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Broken Symmetry
Sixteen-year-old Blaire Adams can walk through mirrors.
It’s called breaking symmetry. To her, a mirror feels like a film of honey. She can reach through it, grab things…even step inside.
On the other side she lives every teenager’s fantasy: a universe all her own, zero consequences. She can kiss the hot guy, break into La Jolla mansions, steal things…even kill. When finished, she just steps back into reality and smashes the mirror—and in an instant erases every stupid thing she did. Gone. It never happened.
But breaking symmetry is also dangerous. First there’s the drug-like rush she gets when passing through the glass, like a shot of adrenaline. She suspects it’s degrading her body, making a new copy of her each time. A reflection of a reflection, each one a little hazier. Then, of course, there’s the risk of getting cut off from reality.
When she narrowly escapes a military quarantine zone with the San Diego Police Department hot on her heels only to discover her escape mirror littering the floor in shards, her worst fear is realized. Now, trapped in a broken reflection, she must flee through a mind-bending maze of mirrors, going deeper into the nightmare as she struggles to grasp a betrayal, uncover the chilling truth about her ability, and somehow find a way out of a dead-end universe that “never happened.”
Somehow, she must find a way home.
It’s called breaking symmetry. To her, a mirror feels like a film of honey. She can reach through it, grab things…even step inside.
On the other side she lives every teenager’s fantasy: a universe all her own, zero consequences. She can kiss the hot guy, break into La Jolla mansions, steal things…even kill. When finished, she just steps back into reality and smashes the mirror—and in an instant erases every stupid thing she did. Gone. It never happened.
But breaking symmetry is also dangerous. First there’s the drug-like rush she gets when passing through the glass, like a shot of adrenaline. She suspects it’s degrading her body, making a new copy of her each time. A reflection of a reflection, each one a little hazier. Then, of course, there’s the risk of getting cut off from reality.
When she narrowly escapes a military quarantine zone with the San Diego Police Department hot on her heels only to discover her escape mirror littering the floor in shards, her worst fear is realized. Now, trapped in a broken reflection, she must flee through a mind-bending maze of mirrors, going deeper into the nightmare as she struggles to grasp a betrayal, uncover the chilling truth about her ability, and somehow find a way out of a dead-end universe that “never happened.”
Somehow, she must find a way home.
448 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 28, 2013
79 people are currently reading
3090 people want to read
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October 21, 2013
Ladies and gentlemen, before we begin with this review I would like to issue a warning to you all: THIS BOOK WILL MESS WITH YOUR MIND. It really should come with a warning label plastered onto the very first page of the book. I'm really not kidding, and if you do happen to know me in real life, well first off, I'm sorry about that, but second off, you know that I can be a pretty tough nut to crack. This book cracked me, though. I don't really know how it did, but there's no use in me denying that it happened. Now I'm even crazier than I was before.
Broken Symmetry definitely got me thinking. My mind was whirling around at all kinds of ungodly speeds the entire time I was reading the book, trying desperately to figure out what was going on before the book was able to tell me. Why did I do this? I don't really know. There's just this insatiable need that I have to figure out what's going to happen all of the time, even in real life. (I actually wrote more about that here if you're interested in hearing me drone on even longer). I don't know if it's just because I don't like surprises (which is true), or because I would get too bored if I just sat back and let the story take me wherever it wanted to (which may or may not be true, I'm not really sure yet).
Anyway, enough about me. Let's talk about that book I'm supposed to be reviewing right now.
Needless to say, I really liked it. You already know that it made me think, and to me, that's really important in a book like this. Don't get me wrong here. There are some books that I can read and absolutely fall in love with without my brain having to work one bit. These two are good examples. However, when I can tell that a book is going to be more of a thriller (no, not the kind with zombies, too much fake smoke, and tacky red jackets), it had better not just lead me in a straight line towards the ending. In my opinion, it comes with the territory of taking on a book like this, and if I expect to be kept guessing while I'm reading, it had better throw me all over the place.
This one did, without a doubt. I'm not saying that it was perfect or anything because I do have quite a few questions (which I will get to later), but there wasn't a single moment when my brain was given a break. If you want at comparison, I'd say that the movie Inception comes pretty close. Neither of them were perfectly airtight in everything they tried to execute, but they came pretty close, especially considering the topics they tried to take on.
There were a few moments when I was a little doubtful of the explanations I was given as for how the phenomena worked. I consider myself to be pretty science savvy, and I started getting a little iffy somewhere around the halfway mark in the book. Some of the things that Charles tried to explain to Blaire didn't quite make sense to me, and I think that was my biggest problem with this book.
For example, I do agree with what he said about a photon having two options when it hits glass, but the same thing doesn't work with mirrors, especially not mirrors of the quality he was using. If it did, then we should be able to see some light on the other side of the mirror, just like we do with glass. Also, I have studied the double-slit experiment before, and I'm not completely sure that's how it works. Still, this was some deep physics that Dan Rix took on in writing the novel, so it's completely understandable if there were some disconnects. Even today, we aren't entirely sure about the specifics of what happens when we get into the nitty gritty areas of our universe, so for all I know, everything Charles said could have been right. If he wasn't, nothing he said was going to kill me or anything, but if I had to pick something about this book that could be improved, that would be it.
I really debated about what rating to give this book. On one hand, there were a few world building and plot development errors that stood out to me, but this book still turned out to be one of the most engaging that I've read in a long time. Any problems that I'd had around the middle of the book were arbitrary considering all of the great stuff this book did have to offer.
Damian, for example. He was definitely something incredible that came out of the novel. I didn't really like him for almost all of the book, but once I got to the end and realized what was really going on, he stole my heart away. His acceptance of who he really was and the role that he had to play was mind-blowing, and I'm not so sure that I would have been able to do it myself. We saw what being in that situation did to Charles, and it really wasn't pretty.
If you haven't read this book yet, you might think that I'm just describing another boring incident of troubled bad boy coming to terms with his past, causing all of his sins to be forgiven, but that's not what happened. Trust me, I hate that just as much as you may. What we discover about Damian is something completely different, but I can't exactly explain it to you because then I would be ruining the whole book!
Even when it sucked, the relationship between Damian and Blaire was still pretty great. Take this quote for example:
"You two seem young," said Dr. Anderson, admitting Damian and me into the Immunology building after we'd flashed a half dozen ID cards and name-dropped the entire Scripps Institute roster, his bushy mame bobbing with each bouncy step.
"I'm twenty-four," said Damian. He didn't look the least bit convincing in his fake glasses and white coat. More like Clark Kent. He nodded to me. "She's thirty."
Dr. Anderson did a double take at me but said nothing.
Thanks, Damian. "I'm really into herbal skin cream," I said, covering for his idiocy.
Damian leaned toward the scientist. "Plastic surgery," he whispered, and gave him a wink.
"Oh, and his balls haven't dropped yet," I added. "That's why he looks so young."
Do you see what I'm talking about?
The ending, that was another thing that I really loved. In fact, it may just be the best ending I've read all year. It was the perfect mix of hilarious and character-fitting, not to mention that I know that I couldn't have come up with a better way of closing things up. The place where Blaire was at right before the end was a very dark place, yet this book still managed to have a happy ending. Before you say that dark books can't have happy endings, read Broken Symmetry. I didn't really think that they could either, but I was definitely proven wrong.
I've been seeing a lot of bad reviews for this book, and in a way, I guess I can understand why. There will probably be people that accuse me of only giving this book a good rating only because it's on a promotional tour, and that's okay with me. They're entitled to their opinion just as much as I'm entitled to mine. It may be the wrong opinion in my mind, but that doesn't mean they can't have it.
So to all of you Broken Symmetry haters out there, you can just suck it. This book rocks.
Taylor
For the original review and more, please visit Marked By Books.
Broken Symmetry definitely got me thinking. My mind was whirling around at all kinds of ungodly speeds the entire time I was reading the book, trying desperately to figure out what was going on before the book was able to tell me. Why did I do this? I don't really know. There's just this insatiable need that I have to figure out what's going to happen all of the time, even in real life. (I actually wrote more about that here if you're interested in hearing me drone on even longer). I don't know if it's just because I don't like surprises (which is true), or because I would get too bored if I just sat back and let the story take me wherever it wanted to (which may or may not be true, I'm not really sure yet).
Anyway, enough about me. Let's talk about that book I'm supposed to be reviewing right now.
Needless to say, I really liked it. You already know that it made me think, and to me, that's really important in a book like this. Don't get me wrong here. There are some books that I can read and absolutely fall in love with without my brain having to work one bit. These two are good examples. However, when I can tell that a book is going to be more of a thriller (no, not the kind with zombies, too much fake smoke, and tacky red jackets), it had better not just lead me in a straight line towards the ending. In my opinion, it comes with the territory of taking on a book like this, and if I expect to be kept guessing while I'm reading, it had better throw me all over the place.
This one did, without a doubt. I'm not saying that it was perfect or anything because I do have quite a few questions (which I will get to later), but there wasn't a single moment when my brain was given a break. If you want at comparison, I'd say that the movie Inception comes pretty close. Neither of them were perfectly airtight in everything they tried to execute, but they came pretty close, especially considering the topics they tried to take on.
There were a few moments when I was a little doubtful of the explanations I was given as for how the phenomena worked. I consider myself to be pretty science savvy, and I started getting a little iffy somewhere around the halfway mark in the book. Some of the things that Charles tried to explain to Blaire didn't quite make sense to me, and I think that was my biggest problem with this book.
For example, I do agree with what he said about a photon having two options when it hits glass, but the same thing doesn't work with mirrors, especially not mirrors of the quality he was using. If it did, then we should be able to see some light on the other side of the mirror, just like we do with glass. Also, I have studied the double-slit experiment before, and I'm not completely sure that's how it works. Still, this was some deep physics that Dan Rix took on in writing the novel, so it's completely understandable if there were some disconnects. Even today, we aren't entirely sure about the specifics of what happens when we get into the nitty gritty areas of our universe, so for all I know, everything Charles said could have been right. If he wasn't, nothing he said was going to kill me or anything, but if I had to pick something about this book that could be improved, that would be it.
I really debated about what rating to give this book. On one hand, there were a few world building and plot development errors that stood out to me, but this book still turned out to be one of the most engaging that I've read in a long time. Any problems that I'd had around the middle of the book were arbitrary considering all of the great stuff this book did have to offer.
Damian, for example. He was definitely something incredible that came out of the novel. I didn't really like him for almost all of the book, but once I got to the end and realized what was really going on, he stole my heart away. His acceptance of who he really was and the role that he had to play was mind-blowing, and I'm not so sure that I would have been able to do it myself. We saw what being in that situation did to Charles, and it really wasn't pretty.
