{Review} PIVOT POINT by Kasie West

Happy Book Day to PIVOT POINT by Kasie West!

To celebrate the launch of West's debut novel, check out today's review!

O P E N I N G   H O O K:

"HEADS UP," a loud voice called from my right.  I looked up just in time to see a football smack me right between the eyes.
I never really understood the saying heads up.  At least not as a warning.  Duck or watch out or flying object, even heads down would've worked.  I lie on my back, book clutched to my chest, staring at the purple-and-gold streaked sky--the Perceptives must've been gearing up for the football game that night.  As if the school colors splashed across the sky would send us running to the ticket booth.

(Page 1, US ARC edition)
Read the first 70 pages online now, FREE!!

It's harder and harder to find a unique concept nowadays, because so much has been done.  Whenever one is discovered, it's like a breath of fresh air.  Kasie West's debut novel, PIVOT POINT, outwardly seems traditional, but is full of innovative ideas.  West's voice is full of humor, resulting in witty dialogue and an easy-to-read narrative.  There's enough mystery and intrigue to keep readers guessing all the way up until the very end, too.

West surely sat back and wondered what would happen if, instead of clairvoyance, where one can see into the future, there was such a thing as divergence, where, when faced with a choice, one could see both outcomes and choose the right path to follow in life.  Who wouldn't want to be able to save themselves from heartbreak or danger in this fashion?  West used this thought process when creating PIVOT POINT, which centers around a girl named Addie who lives in the Compound, a secret society of sorts where everyone has Paranormal mind abilities.  Hers is divergence.  The Norm world, where we live, is, well, normal.  The Norms no longer believe Paranormals exist because of events in the past (such as the fact that World War I was actually started by a Paranormal) that led to their persecution.  One day, Addie comes home from school only to be told that her parents are getting divorced.  She must now decide who to live with through her gift of divergence, but neither path is as flawless as she would like.  Will Addie choose the path that makes her happier, or the one that will make her miserable, but keep everything in balance?

When I first started reading PIVOT POINT, I had to decide how to handle the chapters.  One chapter is told from Addie's life with her mother, followed by a chapter with her father.  The two are easy to tell apart because West features a definition atop each chapter that has a word with PARA or NORM in it.  I was afraid I'd have trouble telling the two stories apart, and almost read in alternating chapters.  I'm glad I didn't, though, because there are hints dropped in both chapters about seeing things from the other side, and reading them back to back through the same timeline makes things stand out in a way a reader may forget by skipping around.

For some reason, I was under the misconception that PIVOT POINT wasn't a series, but a stand-alone.  I was wrong.  The book doesn't end on a cliffhanger, but absolutely leaves readers intrigued for more based on the decision Addie ultimately makes and the way it changes her life.  The way Addie makes her choice is something I would never want to face myself.  Her decision is difficult, because there are pros and cons about both lifestyles that will change everything.  If you're looking for something intriguing, witty, fast-paced, and unique, PIVOT POINT is definitely a book for you!

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C O V E R   D E S I G N:

I never knew about this book until the cover was revealed online.  It was GORGEOUS, and the summary intrigued me, so it was instantly on my radar.

I love the unusualness of it, the way the title, PIVOT POINT, goes down the middle sideways in a vertical line, rather than horizontally.  That alone is striking and worth staring at.  So. Unusual!  I love unusual.

I also like the way the model is peering in at herself from two separate sides, because the book is all about two possible lives for one girl, and she's reflecting on what to do.

I also love the texture and lighting added to the book, the way it's heavier on the left than on the right, illuminating the differences despite the two other-wise mirror images.

Cover Love!!!

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O F F I C I A L   I N F O:

Title:  PIVOT POINT
Author: Kasie West

Release Date: Feb. 12, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen

Received: For Review

SUMMARY:

Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier . . . 

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not. 

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.