Chameleon

When we left off last in Rippler, Samantha's life had been turned upside down. She had discovered that her genetic material was something others were being killed for, that her Mother's death was no accident and the beginnings of insight into Helmann's truly twisted mind/experiments. Her best friend Gwyn is ignoring her because of a wrongful notion that Will is an abusive boyfriend and Sam's just allowing it to happen. Plus, Will had kissed her finally. Now, Sam is dealing with the fact that Helmann's daughter Helga is trying to find her for nerfarious purposed and Will is acting like the kiss never happened. Micke, Will and Sam go on a class trip to France and use it as an opportunity to meet with Waldhart de Rochefort, their ally show more (also known as Sir Walter). There are some startling revelations, including the fact that Sam's hunch was right - when rippling they exist outside of time. Sir Walter is over six-hundred years old and so is Helmann - they are cousins! Things only get more interesting from there. Throw in some journal entries from Helga AND Helmann, a multiple personality-disordered henchman and a perilous battle for their lives and you have some heart-stopping adventure. I truly fell even more deeply in love with these characters than I thought possible. I had a deep affection at the end of the first book, but by the time this one was over I was close to being moved to tears. Cidney Swanson has a powerful way with words. There were some truly gorgeous passages in this novel. Chameleon is the perfect example of exactly what a good young adult book should be. She is going places and I am truly honored that I was given the chance to read her works. I am desperate for the third book now! I have to know what happens! I recommend this book and the one before it so highly I barely have the words. Check it out or you'll regret missing the boat.

Check out my review for the first book in the series: Rippler

VERDICT: 5/5 Stars and a PERMANENT place in my heart

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the author herself, via LibraryThing. No money was exchanged for this review. The publication date of this book was September 1st, 2011.* show less

Gripping from the beginning, Chameleon starts shortly after Rippler ends. I loved learning more about Rippling throughout the book. The excerpts from the journal were incredibly intriguing. I found I wanted to understand the minds of the people behind all of the experiments. Cidney Swanson has created such interesting characters that I’ve come to love and care about and then put these characters in a dangerous world where I never know what will happen. I loved the dynamic between Will and Sam and look forward to future developments in their relationship. I also enjoyed the friendship between Sam and Gwyn. I found that particular plot line to be quite enjoyable, well developed, and very believable. The main plot line with the people show more known as Chameleons is well thought out. I cannot wait for the next book to see where all of the plot lines will go. show less

Reviewed by Valerie
ebook provided by Cidney Swanson

COVER LOVE! I loved book one’s cover too!!!
Review: These stories have grit. I absolutely love this trilogy so far! In book one, Sam found out that she has the ability to ripple, or turn invisible. She also discovered that her mom and best friend’s death were not accidental and she was the intended target. Now, it seems that Sam, as well as Will, are both wanted by geneticists that have sinister plans. Do they want them dead or alive and why? When a note and video arrives by mail, Sam, Will, and Will’s sister watch it and discover plans to wipe out an entire generation for the sake of a superior race are being put into motion. Woven into the story, similar to book one, are journal show more entries from World War II experiments, letters between conspirators, and scribbled notes which were chilling to read. I was filled with dread when Sam and Will decided to break into the lab, again, to try and find black journals that might have answers to their questions...

Deciding to use a school trip as cover, they then travel to France to meet the mysterious sender of the notes, Sir Walter. He translates the journals and they read the terrible truth about genetic purging and experiments to control anyone who can ripple or is considered a “chameleon.” When the true nature of rippling is explained to them, the small group realizes that people who can ripple are not aging when they are invisible and that the evil mastermind has been around much longer than they thought. After being abducted on the trip, Sam befriends an unlikely ally and discovers that she is indeed the one being sought after. The only thing to find is why?

Kudos to Ms. Swanson for bringing the trip to France alive for her readers. The authenticity and attention to detail is wonderfully written as the mystery deepens for the characters. Sir Walter is a gentleman and I loved his character. Another bonus in this book is that Will and Sam FINALLY figure out that they do indeed have chemistry between them – only to part at the end. Where’s book three? When will they EVER be safe? A MUST read!!!

Advice: Very enjoyable reading from cover to cover! The action and suspense just kept building!

Quote: “I hungered to hold those books within my hands.” Page 19 show less

It's not often that I feel compelled to continue on and finish a series. Often, I will love or like the first book but then the second book will bore me to tears and that will be that. But I am so excited about the Ripple series! Chameleon was just as good as, if not better than, the first book. I made the mistake of starting it late at night and had to stay up to finish it because it was so intense! Things would just be calming down and suddenly something else would pop up.

