Review : Split Second by Kasie West

Summary (from Goodreads)

Title : Split Second (Pivot Point #2)
Author : Kasie West
Publication Date : February 11th 2014
Publisher : Harper Teen
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Life can change in a split second.

Addie hardly recognizes her life since her parents divorced. Her boyfriend used her. Her best friend betrayed her. She can’t believe this is the future she chose. On top of that, her ability is acting up. She’s always been able to Search the future when presented with a choice. Now she can manipulate and slow down time, too . . . but not without a price.

When Addie’s dad invites her to spend her winter break with him, she jumps at the chance to escape into the Norm world of Dallas, Texas. There she meets the handsome and achingly familiar Trevor. He’s a virtual stranger to her, so why does her heart do a funny flip every time she sees him? But after witnessing secrets that were supposed to stay hidden, Trevor quickly seems more suspicious of Addie than interested in her. And she has an inexplicable desire to change that.

Meanwhile, her best friend, Laila, has a secret of her own: she can restore Addie’s memories . . . once she learns how. But there are powerful people who don’t want to see this happen. Desperate, Laila tries to manipulate Connor, a brooding bad boy from school—but he seems to be the only boy in the Compound immune to her charms. And the only one who can help her.

As Addie and Laila frantically attempt to retrieve the lost memories, Addie must piece together a world she thought she knew before she loses the love she nearly forgot . . . and a future that could change everything.

Personal Thoughts

Ah Kasie West! She is one author I know who will rock the YA world with your fabulous characterizations. Pivot Point was a strong debut according to me. It marked Kasie West as a very promising author and with every book that she has released she has proven over and proven again how talented she really is. Split Second, was yet another success for me and this is one duology I will most definitely be re-reading.

Addie was a character that I instantly liked in Pivot Point. She was funny, snarky and so brutally honest. But most of all, she was this likeable character who had her flaws, but she was very much realistic. So, I was beyond excited to be back inside her head in Split Second. As in the previous book, it didn't take me a long time to find myself enjoying her POV. In addition to Addie's POV, we are also privy to Laila's thoughts in this book. I will admit that it worried me a little at first, but I actually think I might have enjoyed Laila's story even more than Addie's. You get to learn so much more about her character through her eyes. From the vibes that she gave me in Pivot Point, I never thought that she would possess so much depth and so much soul. She's a sweet girl who's taking care of her brothers, but who doesn't mince her words and is willing to do anything to protect her family and friends. I have to say my favorite part about Laila's POV was definitely her close relationship with her brother. It was heart-warming and I absolutely adore sibling relationships being portrayed in a positive manner.

One reason I enjoyed Pivot Point was the romance between Trevor and Addie. In Split Second, the two of them are reunited and it was once again, a delight to watch the the two of the fall for each other. As we are privy to Laila's POV as well, we also get to see a love interest for her in the form of Connor. If you fell in love with Trevor, wait until you meet Connor! That boy was made out of swoon it appears. The chemistry that he and Laila had was smoldering. This is one of those romances where you're just flipping the pages at a fast pace just to read about them making out. I also enjoyed their banter and they were just perfect for each other since they were both stubborn and incredibly brave.

I've, personally, never been attracted to the actual plot line in this series. It's always been the characters that have been the strongest points. However, in Split Second, I actually found myself enjoying the story line, especially with some of the unexpected twists. My only complaint when it comes to this series is that the world-building leaves much to be desired. I especially wanted to know more about the Compound, but we're only given snippets of information. Despite the weak world-building, Split Second is a sequel worth reading because Kasie Wet has a delightful writing style that will just hook you in.

Fun, action-packed and full of swoon-worthy scenes, Split Second is a sequel that will most definitely appeal to fans of Kasie West.


Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 4/5