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Schrodinger's Consortium #1
Anomaly
Reality is only an illusion.
Except for those who can control it…
Worst. Birthday. Ever.
My first boyfriend dumped me—happy birthday, Josie!—my dad is who knows where, I have some weird virus that makes me want to hurl, and now my ex is licking another girl’s tonsils. Oh, and I’m officially the same age as my brother was when he died. Yeah, today is about as fun-filled as the swamps of Dagobah. But then weird things start happening…
Like I make something materialize just by thinking about it.
When hottily-hot badass Reid Wentworth shows up on a motorcycle, everything changes. Like, everything. Who I am. My family. What really happened to my brother. Existence. I am Oculi, and I have the ability to change reality with my thoughts. Now Reid, in all his hotness, is charged with guiding and protecting me as I begin learning how to bend reality. And he’s the only thing standing between me and the secret organization that wants me dead…
Except for those who can control it…
Worst. Birthday. Ever.
My first boyfriend dumped me—happy birthday, Josie!—my dad is who knows where, I have some weird virus that makes me want to hurl, and now my ex is licking another girl’s tonsils. Oh, and I’m officially the same age as my brother was when he died. Yeah, today is about as fun-filled as the swamps of Dagobah. But then weird things start happening…
Like I make something materialize just by thinking about it.
When hottily-hot badass Reid Wentworth shows up on a motorcycle, everything changes. Like, everything. Who I am. My family. What really happened to my brother. Existence. I am Oculi, and I have the ability to change reality with my thoughts. Now Reid, in all his hotness, is charged with guiding and protecting me as I begin learning how to bend reality. And he’s the only thing standing between me and the secret organization that wants me dead…
301 pages, Paperback
First published November 25, 2014
92 people are currently reading
3,050 people want to read
About the author
Tonya Kuper
2 books290 followersTonya Kuper is the author of Anomaly (2014) and the sequel, Enigma (2017), published by Entangled Teen/Macmillan. She lives in Omaha, Nebraska with her two rad boys and husband, is a music junkie, a Star Wars fan, & all around nerd.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 244 reviews
June 26, 2015
REVIEW TIME TEHEHE.
So I read Anomaly this month and let me just tell you IT BLEW ME AWAY.
I will not be spoiling anything BUT I will give you a run down on what you will and can expect in this book.
HOT MAIN BOY LEAD
EXTREMELY UNIQUE SUPER 'ABILITIES'
SECRETS AND LIES
A GOVERMENT AGENCY YOU CAN NOT TRUST
HIGH SCHOOL ISSUES
ROMANCE
GEEKY AWESOME LEAD
AND TO TOP IT OFF AMAZING WRITING FROM THE AUTHOR!
The author Tonya is a beautiful and wonderful human being and I literally can not wait to read other work by her in the future!
Such a unique idea to a story. I am in LOVE.
So I read Anomaly this month and let me just tell you IT BLEW ME AWAY.
I will not be spoiling anything BUT I will give you a run down on what you will and can expect in this book.
HOT MAIN BOY LEAD
EXTREMELY UNIQUE SUPER 'ABILITIES'
SECRETS AND LIES
A GOVERMENT AGENCY YOU CAN NOT TRUST
HIGH SCHOOL ISSUES
ROMANCE
GEEKY AWESOME LEAD
AND TO TOP IT OFF AMAZING WRITING FROM THE AUTHOR!
The author Tonya is a beautiful and wonderful human being and I literally can not wait to read other work by her in the future!
Such a unique idea to a story. I am in LOVE.
November 3, 2015
I really enjoyed the characters, but the plot was a little boring up until the end. I'm interested to see where the story goes in the next books.
July 5, 2017
****4.5/5 Stars****
Anomaly was fast paced, had me completely addicted and was so much fun! I flew through the pages, I became attached and connected to the characters, I swooned over the romance, and the abilities/powers we learned about was beyond unique! This book was such a huge win, and I can't wait to see how it all wraps up in this duology!
Josie Harper made me laugh. And totally not on purpose. You see, she's this science loving girl. And the facts and explanations she gave throughout the book was spot on, but so not right for the moment lol. I mean, we start out the book with her bestie bringing her a birthday cupcake to school.......with the image of Sheldon Cooper (Big Bang Theory TV Show) on it ha. I quickly found myself liking her. Josie was smart, sarcastic, strong, brave, honest and everything I love in a heroine. So when Reid burst into her life, I felt a little clueless, just like Josie. You see, she's not aware of who she really is, and what's she's capable of doing. She's been sheltered and lied to her whole life, and Reid is about to blow her whole world up.
The day Reid entered her life, strange things started to take place. She thought things, and they happened. Plus she had this blinding pain in her brain. Thankfully Reid explained to her that that was normal, since she was Oculi. Oculi have the ability to make what they observe a reality. That was SO original for me. I was fascinated learning about their powers, and all that they could and couldn't do! Yet life wasn't all roses. Because of her powers, people wanted her dead. And Reid was there to train and protect her from those people.
