Review: Rippler by Cidney Swanson

Posted by Jessi (Geo) on December 4, 2011 | 1 Comment

Rippler by Cidney Swanson
Series: Ripple #1
Published by William Press (5.26.2011)
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: eBook, 282 pages
Source: From the author
Buy on Amazon

Samantha Ruiz has a freak gene that makes her turn invisible, or ripple. She can’t control it, and it’s getting worse. Afraid of becoming a lab-rat, Sam keeps her ability secret, until fellow runner Will Baker sees her vanish into thin air. Will promises secrecy and help, and Sam begins to fall in love.

Together, the two discover there are worse things than being a scientific curiosity. Someone’s been killing people who possess Sam's gene. A mysterious man from France sends letters that offer hope for safety, but also reveal a sinister connection with Nazi experiments.

The more time Sam spends with Will, the less she can imagine life without him. When Sam uncovers secrets from her past, she must choose between keeping Will in her life or keeping Will safe.

My thoughts

Cidney Swanson is the first author I’ve had the privilege of talking to (if only via email and twitter). I want to give a special thanks Cidney for her generosity in giving me a copy of this! It was my first experience with Kindle…I figured I would hate reading on an electronic device, but surprisingly it wasn’t too bad. It’s not something I’d prefer over holding the real tangible thing in my hands (and the smell of books…mmmm). But I would do it again. Which I will, to get book 2! Anyway, on to the review…

This story was deliciously unique. It’s not something you’d read everyday and I loved that. It started right off with action – Sam is in the middle of white water rafting (something I’ve always wanted to do, by the way) and ripples. Enter Will – handsome and mysterious. He seems to know what she’s going through, which is a step ahead of her (and you as the reader). In the beginning I had no idea what the heck was happening and wanted to know what the deal with rippling was. I was intrigued!

I must say I didn’t figure out the truth about Will. I should have seen it coming, considering all the information. But, I didn’t. So my reaction was, Whhhuuuuuaaaaa? REALLY? Then I felt slow for not figuring it out, ha.

I really liked the random humor, I found myself giggling at many points. I like that in a book. If there’s no humor, I get bored. I loved the use of the term dweeb…score brownie points!

I loved when Sam asked, “Is friendship always this hard?” because seriously, that’s how I feel on a day-to-day basis right now and at times I really wonder what the point is. And, of course, Sylvia was right (unfortunately): “Only the frindships that are truly worthwhile.” Great advice, right there! Too bad I’m terrible at listening to advice…

I really liked Gwen. She was just a background character, and just there for me until she went to pick up the rescue kittens and made a comment about wanting to take them all (and Sam told her she couldn’t rescue all the cats in California). That is so me. I think Gwen and I really made a connection there.

I thought the medical explanation was cool, it made Rippler’s seem realistic with the connection to Helmann’s disease (feeling of numbness) and serotonin levels. Then there are the random bits of experiments. You get the gist of them as experimentation on kids – taking away necessities like food, water, and blankets – pieces to add up to a story told by the sicko experimenter. There isn’t enough for you to really know the truth about what happened, but just enough to keep you guessing.

There was plenty of danger and close calls in this book, mainly toward the end…when Sam finally meets some of the bad people she’s been warned about. I was mentally squirming at the thought of the “dentist” chair! *shudder*

The ending wasn’t a cliffhanger, thank goodness! When I was closing in on the last 20 pages or so, I really thought it was going to be. There were still plenty of lose ends for the next book, though (which is why I’ll be buying it the first chance I get). I want to know about Hans and Helga and the full story of the experiments and Pfeffer.

While Rippler doesn’t quite make it to my favorites shelf, it was a quick and definitely enjoyable read! Kudos to Cidney :)

“He called it ‘Sham-Sundar.’ Literally, it means ‘the dark and the beautiful.'”

“Like the truth sometimes. Dark but beautiful.”

“Maybe I should tell them to sit down first. Yeah, ’cause if you say that, they’ll be thinking drugs or pregnancy, and vanishing into thin air will come as a relief.”

“..stacks of Sam-questions piling up in my head like boxes in a warehouse.” I loved the imagery of that statement!

“This was why I ran. Because it was the only way I had to move through the pain of being alive to a space where it became bearable, seemed possible.”

Let me just say, Geo does NOT run. It’s a big step for me to do physical activity at the gym, but running makes me feel like I’m going to die and frankly, I’d rather take a trip to the dentist than try to run a mile (and I despise dentist trips with the fire of a thousand suns). That being said, this statement made me actually want to start running. That’s talent!