Pivot Point (edition 2013)

Pivot Point combined paranormal powers and an alternate history/reality setting with teen drama and relationships for a deep, insightful look into the future.

“What if…”

Such a simple question that many times remains a mystery, but in Kasie West’s YA paranormal/fantasy debut Pivot Point we meet a teen who can literally see the consequences of each choice she makes and how they will affect her future. A simple premise, an original spin, and an entertaining new voice in the YA world equals Pivot Point.

Kasie West’s YA paranormal debut Pivot Point is all about the “What If’s.” What if…I made this choice? What if…I took that path? What if…I fell for this guy instead of that one? But with Addie’s special ability, the “What If’s” can become certainties…with just a quick look down both paths. It is an original premise that West brings to life with flair.

First, I’d like to say a little something about the summary for this book. It really manages to capture what Pivot Point is about, without really capturing what it’s about. By this I mean it is telling the absolute truth about the story and lays out the bare bones of the plot, but it doesn’t do justice to the style and execution of author Kasie West. She is a very natural writer, and it is extremely easy to fall right into the story with no bumps or jars along the way. Everything flows quickly and smoothly, with plenty of humorous one-liners and turns-of-phrase thrown into the mix. Both futures play out in alternating chapters, and the pattern is so clean and clear I never felt any confusion as each of them unfolded. I enjoyed seeing events play out in different ways depending on which future Addie was in – the way the events would overlap and different points would become clarified due to the perspective. Very, very well done.

What really surprised me, however, was how very character-driven Pivot Point is. For some reason, I was anticipating a lot more action, mystery and suspense in Pivot Point than what is actually present. Don’t get me wrong, all of these elements are there and handled extremely well, but Kasie West takes her time getting to them. Instead she focuses on the characters, rounding them out and giving them personality so that when the mystery and suspense really start gearing up – and Addie has to make a choice about which path to follow – I was completely invested in the outcome and had to agree with Addie’s decision. I wasn’t happy about it, but it was the “right” choice – and left things in such a way I have no idea where West will be taking the story next.

Addie is a wonderful protagonist, straightforward, bright, and self-aware, with a wry sense of humor that shines through her thoughts. She’s a thinker who weighs the pros and cons of any given situation, and doesn’t completely depend on her ability for all the answers, which I really liked. Something I found particularly interesting was her reaction to each of the boys in her alternate lives – brash, bold Duke in the Compound future and quiet, laid-back Trevor in the “Norms” future. Her comfort level with one of them is much more obvious than with the other, and in one future she is the pursuer while in the other she is the pursued. I loved seeing both relationships play out, although I admit I was definitely rooting for one of them more than the other. I’m not going to give my impressions of the guys because I think that could lead to some spoilers; instead I’ll just say my feelings were borne out by events, so I was as satisfied as I could be with the outcome of each relationship.

As if an entertaining execution, a sympathetic protagonist, and two romantic relationships were not enough, author Kasie West sweetens the deal with a couple of little schemes and one big murder mystery. While the smaller stuff is not particularly surprising (plenty of hints are given), West plays the mystery hand close to her chest. I had my suspicions about the “who;” it was the “why” that caught me off guard. I appreciated discovering what was happening and who was behind it right along with Addie, instead of having the secrets handed to me ahead of time, and I loved how its conclusion played into Addie’s ultimate choice to stay or go – and who she would lose in the process.

In her YA paranormal debut Pivot Point, Kasie West puts a unique spin on a simple question of “What If” by having two futures play out parallel to each other, both leading to a tough choice that will have consequences. West takes her time with character and world-building, but provides plenty of humor, a bit of suspense, a well-plotted mystery, and two chances at romance for engaging heroine Addie – all of it told with a quick pace and very engaging writing style. Kasie West’s Pivot Point is a world I’ll happily dive into again in the future. ( )

I got an advanced reading copy of this book to review through the Amazon Vine program. This was a truly unique book that was incredibly engaging. I had a very, very hard time putting it down and was constantly on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next! This is definitely a paranormal YA book that is different from everything else out there.

Addie lives in a secret complex of people who all have a mental ability they can use. Some are telekinetic, some can influence emotions, but Addie is different...she is a Searcher. As a Searcher she can search out the results of a decision she makes. So when Addie’s parents announce they are getting into a divorce it is definitely something Addie needs to Search out. Addie decides to search out both future options; leaving the complex and living with her dad or staying in the complex and living with her mom. The story alternates between the reality where Addie lives with her dad and the one where she lives with her mom.