From the moment Josie and Reid met, I was a goner. They have this attraction between them that was undeniable. And their beautiful chemistry had me sighing out loud and left me wanting to curl into this happy little ball. Plus I loved that we got to alternate between Josie and Reid! Because then we got little clues about the past and what the bigger picture was from Reid.
Oh, Reid Wentworth. I loved everything about him. That he worked so hard to earn Josie's trust and friendship. That he was fiercely loyal. That he was her ultimate protector, while also training her to take care of herself. The things he sacrificed to keep Josie safe and to train her, ugh, it pulled at my heart and made me fall harder for him. He was such a good guy and I completely fell for him. And as the story progressed, I loved hearing his thoughts and how he felt about Josie. Melt me into a puddle why don't you! He was charming, strong and I was completely enchanted by him!
So I can't say more, other than there were some manifestations of Josie's powers that floored me and there was a twist I didn't see coming from a mile away. Anomaly was such a fun book, and it's for people who love their sci-fi and paranormal stories to have a romance that plays a strong part. Now I'm off to see how it all ends up in the final book, Enigma!
*ARC kindly provided by Entangled Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
For more of my reviews, please visit:
Anomaly was fast paced, had me completely addicted and was so much fun! I flew through the pages, I became attached and connected to the characters, I swooned over the romance, and the abilities/powers we learned about was beyond unique! This book was such a huge win, and I can't wait to see how it all wraps up in this duology!
Her safe little world had to be disrupted, and I was the one chosen to drag her into hell. It was my responsibility to keep her alive and in check. Her life depends on me. My throat felt dry. She didn’t deserve this, but she also didn’t have a choice. - Reid
Josie Harper made me laugh. And totally not on purpose. You see, she's this science loving girl. And the facts and explanations she gave throughout the book was spot on, but so not right for the moment lol. I mean, we start out the book with her bestie bringing her a birthday cupcake to school.......with the image of Sheldon Cooper (Big Bang Theory TV Show) on it ha. I quickly found myself liking her. Josie was smart, sarcastic, strong, brave, honest and everything I love in a heroine. So when Reid burst into her life, I felt a little clueless, just like Josie. You see, she's not aware of who she really is, and what's she's capable of doing. She's been sheltered and lied to her whole life, and Reid is about to blow her whole world up.
“I understand you’re scared and you don’t know what’s going on, but you can trust me . I won’t let anything happen to you.” We stood there, staring at each other, and after a few seconds, something changed in her eyes and she closed the gap between us.
The day Reid entered her life, strange things started to take place. She thought things, and they happened. Plus she had this blinding pain in her brain. Thankfully Reid explained to her that that was normal, since she was Oculi. Oculi have the ability to make what they observe a reality. That was SO original for me. I was fascinated learning about their powers, and all that they could and couldn't do! Yet life wasn't all roses. Because of her powers, people wanted her dead. And Reid was there to train and protect her from those people.
I wanted to grab her and run. To hell with the war, the Resistance. I wanted to take Josie away and keep her safe. - Reid
From the moment Josie and Reid met, I was a goner. They have this attraction between them that was undeniable. And their beautiful chemistry had me sighing out loud and left me wanting to curl into this happy little ball. Plus I loved that we got to alternate between Josie and Reid! Because then we got little clues about the past and what the bigger picture was from Reid.
“You’ve sacrificed so much,” I said, watching the water lap around my shins.
“Well,” he whispered, drawing me toward his side, “some things, some people , are worth making sacrifices for.”
Oh, Reid Wentworth. I loved everything about him. That he worked so hard to earn Josie's trust and friendship. That he was fiercely loyal. That he was her ultimate protector, while also training her to take care of herself. The things he sacrificed to keep Josie safe and to train her, ugh, it pulled at my heart and made me fall harder for him. He was such a good guy and I completely fell for him. And as the story progressed, I loved hearing his thoughts and how he felt about Josie. Melt me into a puddle why don't you! He was charming, strong and I was completely enchanted by him!
“I’m tired of not living,” I whispered. I hadn’t planned the words—they just broke out of me.
His eyes searched my face, then he dipped his head, lips barely grazing mine. - Josie
So I can't say more, other than there were some manifestations of Josie's powers that floored me and there was a twist I didn't see coming from a mile away. Anomaly was such a fun book, and it's for people who love their sci-fi and paranormal stories to have a romance that plays a strong part. Now I'm off to see how it all ends up in the final book, Enigma!
*ARC kindly provided by Entangled Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
For more of my reviews, please visit:
October 11, 2017
This review was updated on A Weebish Book Blog as part of my TBT Review feature. Review publishes on 12/28/2017
When I picked up ANOMALY, I didn’t take much time to read the synopsis, I was mostly drawn to the pretty cover. People always say, “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but sometimes, the cover is what captures our attention. It didn’t prepare me for the hilarious dialogue, the awesome geeky main character, or the impressive Big Bang Theory references.
The Oculi create reality through observation. There are those that create matter, those that “erase”, and those which can do both. But being Occuli comes with a price that kills the fun of having the power create a million dollars into existence…
Now, I know what you’re thinking. It all sounds weird and a little blah, and at first I had many WTF moments, but Kuper has a talent for writing and world building that makes the weird plot line work better than you’d think.
