Book Review: “Pivot Point” by Kasie West
Title: Pivot Point
Author: Kasie West
Genre: Young Adult -Dystopia/Time Travel
Release Date: February 12th 2013 (USA) / 16th January 2014 (UK)
Published by: Harper Teen / HarperCollins 360
With thanks to HarperCollins 360 for the copy of the novel! My review is as always, non-bias and fair.
AUTHOR SITE | TWITTER | GOODREADS
Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier . . .
Addison
Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is
faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes.
It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought.
When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has
to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the
paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is
staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as
it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the
future proves it’s not.
In one potential future, Addie is
adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high
school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands
her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in
school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When
Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s
unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she
holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which
reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live
without.
I had my eyes on Pivot Point for such a long time and as a fan of Kasie’s The Distance Between Us, I was going into reading with a completely open mind. I had heard so much praise about how Kasie effortlessly glides from genre to genre, so I was completely over the moon to get a copy from HarperCollins 360!
teenager, and those around her aren’t quite “regular” either. She is
a Searcher, which means that she can see the both conclusions of a
choice she wants to make, and can choose whichever outlook is better suited to
that choice. So when her parents spring on her that they’re getting a divorce,
Addie knows her gift will truly be an asset.
aren’t quite so simple, as she thought. She can either move out of the Compound
where she and the others alike her abilities live and leave with her father, to
go to the “Norm” world or stay with her Mother in the Compound
where she has lived all her life. But it’s not straight forward, and
both choices have outcomes so equally complicated than she had planned. She
thought that it would be simple, at first. She’s spent her whole life in the
Compound with her family and had an amazing best friend; Laila, so she would
stay there. But when Addie does a search into the future, she is faced with the
idea that maybe what’s ideal isn’t always what we want and that sometimes,
knowing the final result isn’t always easier.
that I can truly say I devoured from start to finish with a bond to the
characters and plot. It’s also one of the few that I could see play out with
the descriptions in my mind, playing along with the plot, which is the one
thing that takes the novel from liked to loved.
abilities that those that live in the Compound have are so different to the
supernatural beings we see in usual YA books, with Addie’s power and also for
example, her best friend Laila, can erase certain parts of someone’s memory or
a memory in itself.
piece of Young Adult literature come to life in a way that hasn’t been done
before. It also has some moving subjects such as the divorce aspect that Addie
deals with, and touches on some of those emotions that a teenager would go
through during that time.
mine was the characters, that were so likeable that you’ll want them to be your
friends or fellow love interest, like Trevor or Duke, Addie’s interests in
either outcomes. There were no “insta-love” moments, which are sometimes
unrealistic, so with it being a slower and gradual connection, which made it
all the more loveable. If I had to pick who I’d like Addie to be with in
general...I would have picked Trevor, because I think they had a more
enthralling connection and he was a ton more likeable character in my opinion
and there was just a little extra something about them that felt genuine and
true.
not to be missed. A mix of paranormal worldly events mixed with a
“norm” world and it’s equal dilemmas, not to mention it’s downright
hilarious humour, Kasie West has written a light, addictive and phenomenal
novel packed with all the ingredients for a perfect YA novel.
of my seat for the sequel; Split Second, due out in 2014! How amazing
will it be?! 5 stars!
“Because an illusion is an illusion. Reality always exists despite the facade.”
Great review! I really loved Pivot Point, the whole parallel story thing was so intriguing. I would have chosen Trevor too, he was soo sweet!
Eveline's Books
Thank you so much! I loved it so much, too (: