Review: Undercurrent

Aug •  15 •  2013

I received this book for free from FTC: Exchange for honest opinion, Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: UndercurrentUndercurrent by Paul Blackwell
Series: Stand Alone
Published by HarperTeen on July 23rd 2013
Genres: Young Adult-Science Fiction/Fantasy
Source: FTC: Exchange for honest opinion, Publisher
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In this suspenseful teen thriller with a touch of the otherworldly, a boy goes over a waterfall and wakes up to find himself in a twisted version of the life he knew. Why did his best friend try to kill him? Why are his parents acting like he’s a sports star all of a sudden? Worst of all, what happened to his older brother? Filled with mind-bending suspense and unsettling thrills, Undercurrent is a grippingly paced teen debut that will pull you under and never let go.

   Dimensional stories are a new genre that I’m really loving. It a mix of moving action along with a  mysterious force, pulling the reader into different worlds. I, for one, loved this story.

Plot: What would you do if you plunged into water and woke up in a different world? First, I freak out and then I think what do to. The plot moved well gathering the reader for great world building and characters. On the surface, the reader see and feels the gaps in the world. It’s a daring experience trying to put everything together at once. I let the story guide me, putting myself in the thoughts of Callum, I let everything seeped into my mind slowly they way he did. He was smart and after thinking things through bit by bit, he slowly began to understand what is happening. It does move slow in the beginning, but it does have a lot of information to divulge, so give the book time to unfold.

Characters: There are some minor character that put the final piece of the puzzle and helped Callum.  I felt like these guys (especially the end) was the comedy relief guys. No one understood their weird comments or actions. I knew to pay attention more to these guys cause they knew more than what they led on. Callum himself, did a big change in taking a role he didn’t want to play and well played it perfectly. He did act strange at first but he got it. Callum questioned why he was so different in this world and what happen to change it. I always wondered myself what I would be like in another dimensional world. *shrugs*

Dimensional: This is the main part of the story and yes I loved it. It played out well from beginning to end, giving the reader an impressive experience. For me, dimensional stories are hard to pull off since they can be confusing. Blackwell doesn’t confuse the reader at all, instead giving the reader a steady and exciting story to read.

Undercurrent is a  dark, impressive story. With the perfect ingredients of action, mystery and dimensions, Blackwell excellent story telling moves the reader. With a vivid execution from start to finish, Undercurrent is an entertaining ride.

I give it 4 BITES!

4bites

Happy Reading!

9 Comments

  1. Jenny
    Aug 15, 2013

    I agree Savy, dimensional stories are definitely confusing at times, I’m glad you didn’t feel that was the case with this book! I have no idea what I’d do if I woke up in a parallel universe, I would probably just become a complete waste of space who had no idea how to fix her situation. Well done me:) Lovely review!

  2. The multi-dimensions sound like fun. And I love having a boy main character in a YA thriller.

  3. Candace
    Aug 15, 2013

    These kinds of stories are fun and I LOVE male POV!

  4. Amy @ Book Loving Mom
    Aug 15, 2013

    I really liked this one too. I agree that books like this can be confusing, but this one was done really well. Fab review!!

  5. Oh I do enjoy sci-fi books and those in YA have been calling me. I’m so going to have to check this one out. Sounds fab!

  6. Jen @ YA Romantics
    Aug 16, 2013

    Okay, I’ve never even heard the term “dimensional stories” and not sure my brain can handle it — is that like parallel universes? I did read Through To You which (I think) was about another version of reality and I liked that… I also love guy POV so I’ll try to make time for this one!

    Thanks so much for stopping by! Jen @ YA Romantics

  7. Kate @ Ex Libris
    Aug 16, 2013

    This does sound like an interesting new trend. I think anyone who likes time travel books will like this type, as well.

  8. Wendy Darling
    Aug 17, 2013

    Ooo, this one sounds so great–I can’t wait to read it! “Dark” and “vivid execution” definitely piques my interest.

    Wendy @ The Midnight Garden

  9. So happy to see you liked this one! I’ve had it on my TBR list for months now. It just sounds so intriguing! You’re the first review I’ve seen of it and I trust your opinion. Getting this next time I go to the book store!