Review: Pivot Point by Kasie West

Posted by Jessi (Geo) on February 20, 2013 | 9 Comments


Review: Pivot Point by Kasie WestPivot Point by Kasie West
Series: Pivot Point #1
Published by HarperTeen (2.12.2013)
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult
Format: eBook, 352 pages
Source: Edelweiss
Buy on Amazon


4.5 Stars

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.

My thoughts

The idea of alternate realities fascinates me hardcore. And there are not very many stories about it, sadly. In fact, I can’t think of any off the top off my head. But this one was awesome! West did a fabulous job splitting reality in half and making it believable.

I loved Addie. She cracked me up! Her witty sarcasm had me giggling out loud frequently, and I wish she were a real person so we could be friends. Plus she was awkward like me, which made me love her even more. There were a few scenes that she did things that I would totally do (because I’m socially awkward too) and I wanted to give her a high five for being awesome. Did I mention she was also an avid reader?

The characters were realistic and each had their own personality. I didn’t like Duke. He wasn’t a bad guy, but good intentions don’t make bad choices any better and he was mostly out for himself. He didn’t really care about other people’s feelings and I feel like he deluded himself into liking Addie. I didn’t believe a word he said.
I hated Stephanie. She grated on my nerves and I wanted to punch her repeatedly in the face. She was so snide and petty! Not to mention pathetic and jealous. Her possessiveness of Trevor drove me CRAZY. Trevor was a sweetheart but I kinda wished he would have had the backbone to tell her off.

I think my favorite part of Pivot Point was how the book branched off into 2 different outcomes. It was fascinating! Even though they were two totally different paths, you could see the similarities between each one. She may have been able to change the future by making certain choices, but some things would have happened no matter what. It switched back and forth without being overly confusing (although a couple times I forgot which path we were in). I just love the way it was set up – the whole story is a Search so it’s not really happening, but we see Addie’s Search the way she would see it. So there was technically no time passing in the entire novel. It was unlike anything I’ve ever read before!

I also loved the definitions at the beginning of each chapter. Each one included the phrase PARA or NORM in the word somehow. Such as: ‘eNOR-Mous: adj. really big’ and ‘PA-RAl-o-gize: v. to draw illogical conclusions based on assumptions.’ There were some that were amusing, too, and they all tied in with the chapter somehow.

 
I would have liked to see a bit more of the world building. It has a fabulous set up and I think West thought it out thoroughly. I wanted to know more about the Containment Committee and the Department of Ability Advancement. They were only mentioned in passing a couple of times. And the technology was fascinating! A palm scanner that can sense your mood and automatically play music tailored to how you feel? Yes please! Brilliant!
The abilities were super awesome – being able to Persuade, Discern (detect lies), and Erase (memories), among other things – and I liked the idea of being able to project their ability. I definitely want to see more of that in book 2! Plus Addie could change her eye color with merely a thought, how awesome is that?!

The outcome of the Search kinda sucked and I was sad about how it played out, but it left it open for the next book and I can’t wait to see what happens!

quotes

One person can’t change the future. Do you know how many people and things are involved in every major event that happens? Sure, you might be able to change some of the minor aspects of a day, but ultimately things that are going to happen, if you go along a certain path, do happen.

Overall Assessment

Plot: 4.5/5
Writing style: 5/5
Originality: 5/5
Characters: 4/5
World-building: 4/5
Pace: 4.5/5
Cover: 3.5/5
Overall rating: 4.5/5

Jessi (Geo)

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9 responses to “Review: Pivot Point by Kasie West

  1. Inky

    YAY! I’m so glad yet another person loved this book. Now I’m super excited to get started on my *cough* COPIES. I think I have three…O.O This book sounds amazing and I’m really excited to get into it! I’m glad you loved Addie. That’s always a great sign. Haha. And I agree that the aspect of the book seems WAY neato. No time passing? HOLLA. I love books that can take original ideas like this and pull it off. :D Yayz!

    XOXO, Inkinator

  2. I’m so excited to read this book! The concept is so fascinating and I hear great things about this book. I haven’t seen a single negative review so far. I always like it when authors do something special with the beginning of a new chapter :) Addie sounds awesome, exactly how I want my MC to be :D

    Mel@thedailyprophecy.

  3. Eileen Li

    YES! I totally agree! It was so amazing right? :D The parallel universe thing was like “WHOA. MIND. BLOWN.” AND OMG YES! Duke! I was like “I love you Duke!” at first, because he seemed like all, awesome, but then I was all like “TREVOR I LOVE YOU!”

    As you can tell, I’m very inconsistent.

    Random note: I think you’re PARAmazing! (No? Not good?)

  4. I really like the idea of alternate realities too! This sounds like a solid debut overall, even if the world building was a tad lacking. Wonderful review!

  5. I have been dying to read this book now that their have been so many great reviews of this book and also since their is going to be a sequel which always makes me curious because that means their is enough story for more then one book, and not too long ago I read the book Through To You By: Emily Hainsworth that is about alternate reality/parallel universes although I didn’t completely love it you might if you haven’t already read it. Thanks for your thoughts!

    Kristin @

    Young Adult Book Haven

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