The storyline becomes even more fascinating in this one. There are excerpts scattered throughout this book and they're actually so creepy to read! I usually do not like this style of writing but it worked so well here because the excerpts were so horrifying I could show more not look away! Swanson has created so many terrifying characters but at the same time they are so incredibly believable. This book certainly gives you a lot to think about and shows you how humans can rationalize horrors to themselves and the long term effects of traumatizing a young child.

Sam, Mickie and Will spend most of this book in Paris and they definitely manage to get themselves into a lot of trouble! I love the interactions between these three characters. None of them take anything too seriously and they're just really fun to read about. Sam and Will developed well throughout this one and we definitely get to see much more of Will's personality shining through! Mickie is as hilarious as ever, even if she's grumpy as hell. If I start talking about Sir Walter, I will never stop. He was so awesome and maybe even my favourite character so far.

As you can see, I'm certainly now a huge fan of Cidney Swanson. Chameleon did not fail to impress and I'll be so excited to get my hands on the third book to see what's in store for these amazing characters!

This review first appeared here on my blog. show less

Thank you Miss Swanson, an immensely talented storyteller, for sharing the 2nd book in Rippler series with me.
I absolutely loved it. She gave the Book two another dimension and took the story to such great depth so smoothly.I read it in one sitting, I had to know what happened next. The story is incredible, with romance mystery and supernatural in a real world setting. She takes it over the top in this exquisite book about teenagers with a supernatural ability to ripple. The book gives such an interesting and real perspective to their experiences when they ripple that you would suddenly find yourself wishing to experience it first hand. A must read and the best sequel ever. Eagerly awaiting the third book.
It will sell millions of copies!

Chameleon (Book Two in the Ripple Series) picks up right where Rippler left off. After rehashing some history for her audience, Samantha Ruiz continues her story, telling us about her trip to France and what she discovers there. As she and her friends learn more about her ability to ripple, their situation becomes increasingly dangerous. A confrontation leads to disaster and the friends are forced to decide upon the best course of action to keep everyone safe...and alive. Their decision, however, will lead into trying times, and abandon them all to harrowing uncertainty.

It was exciting to follow Sam and her friends through this part of her story and to uncover more about the history of her condition. Midway through the narrative, I was show more introduced to one of my favorite types of characters, who played a significant role in helping Sam escape the clutches of the wretched Dr. Gottlieb. (He was promptly snuffed out, but somehow, I'm sure he'll be back.) Even in the final chapters of the book, new characters were still joining the cast, which helped turn the end into a cliffhanger.

I loved all the neologisms that were threaded into the dialogue. The writing was rich and imaginative and really brought the scenes of the story to life. One hangup for me, however, was the blatant overuse of the words "guffaw" and "chortle" (which actually continues from the first book). I'm not sure any of the characters ever laughed!

There were a few hints that made me worry the series might turn into one of those science VS religion disasters, but up to now, the author has (wisely) avoided delving too deeply into either subject. I'm hoping that won't change. Provided it doesn't, I'll be eagerly following the series to its conclusion.

And, hey. Paranormal romance without all the cheese. That's a good thing, right? show less

Originally Reviewed At:Mother/Gamer/Writer
Rating: 5 out of 5 Controllers
Review Source: Author for Honest Review
Reviewer: Heather


Chameleon is the second installment in the Ripple series. As I have yet to read the first book in the series I can’t comment on how well the two flowed into each other, but overall this could easily work as a standalone title. This shows strength in the abilities of the author, because as we all know, creating a series can be very difficult.



The story shows us two distinct ripplers in the beginning, and as it progresses, we learn that Sam is a very special Chameleon, if not the most sought after. The exact why is found out later in the story, but I honestly don’t want to give it away. Ripplers, or show more Chameleons have the ability to become invisible. This allows them to slow down the aging process and seemingly live forever. Of course this would be highly sought after, and in one scientists mind could lead to the perfect utopia. Disastrous science experiments, harming and testing on children, killing innocents all mean nothing to these scientists. However, they still appear to be missing the key, the link, they don’t have…Sam.



While the story itself begins in California, Sam, Will, and Mickie take us on a journey to France! While you move through the plot of Helga’s attempts to capture Sam, you will receive a quite lovely and subtle history of the country itself. I was even able to learn a few French phrases too. I really loved this unique aspect that you won’t typically find in novels for young adults.



While the trio is trying to stay under the radar of Helga and her minions, the group finds themselves learning more about how they came to be, and how the genes of the Chameleon are passed down. But does any of it really matter? Can they defeat, expose or overcome the scientists plot? Will Sam ever be safe from the monsters that seek to use her? Does Sam ever get to let Will know she loves him?



There is so much going on with this story, but it all adds up in the very end. The author brings suspense, mystery, history and even science into a wonderful read that has a touch of romance. I look forward to reading not only the first in the series, but hopefully more that follows in the future. I don’t think the story is ready to be finished anytime soon! show less