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A review by apostrophen
Repercussions by Jessica L. Webb
4.0
This was a really great thriller from Jessica L. Webb, which should surprise no one, and I love how Webb continues to find hooks that walk the fine line of spec-fic. She can write our world, but just a step ahead in some small piece of technology or application of science, and make such a convincing ride.
In this case, we're dealing with a woman, Edie, who suffered a severe concussion, and is slowly working her way back to her new normal. She doesn't trust herself, her own instincts, and that's a major adjustment: she used to be an investigative journalist and a teacher, and now she's... what? Struggling to make it through a day without migraines or concussion brain-fuzz. Her frustration read very real, and having faced a similar recovery, I really thought it was well handled (though it does lighten up a bit in the name of plot near the end of the book, but that's fine, too.)
Paranoia that she's being followed is kind of a new symptom, though, and it's not until she has a date with Skye, a woman who runs a security company, that Edie and Sky are confronted with the reality that Edie isn't paranoid: there are actually people out to get her. They need to figure out why, and fast before things get lethal for Edie and those around her.
The mystery of implanted memories is a solid set-up, and I loved the evolution of the cast around Edie as much as I did the relationship between Edie and Skye. Once again, Webb writes scorch when it's time, and the plot flows seamlessly.
I listened to this one as an audiobook, and that was my one caveat, unfortunately. I live in Ottawa, where the book is set, and the performer flat-out misfired this time. Not in characterization, and not in pacing, but in pronunciation. Elgin, Dalhousie, Rideau (and pretty much any French word, actually), even Carleton—so many words were said so completely wrong that it jarred me right out of the narrative time after time. Now, if you've not got an ear for French, or you don't know Ottawa at all, it's potentially not something that would matter, but it was painful for me, and I really wish I'd read the book physically rather than listen to it. It's a fantastic story, and if you at all love the thriller genre with just a dash of spec-fic, you should grab it. Just maybe as an e-book or paperback instead.
In this case, we're dealing with a woman, Edie, who suffered a severe concussion, and is slowly working her way back to her new normal. She doesn't trust herself, her own instincts, and that's a major adjustment: she used to be an investigative journalist and a teacher, and now she's... what? Struggling to make it through a day without migraines or concussion brain-fuzz. Her frustration read very real, and having faced a similar recovery, I really thought it was well handled (though it does lighten up a bit in the name of plot near the end of the book, but that's fine, too.)
Paranoia that she's being followed is kind of a new symptom, though, and it's not until she has a date with Skye, a woman who runs a security company, that Edie and Sky are confronted with the reality that Edie isn't paranoid: there are actually people out to get her. They need to figure out why, and fast before things get lethal for Edie and those around her.
The mystery of implanted memories is a solid set-up, and I loved the evolution of the cast around Edie as much as I did the relationship between Edie and Skye. Once again, Webb writes scorch when it's time, and the plot flows seamlessly.
I listened to this one as an audiobook, and that was my one caveat, unfortunately. I live in Ottawa, where the book is set, and the performer flat-out misfired this time. Not in characterization, and not in pacing, but in pronunciation. Elgin, Dalhousie, Rideau (and pretty much any French word, actually), even Carleton—so many words were said so completely wrong that it jarred me right out of the narrative time after time. Now, if you've not got an ear for French, or you don't know Ottawa at all, it's potentially not something that would matter, but it was painful for me, and I really wish I'd read the book physically rather than listen to it. It's a fantastic story, and if you at all love the thriller genre with just a dash of spec-fic, you should grab it. Just maybe as an e-book or paperback instead.