ANOMALY sort of reminds me of Christine Feehan’s Ghost Walker series but for teenagers with a less convoluted plot line. There is a ton of action, lot of humor, and a few delicious make out sessions.
Josie takes the cake for having the worst birthday ever. Her boyfriend dumps her for not putting out, her dad has been missing for a month, and soon she learns her whole life has been a teenage rendition of The Truman Show and even worse…someone wants her dead.
As you can tell, I enjoyed Josie as a heroine. She’s a superhero obsessed, Sheldon-type without the god complex and a better attitude. Even though she’s a brainiac with super powers, she is a character that I easily connected to. She has issues that I found relate-able and realistic in a sense.
I wasn’t as enamored with Reid, but the author didn’t reveal much about him until the cliffhanger. I still didn’t get near as much detail as I wished. I did enjoy him eventually, but until I learn more about his mysterious past I’m still left with only pieces of his character.
Kuper is sadistic with her teasing foreshadow, but I enjoyed myself immensely. I cannot wait to read more from this series. If you are a fan of young adult or almost-but-not-quite dystopian worlds, try ANOMALY out for size.
When I picked up ANOMALY, I didn’t take much time to read the synopsis, I was mostly drawn to the pretty cover. People always say, “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but sometimes, the cover is what captures our attention. It didn’t prepare me for the hilarious dialogue, the awesome geeky main character, or the impressive Big Bang Theory references.
The Oculi create reality through observation. There are those that create matter, those that “erase”, and those which can do both. But being Occuli comes with a price that kills the fun of having the power create a million dollars into existence…
Now, I know what you’re thinking. It all sounds weird and a little blah, and at first I had many WTF moments, but Kuper has a talent for writing and world building that makes the weird plot line work better than you’d think.
ANOMALY sort of reminds me of Christine Feehan’s Ghost Walker series but for teenagers with a less convoluted plot line. There is a ton of action, lot of humor, and a few delicious make out sessions.
Josie takes the cake for having the worst birthday ever. Her boyfriend dumps her for not putting out, her dad has been missing for a month, and soon she learns her whole life has been a teenage rendition of The Truman Show and even worse…someone wants her dead.
As you can tell, I enjoyed Josie as a heroine. She’s a superhero obsessed, Sheldon-type without the god complex and a better attitude. Even though she’s a brainiac with super powers, she is a character that I easily connected to. She has issues that I found relate-able and realistic in a sense.
I wasn’t as enamored with Reid, but the author didn’t reveal much about him until the cliffhanger. I still didn’t get near as much detail as I wished. I did enjoy him eventually, but until I learn more about his mysterious past I’m still left with only pieces of his character.
Kuper is sadistic with her teasing foreshadow, but I enjoyed myself immensely. I cannot wait to read more from this series. If you are a fan of young adult or almost-but-not-quite dystopian worlds, try ANOMALY out for size.
July 13, 2017
My Review:
I received and e ARC of Anomaly from Entangled Teen via NetGalley and YA Bound Blog in exchange with an honest review.
Anomaly is a book that captures your attention just like that; when you are only a few pages in!
Not only is the plot absolutely original, but also the character development is incredible .
I found Josie always confused with the way she feels towards her mother. At first it was a bit confusing to read, but as the story went on, Josie became a bit stronger and started to have a bit more rigid believes.
The way the author,Tonya, connected physics rules and the powers of the characters ( aka making things appear and disappear by just thinking), is just absolutely mind blowing.
Although the setting is just a typical city, the author’s description amazing. Think of secret rooms, making things appear out of nowhere, then making them go *poof*! See? It is really interesting!
Then, there is the romance. I absolutely shipped Josie and Reid !! And the best thing is that the story was told from both of their P.O.V.
With a story packed with humor,action, love, and trust, Anomaly is a book that I was not able to put down. Especially when each chapter left me hanging, not giving me a complete closure to what just happened.
I loved Anomaly and I personally can’t wait to read the second book in the series.
I received and e ARC of Anomaly from Entangled Teen via NetGalley and YA Bound Blog in exchange with an honest review.
Anomaly is a book that captures your attention just like that; when you are only a few pages in!
Not only is the plot absolutely original, but also the character development is incredible .
I found Josie always confused with the way she feels towards her mother. At first it was a bit confusing to read, but as the story went on, Josie became a bit stronger and started to have a bit more rigid believes.
The way the author,Tonya, connected physics rules and the powers of the characters ( aka making things appear and disappear by just thinking), is just absolutely mind blowing.
Although the setting is just a typical city, the author’s description amazing. Think of secret rooms, making things appear out of nowhere, then making them go *poof*! See? It is really interesting!
Then, there is the romance. I absolutely shipped Josie and Reid !! And the best thing is that the story was told from both of their P.O.V.
With a story packed with humor,action, love, and trust, Anomaly is a book that I was not able to put down. Especially when each chapter left me hanging, not giving me a complete closure to what just happened.
I loved Anomaly and I personally can’t wait to read the second book in the series.
November 10, 2014
Review: http://bennitheblog.com/bookbiters/an...