If you haven't read this book yet, you might think that I'm just describing another boring incident of troubled bad boy coming to terms with his past, causing all of his sins to be forgiven, but that's not what happened. Trust me, I hate that just as much as you may. What we discover about Damian is something completely different, but I can't exactly explain it to you because then I would be ruining the whole book!
Even when it sucked, the relationship between Damian and Blaire was still pretty great. Take this quote for example:
"You two seem young," said Dr. Anderson, admitting Damian and me into the Immunology building after we'd flashed a half dozen ID cards and name-dropped the entire Scripps Institute roster, his bushy mame bobbing with each bouncy step.
"I'm twenty-four," said Damian. He didn't look the least bit convincing in his fake glasses and white coat. More like Clark Kent. He nodded to me. "She's thirty."
Dr. Anderson did a double take at me but said nothing.
Thanks, Damian. "I'm really into herbal skin cream," I said, covering for his idiocy.
Damian leaned toward the scientist. "Plastic surgery," he whispered, and gave him a wink.
"Oh, and his balls haven't dropped yet," I added. "That's why he looks so young."
Do you see what I'm talking about?
The ending, that was another thing that I really loved. In fact, it may just be the best ending I've read all year. It was the perfect mix of hilarious and character-fitting, not to mention that I know that I couldn't have come up with a better way of closing things up. The place where Blaire was at right before the end was a very dark place, yet this book still managed to have a happy ending. Before you say that dark books can't have happy endings, read Broken Symmetry. I didn't really think that they could either, but I was definitely proven wrong.
I've been seeing a lot of bad reviews for this book, and in a way, I guess I can understand why. There will probably be people that accuse me of only giving this book a good rating only because it's on a promotional tour, and that's okay with me. They're entitled to their opinion just as much as I'm entitled to mine. It may be the wrong opinion in my mind, but that doesn't mean they can't have it.
So to all of you Broken Symmetry haters out there, you can just suck it. This book rocks.
Taylor
For the original review and more, please visit Marked By Books.
August 2, 2016
.raey siht raf os daer ev'I skoob gnisufnoc tsom eht fo eno si sihT
Sorry.
Crossover sickness.
Let me start again.
This is one of the most confusing books I've read so far this year. Mostly because I think it was pretty okay-ish (which isn't a very high appraisal), but at the same time I want to recommend it to everyone. Because it's interesting. And by saying interesting I didn't mean interesting in its usual meaning (I'm not saying it's not interesting in its usual meaning, though), but this interesting includes the whole concept, the whole idea of breaking symmetry, crossovers, multiple universes. This interesting includes the question: How far can a person go to find answers?
How cool would it be if you could walk through the mirrors to the other realities and do something there without changing anything in the real world? Like telling your boss everything you wanted to say. Or kissing a guy you like. Or 'stealing' some books without consequences. How cool would it be? Blaire Adams knows for sure: there is nothing cool about it.
When Blaire's missing father appears at the police station after eleven months, she feels that something is wrong. So when the only things he leaves her are his diary full of entries written backwards and a weird message and the only person connected to the case is his former employer, Blaire decides to start her own investigation. Accepting the internship at Charles Donovan's ISDI office, she finds out a world — no, worlds — of possibilities. Blaire — as well as her colleagues — can walk through the mirrors creating realities — reflections. As long as you obey the rules, these travels are safe. Almost. The side-effect of crossover is your slowly dying body, so every 'breaker' has an expiration date. But even though all the changes in the reflections don't change anything in the real world — the source, — it doesn't mean they don't appear as dreams or infamous deja vu effect. Slowly accepting the truth and falling for her new colleague, Blaire has to hold on to the real world and try not to lose herself in the game she had no idea she was playing.
The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about this book is Inception. A dream within a dream within a dream turns into a crossover within a crossover within a crossover. You can go as deep as you want, but the deeper you go, the harder your way back will be. Maybe Dan Rix won't win the Best Original Plot award, 'cause come on, Alice went through the mirror more than a century ago, but he totally did his homework. For sure, as any other pseudo-scientific idea, this one also has some issues, but the logic in Broken Symmetry is mostly on point. The world is elaborate and, most importantly, the author doesn't break his own rules. Can you imagine what happens if the mirror breaks? Let's just say... you'd better not to.
Can you imagine telling someone they don't matter? That they're not real, they're just reflections. That you're the real one and your exact copy can easily die and no one — except for its reflection-family and reflection-friends — will notice. Can you imagine their reaction? I'm pretty sure you'll feel pretty awful. The thing is... I had the urge to tell this to Blaire and felt no remorse about it. At one point of the book she says: "Been there, done that", but it feels as if she'd just "been there" without actually "doing" anything. Now let me be clear: I'm kind of tired of all those supergirls fighting people with one hand and manicuring with the other while talking on the phone, listening to the music and dancing at the same time (now that would make Julius Caesar jealous). But is it interesting to watch the watcher Blaire herself is? Uh huh.
Blaire is everything you expect an average YA main heroine to be. In other words — shallow. She does what she was told not to do, she falls for the guy she described as "dangerous", the one she was afraid of, in the midst of the chase the only thing she can think about is how sexy he is in this light. Are you kidding me, Blaire? I'll give her credit, though: despite being a special snowflake, she doesn't act like one. But we still don't get any character development. Blaire didn't evolve and the more I read about her the more I saw how immature she was.
Thinking about it now, I can remember a dozen side storylines that didn't get their completions. What was the point of starting them if they led to nowhere? I feel that there is so much more to the story, but, alas, now it's all wasted potential. It seems Dan focused only on one branch of the tree he had created, and tried to get to its end in order not to get lost. But it still feels as if he lost a lot of the initial material he gave the reader to think about in the first place.
The romance doesn't take the leading part of Broken Symmetry (which is good news), but it's still underdeveloped (which is bad news). It appears out of nowhere and just like with Blaire it seems as if it's just been there without actually adding something to the story.
Don't expect this book to surprise you with its twists and turns. Don't expect it to shock you with its depth (well, in some way it might). It's not one of those stories. It may sound as if it's not the best candidate for your next read, but for me it was worth a chance, 'cause even despite all the flaws, it makes you ask yourself the plain old question: how far would you go to find the answers?
Sorry.
Crossover sickness.
Let me start again.
This is one of the most confusing books I've read so far this year. Mostly because I think it was pretty okay-ish (which isn't a very high appraisal), but at the same time I want to recommend it to everyone. Because it's interesting. And by saying interesting I didn't mean interesting in its usual meaning (I'm not saying it's not interesting in its usual meaning, though), but this interesting includes the whole concept, the whole idea of breaking symmetry, crossovers, multiple universes. This interesting includes the question: How far can a person go to find answers?
“Rule number one: after every walk, you destroy the mirror. The symmetry’s broken and it no longer functions as a mirror. It’s a portal now between two parallel universes, and it has to be destroyed.”
How cool would it be if you could walk through the mirrors to the other realities and do something there without changing anything in the real world? Like telling your boss everything you wanted to say. Or kissing a guy you like. Or 'stealing' some books without consequences. How cool would it be? Blaire Adams knows for sure: there is nothing cool about it.
When Blaire's missing father appears at the police station after eleven months, she feels that something is wrong. So when the only things he leaves her are his diary full of entries written backwards and a weird message and the only person connected to the case is his former employer, Blaire decides to start her own investigation. Accepting the internship at Charles Donovan's ISDI office, she finds out a world — no, worlds — of possibilities. Blaire — as well as her colleagues — can walk through the mirrors creating realities — reflections. As long as you obey the rules, these travels are safe. Almost. The side-effect of crossover is your slowly dying body, so every 'breaker' has an expiration date. But even though all the changes in the reflections don't change anything in the real world — the source, — it doesn't mean they don't appear as dreams or infamous deja vu effect. Slowly accepting the truth and falling for her new colleague, Blaire has to hold on to the real world and try not to lose herself in the game she had no idea she was playing.
“Number two. Never, ever, ever, ever, ever nest crossovers. No crossovers within crossovers.”
The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about this book is Inception. A dream within a dream within a dream turns into a crossover within a crossover within a crossover. You can go as deep as you want, but the deeper you go, the harder your way back will be. Maybe Dan Rix won't win the Best Original Plot award, 'cause come on, Alice went through the mirror more than a century ago, but he totally did his homework. For sure, as any other pseudo-scientific idea, this one also has some issues, but the logic in Broken Symmetry is mostly on point. The world is elaborate and, most importantly, the author doesn't break his own rules. Can you imagine what happens if the mirror breaks? Let's just say... you'd better not to.
“The last rule is the most important. Make sure nothing living comes back out with you that didn’t go in with you.”
Can you imagine telling someone they don't matter? That they're not real, they're just reflections. That you're the real one and your exact copy can easily die and no one — except for its reflection-family and reflection-friends — will notice. Can you imagine their reaction? I'm pretty sure you'll feel pretty awful. The thing is... I had the urge to tell this to Blaire and felt no remorse about it. At one point of the book she says: "Been there, done that", but it feels as if she'd just "been there" without actually "doing" anything. Now let me be clear: I'm kind of tired of all those supergirls fighting people with one hand and manicuring with the other while talking on the phone, listening to the music and dancing at the same time (now that would make Julius Caesar jealous). But is it interesting to watch the watcher Blaire herself is? Uh huh.
Blaire is everything you expect an average YA main heroine to be. In other words — shallow. She does what she was told not to do, she falls for the guy she described as "dangerous", the one she was afraid of, in the midst of the chase the only thing she can think about is how sexy he is in this light. Are you kidding me, Blaire? I'll give her credit, though: despite being a special snowflake, she doesn't act like one. But we still don't get any character development. Blaire didn't evolve and the more I read about her the more I saw how immature she was.
Thinking about it now, I can remember a dozen side storylines that didn't get their completions. What was the point of starting them if they led to nowhere? I feel that there is so much more to the story, but, alas, now it's all wasted potential. It seems Dan focused only on one branch of the tree he had created, and tried to get to its end in order not to get lost. But it still feels as if he lost a lot of the initial material he gave the reader to think about in the first place.
The romance doesn't take the leading part of Broken Symmetry (which is good news), but it's still underdeveloped (which is bad news). It appears out of nowhere and just like with Blaire it seems as if it's just been there without actually adding something to the story.
Don't expect this book to surprise you with its twists and turns. Don't expect it to shock you with its depth (well, in some way it might). It's not one of those stories. It may sound as if it's not the best candidate for your next read, but for me it was worth a chance, 'cause even despite all the flaws, it makes you ask yourself the plain old question: how far would you go to find the answers?
February 8, 2017
Critically
Plot - 2 out of 5 stars
Everything was just too much. Too fast paced, too many characters that were introduced too quickly, too much information about "broken symmetry" and what that means which made the topic confusing and the plot incredibly messy.
Writing Style - 2 out of 5 stars
Did not like it at all. Very verbose, rushed a lot of the time. It was confusing, boring, really bland and extremely juvenile.
