Monday, February 17, 2014

Review: Split Second by Kasie West


Title: Split Second (Pivot Point, #2) 

Author: Kasie West

Rating: 2.5 Stars

I read a little over half of Split Second before skipping to the end of the novel and remaining unsatisfied. For fans of Pivot Point, there is no doubt in my mind that Split Second is a sequel worth waiting for. For me, though? Not so much. Split Second picks up directly where Pivot Point leaves off, which is both a relief and a point against its favor. On one hand, the novel doesn’t suffer from a slow start the way its predecessor did but, at the same time, it relies a little too much on Pivot Point to define our relationships to the characters. Instead of re-building the bonds we have with characters we’ve come to anticipate and love, Split Second reads very much as plot, dialogue, and action opposed to emotion, feeling, and response.

First and foremost, it should be mentioned that West’s duet is about parallel universes. Pivot Point followed Addison, our main character, as she explored two different paths before by choosing to live with either he mother or her father who were divorcing. Split Second starts off with Addison switching to visit the parent she didn’t choose to stay with as she copes with the events from Pivot Point. Since we already met two casts of characters, one that lives where Addison’s mother lives and one where her father lives, we find ourselves meeting old characters again while Addison meets them for the first time. Unfortunately, I found myself distancing from these story arcs a second time around, both because I knew the events that would draw two characters together and also because I enjoyed the way their relationships played out in Pivot Point and wasn’t a fan of seeing them rehashed in a different manner in Split Second.

Perhaps the most obvious difference between Pivot Point and Split Second is the fact that this sequel adds Laila’s perspective to the story. Laila is Addison’s best friend and after the two went through a series of traumatic events in the past novel, I was surprised to find that neither of these girls mentioned those issues or their reactions to them. In fact, Pivot Point seems to exist solely to establish a link with these characters as Split Second doesn’t re-build that connection. Moreover, I found myself skimming over Laila’s perspective which I wasn’t quite interested in. I never connected with Laila the way I did with Addison and I didn’t feel the strength of their friendship in this novel the way I did with Pivot Point either.

As I kept reading Split Second and the plot become more and more evident, it also become more and more familiar. West relies on tropes similar to the dystopian genre as she delves into not-so-secret secrets from the Compound Addison hails from. Frankly speaking, I wanted a little more politics, a little more shock, and a little more focus on the world-building than the romance with this installment. While I believe that fans of Pivot Point will find lots to love with this sequel, I’ve had little luck with West’s work in the past and Split Second simply wasn’t for me. It is a romantic, unique duet but not one I was able to become emotionally or psychologically invested in.

20 comments:

  1. It's never fun when a sequel ends up being really repetitive. I've never really been keen on this series, it reminds me a bit of Between the Lives

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  2. Awee. Sad to hear you had problems with this sequel. I love pivot point and can't wait to read her yore novels . Tnx for the honest review

    *hugs*

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  3. I'm currently reading this book, so skimmed over your review, but it's always a shame, when a sequel doesn't live up to your expectations. This happened to me a lot last year. I'm sorry that this book didn't work out for you Keertana. I hope you will have better luck with West's future novels!

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  4. I've heard some very mixed reviews about this book and I have to say they I'm a little reluctant to start this series. I'm very new to Kasie's novels and I want to start off with her contemporaries as they seem to have a big hit on some people. I think I will give Pivot Point a go in the near future as I'm curious to find out about Trevor and Addie. Lovely review though, Keertana. :)

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  5. It's funny - I just read a soaring review from Jenny, so it's interesting to see the opposite side of this one. I worry that I'll struggle with this one due to the POV, but I loved the first, so I'll definitely still give it a go. Thanks for your honesty, Keertana - lovely review!

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  6. I haven't read the first one in this series, though I did hear good things about it. Still, I'm not the biggest fan of parallel worlds and, with a meh follow-up, I might not be diving into this one anytime soon. Thanks for a great review!

