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A review by pixelski
Split Second by Kasie West
5.0
Thanks to HarperCollins Australia for this ARC.
Review originally posted at Fiction in Fiction in Fiction
The following review may contain spoilers for Pivot Point.
“Everyone is falling apart.”
Kasie West’s 2013 debut Pivot Point was one of the most stunning and original paranormal debuts I’d ever read. The concept was brilliant and I loved the idea of one choice producing two alternate outcomes. Split Second managed to stun me even more as Addie’s story continues. Whereas Pivot Point showed Addie’s possible future, Split Second is the reality of one of those choices based on her Search in Pivot Point. And the beautiful thing was how uncertain and different reality turned out to be.
One of the great points of West’s writing is her strong and relatable female leads. I loved Addie’s resilience as she faced the consequences of her choice; her indeciciveness as she struggled with what to tell those around her based on what she knew; and I especially loved her sarcasm/snark as a form of defence and façade to daily life. She was such a relatable character with her down to earth nature and approach to decision making. As YA heroines go she’s definitely one of my favourites.
“I’m not a very good awkardness buffer. I kind of create awkwardness.”
I find it rare for friendships to be a focal point in YA books. I think that’s why I loved Split Second so much – because unlike most YA books where dual point of views are female/male (both being the love interests), West made Laila the other POV. I’ve always found the best friend to be annoying in YA books, and maybe it’s because we aren’t given their perspective so we can’t understand them. In Split Second however, with Laila’s POV, I could see very clearly the reason behind her actions. It was so enlightening to see both sides of the friendship and it really enforced their bond – especially Laila’s motives. The dual POV also allowed the reader to see both worlds (Addie’s and Laila’s) and give both girls their own story. Whilst Laila was the one that rushed head first into decisions and seemed boy crazy in Pivot Point, her growth and maturity really shone in Split Second given her responsbilities and difficulties she had to face.
“Laila is really good at keeping secrets. If you asked hre not to tell, she wouldn’t even tell me.”
Remember sweet Trevor? Remember his and Addie’s relationship? Well wipe that slate clean because West is one author who doesn’t insta-love and knows the meaning of reality. I absolutely loved the interactions between Addie and Trevor – Addie trying not to come across as if she knows him and Trevor’s doubts and distrust of her actions. It was all so gloriously thrilling as I wondered what fact Addie would accidentally spill that would ignite Trevor’s suspicions, and what fact would instead bring a smile to both their faces.
“I want to know you… I need to.”
I loved how the plot extended from something we glimpsed in Pivot Point because it showed the connection to the story, evidenced Addie’s ability to Search but at the same time produced its own story that meant I wasn’t reading Pivot Point again. The twists and turns West added really gave Split Second a form of integrity while the familiarities to Pivot Point gave me a sense of comfort. There was just this perfect balance of both and it was brilliant.
West’s writing is one of the reasons why I love her books. I adore her style. She already wrote so well in Pivot Point but I could definitely see the improvement with time. Her prose flows so easily and I can just get into her books so quickly. There are no unnecessary sentences that make me wonder why the author wrote that – everything is relevant to the story and has a purpose. And West does it in such a witty/humorous way and makes it look so easy but really I couldn’t do that if I tried.
“We just need to take away tonight without them suspecting.”
There was so much danger, suspense and more of the world West created in Pivot Point I was hooked from the beginning. Great world building, fantastic plot and pacing, great writing and beautiful relationships made Split Second a kind of perfect only West can do.
“We’re both so screwed up. Are you sure we’re good for each other?”
Review originally posted at Fiction in Fiction in Fiction
The following review may contain spoilers for Pivot Point.
“Everyone is falling apart.”
Kasie West’s 2013 debut Pivot Point was one of the most stunning and original paranormal debuts I’d ever read. The concept was brilliant and I loved the idea of one choice producing two alternate outcomes. Split Second managed to stun me even more as Addie’s story continues. Whereas Pivot Point showed Addie’s possible future, Split Second is the reality of one of those choices based on her Search in Pivot Point. And the beautiful thing was how uncertain and different reality turned out to be.
One of the great points of West’s writing is her strong and relatable female leads. I loved Addie’s resilience as she faced the consequences of her choice; her indeciciveness as she struggled with what to tell those around her based on what she knew; and I especially loved her sarcasm/snark as a form of defence and façade to daily life. She was such a relatable character with her down to earth nature and approach to decision making. As YA heroines go she’s definitely one of my favourites.
“I’m not a very good awkardness buffer. I kind of create awkwardness.”
I find it rare for friendships to be a focal point in YA books. I think that’s why I loved Split Second so much – because unlike most YA books where dual point of views are female/male (both being the love interests), West made Laila the other POV. I’ve always found the best friend to be annoying in YA books, and maybe it’s because we aren’t given their perspective so we can’t understand them. In Split Second however, with Laila’s POV, I could see very clearly the reason behind her actions. It was so enlightening to see both sides of the friendship and it really enforced their bond – especially Laila’s motives. The dual POV also allowed the reader to see both worlds (Addie’s and Laila’s) and give both girls their own story. Whilst Laila was the one that rushed head first into decisions and seemed boy crazy in Pivot Point, her growth and maturity really shone in Split Second given her responsbilities and difficulties she had to face.
“Laila is really good at keeping secrets. If you asked hre not to tell, she wouldn’t even tell me.”
Remember sweet Trevor? Remember his and Addie’s relationship? Well wipe that slate clean because West is one author who doesn’t insta-love and knows the meaning of reality. I absolutely loved the interactions between Addie and Trevor – Addie trying not to come across as if she knows him and Trevor’s doubts and distrust of her actions. It was all so gloriously thrilling as I wondered what fact Addie would accidentally spill that would ignite Trevor’s suspicions, and what fact would instead bring a smile to both their faces.
“I want to know you… I need to.”
I loved how the plot extended from something we glimpsed in Pivot Point because it showed the connection to the story, evidenced Addie’s ability to Search but at the same time produced its own story that meant I wasn’t reading Pivot Point again. The twists and turns West added really gave Split Second a form of integrity while the familiarities to Pivot Point gave me a sense of comfort. There was just this perfect balance of both and it was brilliant.
West’s writing is one of the reasons why I love her books. I adore her style. She already wrote so well in Pivot Point but I could definitely see the improvement with time. Her prose flows so easily and I can just get into her books so quickly. There are no unnecessary sentences that make me wonder why the author wrote that – everything is relevant to the story and has a purpose. And West does it in such a witty/humorous way and makes it look so easy but really I couldn’t do that if I tried.
“We just need to take away tonight without them suspecting.”
There was so much danger, suspense and more of the world West created in Pivot Point I was hooked from the beginning. Great world building, fantastic plot and pacing, great writing and beautiful relationships made Split Second a kind of perfect only West can do.
“We’re both so screwed up. Are you sure we’re good for each other?”