Characters - 1 out of 5 stars
Overall, I did not connect with any of the characters. I felt like they were all very stereotypical or extremely underdeveloped. None of them were interesting or complex, they all fell flat. Our main character, Blaire was vapid, shallow, had bipolar tendencies, was self-centered, rude and annoying. She did things without thinking and then felt remorseful but would do something worse right after that. It was so strange and it made me so disconnected from her that the rest of the time I couldn't reconnect. The rest of the characters were so stereotypical it was annoying. Bad boy romantic interest, jealous rude girl, father-like boss who teaches you something new. It got really boring, really fast.
Emotionally
Plot - 2 out of 5 stars
Everything was just too much. Too fast paced, too many characters that were introduced too quickly, too much information about "broken symmetry" and what that means which made the topic confusing and the plot incredibly messy.
Writing Style - 2 out of 5 stars
Did not like it at all. Very verbose, rushed a lot of the time. It was confusing, boring, really bland and extremely juvenile.
Characters - 1 out of 5 stars
Overall, I did not connect with any of the characters. I felt like they were all very stereotypical or extremely underdeveloped. None of them were interesting or complex, they all fell flat. Our main character, Blaire was vapid, shallow, had bipolar tendencies, was self-centered, rude and annoying. She did things without thinking and then felt remorseful but would do something worse right after that. It was so strange and it made me so disconnected from her that the rest of the time I couldn't reconnect. The rest of the characters were so stereotypical it was annoying. Bad boy romantic interest, jealous rude girl, father-like boss who teaches you something new. It got really boring, really fast.
Emotionally
August 4, 2016
2.5/5.0
The idea of the book is really good and I did enjoy it for the most time. Unfortunately it has an absolutely annoying protagonish which made me shake my head in disbelief several times. Some of her actions are so stupid that I would have loved to bang my head against a wall while reading. Yeah, she is a dumb one but of course she succeeds in all her missions and the men are running after her.
What I found interesting and thrilling at the beginning: the secrets, Blaire's missing dad and the walking through mirrors, ends absolutely confusing and I wasn't able to follow it at all. Maybe I am not smart enough for this book but I was left with an absolute knot in my brain.
My personal highlight was Damian. I loved his humour and comments.
The idea of the book is really good and I did enjoy it for the most time. Unfortunately it has an absolutely annoying protagonish which made me shake my head in disbelief several times. Some of her actions are so stupid that I would have loved to bang my head against a wall while reading. Yeah, she is a dumb one but of course she succeeds in all her missions and the men are running after her.
What I found interesting and thrilling at the beginning: the secrets, Blaire's missing dad and the walking through mirrors, ends absolutely confusing and I wasn't able to follow it at all. Maybe I am not smart enough for this book but I was left with an absolute knot in my brain.
My personal highlight was Damian. I loved his humour and comments.
June 15, 2015
Wow. If I had to describe BROKEN SYMMETRY in three words, I'd have to go with "philosophical thrill ride." I couldn't put this novel down--especially the last third of it. Rix weaves an incredibly complex tale exploring the question of reality, pulling the reader through so many twists and turns that it's nearly dizzying. As a fan of unique and challenging story concepts, I gobbled up every inch of this novel. What impressed me the most were the laws that Rix establishes early on in the book regarding "crossovers," and his consistency throughout the novel in sticking with those laws (and the repercussions that follow when characters break the rules). Also, Rix's ability to keep track of all the various crossovers (and relay this information to the reader) is downright impressive. The complexity of this story line is almost staggering, but he pulls it off, and manages to tie nearly all loose ends by the resolution. The ending, in my opinion, is perfect, and so, so satisfying.
This would have been a five star read for me had it not been for the characterization. Blaire, the protagonist, simply isn't likable. Until the last 10% of the book, I had a difficult time caring about her. Also, I felt Rix placed too much emphasis on Blaire's good looks. I don't mind a pretty protagonist, but I don't need to be reminded of her attractiveness every chapter, and I grew weary of every male character in the novel mentally undressing her. I also found Blaire a little too sexual for a 16 year old. These character flaws might have been more forgivable if there was a fun or interesting secondary character for the reader to latch onto, but really, there wasn't. Pretty much the entire cast in this novel is either irritating, flat, or both. The characterization of Amy is the worst of all. As a reader, I felt like I was being beat up with the fact that "This is the mean girl," with every verb used to describe her actions/speech being things like "she snarled" or "scowled." It was over the top. I think the story would have been more interesting if Amy and Blaire were civil to each other, even opening up to one another, with Amy's jealousy and resentment toward Blaire being a more under the surface tension. It also would have been more accurate to real life, in which teenage girls are passive-aggressive to their competition, not openly hateful the way Amy was portrayed.
Due to the lack of character development, I would not recommend this book to those who lean toward character-driven novels. I personally prefer story-driven novels, so my lack of affection for the characters was a minor hiccup in an otherwise amazing story. The creativity and intensity of BROKEN SYMMETRY is strong enough to hold its own, with or without awesome characters. As soon as I finish this review I'm going to be looking for more of Rix's books to read because I need MORE.
This would have been a five star read for me had it not been for the characterization. Blaire, the protagonist, simply isn't likable. Until the last 10% of the book, I had a difficult time caring about her. Also, I felt Rix placed too much emphasis on Blaire's good looks. I don't mind a pretty protagonist, but I don't need to be reminded of her attractiveness every chapter, and I grew weary of every male character in the novel mentally undressing her. I also found Blaire a little too sexual for a 16 year old. These character flaws might have been more forgivable if there was a fun or interesting secondary character for the reader to latch onto, but really, there wasn't. Pretty much the entire cast in this novel is either irritating, flat, or both. The characterization of Amy is the worst of all. As a reader, I felt like I was being beat up with the fact that "This is the mean girl," with every verb used to describe her actions/speech being things like "she snarled" or "scowled." It was over the top. I think the story would have been more interesting if Amy and Blaire were civil to each other, even opening up to one another, with Amy's jealousy and resentment toward Blaire being a more under the surface tension. It also would have been more accurate to real life, in which teenage girls are passive-aggressive to their competition, not openly hateful the way Amy was portrayed.
Due to the lack of character development, I would not recommend this book to those who lean toward character-driven novels. I personally prefer story-driven novels, so my lack of affection for the characters was a minor hiccup in an otherwise amazing story. The creativity and intensity of BROKEN SYMMETRY is strong enough to hold its own, with or without awesome characters. As soon as I finish this review I'm going to be looking for more of Rix's books to read because I need MORE.
February 21, 2019
Review by Brittney @ Reviews from a Dreamer
2.5 stars.
I will start off by saying that I really did like the overall story. The potential for this book was great! But I really wish he had spent more time revising it, because I felt like I was reading a draft instead of the final product. I am going to try to do this without any spoilers.
We will start with our main character Blaire. I understand she is a teenager, but even at that, this character is unbelievable. I know teenagers jump around with their emotions a lot, but this girl was ridiculous. She was a constant bitch to EVERYONE in the book and then for everyone just to love her and say how awesome and brave she was, when all she ever did was whine and complain was awful. There were also a lot of holes in her character. Like her feelings toward the situation with her dad all flies out the window when Damian enters the picture. You never find out what happens to the officer that was on her dad's case. There was just so much that could have been done to make this a better character. I got irritated with her easily and had to put the book down. It took me awhile to read this, because I couldn't stand Blaire.
Next is Amy. Amy was a character I think he was unfair to. He had Blaire and her hate each other from the get go, which I will admit, can happen with females. But Blaire never really looks at Amy as a human, if that makes sense. Dan Rix tries to get you to hate Amy, but I ended up feeling bad for her. It isn't fun when you are in love with a guy and some other girl just waltz right in and takes over.
There were a lot of holes in the plot as well. SO many things that weren't followed up on and it seemed as if the author thought about doing something with and then just forgot about. And sometimes when explaining about crossovers it contradicted with what it had said at an earlier time.
Again, I did really like the idea for this book. It was something i had never read before. I just wish he had spent more time on it before publishing it. Because overall the idea and story were great. It was just little things that made it a 2.5 star book for me.
Please note that this is my opinion. You can have your own opinion. I am not saying that I could have written this book better and I am not saying that Dan Rix is a bad author.
2.5 stars.
I will start off by saying that I really did like the overall story. The potential for this book was great! But I really wish he had spent more time revising it, because I felt like I was reading a draft instead of the final product. I am going to try to do this without any spoilers.
We will start with our main character Blaire. I understand she is a teenager, but even at that, this character is unbelievable. I know teenagers jump around with their emotions a lot, but this girl was ridiculous. She was a constant bitch to EVERYONE in the book and then for everyone just to love her and say how awesome and brave she was, when all she ever did was whine and complain was awful. There were also a lot of holes in her character. Like her feelings toward the situation with her dad all flies out the window when Damian enters the picture. You never find out what happens to the officer that was on her dad's case. There was just so much that could have been done to make this a better character. I got irritated with her easily and had to put the book down. It took me awhile to read this, because I couldn't stand Blaire.
Next is Amy. Amy was a character I think he was unfair to. He had Blaire and her hate each other from the get go, which I will admit, can happen with females. But Blaire never really looks at Amy as a human, if that makes sense. Dan Rix tries to get you to hate Amy, but I ended up feeling bad for her. It isn't fun when you are in love with a guy and some other girl just waltz right in and takes over.
There were a lot of holes in the plot as well. SO many things that weren't followed up on and it seemed as if the author thought about doing something with and then just forgot about. And sometimes when explaining about crossovers it contradicted with what it had said at an earlier time.
Again, I did really like the idea for this book. It was something i had never read before. I just wish he had spent more time on it before publishing it. Because overall the idea and story were great. It was just little things that made it a 2.5 star book for me.
Please note that this is my opinion. You can have your own opinion. I am not saying that I could have written this book better and I am not saying that Dan Rix is a bad author.
December 21, 2013
Blaire's father disappeared without a trace and left few answers behind for her. Not wanting to become a ward of the state, she filed for emancipation and it was granted to her. She lives alone in her father's house, and her bills and money are handled by an agency while she goes to school.
Then her father shows up out of nowhere and gives her a cryptic message shortly before he dies: "I wasn't the one that disappeared, Blaire. You were!" This statement stays with the reader throughout the whole book. After a few more chapters, it's predictable what happened to Blaire, but the author does a fantastic job keeping the reader in suspense.
While searching for answers about her father, Blaire discovers she can travel through mirrors into alternate universes. But this ability comes with huge risks. Is Blaire willing to take them?
This story had some very strong character development, although Blaire felt a little weak in the beginning. Her bratty attitude turned me off to her in a big way, but this was dealt with nicely later in the story.
