This book was confusing.. still I actually REALLY enjoyed it! Great plot-twists and entertainment factor was definitely 10/10!

I had really high expectations for this one and while it live up to them, by the end I wanted more. Ricochet has an unique plot and a well done execution. The cast of characters is intriguing and they are all really different. The writing is really good but sometimes it was a little bit slow and it was hard to be immersed on the story. However I have to admit I really liked the ending and how the author wrapped all of the different plots together and it was an okay read for me. I’ll definitely would give this author another try in the future

Ricochet by Kathryn Berla is a young adult science fiction fantasy standalone novel. The story in Ricochet is told in rotating chapters between multiple points of view, four in total of Tati, Ana, Tanya, and Tatiana.

Ricochet tackles the concept of parallel lives in multiple universes. One of the girls has suffered from seizures her whole life and sees a tunnel. Tati decides to send in her DNA and gets an inconclusive result so she wonders if that has anything to do with her seizures that have never been explained. Eventually Tati’s vision in the tunnel changes when she sees another girl.

I think it’s probably pretty understandable to anyone that when you have multiple characters to keep track of it’s not easy to distinguish them right away in a normal situation. This book then gives them names like Tati, Ana, Tanya, and Tatiana on top of that and you should see my dilemma. The simple idea of multiple universes coexisting makes sense to me in theory so I didn’t think that would also make this one a confusing read but the story added in on top of the characters I was following really never resonated with me. So when I added everything up in the end this one only rated two and a half stars, it had an interesting idea but just not executed in a way that I loved.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I read the description of this book and just had to read it. This story is told in four different point ofviews and each narrator is very different. While I enjoyed the different point of views and the vastness of the mystery it sometimes made the story hard to follow. It was a fast paced read with a lot of narrow escapes and alot of action. I wish the book had a different ending and the story a little less confusing.

I liked the early chapters of this book, when we were seeing parallel lives and how one small difference resulted in four vastly different lives. I'd have liked it better if they'd been more even, if they'd all been equally good or bad. And once we started seeing intersections, the ability to communicate between realities, it started to lose me. I couldn't see the point behind the experiment. And the ending was entirely dissatisfying.

The plot was confusing, but as a whole I actually quite enjoyed it.

The premise was quite confusing, and if I could redo the whole experience I would read the blurb first, because it definitely provided crucial information about the novel which I completely missed...

But I thought the characters were really cool.

Overall, even though I was confused at times I wasn't bored while reading, and it is a very clever book!!

My thoughts







Narrative and Plot






Ricochet is told by the four different versions of Tatiyana the protagonist. Each of this version is some kind of a probability of the same reality with different outcomes. Save a few initial confusions, the narrative is distinct and keeps you interested. It is one of the best aspects of the book.

The plot however, didn’t make much of an impact. It is one of those books, which I personally wish didn’t reveal too much information on the synopsis. Pretty much nothing happens in the first half of the book other than establishing the characters. It felt a bit repetitive at times instead, of the de javu that I assume the story was going for.














Characters and Conflicts








Tatiyana is a wholesome character if you view her as a collective. There is a distinct personality for Tatiyana in each Universe. She is similar but not the same. That made things interesting.

However, the conflict was built up with a fervent intensity and the synopsis – once again- promises a lot. But the big reveal, in itself didn’t make much impact. The way the whole conflict resolved in itself felt vague as well.






Conclusion





Overall, Ricochet is a good attempt in creating a web of parallel worlds and multiple realities. But it doesn’t exactly excite the readers in terms of a compelling conflict.

This is a dnf for me. I made it 48% through before I put it away for a bit and when I went back I could not get into it. I liked the idea behind the story but it jumped around a little too much for me to stay interested.

Meh.

Currently into the whole parallel worlds thing so finally picked this one up. It was admittedly a little disappointing. The book being split into four rotating chapters didn't give me room to actually get to know/like any of the Tatyana's I met aside from the first - but only because she was the first.

I think as well for a long time - half the book- there was no sense of danger/conflict so I was just reading about these four girls and wondering why they had the access to each other that they did.

When we finally got there the answer was underwhelming and had a sudden countdown attached to it.

The characters with similar names was cool albeit confusing from time to time and ultimately the whole thing felt very bite-sized/fragmented so I was never able to truly settle and get invested.

