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A review by isobelsnotesss
Ricochet by Kathryn Berla
3.0
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.