Mr. Rix introduced several concepts in the beginning of the book that stay with the reader throughout the whole story. Even though the climax is predictable and you know what's going to happen, you want to keep reading because the events taking place keep you enthralled. There are a bunch of little things that you really want to find out more about, and they're not answered until the very end of the novel. It was genius!
This is the second book by Dan Rix that I've read, and I have to say he has exceeded my expectations each time. He is a talented writer and clearly knows what he's doing to keep the reader fascinated and hanging on to every word until the very end. I loved Broken Symmetry, which kept me so engrossed, I found myself reading rather than doing other things I would normally do. Most of my reading occurs at work, but this was a story I couldn't put down, even when I was home. I recommend it to everyone! Now I'm off to check out this author's other works!
Then her father shows up out of nowhere and gives her a cryptic message shortly before he dies: "I wasn't the one that disappeared, Blaire. You were!" This statement stays with the reader throughout the whole book. After a few more chapters, it's predictable what happened to Blaire, but the author does a fantastic job keeping the reader in suspense.
While searching for answers about her father, Blaire discovers she can travel through mirrors into alternate universes. But this ability comes with huge risks. Is Blaire willing to take them?
This story had some very strong character development, although Blaire felt a little weak in the beginning. Her bratty attitude turned me off to her in a big way, but this was dealt with nicely later in the story.
Mr. Rix introduced several concepts in the beginning of the book that stay with the reader throughout the whole story. Even though the climax is predictable and you know what's going to happen, you want to keep reading because the events taking place keep you enthralled. There are a bunch of little things that you really want to find out more about, and they're not answered until the very end of the novel. It was genius!
This is the second book by Dan Rix that I've read, and I have to say he has exceeded my expectations each time. He is a talented writer and clearly knows what he's doing to keep the reader fascinated and hanging on to every word until the very end. I loved Broken Symmetry, which kept me so engrossed, I found myself reading rather than doing other things I would normally do. Most of my reading occurs at work, but this was a story I couldn't put down, even when I was home. I recommend it to everyone! Now I'm off to check out this author's other works!
February 10, 2017
I want to review this, but I'm not entirely sure what to say about it.
I read it because I like sci fi, it has a pretty cover and an interesting title.
I enjoyed it because of the ending.
It seemed to take me forever to read it in spite of being intrigued by the plot. There were a few issues and distractions.
The female YA MC in no way resembled a teenage girl. I also think it's illegal for a someone to be that idiotic. (it should be)
The evil scientist was not fleshed out enough. Some of his actions and reactions didn't make sense.
Speaking of making sense, the explanations for the "science" behind the phenomenon went from poor to bad to worst. I even tried re-reading a few parts to make sure I was understanding the concepts. No go. No sense.
The other characters...meh. I guess I liked Damien. Although he was too full of himself 90% of the time. The police officer was too unbelievable. The father needed more scenes. The boyfriend was a poor filler. Amy...Amy who?
Now it sounds like I didn't like the story. But I did. I enjoyed the sci fi aspect of it. I like YA books. The ending was brilliant. I think it could have been a great book given a few more iterations to the writing.
Do I recommend it? Yeah...yeah, I think I do. I enjoyed it.
I read it because I like sci fi, it has a pretty cover and an interesting title.
I enjoyed it because of the ending.
It seemed to take me forever to read it in spite of being intrigued by the plot. There were a few issues and distractions.
The female YA MC in no way resembled a teenage girl. I also think it's illegal for a someone to be that idiotic. (it should be)
The evil scientist was not fleshed out enough. Some of his actions and reactions didn't make sense.
Speaking of making sense, the explanations for the "science" behind the phenomenon went from poor to bad to worst. I even tried re-reading a few parts to make sure I was understanding the concepts. No go. No sense.
The other characters...meh. I guess I liked Damien. Although he was too full of himself 90% of the time. The police officer was too unbelievable. The father needed more scenes. The boyfriend was a poor filler. Amy...Amy who?
Now it sounds like I didn't like the story. But I did. I enjoyed the sci fi aspect of it. I like YA books. The ending was brilliant. I think it could have been a great book given a few more iterations to the writing.
Do I recommend it? Yeah...yeah, I think I do. I enjoyed it.
November 14, 2015
La historia es original pero un poco liosa con tanto término. Llegó un momento en el que los chicos estaban atravesando espejos y se pierden. Pos yo estaba igual de pérdida q la prota xDD.
Lo mejor del libro es el personaje de Damien. El personaje le da mucha más vida al libro q Blaire la prota del libro xD
Lo mejor del libro es el personaje de Damien. El personaje le da mucha más vida al libro q Blaire la prota del libro xD
August 27, 2013
I really liked this book.. Liked the twist and turns.. Thankfully I won't be sleeping in a room with a mirror.. You just never know!
October 26, 2013
Real Vote 4,5
Blog Tour on my blog October 21th
Review + Giveaway + Except
http://pleaseanotherbook.tumblr.com/p...
QUESTO LIBRO E' DA LEGGERE!
“Broken Symmetry” è uno di quei libri che ho aggiunto in un rush matto e disperatissimo, dopo aver consultato una delle mail che mi arrivano perché sono una host per Dianne del blog Oops! I read a book again, una ragazza simpaticissima e molto alla mano che mi offre sempre occasioni meravigliose e libri eccezionali. E anche in questo caso non ho preso un abbaglio. Il libro è molto interessante…ed incredibilmente strano.
Undici mesi dopo che è scomparso senza lasciare traccia, il padre della sedicenne Blaire Adams viene ritrovato che si aggira intorno al The Scripps Research Institute vomitando sangue e dicendo cose senza senso, il suo solo avere è un diario di pelle rovinato riempito di una lingua sconosciuta. E ha un messaggio per lei. Mentre muore tra le sue braccia dichiara di non essere mai svanito. Lei è svanita. Nella vicina zona militare in quarantena, gli scienziati sono chiamati da tutto il mondo per studiare una striscia di DNA precedentemente sconosciuta. Scienziati … e soldati.
Quando l’autopsia del padre rivela un raro disordine cromosomico – un disordine che lei ha ereditato – Blaire inizia a sospettare che le ultime parole del padre non siano state indotte dall’amnesia. Come suo padre, lei ha un set addizionale di istruzioni nel suo genoma – istruzioni per cosa i dottori non sono in grado di dirlo. Solo una cosa è certa: è quello che lo ha ucciso… e ucciderà anche lei. Ma ora è cacciata dall’antico incubo profetico dei Yellojacket . un giovane omicisa, gli occhi neri come il carbone, che induce le sue vittime al suicidio senza neanche far loro visita. L’unico indizio che ha del suo lavoro è la sensazione di déjà vu. Quello e l’inquietante sospetto che tutto quello che conosce è un miraggio. È certa di due cose – anche se potrebbe confidare nel lato sbagliato del buono e del cattivo, lui ha tutte le risposte di cui ha bisogno. E vuole reclutarla.
Chi mi segue da tempo conosce la mia insana passione per gli universi paralleli (la mia tesina per la maturità era proprio sugli universi paralleli visti sia attraverso la scienza che attraverso la letteratura potete ben capire il mio livello di ossessione) e per la meccanica quantistica (l’ho dimostrato anche durante il Read Along di Obsidian) quindi quando ho effettivamente capito di quello che trattava “Broken Symmetry” ho iniziato a saltellare come una deficiente pensando che questo è proprio il mio genere di libro. Dan Rix mi ha conquistato dopo qualche capitolo e mi sono resa conto che ha creato un personaggio femminile abbastanza convincente, capace di impressionare il lettore. È proprio Blaire che racconta la storia in prima persona, una ragazza forte e determinata a scovare la verità su quello che è successo al padre, scomparso in una notte senza lasciare nessuna traccia e ricomparso dopo quasi un anno incoerente e malmesso. Blaire è capace di mettersi nei guai anche se ha tante buone intenzioni ed in qualche modo finisce sempre per avere la meglio. Ingenua e impulsiva, a volte un po’ incosciente è estremamente curiosa e finisce per creare più problemi di quelli che avrebbe altrimenti. Una ragazzina di sedici anni emancipata, lasciata sola al mondo a cercare di fronteggiare una situazione che è molto più grande di lei e che la destabilizza in modo impressionante. Eppure, in qualche modo, riesce ad andare avanti, non si scoraggia e lotta per tirare fuori tutte le risposte. E poi arriva Damian, perché infondo senza un sexy ragazzo che sconvolge gli equilibri non ci sarebbe storia, o meglio ci sarebbe ma non sarebbe la stessa cosa. Abbiamo una chimica mostruosa, uno che sta sempre sulle sue e che non perde occasione per tirare fuori una battuta sarcastica. Con la giacca di pelle gialla (o.o questa la mia faccia) gli occhi scurissimi, il ghigno impertinente di chi si considera un esperto in qualunque campo, Damian è il classico ragazzo che passeresti la maggior parte del tempo a prendere a schiaffi e l’altra parte a saltargli addosso per baciarlo, ma in qualche modo assurdo tra i due si crea una connessione, dovuta forse, anche ai pericoli che insieme devono affrontare. Perché certo rompere la simmetria e attraversare la porta di un mondo che non è il tuo e correre il rischio di non poter tornare, con il terrore di perdere tutto e di compiere un passo sbagliato e pericoli per la propria vita che si possono solo immaginare. Ma Blaire è motivata, motivata a trovare risposte sulla scomparsa del padre. E mentre il suo tirocinio all’azienda di Charles diventa quanto di più assurdo si possa immaginare, Blaire scopre la sua vera natura, la verità sul suo disordine genetico e soprattutto Damian le spiega:
“That’s why we crossover . . . it’s in our genetics. We’re constantly searching for what’s real.”
È nei loro geni e sentono la costante esigenza di cercare cosa è REALE. Una parola fondamentale nel mondo che Blaire si ritrova a vivere, un’esigenza e un bisogno impellente, perché quando la simmetria si rompe ecco ne succedono di cose strane.
Non ci sono tantissimi personaggi perché la vicenda ruota principalmente intorno a Blaire che scopre come funziona la sua capacità e quello che succede tra le mura della stanza A e della stanza B mentre intorno a lei si disegna un mondo strano, in cui Damian la conduce ogni volta.
L’ambientazione è quella del Nord California, mentre Blaire finisce il suo junior year e si ritrova al centro di una faccenda più grande di lei, che di certo non si immaginava quando ha iniziato a cercare la verità.
Una piccola menzione va alla copertina che io trovo favolosa e di cui mi sono innamorata immediatamente, uno dei motivi per cui ho deciso di partecipare a questo blog tour. E da brava cover lover non mi sarei aspettata niente di diverso! XD
Il particolare da non dimenticare? Un bottone rosso…
Uno sci-fi young adult favoloso, uscito il 28 luglio di quest’anno per Burning Ember Press, che mi ha conquistato con la base scientifica che nasconde, la romance ingarbugliata che ispira e la tensione e l’azione che coinvolge Blaire e Damian, in una folle ricerca che li porterà di fronte a pericoli e scoperte allucinanti.
