Rippler by Cidney Swanson Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 285
Format: ebook
Goodreads
Discovering she can turn invisible terrifies Samantha, especially when she learns a geneticist who murdered her mom wants her too. Handsome Will Baker offers help and secrecy, but soon Sam will have to choose between keeping her secrets and keeping Will in her life. Suspenseful and romantic, Rippler and its sequels capture the collision of the beautiful with the dark.
Two further sequels form a complete trilogy. Four additional books in series for those who fall in love with the Ripple world and want even more!
RIPPLER is the free first book in a teen and young adult paranormal fantasy series set in a contemporary world where invisibility has long been a well kept secret. It combines the heart pounding action of a thriller with a touch of clean romance and a science fiction twist.
Rippler by Cidney Swanson is the last book in the Spark anthology. I’ll do a complete review of the complete anthology later, but for now, let’s talk about Rippler.
I think Rippler has everything you’d want in a YA paranormal romance. It’s fast-paced, the paranormal aspect is interesting (no vampires, werewolves or basic magic powers), and a mystery you’ll find out as you read. The story does end with a cliffhanger.
The character of Samantha and Will aren’t too interesting. Their gifts and connection is, but their personalities aren’t what’s attractive in the story. It’s the overarching story that interests me. I’d like to see more of Will’s sister and her story in all of it.
The writing style reads well. I finished the book in two days, because I had other things to do. Otherwise I would’ve finished it in one sitting. Some chapters end with cliffhangers and that keeps you reading. The pacing is the same as other YA books though. The beginning feels slower, while the ending is faster.
What I didn’t like is that the beginning feels rushed. On the first page, Samantha experiences her special gift. The boy she’s interested in sees it and wants to help. He also happens to live nearby. I wish there was a bit more introduction before something happened. Now the action is first and the following chapters are much slower.
The pace in the second part of the book is much faster. We find out that there’s more to Will and his life than Samantha suspects and she’s getting caught up in it. It feels like a desperate attempt to keep the story interesting. The things Swanson uses to spice up the story seem too far-fetched. It does make the story more interesting, but I wonder if there wasn’t another course that would’ve been more believable.
That’s why I give Rippler three stars. It’s an enjoyable book and it’ll probably be exactly what you want, if you can look past the added flair at the end. Rippler is the first book in the Ripple series and is free. If you’re interested in the paranormal genre, I suggest you check it out. What have you got to loose? It’s free.
