more enjoyable.
The only thing that would have made this better was something that happened at the ending, I just needed more info.
This was a wild pager-turner that shows the power of our choices. It's such a good read and I hope many, many people enjoy it!
We start off by following Tati, a high school student starting of a project for school that has to do with her DNA. We soon learn that something is up when things start being weird. We learn about Parallel universes and mee Tati. I loved how we, the reader, learn about these different universes. I also like how we can see how one thing can totally change a person's life.
Knowing that I only need that one like going in I didn't know and the Parallel universes or that the four need to team up to take out scientist aka their father. And I'm glad I didn't know those things because for me those were twists in the story that made it that more enjoyable.
The only thing that would have made this better was something that happened at the ending, I just needed more info.
This was a wild pager-turner that shows the power of our choices. It's such a good read and I hope many, many people enjoy it!
Frankly, I don’t know what to think about this book.
The idea of multiple universes and DNA experiments was amazing. I really loved the different points of view and how different Tati, Ana, Tanya and Tatiana (variations of the same name) were and what each of them had to go through.
The blurb for «Ricochet» was masterfully crafted to attract the attention of Sci-Fi readers, but I don’t know if that was the right move. I really wanted more information about the DNA alterations, about the experiments, about her family, about everything, basically! Maybe, the author was restricted by the page count, but the story needed more details to make it a true Sci-Fi.
The idea of multiple universes and DNA experiments was amazing. I really loved the different points of view and how different Tati, Ana, Tanya and Tatiana (variations of the same name) were and what each of them had to go through.
The blurb for «Ricochet» was masterfully crafted to attract the attention of Sci-Fi readers, but I don’t know if that was the right move. I really wanted more information about the DNA alterations, about the experiments, about her family, about everything, basically! Maybe, the author was restricted by the page count, but the story needed more details to make it a true Sci-Fi.
Ricochet is the story of one girl, Tatiana, living four separate lives in four universes.
The story is told in alternating points of view between Tati, Ana, Tanya and Tatiana. And even though each chapter is clearly labeled, a lot of secondary characters cross over into each of the girls' lives and I found occasionally I had a hard time keeping who was who and what role they played for that particular girl.
It actually made it interesting, because in one universe, Tati is in a relationship, in another she isn't. And she lives with various adults depending on which alternate universe she was in. The only true thing that carries over across all four girls are the seizures they all experience.
What ends up happening, however, is all the Tatiana's realize the others exist, and they can even travel to see each other. Which is pretty weird to be able to see different versions of yourself and actually interact with each other. Like twins but not? Probably not even close to twins lol.
It sort of lends itself to making me wonder if there are alternative universes out there with various versions of me. Probably not, but it is one of those things that crossed my mind while reading this.
I don't really want to give too much away, but there is a reason the Tatiana's exist and know of each other, which clearly isn't a normal thing to be able to do. And they realize they have to figure out how to save themselves.
The science aspect behind what's going on was fairly vague and the big bad guy in the story really isn't around all too much in the book. And he wasn't even really that scary it was more the idea of him that I suppose is supposed to be the scary part.
Overall, I found this to be an interesting book and it definitely kept me engaged and interested in knowing what was going to happen. If you like sci-fi reads, I say check this one out!
The story is told in alternating points of view between Tati, Ana, Tanya and Tatiana. And even though each chapter is clearly labeled, a lot of secondary characters cross over into each of the girls' lives and I found occasionally I had a hard time keeping who was who and what role they played for that particular girl.
It actually made it interesting, because in one universe, Tati is in a relationship, in another she isn't. And she lives with various adults depending on which alternate universe she was in. The only true thing that carries over across all four girls are the seizures they all experience.
What ends up happening, however, is all the Tatiana's realize the others exist, and they can even travel to see each other. Which is pretty weird to be able to see different versions of yourself and actually interact with each other. Like twins but not? Probably not even close to twins lol.
It sort of lends itself to making me wonder if there are alternative universes out there with various versions of me. Probably not, but it is one of those things that crossed my mind while reading this.
I don't really want to give too much away, but there is a reason the Tatiana's exist and know of each other, which clearly isn't a normal thing to be able to do. And they realize they have to figure out how to save themselves.
The science aspect behind what's going on was fairly vague and the big bad guy in the story really isn't around all too much in the book. And he wasn't even really that scary it was more the idea of him that I suppose is supposed to be the scary part.
Overall, I found this to be an interesting book and it definitely kept me engaged and interested in knowing what was going to happen. If you like sci-fi reads, I say check this one out!
Ricochet alternates between the perspectives of four different versions of its central character, Tatiana. I was worried that this would be confusing, but each chapter opens with an alternative name/nickname for her: Tati, Ana, Tanya, and Tatyana, and always in this order. The premise itself is interesting, as well as how Berla carried it out, splitting off Tatiana’s different life circumstances in each universe: two in which she gets adopted by American parents, and multiple in which either one or both of her birth parents is/are dead. There’s also the subtle difference in her character for each of these universes. The plot itself is fast-paced, as the girls uncover the reason behind their ability to cross over into their own parallel worlds. Despite the pulsing across parallel universes, Berla manages to keep her world and characters relatively contained, so there isn’t an overload of names and characters in different lifetimes.
Overall, it was a very fun and gripping read; one of those page turners that you don’t want to put down just because you need to know what happens next. And yet, it’s light reading, nothing too heavy or depressing. I’ll admit I was a little disappointed at how easily things got resolved in the final confrontation scene between the different versions of Tatiana and that one version of their father.
Overall, it was a very fun and gripping read; one of those page turners that you don’t want to put down just because you need to know what happens next. And yet, it’s light reading, nothing too heavy or depressing. I’ll admit I was a little disappointed at how easily things got resolved in the final confrontation scene between the different versions of Tatiana and that one version of their father.
I'm late reviewing this because I've been trying to decide what to say. I didn't enjoy it. Too confusing even though I know about the multiverse theory already; I can't imagine trying to read this without knowing. I still don't understand who the other three girls got to their universe, and I didn't understand the ending. It's not badly written, just confusing. Not a good one for me.