Josie is your typical nerd and honor student, except not typical at all, as she is poised to accept the National Physics Honors Award.
But her seventeenth birthday is Grade-A Awful. Her boyfriend Tate dumps her, her dad can’t be bothered to come home, and Josie has come down with a virus that makes her want to throw up. On top of that, she’s the same age as her older brother was when he died in a car accident, and she will never stop missing him.
Things start to look up when a boy named Reid shows up on the first day of school, looking just as hot under the motorcycle helmet as Josie pictured him. Soon, Josie learns that she can bend reality with her thoughts alone, and her life will never be the same.
Based on the blurb, I thought Anomaly was going to be a blast to read—Josie makes Star Wars references, and actually sounds like she’s ready to have fun with her own newfound abilities. Unfortunately, the book was a bit of an uneven mess. Sure, there are some funny Star Wars analogies; when Tate breaks up with her in front of others, Josie describes to us how that feels (keep in mind all quotes are from an ARC and are subject to change):
As Josie later explains:
More often than not, however, most nerdy references are just thoughtless throwaways. Josie wears tight Star Wars shirts that turn Reid on; Josie likes saying, “for the love of Khan” or “I’d bet the USS Enterprise…”; Reid calls Josie “Spock” when she’s being smart, etc. Nothing particularly clever.
The hugest disappointment was how Josie wasn’t nearly as fun as I thought she’d be. I understand that shock and doubt may be the most reasonable responses to huge, world-altering revelations, but if we’re already dealing with people who can form objects out of thin air, I’d prefer we drop the pretense of realism (and not trying to explain the phenomenon with pseudo physics).
I can also only handle so many emo teens who lament how they are Curse with Awesome; I am pretty much at my limit. And if one must be emo, I’d want her to be more eloquent than this:
Josie compares her training with Reid to The Empire Strikes Back Dagobah training scenes. Indeed, that’s what the bulk of the book consists of: training scenes. This is the whole of Anomaly comprising of Star Wars scenes: (1) Luke finding out he possesses the Force in A New Hope (Josie finding out she has superpowers), (2) Luke training with Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back (Josie training with Reid, so imagine a sexy Yoda taking all the time in the world to train Luke as they flirt but try to be serious but can’t help flirting again), and then (3) the Ewoks fighting the stormtroopers in Return of the Jedi (some silly action scenes at the very end).
Have you ever noticed while watching a tv show, nothing particularly exciting is going on, but the camera is swirling and moving around to help build tension? That’s how most of the action scenes felt. People are running around, shifting appearances, creating guns from scratch, but none of it felt compelling. Not enough time was spent building up the stakes; instead, it was training scene after training scene where Josie and Reid more or less ogled each other.
Anomaly held a lot of promise. In particular, although Josie and Reid seem like they’re in “insta-love” or at least “insta-attraction,” there’s good reason for it. Part of it’s because Josie inadvertently wields her superpowers to turn Reid into having an appearance that is most attractive to her. The other part I won’t spoil, but I did like the two together.
The twists and turns of the book could have been fun, too, had the book’s pacing evened out a little more.
So, this being the first book of the Schrodinger’s Consortium series, there’s room for improvement and growth. The premise is promising, but I’ll need a more focused plot and fewer whiny teens in the follow-up adventures.
I received a digital review copy of the book via NetGalley, courtesy of Entangled Teen.
Review: http://bennitheblog.com/bookbiters/an...
Josie is your typical nerd and honor student, except not typical at all, as she is poised to accept the National Physics Honors Award.
But her seventeenth birthday is Grade-A Awful. Her boyfriend Tate dumps her, her dad can’t be bothered to come home, and Josie has come down with a virus that makes her want to throw up. On top of that, she’s the same age as her older brother was when he died in a car accident, and she will never stop missing him.
Things start to look up when a boy named Reid shows up on the first day of school, looking just as hot under the motorcycle helmet as Josie pictured him. Soon, Josie learns that she can bend reality with her thoughts alone, and her life will never be the same.
Based on the blurb, I thought Anomaly was going to be a blast to read—Josie makes Star Wars references, and actually sounds like she’s ready to have fun with her own newfound abilities. Unfortunately, the book was a bit of an uneven mess. Sure, there are some funny Star Wars analogies; when Tate breaks up with her in front of others, Josie describes to us how that feels (keep in mind all quotes are from an ARC and are subject to change):
I felt like I was wearing Princess Leia’s buns at a Star Trek convention.
As Josie later explains:
I threw myself into movies and books even more than I had before Nick [her brother] died. I find comfort in fiction—it’s safe. I can lose myself and find myself in books.
More often than not, however, most nerdy references are just thoughtless throwaways. Josie wears tight Star Wars shirts that turn Reid on; Josie likes saying, “for the love of Khan” or “I’d bet the USS Enterprise…”; Reid calls Josie “Spock” when she’s being smart, etc. Nothing particularly clever.
The hugest disappointment was how Josie wasn’t nearly as fun as I thought she’d be. I understand that shock and doubt may be the most reasonable responses to huge, world-altering revelations, but if we’re already dealing with people who can form objects out of thin air, I’d prefer we drop the pretense of realism (and not trying to explain the phenomenon with pseudo physics).
