Book Review: Parallel (Travelers Series #1), by Claudia Lefeve

Destiny has a way of catching up.

Saddled with powers she doesn't understand, Etta Fleming's world is turned upside-down the day she meets Cooper Everett, the man who transports her to an alternate reality. A reality she was meant to be a part of.

One minute, she's an orphan living at Dominion House for Girls, an institution for delinquent foster kids, then finds herself attending the exclusive Dominion Hall Academy.

Plucked from the only world she's ever known, Etta now has to deal with an aunt she never knew, a boyfriend she doesn't know, and a best friend who can't know.

PARALLEL is the first book in the Travelers Series.

***

This was a fascinating story.  The concept was completely new to me.  I have never read a time traveling/reality jumping book before.  

I dove right into the story and enjoyed all the twists and turns until the very last page.  Etta seemed a bit like every other YA heroine, but the concept behind the book was interesting enough that it didn't bother me too much.  There was a bit of a love triangle, most of which I found unrealistic.  I really liked Cooper, but I just didn't believe that after meeting him a couple times Etta would be trying to decide between him and a guy that she's had a crush on for years.  

Cooper is mysterious, handsome, and generally just a good hero.  I fell in love with him as Etta's obvious preference for him emerges and as his character develops.  

The part I liked the most was when Cooper takes Etta to another reality and dumps her at her Aunts house and essentially tells her "good luck".  She has to maneuver her way through a world where everyone has memories of her, and she knows nothing about them.  It was interesting to speculate what it would be like in that situation.

My biggest complaint was the editing.  Typos and spelling mistakes galore!  There were sentences with two or three typos in them.  I found the explanations of the alternate realities and various versions of the same person to be confusing.  Interesting, sure, but confusing.  And I wasn't really all that fond of Etta.  I wish she had been more likeable.  

This was the first book in a trilogy.  It is FREE for Kindle readers right now, so if time/reality travel is a genre that you like, this might be worth checking out.


File Size: 255 KB
Print Length: 266 pages
Publisher: Sugar Skull Books; 1 edition (August 26, 2011)
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Review: Playing the Field by Jannette Rallison

From Goodreads:

Thirteen-year old McKay is a talented baseball player, but as equally untalented when it comes to algebra. If he doesn't bring his grade up, his parents threaten to make him quit the team. His best friend Tony thinks the natural solution is for McKay to befriend Serena, a pretty girl in class, who also happens to get straight A's in algebra. Not only will that get McKay the tutor he desperately needs, but it will give Tony the chance to flirt with Serena's two best friends. Unfortunately, if McKay follows Tony's advice on how to "play the game," he might find himself in an even worse spot than when he was merely failing algebra. With a keen sense of wit, and more self-confidence than he gives himself credit for, McKay will keep readers alternately laughing and groaning as he is dragged kicking and screaming into the subtle (and often not so subtle) world of teen dating.

***

Although I love Janette Rallison, I was a little hesitant to read this book because it's ratings weren't as high as some of her other work.  However, I enjoyed it quite a bit. It is aimed at a younger audience and their eagerness/hesitance/nervousness to start dating.  


I loved the way Rallison handled the issue.  I felt like she accurately captured the essence of tween dating and the catastrophe it really is.  The bickering, the note passing, and the dirty looks are all just the tip of the iceberg.  


This was not my favorite book by any means, but it was entertaining, clean, and age appropriate.  It was a book that kids who are just starting to date can relate to and enjoy.  Bonus: it's only $0.99 for the e-book.


Reading level: Ages 9 and up
Paperback: 172 pages
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers (September 1, 2004)
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