Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Chasing Power

Chasing Power by Sarah Beth Durst

Disclaimer: Although this book was published October 14, 2014; I read the advanced reader's copy. Undoubtedly there will be some minor differences between the version I read and the published copy.

....so it's been a while since I've come across a book that's unreadable. Are you ready?

An amazon summary, "Sixteen-year-old Kayla was born with the ability to move things with her mind-things like credit cards and buttons on cash registers-and she has become a master shoplifter. She steals to build up enough money for her and her mom to be able to flee if her dad finds them again . . . which would mean grave danger for them both. 

When she's caught stealing by a boy named Daniel-a boy with the ability to teleport-he needs her help and is willing to blackmail her to get it. Together, they embark on a quest to find and steal an ancient incantation, written on three indestructible stones and hidden millennia ago, all to rescue Daniel's kidnapped mother. But Kayla has no idea that this rescue mission will lead back to her own family-and to betrayals that she may not be able to forgive . . . or survive." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE


Further disclaimer; I made it to page 42 of 366 pages.

What literally made me put the book down was when Daniel had a sudden burst of exposition all contained in a one paragraph speech that explained nothing and left me wanting to hurl the book.

I've started to just call it when I see that sort of thing transpires.

Let me back up.

So Kayla lives with her mom, Moonbeam, in some sort of tiny house/cottage thing where their is clearly abnormal beliefs present (ie not Christian, strongly hinted at by the mother's name and the decor but not expressed before I stopped reading). Kayla is able to move things with her mind and steals a lot of money, credit cards, jewels, etc. Her best, super rich friend is aware of her habits and finds it appealing enough to dare Kayla to do different things with it.

Apparently Kayla's father is a terrible person for relatively unexplained reasons and Kayla and her Mom are in hiding from him and will run if necessary.

Fine, I can totally buy that. I can totally buy that you moved to this tiny town to hide from him. Sweet.

Then Kayla goes through these very meticulous moments of how she uses her telekinesis to steal things....but it seems super unconvincing. Like Kayla, the narrator, is as detached from the situation as the reader. Everything is very methodical/mechanical sounding without much going on from the narrator input.

I digress.

So Daniel pops up and keeps bumping into Kayla. He spots her stealing, calls her out on it, freaks her out, and then reveals that his mother told him Kayla's name where she lives, and to only go to her in time of emergency.

When Daniel reveals this, Kayla is like WHOA, I have no past before I moved here, gets freaked out, but seems to accept Daniel's story.

....so I peaced out. I don't want to deal with exposition explosion on top of a narrator who seems to be rather like a lump of clay.

On to the next book!

Happy reading!

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