I can also only handle so many emo teens who lament how they are Curse with Awesome; I am pretty much at my limit. And if one must be emo, I’d want her to be more eloquent than this:
The agony and despair bored a non-repairable hold in my heart. There was no filling it.
Josie compares her training with Reid to The Empire Strikes Back Dagobah training scenes. Indeed, that’s what the bulk of the book consists of: training scenes. This is the whole of Anomaly comprising of Star Wars scenes: (1) Luke finding out he possesses the Force in A New Hope (Josie finding out she has superpowers), (2) Luke training with Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back (Josie training with Reid, so imagine a sexy Yoda taking all the time in the world to train Luke as they flirt but try to be serious but can’t help flirting again), and then (3) the Ewoks fighting the stormtroopers in Return of the Jedi (some silly action scenes at the very end).
Have you ever noticed while watching a tv show, nothing particularly exciting is going on, but the camera is swirling and moving around to help build tension? That’s how most of the action scenes felt. People are running around, shifting appearances, creating guns from scratch, but none of it felt compelling. Not enough time was spent building up the stakes; instead, it was training scene after training scene where Josie and Reid more or less ogled each other.
Anomaly held a lot of promise. In particular, although Josie and Reid seem like they’re in “insta-love” or at least “insta-attraction,” there’s good reason for it. Part of it’s because Josie inadvertently wields her superpowers to turn Reid into having an appearance that is most attractive to her. The other part I won’t spoil, but I did like the two together.
The twists and turns of the book could have been fun, too, had the book’s pacing evened out a little more.
So, this being the first book of the Schrodinger’s Consortium series, there’s room for improvement and growth. The premise is promising, but I’ll need a more focused plot and fewer whiny teens in the follow-up adventures.
I received a digital review copy of the book via NetGalley, courtesy of Entangled Teen.
Review: http://bennitheblog.com/bookbiters/an...
March 29, 2020
This and other reviews can be found on The Psychotic Nerd
ACTUAL RATING: 3.5 Stars
MY THOUGHTS
I really had no idea what to expect from this book. In fact, I knew very little about it. But I ended up really enjoying this book!
This book is about Josie, who is having a very suckish birthday. Her boyfriend just dumped her (on her frexing birthday!) and her dad hasn't even called to wish her a happy birthday. It gets worse, though, when she begins to develop abilities that she didn't know she had. Turns out, she's Oculi and has the ability to make things appear and disappear into existence. But what's even worse: people want her dead.
First of all, I love the abilities in this book. The whole idea of appearing anything into existence is pretty much my dream power and it is so cool! I really loved it! Sadly, the plot wasn't as unique as the ability. I still liked it, but it's one that I've seen before. Girl comes into abilities. Enter hot guy. And people want to kill her. Same old, same old.
As for Josie, I have mixed feelings for her. She is a very strong character, typical of most YA books I read. She's different, though, because she's really geeky. This is where I get mixed feelings. I love geeky, I'm geeky myself at times, but I feel like the author was trying too hard to get the character's geekiness across. I ended up just being plain annoyed. Every paragraph is a geeky reference, all similes and metaphors compared to geeky things, she even cursed by geek references! I GET IT! YOU'RE A GEEK! I really felt like the author was trying to scream it in my face! I especially had issues with the curse words. Yeah, I use the word cheese as a curse word, so I shouldn't judge, but I always use cheese to replace the same word. Josie? She used a different word EVERY SINGLE TIME! Can't you be consistent? Sorry, about the mini-rant. This really wasn't a big deal, but it was a nuisance.
The romance was meh to me. Did I want them to get together? Yeah, but it was just expected. The romance didn't feel swoon-worthy at all to me. The love interest was okay, but he felt like a cut out of every other male love interest in YA. The romance was still okay, there really anything wrong with it, it just wasn't one that I absolutely adored.
IN CONCLUSION
There was a lot of complaining in this book, mostly about Josie's geekiness, but I really did like this book! Besides some annoying factors with geeky cursing, I really did like Josie and I absolutely loved the supernatural abilities! This book has a pretty common plot, but it's still a great start to a series!
ACTUAL RATING: 3.5 Stars
MY THOUGHTS
I really had no idea what to expect from this book. In fact, I knew very little about it. But I ended up really enjoying this book!
This book is about Josie, who is having a very suckish birthday. Her boyfriend just dumped her (on her frexing birthday!) and her dad hasn't even called to wish her a happy birthday. It gets worse, though, when she begins to develop abilities that she didn't know she had. Turns out, she's Oculi and has the ability to make things appear and disappear into existence. But what's even worse: people want her dead.
First of all, I love the abilities in this book. The whole idea of appearing anything into existence is pretty much my dream power and it is so cool! I really loved it! Sadly, the plot wasn't as unique as the ability. I still liked it, but it's one that I've seen before. Girl comes into abilities. Enter hot guy. And people want to kill her. Same old, same old.
