The Vanishing Girl

The Vanishing Girl/Laura Thalassa This story is based around the awesome concept that these teens who were genetically engineered have the ability to teleport for ten minutes per every sleep cycle. This is a really cool idea; however, sometimes it was challenging for me to suspend my disbelief because of the explanation. I don't think it's in the human genome to be able to teleport just from a simple gene alteration. Maybe if there had been some green radiation involved I would've been a bit more open to the idea, but it felt very hand-of-God.
This book was pretty easy to read, and was interesting enough to keep me reading for a few hours without stopping.
 
The author did use a few details that in some aspects felt a little cliche, show more forced, or unreal. At one point, Ember read the same sentence for three hours, which as a teenager just isn't plausible--three hours is a long time, I can say honestly as a twenty-year-old very recent ex-teenager myself. Ember also made some dumb moves, such as performing a google search on a computer that was very obviously being monitored by the government, even though she was portrayed as being more intelligent than the typical eighteen-year-old.
 
There were a few sex scenes which were more graphic than my typical YA novel, which I didn't enjoy at all and I think could be alienating to younger readers, especially the mature younger readers who have the reading levels to enjoy fiction for an older audience. The story concept worked very well for YA, but I think those scenes detracted from the novel. I read YA to get away from the 'smut' Ember talked about and so this was very distracting for me. Also, the ease at which they were able to start having sex was alarming. They have no difficulty obtaining condoms or finding alone time. I understand that the facility these scenes took place in wasn't the typical high school, but I know that basically every adult in high school tries to stop people from having sex or at least would counsel them first.
 
Characters felt a little shallow. The pairing concept was strange and not fleshed out, and seems like something that Ember would have rebelled against once she realised most pairs were ending up emotionally involved. If Desiree really cared about Caden and had had her own pair, she'd want him to be happy and know how he felt. Caden himself was a total pushover. I don't know how the vivacious Ember didn't get sick of him. He talks about having a role to play, but never really shows that he's something different than the role he plays or gives me reason to believe he'd be suspicious enough to care about playing a different role than his character suggested. Their relationship moves way too fast, especially for Ember, who seems like someone who wouldn't let someone in very easily, and is very adult for a pair their age. He is also ready to devote his life to her at the toss of a hat, which seems unusual since even Ember thinks that the facility has become his family.
 
There was nothing terribly off-putting about this book. While I'm not invested, I'll probably read the sequel simply because this had a rather intriguing cliffhanger.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. show less

The Vanishing Girl is the first book in this series by author Laura Thalassa. As the story opens we meet Ember, an 18-year-old feisty girl who has a mysterious ability – she can teleport while asleep but only for 10 minutes. It started when she reached puberty but she never shared her secret with anyone, not even her parents. Soon she discovers that there are others who possess the same ability and that they are all a product of a government-sponsored fertility program. Their role is to help the government on missions concerning national security. She then meets Caden, a gorgeous guy with the same ability. Caden, as it turns out, is her partner; “her pair.” As Ember struggles with her feelings for Caden and her desire for freedom, show more she also finds herself questioning the government’s true motives, all while undergoing training, and soon, dangerous missions.

The story immediately piqued my interest from the start; it is well-written with a plot that is captivating. I liked reading about the different trainings they had to undergo (guerilla warfare, profiling, etc.) and how Ember developed her skills as the story progresses. The part with the simulations, and eventually the missions they were assigned to, was exciting to read. I also appreciate Ember’s curiosity and inquisitiveness; it’s always good to have a protagonist that isn’t afraid to question the norm. The ending is a cleverly written cliffhanger, so I’m looking forward to reading the sequel come this April. I’m curious to see whether some of the lingering questions in the first book will be answered in the sequel.

However, the attraction between Ember and Caden felt rushed, I would’ve liked it better if their relationship developed slowly. Also, I get it that they are seriously attracted to each other, but do they really have to behave like they are always in heat every time they see each other? In my humble opinion, if you have a well-written story with an interesting plot and characters, you can keep the sexual innuendos and intimate scenes to a minimum. Sometimes it takes away from the story rather than add to it.

That being said, I do like the book and will be pre-ordering the sequel. I’m giving The Vanishing Girl by Laura Thalassa 4 out of 5 stars. show less

Puberty introduces a number of biological and psychological stressor challenges for the normal adolescent. However, for Ember, a genetically-engineered 18-year-old, puberty brought additional challenges. When she falls asleep she can teleport to another destination but only remains ten minutes before she returns home. She has recently discovered that when she becomes 18, she is expected to serve two years in the military. However, when she is shipped off to a clandestine governmental facility with other teleporters she discovers that the teleporters are considered to be government property to be used as weapons for nefarious purposes.

Although a young adult novel, I thought the premise was intriguing enough for me to listen to this show more audiobook. I probably would have enjoyed reading it better than listening to it. I thought the female narrator’s male voices were unbelievable. She sounded like a boy imitating an adult male. The novel contains the usual young adult tropes, e.g., young love, which generally leads to ecstatic sex; love triangles, and a protagonist develops from inadequacy to extreme competency. The novel was enjoyable; however, ended with a cliff hanger, encourages to reader to pick up the author’s next in the series. I’m on the fence whether or not it would be worth it. show less

I received an ARC ebook from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

Great—4 out of 5 stars.

The Vanishing Girl is an intriguing contemporary sci-fi new adult novel with strong romance elements.

Ember, our heroine, struggles as a teleporter, while falling for a teammate, Caden. Teleporting for brief periods of time once a day triggered my curiosity. It is good twist. Even though the science is on the light side, it works very well, to the point it did not break my suspense of disbelief. Kudos to that.

Overall, a very well written and entertaining story with likable characters and a good storyline.

2.3 Out of 5 "WTF" Stars

I could go on and on about all the things I didn't like about this, and there's quite a few. There are also quite a few reviews on here that explain it all very well.

I just want to say that this had the potential to be not only unique but also completely engaging. Unfortunately, it was spoiled by hella-insta-love with a side of love-triangle…plus a little jealous-b*tch thrown in. I also thought this was going to go in the direction of a supernatural vein, maybe, because her other books are usually that genre but this was something completely different and regrettably, it wasn't always explained in a believable manner.

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~MY show more RATING~
2.3/5 STARS - GRADE=D+
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~BREAKDOWN OF RATINGS~
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Plot~ 2.5/5
Main Characters~ 2.3/5
Secondary Characters~ 2/5
The Feels~ 1.5/5
Pacing~ 3/5
Addictiveness~ 2/5
Theme or Tone~ 3/5
Flow (Writing Style)~ 3/5
Backdrop (World Building)~ 2/5
Originality~ 4/5
Ending~ 2.8/5 Cliffhanger~ Yes!
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Book Cover~ It's kind of pretty…
Narration~ Rachel Vivette ☆3.5☆-not my favorite…not my least favorite.
Series~ The Vanishing Girl #1
Setting~ I'm not really sure…
Source~ Audi0book (Scribd)
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Oh My Giddy Aunt. First off, why are people calling this sci-fi adult? It's clearly YA. I clearly haven't learnt my lesson. Damn you beautiful covers. Secondly, if they don't stop giving shitty "mysertious" names to protagonists I will never stop calling YA writers pathetic. Terribly written and the idea that people who get tattoos are "eccentric" was enough to make me want to gouge my eyes out like Oedipus did after he'd found out he'd fucked his own mother.

I wa... I can't even. What's wrong with YA.

A great book. Read it in one setting