This book blew me away. I mean the idea of a secret society of paranormal individuals isn’t all that unique, but Addie’s power is. Imagine having the ability to search out both branches of a vital decision...wouldn’t that be awesome? You could check things out like career path, what boy you should date, or...well....just anything. The book is also put together in a very creative way; each chapter features a word and definition. The words with “para” in them are the chapters where Addie stays at the paranormal complex with her mom. The words with “norm” in them are the chapters where Addies leaves the paranormal community to live with her dad.

You would think being able to search out your choices would be wonderful but West also explores the downside of this. What if while you were searching you saw someone do a really bad thing. Well if you don’t choose that path, then they won’t take that bad action...but you are still going to know that they would have done it given a chance...and this colors your opinion of them even though they never actually did anything. It’s crazy things like that and the way they are explored that make this an excellent book.

Addie is a pretty down to earth character. She was very believable and very easy to relate to. Both paths she searches out have good things and bad things that happen. But the way everything turns out was awesome and surprising and heartbreaking. I mean what if either choice ends up being devastating? I guess that would be just like real life sometimes then, huh?

This ended up being a seriously emotional book for me. I just got so wrapped up in the story and so sucked into Addie’s character. I felt so bad about some of the decisions she had to make. Seriously, I haven’t had a book pull me in and twist me up this much for quite some time.

The book ends spectacularly and in a way that totally matches the tone of the story. It was a very well written and engaging read. I am absolutely dying to know what happens next.

Overall a wonderful, wonderful read. I think everyone should read this book. Not only does it totally redeem the YA paranormal genre, it gives the reader a lot of food for thought. It is an engaging book, that is unique and creative, and impossible to put down. I cannot wait to see what West comes up with next. This book is highly recommended to everyone. ( )

After a string of books, some of them even very good, that I have just failed to emotionally connect to, I finally read another one that gave me feels! So far, with two notable exceptions, I have been very impressed with the 2013 debuts I've read, and Pivot Point is perhaps my favorite book so far this year, though, admittedly, it's only my eighth book for the year.

From the cover and the synopsis, I expected things to start off with a bang and be dark and creepy pretty much all the way through. Well, not so much. Actually, the book starts off with a huge focus on humor, even once the split happens. Much of it feels very contemporary, science fiction elements aside. Though a bit thrown by the lightness of the beginning, West really makes this work, slowly and steadily amping up the action and the eerieness as the novel progresses.

Addison Coleman loves books and loathes football. Is it any wonder I think of her as a kindred spirit? She also spends time musing over such things as how confusing the phrase 'heads up' is, since it usually means to do just the opposite. Addie is witty, more on the introverted side, a good friend, and able to make tough choices. Of course, she also acts like a teenager, acting out in response to her parents' divorce. Let it be noted, too, that, though divorced, both parents take an active role in her life (or try to).

Addie lives in the Compound, a secret city of people with advanced brains, so advanced that they have powers. Awesome, right? These powers include telekinesis (Duke), matter manipulation (Bobby), persuasion (Mom), detecting lies (Dad), memory erasure (Laila), and divergence, which is not at all like in the Roth novel (Addie). West makes excellent plot use of each power, rather than giving people abilities solely for the cool factor. She also does a great job considering some of the ramifications of these powers on family and friendship dynamics.

What Addie can do is, with every choice, examine her future options, or at least the most obvious two. When her parents announce their impending divorce, they tell her she should analyze the future and choose whether she wants to live with her father outside the compound or her mother inside. After chapter three, the narrative alternates between her future should she choose to stay in the compound and if she should leave. This has been done before, but I think West uses this technique to great affect.

West sets up Addie and Laila's relationship so well. Unlike so many novels where the heroine moves and a best friendship melts away almost instantly, Addie and Laila continue to call one another regularly. They remain each one another's best source for a discussion of boy drama or discomfort at home. Just because friends are far apart does not mean that they cannot remain close. In fact, Addie and Laila are somewhat closer when more physically distant, which is fascinating. Comparing the dynamics between Addie and the various other characters in the two futures is endlessly fascinating. In some cases, there seems also to be an element of serendipity, where in others certain people will or will not bond depending on how they meet.