As for Josie, I have mixed feelings for her. She is a very strong character, typical of most YA books I read. She's different, though, because she's really geeky. This is where I get mixed feelings. I love geeky, I'm geeky myself at times, but I feel like the author was trying too hard to get the character's geekiness across. I ended up just being plain annoyed. Every paragraph is a geeky reference, all similes and metaphors compared to geeky things, she even cursed by geek references! I GET IT! YOU'RE A GEEK! I really felt like the author was trying to scream it in my face! I especially had issues with the curse words. Yeah, I use the word cheese as a curse word, so I shouldn't judge, but I always use cheese to replace the same word. Josie? She used a different word EVERY SINGLE TIME! Can't you be consistent? Sorry, about the mini-rant. This really wasn't a big deal, but it was a nuisance.
The romance was meh to me. Did I want them to get together? Yeah, but it was just expected. The romance didn't feel swoon-worthy at all to me. The love interest was okay, but he felt like a cut out of every other male love interest in YA. The romance was still okay, there really anything wrong with it, it just wasn't one that I absolutely adored.
IN CONCLUSION
There was a lot of complaining in this book, mostly about Josie's geekiness, but I really did like this book! Besides some annoying factors with geeky cursing, I really did like Josie and I absolutely loved the supernatural abilities! This book has a pretty common plot, but it's still a great start to a series!
July 4, 2017
**I Received this book for an honest review**
Okay, this book started off rough for me, and since I'm not into star wars or the weird pop culture references in this book, it was a bit hard for me to enjoy and completely connect. For me that is a big book turn off, I like when authors add real life experiences and quarks that make characters have detailed personalities, but unfortunately for me, it made it truly difficult to sync with the world building.
I hate being confused, I love surprises and twists and turns, but I don't enjoy feeling as though I missing something or playing catch up and again unfortunately for me, I felt this throughout the whole book.
Besides the world building and back stories lacking for me I felt this was a decent story, the premise and plot were something kind of new to me, and I liked that. The characters were lacking depth in my opinion and the love story was a bit blah, but it didn't completely ruin the story for me. It just made it unmemorable and lackluster. Like eating an apple when you were expecting apple pie. Not a waste and still enjoyable, just not ging to make you fangirl.
The main characters Josie and Cal are, predictable but still likable. I didn't love them but I didn't hate them either. Josie is very smart and aniliticle, and you are reminded of this every couple pages, but since I like strong and smart women leads it was a good start.
Overall I will read book two in the series because I feel like this was a good start and the author has a lot of room to improve the story. And based on how the book progressed I think she has the capability. And I recommend Anomaly if you are looking for something with a little love and a lot of star wars references.
Sorry for short review, just wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be from the blurb and cover.
Okay, this book started off rough for me, and since I'm not into star wars or the weird pop culture references in this book, it was a bit hard for me to enjoy and completely connect. For me that is a big book turn off, I like when authors add real life experiences and quarks that make characters have detailed personalities, but unfortunately for me, it made it truly difficult to sync with the world building.
I hate being confused, I love surprises and twists and turns, but I don't enjoy feeling as though I missing something or playing catch up and again unfortunately for me, I felt this throughout the whole book.
Besides the world building and back stories lacking for me I felt this was a decent story, the premise and plot were something kind of new to me, and I liked that. The characters were lacking depth in my opinion and the love story was a bit blah, but it didn't completely ruin the story for me. It just made it unmemorable and lackluster. Like eating an apple when you were expecting apple pie. Not a waste and still enjoyable, just not ging to make you fangirl.
The main characters Josie and Cal are, predictable but still likable. I didn't love them but I didn't hate them either. Josie is very smart and aniliticle, and you are reminded of this every couple pages, but since I like strong and smart women leads it was a good start.
Overall I will read book two in the series because I feel like this was a good start and the author has a lot of room to improve the story. And based on how the book progressed I think she has the capability. And I recommend Anomaly if you are looking for something with a little love and a lot of star wars references.
Sorry for short review, just wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be from the blurb and cover.
November 24, 2014
Oh, how I've missed a good YA book. And this one is definitely a good one. Such great strong characters, a unique story and a few twists along the way - it was just what I needed to be excited about reading YA again.
Characters. Josie is the perfect strong main character. She's smart and resistent. She's overwhelmed with the things happening around her but she's rising to the occasion. Her mistakes teach her. AND she's falling for the gorgeous, bada$$ trainer. I love Reid. All his secrets that are really just efforts to protect Josie. His determination to protect her and prepare her plus his feeling for her make him adorable. I so loved that it was dual POV. I loved being in Reid's head. Knowing pieces of his secrets and his reactions to Josie really added to my love of this one.
Story. This story is different. It has a lot of science and some nerdy references to sci fi movies that I adored in it. But I've never read a story quite like this one. Oculi and secret organization with people who can push and retract or BOTH - anomalies, it's really unique. When the twists bounced out, I was surprised but I have a feeling the end of the surprises is not past. Yes, this is the first in a series and this story is far from over. I did like the ending. And I will be reading the next. This one flew by - reading this long book in mostly a night...well and into the morning.
Writing. This is a debut book. I thought the writing was good. It could have used some polish here and there and I may have caught a couple mistakes but I was reading an ARC. I think we will see great things from this author. I'm definitely reading more from her.