Buona lettura guys!
Ringrazio immensamente Dianne di Oops! I read a book again per avermi permesso di partecipare a questo Blog Tour e leggere il libro. Grazie.
Blog Tour on my blog October 21th
Review + Giveaway + Except
http://pleaseanotherbook.tumblr.com/p...
QUESTO LIBRO E' DA LEGGERE!
“Broken Symmetry” è uno di quei libri che ho aggiunto in un rush matto e disperatissimo, dopo aver consultato una delle mail che mi arrivano perché sono una host per Dianne del blog Oops! I read a book again, una ragazza simpaticissima e molto alla mano che mi offre sempre occasioni meravigliose e libri eccezionali. E anche in questo caso non ho preso un abbaglio. Il libro è molto interessante…ed incredibilmente strano.
Undici mesi dopo che è scomparso senza lasciare traccia, il padre della sedicenne Blaire Adams viene ritrovato che si aggira intorno al The Scripps Research Institute vomitando sangue e dicendo cose senza senso, il suo solo avere è un diario di pelle rovinato riempito di una lingua sconosciuta. E ha un messaggio per lei. Mentre muore tra le sue braccia dichiara di non essere mai svanito. Lei è svanita. Nella vicina zona militare in quarantena, gli scienziati sono chiamati da tutto il mondo per studiare una striscia di DNA precedentemente sconosciuta. Scienziati … e soldati.
Quando l’autopsia del padre rivela un raro disordine cromosomico – un disordine che lei ha ereditato – Blaire inizia a sospettare che le ultime parole del padre non siano state indotte dall’amnesia. Come suo padre, lei ha un set addizionale di istruzioni nel suo genoma – istruzioni per cosa i dottori non sono in grado di dirlo. Solo una cosa è certa: è quello che lo ha ucciso… e ucciderà anche lei. Ma ora è cacciata dall’antico incubo profetico dei Yellojacket . un giovane omicisa, gli occhi neri come il carbone, che induce le sue vittime al suicidio senza neanche far loro visita. L’unico indizio che ha del suo lavoro è la sensazione di déjà vu. Quello e l’inquietante sospetto che tutto quello che conosce è un miraggio. È certa di due cose – anche se potrebbe confidare nel lato sbagliato del buono e del cattivo, lui ha tutte le risposte di cui ha bisogno. E vuole reclutarla.
Chi mi segue da tempo conosce la mia insana passione per gli universi paralleli (la mia tesina per la maturità era proprio sugli universi paralleli visti sia attraverso la scienza che attraverso la letteratura potete ben capire il mio livello di ossessione) e per la meccanica quantistica (l’ho dimostrato anche durante il Read Along di Obsidian) quindi quando ho effettivamente capito di quello che trattava “Broken Symmetry” ho iniziato a saltellare come una deficiente pensando che questo è proprio il mio genere di libro. Dan Rix mi ha conquistato dopo qualche capitolo e mi sono resa conto che ha creato un personaggio femminile abbastanza convincente, capace di impressionare il lettore. È proprio Blaire che racconta la storia in prima persona, una ragazza forte e determinata a scovare la verità su quello che è successo al padre, scomparso in una notte senza lasciare nessuna traccia e ricomparso dopo quasi un anno incoerente e malmesso. Blaire è capace di mettersi nei guai anche se ha tante buone intenzioni ed in qualche modo finisce sempre per avere la meglio. Ingenua e impulsiva, a volte un po’ incosciente è estremamente curiosa e finisce per creare più problemi di quelli che avrebbe altrimenti. Una ragazzina di sedici anni emancipata, lasciata sola al mondo a cercare di fronteggiare una situazione che è molto più grande di lei e che la destabilizza in modo impressionante. Eppure, in qualche modo, riesce ad andare avanti, non si scoraggia e lotta per tirare fuori tutte le risposte. E poi arriva Damian, perché infondo senza un sexy ragazzo che sconvolge gli equilibri non ci sarebbe storia, o meglio ci sarebbe ma non sarebbe la stessa cosa. Abbiamo una chimica mostruosa, uno che sta sempre sulle sue e che non perde occasione per tirare fuori una battuta sarcastica. Con la giacca di pelle gialla (o.o questa la mia faccia) gli occhi scurissimi, il ghigno impertinente di chi si considera un esperto in qualunque campo, Damian è il classico ragazzo che passeresti la maggior parte del tempo a prendere a schiaffi e l’altra parte a saltargli addosso per baciarlo, ma in qualche modo assurdo tra i due si crea una connessione, dovuta forse, anche ai pericoli che insieme devono affrontare. Perché certo rompere la simmetria e attraversare la porta di un mondo che non è il tuo e correre il rischio di non poter tornare, con il terrore di perdere tutto e di compiere un passo sbagliato e pericoli per la propria vita che si possono solo immaginare. Ma Blaire è motivata, motivata a trovare risposte sulla scomparsa del padre. E mentre il suo tirocinio all’azienda di Charles diventa quanto di più assurdo si possa immaginare, Blaire scopre la sua vera natura, la verità sul suo disordine genetico e soprattutto Damian le spiega:
“That’s why we crossover . . . it’s in our genetics. We’re constantly searching for what’s real.”
È nei loro geni e sentono la costante esigenza di cercare cosa è REALE. Una parola fondamentale nel mondo che Blaire si ritrova a vivere, un’esigenza e un bisogno impellente, perché quando la simmetria si rompe ecco ne succedono di cose strane.
Non ci sono tantissimi personaggi perché la vicenda ruota principalmente intorno a Blaire che scopre come funziona la sua capacità e quello che succede tra le mura della stanza A e della stanza B mentre intorno a lei si disegna un mondo strano, in cui Damian la conduce ogni volta.
L’ambientazione è quella del Nord California, mentre Blaire finisce il suo junior year e si ritrova al centro di una faccenda più grande di lei, che di certo non si immaginava quando ha iniziato a cercare la verità.
Una piccola menzione va alla copertina che io trovo favolosa e di cui mi sono innamorata immediatamente, uno dei motivi per cui ho deciso di partecipare a questo blog tour. E da brava cover lover non mi sarei aspettata niente di diverso! XD
Il particolare da non dimenticare? Un bottone rosso…
Uno sci-fi young adult favoloso, uscito il 28 luglio di quest’anno per Burning Ember Press, che mi ha conquistato con la base scientifica che nasconde, la romance ingarbugliata che ispira e la tensione e l’azione che coinvolge Blaire e Damian, in una folle ricerca che li porterà di fronte a pericoli e scoperte allucinanti.
Buona lettura guys!
Ringrazio immensamente Dianne di Oops! I read a book again per avermi permesso di partecipare a questo Blog Tour e leggere il libro. Grazie.
August 16, 2019
This and other reviews can be found on The Psychotic Nerd
Actual Rating: 3.5
MY THOUGHTS
I love books featuring parallel universes! When I saw this one hiding in my ebook library, I immediately wanted to read it. It took the book too long to get interesting, but it did have a lot of unique concepts.
Blaire's father has been missing for a while and when he is finally found, he doesn't seem like himself. He doesn't even recognize Blaire and, unfortunately, he dies before Blaire cane find out where he went. All he left was a mysterious notebook, but the police have taken it as evidence before Blaire could read it herself. Blaire wants to find out what happened so she decides to ask her dad's boss and she ends up in an internship that isn't what it seems.
First of all, the synopsis on Goodreads that originally made me want to read this book is hugely misleading. It takes over 100 pages to even get to the mirror thing and most of the synopsis doesn't even happen in the book until almost the very end. This made me almost give up on the book because it took forever to get to what I thought was the plot of the book. To be honest, so much of the first 100 pages were completely unnecessary. Once I got past that and the parallel universe aspect came into play, I did find the book a lot more interesting. I do think it takes the concept of parallel universes in an unusual direction and does its best to explain it. I guessed some things pretty early on, but the book still went in surprising and very dark directions.
I had difficulty with Blaire at times. She made very reckless decisions in the beginning and I constantly felt secondhand embarrassment. It also frustrated me when she wouldn't figure things out that seemed obvious to me. As the story continued, I did like her more and she seemed to think more before she acted.
As far as romance goes, it was okay, I guess. It's really hard for me to like romance in books. By the end of it, I admit that I was hoping that something would work for them because things got really dark, but for the most part, I didn't feel anything between them. He was the only guy around her age in the book so it kind of felt like they were together because of proximity. He was also incredibly reckless, dangerously so, and he continued on his reckless path throughout the book.
IN CONCLUSION
Overall, I did end up liking the book by the end. I know I sound more negative than positive, but the aspects I thought were the most interesting are major spoilers. I am glad that I decided to continue reading this book after the slow beginning.
Actual Rating: 3.5
MY THOUGHTS
I love books featuring parallel universes! When I saw this one hiding in my ebook library, I immediately wanted to read it. It took the book too long to get interesting, but it did have a lot of unique concepts.
Blaire's father has been missing for a while and when he is finally found, he doesn't seem like himself. He doesn't even recognize Blaire and, unfortunately, he dies before Blaire cane find out where he went. All he left was a mysterious notebook, but the police have taken it as evidence before Blaire could read it herself. Blaire wants to find out what happened so she decides to ask her dad's boss and she ends up in an internship that isn't what it seems.
First of all, the synopsis on Goodreads that originally made me want to read this book is hugely misleading. It takes over 100 pages to even get to the mirror thing and most of the synopsis doesn't even happen in the book until almost the very end. This made me almost give up on the book because it took forever to get to what I thought was the plot of the book. To be honest, so much of the first 100 pages were completely unnecessary. Once I got past that and the parallel universe aspect came into play, I did find the book a lot more interesting. I do think it takes the concept of parallel universes in an unusual direction and does its best to explain it. I guessed some things pretty early on, but the book still went in surprising and very dark directions.
I had difficulty with Blaire at times. She made very reckless decisions in the beginning and I constantly felt secondhand embarrassment. It also frustrated me when she wouldn't figure things out that seemed obvious to me. As the story continued, I did like her more and she seemed to think more before she acted.
As far as romance goes, it was okay, I guess. It's really hard for me to like romance in books. By the end of it, I admit that I was hoping that something would work for them because things got really dark, but for the most part, I didn't feel anything between them. He was the only guy around her age in the book so it kind of felt like they were together because of proximity. He was also incredibly reckless, dangerously so, and he continued on his reckless path throughout the book.
IN CONCLUSION
Overall, I did end up liking the book by the end. I know I sound more negative than positive, but the aspects I thought were the most interesting are major spoilers. I am glad that I decided to continue reading this book after the slow beginning.
November 4, 2013
Great one!