All of you authors going overboard on instalove, I want you to read Pivot Point, because this is a perfect example of how an author can set up a convincing relationship in 300 pages. In fact, West sets up two of them, all without bandying about the word love. Instead, she makes use of delightful banter and actual time spent together to establish relationships. West had me feeling butterflies vicariously several times. I really like the way she set up the romance, which I suppose could be called a love triangle, but not in any ordinary sense.

The would building could use a bit of work, since only the most minimal of effort is given to explaining how this magic invisible to norms (think Hogwarts unseeable by muggles) compound came to exist in Texas. Plus, the scope of Addie's abilities is never entirely clear to me. Can she only see yes/no choices or can she see any possible choice she could make? Wouldn't she be confronted with other choices within the future, thus possibly negating the future she's just seen? I hope there will be clarification on these things in the next installment, and I suspect there certainly will be on Addie's powers.

The formatting of the chapters is quite cute, but I suspect not clear enough to keep some readers from being confused about what is happening in the story. Basically, all of the chapters where she's in the compound start with the definition of a word that has PARA in it, and the ones outside have NORM in them. While I do think this is quite clever, I'm not sure if people will notice that and put the two together, and, more worryingly from my point of view, I don't think the definitions themselves add to the story.

Pivot Point has mind powers, family drama, kissing, humor, and action. What more could you want? I will be anxiously anticipating the sequel to Pivot Point and her contemporary novel The Distance Between Us, due out in July 2013. I expect to see great things from Kasie West, since she starts off with such a marvelous debut. ( )

This and other reviews can be found on Reading Between Classes

Cover Impressions: Very nice though not particularly exciting. Love the Bokeh effect separating one reality from another. the colors are muted, but pretty.

The Gist: Addison is a Searcher. She has the ability to pinpoint any decision and see the separate paths that would result from her choice. When her parents decide to divorce, Addie must use her power to decide whether to stay in the compound with her mother and all the other paranormal teens, or venture into the "Norm" world with her father and hide who she really is.

Review: In Pivot Point, Kasie West weaves two plotlines together. In one reality, Addie has remained inside the compound and becomes the love interest of the popular and charming Duke - who just happens to be the quarterback of the school's football team. In the other reality she leaves for the "norm" world to live with her father and becomes the love interest of the popular and charming Trevor - who just happens to be the former quarterback of the school's football team. Despite their similarities in circumstance, the two boys are very different. While Addie's relationship with Duke is slightly unsettling and more than a little smothering, she connects with Trevor on a much deeper level and their relationship seems sweet and genuine. That being said, I did not have particularly strong feelings toward either love interest. I understand that I was meant to dislike Duke and to love Trevor - but I just couldn't be bothered to care about either one of them.

Addie and Laila were much stronger characters. They were fun and outspoken with a real sense of self. The scenes that strongly featured the two girls were some of my favorites in the novel. I do wish that the other characters had been more than just plot carriers. Her parents and both boyfriends' friends were bland at best, predictable caricatures at worst.

Despite the strong start in the paranormal world, Pivot Point quickly gets bogged down in the mundane. Because of the nature of the book, we only see Addie perform one search and, unfortunately, we do not see many of the other characters use their powers either. Much of the plot centers around the first steps on a new relationship on one side and the trials and tribulations of moving to a new school on the other side. In an attempt the add some drama, there was a subplot involving the intentional injuring of football players by Addie's old school. This, however, required that much of action center around football and talk of football. When this coincides with real life in which football currently invades my home for an unfathomable amount of time each week - I cannot even explain how much I do not care to read about fictional football. A little more than halfway through the book, the plot picked up and the increased action made for a much less tedious read. Despite this, I didn't feel any real sense of danger, perhaps because I knew that this was all a search and that things could be changed.

I was a little worried that the weaving of two potential futures into one storyline would get messy and confusing, but I was pleasantly surprised at how well it worked. The narrative flowed easily between the two streams and, once the action kicked in, the change from one timeline to another made for some stronger chapter endings and added some suspense. I especially enjoyed those moments when events would overlap in both stories, even if those were as simple as a phone call.

In the end, I was left unsatisfied. It seemed that Addie would not have to make any real sacrifices as, when everything finally worked out, she would get the best of both worlds. I would have much preferred if both paths had tragic consequences and Addie had to find a way to prevent the worst, or choose the timeline that she felt she could live with.

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 12 and up
Gender: Female
Sex: Kissing
Violence: Knifeplay, Murder, Mind Control
Inappropriate Language: Prick
Substance Use/Abuse: None ( )