Afterglow. Yeah, I couldn't put it down and I really would have liked book two when I finished. AND I have no idea when book two will even have a title let along a cover and words. *cries* It's been a long time since a YA book captivated me this much.
Fans of JLA and Cassandra Clare will love this book. But it's really the kind of YA book that would appeal to anyone who loves a great paranormal story.
Characters. Josie is the perfect strong main character. She's smart and resistent. She's overwhelmed with the things happening around her but she's rising to the occasion. Her mistakes teach her. AND she's falling for the gorgeous, bada$$ trainer. I love Reid. All his secrets that are really just efforts to protect Josie. His determination to protect her and prepare her plus his feeling for her make him adorable. I so loved that it was dual POV. I loved being in Reid's head. Knowing pieces of his secrets and his reactions to Josie really added to my love of this one.
Story. This story is different. It has a lot of science and some nerdy references to sci fi movies that I adored in it. But I've never read a story quite like this one. Oculi and secret organization with people who can push and retract or BOTH - anomalies, it's really unique. When the twists bounced out, I was surprised but I have a feeling the end of the surprises is not past. Yes, this is the first in a series and this story is far from over. I did like the ending. And I will be reading the next. This one flew by - reading this long book in mostly a night...well and into the morning.
Writing. This is a debut book. I thought the writing was good. It could have used some polish here and there and I may have caught a couple mistakes but I was reading an ARC. I think we will see great things from this author. I'm definitely reading more from her.
Afterglow. Yeah, I couldn't put it down and I really would have liked book two when I finished. AND I have no idea when book two will even have a title let along a cover and words. *cries* It's been a long time since a YA book captivated me this much.
Fans of JLA and Cassandra Clare will love this book. But it's really the kind of YA book that would appeal to anyone who loves a great paranormal story.
December 26, 2015
I loved this book!!!! Sooo good I enjoyed the concept and the world I loved Reid and Josie and ugh so good it was so funny and the twist at the end? Never saw it coming!! The ending was so epic and action packed the characters felt so real to me I cannot wait for the sequel !!!!
Want to read
July 14, 2014I am like 80% sure this is gonna be the next popular thing.
November 28, 2014
3.5 Stars ... This review was originally posted on Avid Reviews: http://www.avidfantasyreviews.com
I always get excited when I come across a young adult (YA) novel with a female protagonist who is both strong willed and extremely intelligent, and Josie definitely fits into this category. Anomaly contains elements of both YA paranormal and science fiction with a basis in our current understanding of scientific principles, and I loved that Josie was the character Kuper used most often to explain this science to the reader. It always disappoints me to come across a YA novel where the female lead is in constant need of rescue, or is said to get “good grades” without any evidence to support that she ever studies or picks up a book (usually because she is too busy pining over the “hottie” in class). In most cases, nothing can make me abandon a novel faster than these traits, but Kuper’s strong female protagonist was the most endearing part of the story, and I found it incredibly refreshing to read about Josie’s talent for complex ideas and theories, and her dedication to knowledge to be extremely admirable.
The male protagonist of Anomaly is Reid, and though much of the story is told from his perspective it seemed like his character was present mainly to augment Josie’s story. The reader gets little more than a glimpse of Reid’s life and his secret past that ties him to Josie until near the end of the book. He is an intensely mysterious character, and though he adds a lot to the story, I saw him as more of a secondary character despite the fact that many chapters were told from his point of view. Though his character was not as fully developed as Josie, his numerous secrets added a significant level of suspense to the novel, and his complex relationship with Josie managed to bring a typical YA element into the story to balance the more cerebral science fiction aspect.
One facet of Kuper’s storytelling that I found a bit strange was her combination of intricate scientific principles to build and explain her magic system with an abundance of teenage slang and pop culture references. The language that Josie and her friends use definitely makes the book more relatable to a younger audience, but in my opinion it is a little overdone in light of the novel’s more intellectual foundations. I am sure many readers will find this aspect of the story to bring some humor and familiarity to the plot, but I found that these references (and the sheer number of them) made me feel a bit old and out of the loop… and I’m only 26. Although, I have not owned a TV for years, so perhaps my particular opinion on this subject will be in the small minority. Either way, I found the blend of these two very different elements often made the story seem as if it had two distinct styles of writing, and I would have enjoyed a more consistent method of prose.
Anomaly is the kind of YA novel that sure to remind many readers why they fell in love with the genre in the first place. The presence of a smart and independent heroine goes a long way towards making the book engaging, and Reid’s mysterious past will ensure pure engrossment in the plot. Though Kuper’s writing style often seemed erratic, her ability to make Josie seem incredibly young and extremely wise at the same time will ease many readers into the more complex elements of the plot. I would recommend this novel to fans of YA who enjoy a magic system that is intricate, explained in great detail, and is based in science, and also to anyone that enjoys a strong female protagonist.
My Rating: 6.5/10
I received a copy of this novel from YA Bound Book Tours and the author in return for an honest review.