I quite like this book. It is a new concept, well for me, that is. I didn't really expect that I would like it. Uh... Right now, I got a bit of a mental block, as I write this... So I guess I'll just enumerate some things...
One, I like the premise. The world building is great, it is so intriguing that you have to finish it in one sitting and you know, you can't do anything else unless you finish the whole book. That's how it is for me. I want to learn more about Broken Symmetry or breaking symmetry. It is something that I just heard today, I think. LOL. I can assure you that this is the only time (if I already heard it somewhere else) that it leaves me with an impression. A good one, I tell you.
The way it was written is good too. Although for the most part it is almost consists of science jargon that one can not fully comprehend if you haven't studied Biology or Chemistry or even Physics. I'm done with all those so it's a matter of recollecting the knowledge I got for me to understand all of the terms in there. While I'm a bit of a nerdy type because I like watching The Big Bang Theory and House MD - they do help, btw, in exercising your mind - I do understand that not all readers could understand half of the explanation of Charles Donovan about what is it all about. If I could talk to the author right now, I would probably ask for a novella of sorts or a next book or a prequel. Explaining more about the rare chromosomes, why are they that special, what makes them do what they could do? Why use that thing as a mode of, you know, transportation?
The characters are great too. I like that Blaire became someone else. By that, I just meant, she move passed that popular kid, arrogant, a bit of a b*tch girl. I like how she was driven to find out the truth, determined. Damian is, uh... swoon worthy? Hehehe. So I like guys who got sarcasm, the looks and the brain. Guess that sums up Damian.
I liked that Dan Rix makes my mind really works. Like I need to analyze what he wanted to tell the readers. I can't remember I got bored with this book. I really enjoyed reading this one and that I just wished it is a series so Rix could follow up some of our questions. Or maybe I could ask for an interview or something? Oh well.
I recommend this to all Sci-Fi fanatics! I suggest you study physics first. LMAO. It is very interesting read, for me.
I quite like this book. It is a new concept, well for me, that is. I didn't really expect that I would like it. Uh... Right now, I got a bit of a mental block, as I write this... So I guess I'll just enumerate some things...
One, I like the premise. The world building is great, it is so intriguing that you have to finish it in one sitting and you know, you can't do anything else unless you finish the whole book. That's how it is for me. I want to learn more about Broken Symmetry or breaking symmetry. It is something that I just heard today, I think. LOL. I can assure you that this is the only time (if I already heard it somewhere else) that it leaves me with an impression. A good one, I tell you.
The way it was written is good too. Although for the most part it is almost consists of science jargon that one can not fully comprehend if you haven't studied Biology or Chemistry or even Physics. I'm done with all those so it's a matter of recollecting the knowledge I got for me to understand all of the terms in there. While I'm a bit of a nerdy type because I like watching The Big Bang Theory and House MD - they do help, btw, in exercising your mind - I do understand that not all readers could understand half of the explanation of Charles Donovan about what is it all about. If I could talk to the author right now, I would probably ask for a novella of sorts or a next book or a prequel. Explaining more about the rare chromosomes, why are they that special, what makes them do what they could do? Why use that thing as a mode of, you know, transportation?
The characters are great too. I like that Blaire became someone else. By that, I just meant, she move passed that popular kid, arrogant, a bit of a b*tch girl. I like how she was driven to find out the truth, determined. Damian is, uh... swoon worthy? Hehehe. So I like guys who got sarcasm, the looks and the brain. Guess that sums up Damian.
I liked that Dan Rix makes my mind really works. Like I need to analyze what he wanted to tell the readers. I can't remember I got bored with this book. I really enjoyed reading this one and that I just wished it is a series so Rix could follow up some of our questions. Or maybe I could ask for an interview or something? Oh well.
I recommend this to all Sci-Fi fanatics! I suggest you study physics first. LMAO. It is very interesting read, for me.
June 18, 2023
2.5 stars
Blaire Adams, a sixteen-year-old girl, possesses a unique ability to traverse through mirrors, known as breaking symmetry. With a mirror feeling like a viscous layer of honey to her, she can not only pass through it but also interact with the other side—a realm where she enjoys the freedom of a personal universe, free from consequences. In this alternate reality, she can engage in daring actions like kissing attractive individuals, trespassing in lavish mansions, stealing, and even committing murder. Once she completes her exploits, she simply steps back into reality, shattering the mirror to erase all evidence of her actions, as if they never occurred.
However, breaking symmetry carries inherent dangers. The experience provides a drug-like rush akin to an adrenaline shot, but Blaire suspects it is gradually deteriorating her body, generating increasingly hazy copies of herself with each reflection. Furthermore, there is the constant risk of becoming severed from the real world.
Blaire's fears become reality when she narrowly escapes a military quarantine zone, pursued relentlessly by the San Diego Police Department. Upon discovering her escape mirror shattered into pieces, she finds herself trapped within a fractured reflection. Now confined within this broken mirror world, she must navigate a perplexing labyrinth of mirrors, delving deeper into a nightmarish realm. As she grapples with betrayal, uncovers the chilling truth behind her ability, and fights to escape the dead-end universe that "never happened," she realizes she must find a way back home, against all odds.
I found the character of Blaine to be unsatisfactory as she came across as spoiled and constantly complaining. Her relentless pursuit of personal desires reached an extreme level, and unfortunately, it was not in a positive manner.
Moreover, the story itself lacked excitement and was rather dull, leaving me somewhat puzzled and unsure of its direction.
Blaire Adams, a sixteen-year-old girl, possesses a unique ability to traverse through mirrors, known as breaking symmetry. With a mirror feeling like a viscous layer of honey to her, she can not only pass through it but also interact with the other side—a realm where she enjoys the freedom of a personal universe, free from consequences. In this alternate reality, she can engage in daring actions like kissing attractive individuals, trespassing in lavish mansions, stealing, and even committing murder. Once she completes her exploits, she simply steps back into reality, shattering the mirror to erase all evidence of her actions, as if they never occurred.
However, breaking symmetry carries inherent dangers. The experience provides a drug-like rush akin to an adrenaline shot, but Blaire suspects it is gradually deteriorating her body, generating increasingly hazy copies of herself with each reflection. Furthermore, there is the constant risk of becoming severed from the real world.
Blaire's fears become reality when she narrowly escapes a military quarantine zone, pursued relentlessly by the San Diego Police Department. Upon discovering her escape mirror shattered into pieces, she finds herself trapped within a fractured reflection. Now confined within this broken mirror world, she must navigate a perplexing labyrinth of mirrors, delving deeper into a nightmarish realm. As she grapples with betrayal, uncovers the chilling truth behind her ability, and fights to escape the dead-end universe that "never happened," she realizes she must find a way back home, against all odds.
I found the character of Blaine to be unsatisfactory as she came across as spoiled and constantly complaining. Her relentless pursuit of personal desires reached an extreme level, and unfortunately, it was not in a positive manner.
Moreover, the story itself lacked excitement and was rather dull, leaving me somewhat puzzled and unsure of its direction.
October 21, 2013
For the past Eleven months, Blaire Adams has been trying to move on with her life and make it as normal as possible as her dad went missing eleven months ago and he has never been found. As an emancipated minor, all Blaire should be worrying about and looking forward to is prom which she is about to be asked out by the hottest guy of her school Josh and getting ready to start her Summer Internship. What happens though is that Blaire will recieve a phone call from the Police that will change her life's path forever. A phone call with four words - the four words she has been waiting to hear - He has been found. Rushing to the station and seeing her dad will set strange bells off in her head as in one way this is her dad but in another way something is off. Soon Blaire will be introduced to a world of people like herself that can walk through Mirrors and crossover and will discover the truth of what really happened to her father.
Broken Symmetry was a good read and one that if you enjoy Science Fiction tales you will enjoy this book.
Broken Symmetry was a good read and one that if you enjoy Science Fiction tales you will enjoy this book.
January 12, 2014
I wasn't expecting this book to be as great as it was. I was confused in the beginning because I was reading nothing of what I got from the blurb and what I thought the book was about. This actually ended up making the book better. This one was even better than his first book Entanglement, I couldn't put it down. The only part I got confused on was when Damian and Blaire were going through all the mirrors at the end, following the maze/DNA code. I couldn't keep up with how they knew which level they were in and how many crossovers they had done. But the ending made me happy and the made the book. I highly recommend this book. I can't wait to read his next one.
July 28, 2017
Wow, this is a hard one to rate. On the one hand, from the minute I downloaded this book (years ago, let me tell you) I have been excited about the potential plot. Sure, the description makes it sound like Blaire is very aware of her ability and uses it at whim to live in that last-day-on-earth kind of way where there are no consequences, and this couldn't be further from actuality. She has no clue what she can do at the beginning of the book, and when she does find out she only goes through mirrors on missions, never just to test out a bizarre action in real life. Still, though, the plot was wonderful. It was completely original and complex but clever, and I loved it. On the other hand, though, we have the characters, which are just awful.
So, let me begin.
Blaire has the rare ability to "crossover" through mirrors into parallel worlds, or "reflections." As long as she crosses home back through the same mirror where she "broke symmetry" and shatters that mirror behind her, the parallel world she opened when she crossed closes behind her forever. So she can literally do anything within a reflection, and when she's home with the mirror shattered it's like it never happened. Cool, right? Sure, the science the book uses to explain the phenomenon is shaky at best—I'm not even a sciencey person and I could tell the author was reaching—but I kept up with the general complexity of the idea. Honestly, I think Dan Rix did a good job closing even the poorly-explained loopholes. As an author, he set rules, and he stuck by them. For instance, you can crossover into a mirror within a reflection and be two levels deep, then crossover into another mirror, creating a maze of reflections that you eventually won't be able to find your way out of. You can carry one mirror through another mirror when you cross, making sure you don't get lost. There are physical consequences to breaking symmetry too much, and the world starts to break apart the deeper into levels you go. All very cool and very dark, and I was wholly intrigued.
Okay, but guys, the characters were plastic. Perfect stereotypes. We have Damien, the love interest, the broody, dark-haired, quippy, sexy, mysterious, chiseled-featured boy who has moods and secrets and dark eyes—what else could we expect from a character named Damien? We have Amy, the spoiled and bitchy foil to our protagonist who is instantly jealous of Blaire and her intrusion into Amy's space, who can no longer crossover, who's daddy is in charge of everything, and who may or may not have had a thing with Damien. There's Charles, the mad scientist, who is perfectly happy to use teenagers in his plots to gain more knowledge, and . And then, of course, we have Blaire, our main character. Blaire, who is blindingly gorgeous with perfectly symmetrical features (which are commented on multiple times?), who is insanely popular (even though we never ever see her have a friend), who dates the hottest men, who is perfectly willing to put a cop's marriage at risk because she wants access to a piece of evidence, who does brilliantly in all her classes despite never seeming to go, and who is emancipated by the state. Who really doesn't take direction even when things are dangerous, who's really bratty whenever things don't go her way, and who is more concerned with the way light reflects off Damien's face than with actually getting out of anywhere alive. She's terrible.
