Review: Pivot Point by Kasie West

Review: Pivot Point by Kasie West
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Release date: February 12th, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Series: #1 in the Pivot Point series
Source: Purchased
Rating: I was so surprised at how much I loved this book! Unique, powerful, and full of shocking twists. A must-read!

 

 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.


The cover: I like! It makes the book look a bit darker than it is, but the girl looks a lot like the Addie in my head, and it's got that whole duality feel down.

The story: I don't know why I sat on this review for so long. This book was a quick and engaging read, and most of all, it was fun. It's not intense or dark, though it has it's moments--mostly, this book is cute and funny and totally ordinal. West's take on supernatural beings is so much more fun than the average broody, angry creature. Rather, she's created a whole world full of people with cool enhanced abilities, such as persuasion, memory modification, telekinesis, and lie detecting.

Addie lives in an enclosed compound just for Paranormals. Addie's is the ability to envision projected futures. So when her parents split up, and her dad decides to go live in the Norm world, Addie envisions the two possible outcomes of the choice of which parent to live with. Both possible futures hold mystery and romance, and yes, that means there's a love triangle... OF SORTS. Because this is the most original interpretation of dual love interests I've ever seen, because of course they don't exist in the same reality.

In reality 1, Addie stays with her mom, her best friend, Layla (whose power is memory modification), and Duke, the hot, popular football player who's suddenly paying close attention to her. In reality 2, she relocates to Dallas with her dad and has to adjust to a brand new high school in a totally different universe from hers. She's surrounded by people who have no idea that people with supernatural abilities even exist. When Addie envisions her two possible paths, she actually lives them. Even the road not taken is etched in her mind as a solid memory. So we go along the two paths with her, alternating by chapter, never sure until the end which road is the actual story.

What really got me hooked on this book were the characters, particularly Addie. She's a bookworm who detests football, and she's hilarious. And Trevor, her love interest, is SWOONY TO THE MAX. He's just a legitimately great guy, and one of the sweetest book boys I've come across in a long time. All the awards to Trevor. Seriously. Laila is an awesome and colorful best friend who's relationship with Addie is strong and interesting. And Duke is charming and really, really attractive. But I found myself more interested in the "Normal" chapters set in Dallas than in the Paranormal chapters. Not to say the other storyline was bad--it most certainly wasn't. There was so much going on over there, and watching the two stories somewhat overlap--picking up clues from both worlds to solve the one overarching mystery--was totally cool. But the story of Addie the new girl becoming best friends with Trevor the cute boy... that was my favorite aspect of the book.

Honestly, I still have world-building questions about the paranormal city and stuff like that, but I was willing to let it slide in book one. Mostly because Trevor was there being all adorable, and Addie was being snarky, and there were mysteries to solve and stuff. The book got serious at the end, with all kinds of betrayal and heartbreak (my heart, specifically, though I suppose Addie was pretty sad too). 

I one hundred percent recommend this book and West's sophomore novel, The Distance Between Us. Both have a lot of humor and heart and will entertain you no question.