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  7. While I enjoyed this one much more than you did Keertana, I do agree with you on Laila. I never really connected to her either, and I didn't like the way she played games with everyone. I did end up warming to her by the end though, but I still always preferred Addie's chapters. Hope you love whatever you read next!

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  8. Oh no :/ The other reviews like this one but yours, well I kind of feel like I would feel like this too

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  9. I never read Pivot Point because parallel universes bug me. I feel it's just a way to give the character two endings, usually one good & one bad. I never feel a real sense of conclusion. I can understand why you were disappointed with this.

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  10. So sad to hear you didn't enjoy this one! I liked Pivot Point well enough, though I do agree it had a slow start. I'm iffy about reading Leila's perspective, but I'm willing to give her a chance. I actually was hoping that there would be more romance, so I probably won't be bothered by that part!

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  11. I hate when you just don't connect to a character. I don't mind tropes sometimes. I just consider that entertainment.... like a sitcom where you know the plot before it is even established. LOL I still would also love to see something more in these books. Great review!

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  12. I know so many of my friends love this series, but I was pretty indifferent to PIVOT POINT as well, so this clearly is not the book for me, either. Kate is reviewing this one for us soon (she was a fan of the first one), so I'm curious to see if the sequel holds up for her.

    Wendy @ The Midnight Garden

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  13. Aw, I'm sorry to hear your thoughts on this, Keertana! I can understand your frustration (I think) in how certain events/character meetings would go down/repeat in the second book. Honestly, that's a slight worry of mine as well. But I did enjoy Pivot Point quite a bit more than you (to my surprise), so I'm hoping that I have a bit more of a positive reading experience with Split Second than you do. I'm sure I'll find out soon enough.

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  14. Oh, wow, you have really been let down by sequels so far this year! I haven't read Pivot Point. I haven't ventured into parallel universes or multiverses yet. I'm afraid I might not understand them as some time travel novels have been over my head. I am planning to try this series though. I'm so sorry this one let you down. I can't wait until you find a series this year that the final book blows your mind! Keep reading!

    Heather

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  15. i just finished this book today, and idk? i think i had my expectations too high (prob due to rave reviews). i liked it more than you did but i felt strangely disconnected from it and by the end i was rushing to finish so it would be finished, rather then savouring it.

    have you read Between the Lives? I quite liked that one even though it did have a few YA cliches/tropes (look past them! it turns out really good and interesting. plus, some swoon)

    love your reviews, btw. you are always so passionate and full of energy and you manage to articulate your feelings so well

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  16. i just finished this book today, and idk? i think i had my expectations too high (prob due to rave reviews). i liked it more than you did but i felt strangely disconnected from it and by the end i was rushing to finish so it would be finished, rather then savouring it.

    have you read Between the Lives? I quite liked that one even though it did have a few YA cliches/tropes (look past them! it turns out really good and interesting. plus, some swoon)

    love your reviews, btw. you are always so passionate and full of energy and you manage to articulate your feelings so well

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  17. I haven't read the first book yet but even though it sounds great I'm not sure. I mean at the end this sequel seems painful to read. I don't like when sequels are repetitive. Too bad you didn't enjoy Laila's POV either. Great review, Keertana :)

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  18. I'm not sure if I'd love the direction this story goes in, but of course, I don't know for sure. I still need to find out if this series is for me. But thanks to your honesty, I know what to expect, and I know it's not anything groundbreaking. I'll go into Pivot Point looking for fun and romance. I'm sure I can be alright with that, under the right mood. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, K! Great review! :)

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  19. lots of people after the first book seem to have mixed feelings over this one :( sorry it didn't work out for you either!

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  20. Sorry this book didn't work for you :(. It is disappointing where a series seems unique and strong only to fall into common themes and plot elements. I do like a strong romance and I can give up a lot for that, which is the only reason I'd consider this duet. But for now, I'm letting it pass me by.

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