And it really, really bothered me that, despite multiple mentions of her "friends" and her social life, she literally has no friends. Like, she'll mention how popular she is, but people never notice that she hasn't been to school in a week? She'll mention how she needs to text a friend, or how if she can't go home then she'll stay with one of her friends, but there is never ever, not once, a single instance of her talking to, texting, calling, or explaining anything to anyone who isn't involved in breaking symmetry. Like, how hyper-unrealistic. No one tries to hang out with her? No one invites her to a party? No one comes over after school, texts to make sure she's doing okay, catches her up on the latest school gossip? Where are her friends??
Quick mention here of some instalove that I was not here for. Damien was a bad-boy cardboard-cutout who actually was mostly a douche who sometimes made out with her and said clever things, but who also murdered people, and Blaire was, well, Blaire. We really don't see them connect over anything, but, spoiler alert, they're in love by the end of the book. Excellent.
Quick mention here of how much I liked the ending! Despite the characters doing nothing (and I mean nothing) for me, the ending was actually really awesome. I didn't see it coming, even though I tried, and things suddenly made a lot of sense, and it was very enjoyable. Again, Rix didn't break any of his own rules, but he still came up with a brilliant way to make everything come together.
Honestly, if this had characters that were more believable, who were multifaceted and kind and thoughtful and hard-working and flawed, this book would be one of my favorites. And even though characters usually rule all, in my opinion—as in, I can't like a book with bad characters—I was also intrigued by this story all the way through. As it is, 3.75 stars.
So, let me begin.
Blaire has the rare ability to "crossover" through mirrors into parallel worlds, or "reflections." As long as she crosses home back through the same mirror where she "broke symmetry" and shatters that mirror behind her, the parallel world she opened when she crossed closes behind her forever. So she can literally do anything within a reflection, and when she's home with the mirror shattered it's like it never happened. Cool, right? Sure, the science the book uses to explain the phenomenon is shaky at best—I'm not even a sciencey person and I could tell the author was reaching—but I kept up with the general complexity of the idea. Honestly, I think Dan Rix did a good job closing even the poorly-explained loopholes. As an author, he set rules, and he stuck by them. For instance, you can crossover into a mirror within a reflection and be two levels deep, then crossover into another mirror, creating a maze of reflections that you eventually won't be able to find your way out of. You can carry one mirror through another mirror when you cross, making sure you don't get lost. There are physical consequences to breaking symmetry too much, and the world starts to break apart the deeper into levels you go. All very cool and very dark, and I was wholly intrigued.
Okay, but guys, the characters were plastic. Perfect stereotypes. We have Damien, the love interest, the broody, dark-haired, quippy, sexy, mysterious, chiseled-featured boy who has moods and secrets and dark eyes—what else could we expect from a character named Damien? We have Amy, the spoiled and bitchy foil to our protagonist who is instantly jealous of Blaire and her intrusion into Amy's space, who can no longer crossover, who's daddy is in charge of everything, and who may or may not have had a thing with Damien. There's Charles, the mad scientist, who is perfectly happy to use teenagers in his plots to gain more knowledge, and . And then, of course, we have Blaire, our main character. Blaire, who is blindingly gorgeous with perfectly symmetrical features (which are commented on multiple times?), who is insanely popular (even though we never ever see her have a friend), who dates the hottest men, who is perfectly willing to put a cop's marriage at risk because she wants access to a piece of evidence, who does brilliantly in all her classes despite never seeming to go, and who is emancipated by the state. Who really doesn't take direction even when things are dangerous, who's really bratty whenever things don't go her way, and who is more concerned with the way light reflects off Damien's face than with actually getting out of anywhere alive. She's terrible.
And it really, really bothered me that, despite multiple mentions of her "friends" and her social life, she literally has no friends. Like, she'll mention how popular she is, but people never notice that she hasn't been to school in a week? She'll mention how she needs to text a friend, or how if she can't go home then she'll stay with one of her friends, but there is never ever, not once, a single instance of her talking to, texting, calling, or explaining anything to anyone who isn't involved in breaking symmetry. Like, how hyper-unrealistic. No one tries to hang out with her? No one invites her to a party? No one comes over after school, texts to make sure she's doing okay, catches her up on the latest school gossip? Where are her friends??
Quick mention here of some instalove that I was not here for. Damien was a bad-boy cardboard-cutout who actually was mostly a douche who sometimes made out with her and said clever things, but who also murdered people, and Blaire was, well, Blaire. We really don't see them connect over anything, but, spoiler alert, they're in love by the end of the book. Excellent.
Quick mention here of how much I liked the ending! Despite the characters doing nothing (and I mean nothing) for me, the ending was actually really awesome. I didn't see it coming, even though I tried, and things suddenly made a lot of sense, and it was very enjoyable. Again, Rix didn't break any of his own rules, but he still came up with a brilliant way to make everything come together.
Honestly, if this had characters that were more believable, who were multifaceted and kind and thoughtful and hard-working and flawed, this book would be one of my favorites. And even though characters usually rule all, in my opinion—as in, I can't like a book with bad characters—I was also intrigued by this story all the way through. As it is, 3.75 stars.
January 23, 2015
This book was absolutely amazing!
May 3, 2015
* See more at: http://petrichorabookblog.tumblr.com
** I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest opinion.
*** Recensione in Italiano più sotto
Review
If she had been a sixteen year old like the others, Blaire Adams would have received that night the proposal to go to the prom by John Hutchinson, but, instead, receives a call from Detective Joe Paretti, assigned to work on her father’s disappearance. Blaire’s father disappeared eleven months ago, without a trace, and only now was found, wandering, close to the Scripps Institute. He speaks in a strange language, vomits blood and carries with it a diary. When he dies in her arms, he tell his daughter to never be gone, but that she was the one who disappear, when she was only four years old.
So, alone in the world, Blaire begins the journey to uncover the truth, which will bring it to collide with a world that could never exist: a chromosomal disorder that afflicts her and her father, the possibility of dying young and then Yellowjacket a mysterious figure who seems to have murdered his neighbor and that only she seems to have seen.
Blaire is a strong character, it can be seen from the first pages, who has emancipated from the state and now lives on her own. It is now an adult, to all intents and purposes, if it were not for her behavior that betray her true age. For me it was difficult to understand her in the first chapters, but, reading, you can see how actually she is making a path and at the end has changed completely from the person she was before. But I think the most successful character was that of Damian, Yellowjacket, much more complex and with so many levels of interpretation that in the end you’re surprised he does not come from the book and living his own life. Their relationship is the typical “Odi et Amo,” they tease, flirt, and then they hate each other and do not talk, to finally return to be in “love”. It is precisely for this relationship that develops between the two that they will have the strength to go ahead and find out the whole truth. Among the other characters also stands to Charles Donovan, the boss of Blaire, destined to occupy a dual role in her life.
I admit, I’m not a scholar in the field of science, but only a fan of sci-fi genre, so all scientific explanations seemed to me plausible and precise. They gave strength to the theories and verisimilitude to the story, and I especially do not have bored ever, leaving me to wonder why something happened and not another. One of the more interesting theories I think it’s just that on the mirrors.
Crossing mirrors, Blaire, a modern Alice, will not find the Wonderland, but a parallel universe, completely opposite to ours. A universe that diverges at the very moment in which she breaks the symmetry. But inside the mirrors you can lose and so will not be alone on his journey to the truth.
One of the more interesting theories I think is the one that concerns the chromosomic “particularities” of Blaire, thanks to these she is able to do a “crossover”, breaking the symmetry and crossing the mirrors. But what is on the other side of the mirror?
Blaire, a modern Alice, will not find the Wonderland, but a parallel universe, completely opposite to hers. A universe that diverges at the very moment in which she breaks the symmetry. However, inside the mirrors you can lose yourself and so will not be alone on her journey to the truth.
One of the few things I liked little (fortunately only in some places) is the writing, divided into what would seem scenes (maybe from a movie or a TV show), is also jerky. But the ideas, apart from take a little from Inception, are original and very interesting.
In conclusion, a good book for fans of the genre, with twists and a well defined male protagonist.
Rating:
Recensione in italiano
Se fosse stata una sedicenne come le altre, Blaire Adams avrebbe ricevuto quella sera la proposta di andare al ballo di fine anno da John Hutchinson, ma, al suo posto, riceve la telefonata dal detective Joe Paretti, incaricato di lavorare sulla scomparsa di suo padre. Il padre di Blaire è scomparso undici mesi fa, senza lasciare traccia, e solo ora è stato ritrovato, errante, vicino ai l’Istituto Scripps. Parla in modo strano, vomita sangue e porta con sé un diario. Quando morirà tra le sue braccia, dirà alla figlia di non essere mai sparito, ma che è stata lei a sparire quando aveva solo quattro anni.
Così, sola al mondo, inizia il viaggio per scoprire la verità di Blaire, che la porterà a scontrarsi con un mondo che non avrebbe mai potuto esistere: un disordine cromosomico che affligge lei e il padre, la possibilità di morire giovane e poi Yellowjacket, una misteriosa figura che sembra aver assassinato il suo vicino e che solo lei sembra aver visto.
Blaire è un personaggio forte, lo si vede sin dalle prime pagine, si è emancipata dallo stato e ora vive per conto suo. Ormai è una adulta a tutti gli effetti, se non fosse per i suoi comportamenti che tradiscono la sua vera età. Mi è stato difficile capirla nei primi capitoli, però continuando la lettura si vede come in realtà stia compiendo un percorso e alla fine sia cambiata completamente dalla persona che era prima. Ma credo che il personaggio più riuscito sia stato quello di Damian, Yellowjacket, molto più complesso e con così tanti livelli di lettura che alla fine ti sorprendi che non esca dal libro e viva di vita propria. Il loro rapporto è il tipico “Odi et Amo”, si stuzzicano, flirtano, poi si odiano e non si parlano, per infine tornare ad amarsi. Sarà proprio per questa relazione che si instaura tra i due che avranno la forza di andare avanti e scoprire tutta la verità. Tra gli altri personaggi spicca anche quello di Charles Donovan, il capo di Blaire, destinato ad occupare un ruolo duplice nella sua vita.
Lo ammetto, non sono una studiosa nel campo scientifica, ma solo un’appassionata del genere sci-fi, quindi tutte le spiegazioni scientifiche mi sono sembrate plausibili e precise. Hanno dato forza alle teorie e verosimilitudine alla storia, e soprattutto non mi hanno annoiata mai, lasciandomi lì a domandarmi perché avveniva una cosa e non un’altra. Una delle teorie più interessanti credo sia proprio quella che riguarda le particolarità cromosomiche di Blaire, grazie a queste lei è in grado di fare un “crossover”, rompendo la simmetria e attraversando gli specchi. Ma cosa c’è dall’altra parte dello specchio?
