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bookishbeth_ 's review for:
Ricochet
by Kathryn Berla
I’m not much of a fan of science fiction books but the idea of parallel universes has always intrigued me and the synopsis for Ricochet sounded promising.
Ricochet was a unique story that followed four girls with different variations of the name Tatiana: Tati, Ana, Tatyana and Tanya. Although they are fundamentally the same person, they all come from different backgrounds and upbringings. For example, Ana has adoptive parents but Tanya lives with her mentally unstable mother. They’ve all made different decisions and therefore, have different relationships with their loved ones which I found very interesting. There’s people in my life I can’t imagine living without but perhaps in another world I’d have made a different decision and wouldn’t be as close to them? I liked how this story prompted me to think about how my own life could have turned out in another universe.
Another aspect of the story I liked was how they were all diagnosed with seizures. I liked how the author used that as a way to explain what each character was experiencing. Most people can’t even begin to comprehend parallel universes so naturally would point to something that’s well-known. However, no medication works and no unusual brain activity is picked up so even then doctors can’t explain what’s causing the seizures or the beckoning tunnel. After taking a DNA test that comes back inclusive, Tati is prompted to find out more about her background and the result is that she, and the different variations of her self, are all science experiments. This leads to each character ricocheting between the parallel universes and uncovering the dark truth about their father.
Kathryn did a fantastic job with this and created a very compelling, plot driven story. I liked how she created four different versions of one character – it made me eager to find out more about their different universes. However, I wish there was some more obvious differences or traits in their personalities as at times it was hard to distinguish between them. Since they all had similar names and personalities, it became really hard to tell them apart and towards the end I was getting very confused. I’d have to take a moment to think about whose POV I was reading even though each chapter is titled with their names e.g. ‘Chapter 4 Tatyana’. The ending especially was confusing and I’ll admit I struggled to follow what was happening. I’m still not entirely sure how it all ended because nothing was really explained. Nonetheless, I thought it was a great story and I certainly flew through it.
I’d recommend this for fans of A Thousand Worlds With You by Claudia Gray. Ricochet really reminded me of that series as both explore parallel universes and what happens when those worlds collide. Both are really great stories and unique in their own way. Ricochet had potential to be a series as well but it also works as a standalone.
*I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
Ricochet was a unique story that followed four girls with different variations of the name Tatiana: Tati, Ana, Tatyana and Tanya. Although they are fundamentally the same person, they all come from different backgrounds and upbringings. For example, Ana has adoptive parents but Tanya lives with her mentally unstable mother. They’ve all made different decisions and therefore, have different relationships with their loved ones which I found very interesting. There’s people in my life I can’t imagine living without but perhaps in another world I’d have made a different decision and wouldn’t be as close to them? I liked how this story prompted me to think about how my own life could have turned out in another universe.
Another aspect of the story I liked was how they were all diagnosed with seizures. I liked how the author used that as a way to explain what each character was experiencing. Most people can’t even begin to comprehend parallel universes so naturally would point to something that’s well-known. However, no medication works and no unusual brain activity is picked up so even then doctors can’t explain what’s causing the seizures or the beckoning tunnel. After taking a DNA test that comes back inclusive, Tati is prompted to find out more about her background and the result is that she, and the different variations of her self, are all science experiments. This leads to each character ricocheting between the parallel universes and uncovering the dark truth about their father.
Kathryn did a fantastic job with this and created a very compelling, plot driven story. I liked how she created four different versions of one character – it made me eager to find out more about their different universes. However, I wish there was some more obvious differences or traits in their personalities as at times it was hard to distinguish between them. Since they all had similar names and personalities, it became really hard to tell them apart and towards the end I was getting very confused. I’d have to take a moment to think about whose POV I was reading even though each chapter is titled with their names e.g. ‘Chapter 4 Tatyana’. The ending especially was confusing and I’ll admit I struggled to follow what was happening. I’m still not entirely sure how it all ended because nothing was really explained. Nonetheless, I thought it was a great story and I certainly flew through it.
I’d recommend this for fans of A Thousand Worlds With You by Claudia Gray. Ricochet really reminded me of that series as both explore parallel universes and what happens when those worlds collide. Both are really great stories and unique in their own way. Ricochet had potential to be a series as well but it also works as a standalone.
*I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*