Rotating POV's can make a books pacing move quickly. With Ricochet there were 4 POVs and this at times did weigh the pacing especially with a more complex story and then getting into 4 peoples heads took time. However, once the story got going the pacing started to pick up. I do wish that it was more clear at the start of the chapter which timeline we were reading if it was past or present. This was a very unique and original take on parallel universes.

Ultimately could not get into this one, but the concept is absolutely fascinating. I think it's a case of it's just me, not the book. Thank you netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read and review this title. I will review this title at a different date.

I had a hard time with this book the characters ran together. A characters had multiple nicknames which made it super confusing.

Ricochet was interesting. The beginning didn't grasp me but I pushed with it and I really, really enjoyed it.

I got through 10%, but the characters ran together and one of the characters had multiple nicknames which made it super confusing. The awkward prose ultimately made me stop reading. I like the idea behind it, but it fell flat for me.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher and netgalley. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Ricochet

Author: Katheryn Berla

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 2/5

Publication Date: October 8, 2019

Publisher: North Star Editions

Pages: 328

Recommended Age: 16+ (some violence, science stuff)

Synopsis: When seventeen-year-old Tati sends a saliva sample to a DNA ancestry testing site her results come back inconclusive. What’s wrong with her DNA? And what does it have to do with her unexplained seizures and the beckoning tunnel she sees during them?

What Tati discovers is more than she could have ever imagined possible. Parallel universes exist and her abnormal DNA compels and condemns Tati and her other selves—shy Ana—privileged Tatyana—and on-the-run Tanya, to a lifetime of ricocheting between their parallel lives in the multiverse.

With knowledge of their existence a deadly threat in every universe, the only chance all four have to survive is to work together to take down the scientist responsible: their father.

Review: I really like the premise of this book and I thought the characters were well developed and the world building was well done as well.

However, this book is confusing and the ending doesn't make sense to me. It was also slow and overall I had to downgrade my rating because of the ending.

Verdict: It wasn't for me.

The premise of this book was so interesting. It's about a girl and four different versions of herself from parallel universes, and how they work to take down their dad, who is responsible. With that being said, it was so very confusing, however, I enjoyed it. It was a definite page turner, The ending definitely was not expected and I don't know how to feel about it still.

2.5 stars

Struggled to get into this book but stuck it out. It was decent enough but didn’t like the ending.

I have to say, that this book was so different than anything else I've read. I'm a huge fan of doppelgangers, clones, and alternate dimensions or parallel universes, so basically what I'm trying to say is this book was right up my alley, and I was really stoked to read it once I gave the description another view before actually starting it. Though I haven't read anything by the author before, this book has opened me up to them. I hope you love it as much as I did.

Beginning like any other young adult novel, it shows a couple of teenagers in young love. Tatiana and Priya are very close, though Priya's parents don't know about them because she's too scared to tell them. Tatiana is adopted to some beautifully created hippy parents that I would love to have gotten to know a little more of, but that's not important. She also has seizures, or me-zures as they're sometimes referred to. That's where it gets strange.

When she has those kind of episodes, it's like any other seizure, except that her brain doesn't react to it in scans, and there's a white tunnel that appears above her head that she feels mysteriously drawn to. What could it be? Well it turns out, that it's actually a portal to her other selves in parallel universes. Isn't that insane? I can't even imagine what that would be like, but I think that the book did a really amazing job of explaining it.

I loved this book for so many reasons. I know that usually teen books are for teens, but I've always been a fan of young adult fiction, and just because I'm not a teenager anymore doesn't mean I'm going to suddenly switch up on the genre, although I have integrated more kinds of books into my reading. The characters are super realistic, despite the crazy things that happen to them, and also some of them aren't American, which is just really cool to read about, seeing as Tatiana seems so American in her timeline.

Overall, I really think that this book is one I'm going to remember for a long time, and it's something I want other people to read. If you get a chance, I definitely recommend giving this book a chance, even if you don't think you'd like it. Who knows? You might be surprised. It was a solid length too, and I'm glad I got the chance to read it.

Thanks for reading!
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)

Tati, Ana, Tatyana, and Tanya are the same girl, whose DNA was split to create them in multiverses by their father. This story had such potential, but the characters could have been more clearly differentiated from the beginning, the adoptive parents more credible (wealthy hippies?), and the ending less rushed to wrap it all up. Having said that, this is a unique perspective and Berla a good storyteller despite the flaws in execution. This book requires a good imagination and concentration. I received a digital copy from the publisher Flux through NetGalley.