Blaire, una moderna Alice, non troverà il Paese delle Meraviglie, ma un universo parallelo, completamente opposto al suo. Un universo che diverge nel momento stesso in cui lei rompe la simmetria. Tuttavia dentro gli specchi ci si può perdere e così non sarà sola nel suo viaggio verso la verità.
Una delle poche cose che ho apprezzato poco (fortunatamente solo in alcuni punti) è la scrittura, divisa in quella che sembrerebbero delle scene (magari di un film o un telefilm) e anche poco fluida. Ma le idee, a parte riprendere un po’ “Inception”, sono originali e molto interessanti.
Concludendo, un bel libro per gli appassionati del genere, con colpi di scena e un protagonista maschile ben delineato.
Voto:
** I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest opinion.
*** Recensione in Italiano più sotto
Review
If she had been a sixteen year old like the others, Blaire Adams would have received that night the proposal to go to the prom by John Hutchinson, but, instead, receives a call from Detective Joe Paretti, assigned to work on her father’s disappearance. Blaire’s father disappeared eleven months ago, without a trace, and only now was found, wandering, close to the Scripps Institute. He speaks in a strange language, vomits blood and carries with it a diary. When he dies in her arms, he tell his daughter to never be gone, but that she was the one who disappear, when she was only four years old.
So, alone in the world, Blaire begins the journey to uncover the truth, which will bring it to collide with a world that could never exist: a chromosomal disorder that afflicts her and her father, the possibility of dying young and then Yellowjacket a mysterious figure who seems to have murdered his neighbor and that only she seems to have seen.
Blaire is a strong character, it can be seen from the first pages, who has emancipated from the state and now lives on her own. It is now an adult, to all intents and purposes, if it were not for her behavior that betray her true age. For me it was difficult to understand her in the first chapters, but, reading, you can see how actually she is making a path and at the end has changed completely from the person she was before. But I think the most successful character was that of Damian, Yellowjacket, much more complex and with so many levels of interpretation that in the end you’re surprised he does not come from the book and living his own life. Their relationship is the typical “Odi et Amo,” they tease, flirt, and then they hate each other and do not talk, to finally return to be in “love”. It is precisely for this relationship that develops between the two that they will have the strength to go ahead and find out the whole truth. Among the other characters also stands to Charles Donovan, the boss of Blaire, destined to occupy a dual role in her life.
I admit, I’m not a scholar in the field of science, but only a fan of sci-fi genre, so all scientific explanations seemed to me plausible and precise. They gave strength to the theories and verisimilitude to the story, and I especially do not have bored ever, leaving me to wonder why something happened and not another. One of the more interesting theories I think it’s just that on the mirrors.
Crossing mirrors, Blaire, a modern Alice, will not find the Wonderland, but a parallel universe, completely opposite to ours. A universe that diverges at the very moment in which she breaks the symmetry. But inside the mirrors you can lose and so will not be alone on his journey to the truth.
One of the more interesting theories I think is the one that concerns the chromosomic “particularities” of Blaire, thanks to these she is able to do a “crossover”, breaking the symmetry and crossing the mirrors. But what is on the other side of the mirror?
Blaire, a modern Alice, will not find the Wonderland, but a parallel universe, completely opposite to hers. A universe that diverges at the very moment in which she breaks the symmetry. However, inside the mirrors you can lose yourself and so will not be alone on her journey to the truth.
One of the few things I liked little (fortunately only in some places) is the writing, divided into what would seem scenes (maybe from a movie or a TV show), is also jerky. But the ideas, apart from take a little from Inception, are original and very interesting.
In conclusion, a good book for fans of the genre, with twists and a well defined male protagonist.
Rating:
Recensione in italiano
Se fosse stata una sedicenne come le altre, Blaire Adams avrebbe ricevuto quella sera la proposta di andare al ballo di fine anno da John Hutchinson, ma, al suo posto, riceve la telefonata dal detective Joe Paretti, incaricato di lavorare sulla scomparsa di suo padre. Il padre di Blaire è scomparso undici mesi fa, senza lasciare traccia, e solo ora è stato ritrovato, errante, vicino ai l’Istituto Scripps. Parla in modo strano, vomita sangue e porta con sé un diario. Quando morirà tra le sue braccia, dirà alla figlia di non essere mai sparito, ma che è stata lei a sparire quando aveva solo quattro anni.
Così, sola al mondo, inizia il viaggio per scoprire la verità di Blaire, che la porterà a scontrarsi con un mondo che non avrebbe mai potuto esistere: un disordine cromosomico che affligge lei e il padre, la possibilità di morire giovane e poi Yellowjacket, una misteriosa figura che sembra aver assassinato il suo vicino e che solo lei sembra aver visto.
Blaire è un personaggio forte, lo si vede sin dalle prime pagine, si è emancipata dallo stato e ora vive per conto suo. Ormai è una adulta a tutti gli effetti, se non fosse per i suoi comportamenti che tradiscono la sua vera età. Mi è stato difficile capirla nei primi capitoli, però continuando la lettura si vede come in realtà stia compiendo un percorso e alla fine sia cambiata completamente dalla persona che era prima. Ma credo che il personaggio più riuscito sia stato quello di Damian, Yellowjacket, molto più complesso e con così tanti livelli di lettura che alla fine ti sorprendi che non esca dal libro e viva di vita propria. Il loro rapporto è il tipico “Odi et Amo”, si stuzzicano, flirtano, poi si odiano e non si parlano, per infine tornare ad amarsi. Sarà proprio per questa relazione che si instaura tra i due che avranno la forza di andare avanti e scoprire tutta la verità. Tra gli altri personaggi spicca anche quello di Charles Donovan, il capo di Blaire, destinato ad occupare un ruolo duplice nella sua vita.
Lo ammetto, non sono una studiosa nel campo scientifica, ma solo un’appassionata del genere sci-fi, quindi tutte le spiegazioni scientifiche mi sono sembrate plausibili e precise. Hanno dato forza alle teorie e verosimilitudine alla storia, e soprattutto non mi hanno annoiata mai, lasciandomi lì a domandarmi perché avveniva una cosa e non un’altra. Una delle teorie più interessanti credo sia proprio quella che riguarda le particolarità cromosomiche di Blaire, grazie a queste lei è in grado di fare un “crossover”, rompendo la simmetria e attraversando gli specchi. Ma cosa c’è dall’altra parte dello specchio?
Blaire, una moderna Alice, non troverà il Paese delle Meraviglie, ma un universo parallelo, completamente opposto al suo. Un universo che diverge nel momento stesso in cui lei rompe la simmetria. Tuttavia dentro gli specchi ci si può perdere e così non sarà sola nel suo viaggio verso la verità.
Una delle poche cose che ho apprezzato poco (fortunatamente solo in alcuni punti) è la scrittura, divisa in quella che sembrerebbero delle scene (magari di un film o un telefilm) e anche poco fluida. Ma le idee, a parte riprendere un po’ “Inception”, sono originali e molto interessanti.
Concludendo, un bel libro per gli appassionati del genere, con colpi di scena e un protagonista maschile ben delineato.
Voto:
July 17, 2022
Took me a while to finish this book. It started off a bit slow and finally picked up towards the end. It was a bit confusing with all the breaking symmetry and rules that go along with it.
Overall - it's not a bad read; not something I would recommend unless you really take the time to read through it to understand everything.
Overall - it's not a bad read; not something I would recommend unless you really take the time to read through it to understand everything.
December 9, 2021
I'll admit, at first I didn't like any of the characters and had to stop, but I decided to try again, and actually ended up loving this. The two main characters had so much witty, flirtatious banter that I was either falling in love or laughing. There was fast-paced action that never slowed. It was like watching a movie. I adored the creativity if the climax.
However, sometimes Blaire felt like a walking cliche and contradicted herself. She got into an elite, science internship, then acted like an idiot with no idea how stuff worked. And the love interest was a total jerk in the beginning. Regardless...
I still loved this.
4/5 stars!
However, sometimes Blaire felt like a walking cliche and contradicted herself. She got into an elite, science internship, then acted like an idiot with no idea how stuff worked. And the love interest was a total jerk in the beginning. Regardless...
I still loved this.
4/5 stars!
April 27, 2020
Brain exercise
For fans of Inception, this book gives you those same feels, although instead of going through layers of dreams, the characters go through layers of mirrors almost like a labyrinth.
In order to have the ability to pass through the mirrors, one must have extra chromosomes.
Put your thinking caps on for this one in order to keep up or else you may find yourself trapped so far down that you won't find your way back to the source.
For fans of Inception, this book gives you those same feels, although instead of going through layers of dreams, the characters go through layers of mirrors almost like a labyrinth.
In order to have the ability to pass through the mirrors, one must have extra chromosomes.
Put your thinking caps on for this one in order to keep up or else you may find yourself trapped so far down that you won't find your way back to the source.
June 24, 2018
I finally finished! This plot had a lot of potential; I think it just needed more followthrough. The main character was supposed to be smart, but she did some incredibly stupid things. There were also some editing and consistency issues. I liked the concept, but I felt like I was dragging through it.
September 3, 2019
Wow! I loved this book! In fact, I dreamed about the maze and nested reflections and levels all night. I liked the world-building best. Blaire and Damian are a good pair. I liked that this book is a stand-alone title. I liked that even though there were other love interests, this book wasn't really about a love triangle. Definitely a good pick for my Labor Day weekend read!
January 3, 2020
I was quite confused by this book. There was just too much happening at the same time. Maybe I didn't get it but I couldn't get myself to read more than a few pages a day and when I got to the end I was disappointed that there wasn't the big surprise moment.
The writing style was a bit too rough and childish for my taste but I kept reading and did finish it.
The writing style was a bit too rough and childish for my taste but I kept reading and did finish it.
January 15, 2018
My favorite book from Dan Rix so far. A perfect mix of adventure, suspense, science and teenage angst. Dan writes so smoothly that the story moves at a perfect pace. This is one you will find yourself staying up until 3am to read.
March 6, 2019
Love, love, love this book.
I loved the attention to detail, how the plot unfolded, and the humorous characters. I just finished reading it for the second time. Just caught so much more this time around and I love it even more.
I loved the attention to detail, how the plot unfolded, and the humorous characters. I just finished reading it for the second time. Just caught so much more this time around and I love it even more.
June 23, 2017
Really cool plot, unbelievably juvenile writing and cliched loved lines. A very unique mix, I really don't know what to make of the book.
July 29, 2017
Interesting concept, unfortunate execution.
January 7, 2018
Really enjoyed this book and I’m really looking forward to reading more of Dan Rix’s books.
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