When
faced with big decisions, it seems the right choice would be obvious
if you could know the outcome of each path. But would it really
simplify things? Kasie West takes on that question in her paranormal
romance Pivot Point.
Addie
Coleman lives in a secret compound for individuals with a variety of
paranormal skills. She loves her life there, and has the rare ability
to “search” the future to see the outcome of her choices.
When
her parents announce that they are divorcing, and her father wants to
live in mainstream American society, Addie searches six weeks into
each life to decide which parent to live with. West alternates
chapters between the two different futures, each presenting different
kinds of secrets, dangers, and love interests.
Pivot
Point is full of concepts that have been beaten to death in YA —
love triangles and arrogant quarterbacks — but West makes them
feel fresh.
Having
the two romances develop independently cleanly sidesteps the “Woe
is me! Two gorgeous and amazing boys want me, and my life is just too
hard!” angst that can make a love triangle heroine feel whiny
and spoiled. Plus, it isn't that hard to know which boy to root for,
and I find that straightforwardness refreshing.
As
for the arrogant quarterback, there are some important world building
elements that are tied to his identity as a quarterback, and he's
more nuanced than you'd expect.
I
loved Addie. She is smart, loyal, self-assured, and has a great sense
of humor. How can you not love a heroine who tries to win over a boy
by passing him a note warning that the zombie of Charles Dickens
wants to hunt him down?
I
should note that there are no actual zombies in this book — she
was joking. Wow, these supernatural worlds get complicated.
West's
plotting was perfect. Even when the two futures bumped into each
other, I never struggled to know which future Addie was in. The world
building presented an interesting background for the story, but the
focus remained strongly on the characters.
Pivot
Point has been nominated for a YA Speculative Whitney award. The
sequel, Split Second, came out in February. West leaves the
door cracked for reentering the world, but Split Second does
give complete resolution to the series.
If
you like the romance elements of this series, you should check out
West's contemporary YA romance, The Distance Between Us, which
is also up for a Whitney award this year.
Read this book if...
You
like the world building of dystopias, but find yourself rather burnt
out from “Let's take down the system!” plots. The
compound has its secrets and flaws, but the characters simply decide
whether to stay put or leave.
You
enjoy witty dialogue and tasty (but squeaky-clean) romance.
You
liked Gwyneth Paltrow's Sliding Doors and would like to see a
similar concept played out in a YA book. Now that I think about it,
half the target audience hadn't been born when that came out. I'm
getting old.
Erin
Cowles is a mother of two, living in the Washington D.C. suburbs.
Before motherhood, she used her masters in library and information
science in a law firm library. Now she uses it to find good books for
her family at her local public library. She teaches part time for a
SAT prep company, where she enjoys the challenge of making rather
dull subject matter interesting and making college a reality for her
students. During women's history month, she profiles Mormon women
that inspire her at ldswomenshistory.blogspot.com.
Erin
currently serves as a counselor in her ward's primary
presidency.