I always get excited when I come across a young adult (YA) novel with a female protagonist who is both strong willed and extremely intelligent, and Josie definitely fits into this category. Anomaly contains elements of both YA paranormal and science fiction with a basis in our current understanding of scientific principles, and I loved that Josie was the character Kuper used most often to explain this science to the reader. It always disappoints me to come across a YA novel where the female lead is in constant need of rescue, or is said to get “good grades” without any evidence to support that she ever studies or picks up a book (usually because she is too busy pining over the “hottie” in class). In most cases, nothing can make me abandon a novel faster than these traits, but Kuper’s strong female protagonist was the most endearing part of the story, and I found it incredibly refreshing to read about Josie’s talent for complex ideas and theories, and her dedication to knowledge to be extremely admirable.
The male protagonist of Anomaly is Reid, and though much of the story is told from his perspective it seemed like his character was present mainly to augment Josie’s story. The reader gets little more than a glimpse of Reid’s life and his secret past that ties him to Josie until near the end of the book. He is an intensely mysterious character, and though he adds a lot to the story, I saw him as more of a secondary character despite the fact that many chapters were told from his point of view. Though his character was not as fully developed as Josie, his numerous secrets added a significant level of suspense to the novel, and his complex relationship with Josie managed to bring a typical YA element into the story to balance the more cerebral science fiction aspect.
One facet of Kuper’s storytelling that I found a bit strange was her combination of intricate scientific principles to build and explain her magic system with an abundance of teenage slang and pop culture references. The language that Josie and her friends use definitely makes the book more relatable to a younger audience, but in my opinion it is a little overdone in light of the novel’s more intellectual foundations. I am sure many readers will find this aspect of the story to bring some humor and familiarity to the plot, but I found that these references (and the sheer number of them) made me feel a bit old and out of the loop… and I’m only 26. Although, I have not owned a TV for years, so perhaps my particular opinion on this subject will be in the small minority. Either way, I found the blend of these two very different elements often made the story seem as if it had two distinct styles of writing, and I would have enjoyed a more consistent method of prose.
Anomaly is the kind of YA novel that sure to remind many readers why they fell in love with the genre in the first place. The presence of a smart and independent heroine goes a long way towards making the book engaging, and Reid’s mysterious past will ensure pure engrossment in the plot. Though Kuper’s writing style often seemed erratic, her ability to make Josie seem incredibly young and extremely wise at the same time will ease many readers into the more complex elements of the plot. I would recommend this novel to fans of YA who enjoy a magic system that is intricate, explained in great detail, and is based in science, and also to anyone that enjoys a strong female protagonist.
My Rating: 6.5/10
I received a copy of this novel from YA Bound Book Tours and the author in return for an honest review.
December 31, 2014
Anomaly Review on K-Books
Anomaly was one of those books that I couldn't wait to read right from the moment that I first heard about it. I've been a huge fan of all things Entangled Teen since their beginning and when I heard about their new book Anomaly, and then saw the cover I just couldn't wait to read it. I was so beyond excited when I got my hands on an ARC. Anomaly was not a disappointment. I absolutely loved it.
Josie never expected her life to change as drastically as it does when she turns 17. Suddenly she is thrown into a world of magic, intrigue, danger and secrets. As she comes to terms with the fact that she has magical powers and that the family secret is why her brother really died Josie has to train hard with super-hot trainer Reid. A relationship between trainer and trainee is forbidden... but the more time Josie and Reid spend together the more the sparks fly. But when it comes to light that the secret organisation trying to capture Josie is getting closer Josie and Reid must discover a way to get out of their clutches, before there is nothing left to fight for.
Anomaly is one of those YA books that you just devour. I absolutely loved it. I couldn't get enough of this amazing world where the Oculi are magical but how that magic can also be explained through science. I LOVE IT! Tonya is definitely a breakthrough debut author of 2014. Her writing style is fantastic. I was completely hooked right from the start and she threw twist after twist after turn at me and made me just adore this book.
Josie and Reid are without a doubt one of the most amazing duo's I have seen in YA literature. I loved them so much. Josie goes from normal highschool girl to a kick-ass heroine. Reid... oh my Reid. He was so awesome. He is smart, hot and swoony all rolled into one. He is the character that every girl will fall in love with. Together they grew into such a strong team. I just loved them both.
Anomaly is one of those paranormal YA books that doesn't come along often and when it does you just fall head over heels in love with it. It was filled with all of my favourite things. Romance, action, intrigue, mystery. I loved absolutely everything about it. It was just fantastic and I cannot wait to read the second book in this series. A definite must-read.
Anomaly was one of those books that I couldn't wait to read right from the moment that I first heard about it. I've been a huge fan of all things Entangled Teen since their beginning and when I heard about their new book Anomaly, and then saw the cover I just couldn't wait to read it. I was so beyond excited when I got my hands on an ARC. Anomaly was not a disappointment. I absolutely loved it.
Josie never expected her life to change as drastically as it does when she turns 17. Suddenly she is thrown into a world of magic, intrigue, danger and secrets. As she comes to terms with the fact that she has magical powers and that the family secret is why her brother really died Josie has to train hard with super-hot trainer Reid. A relationship between trainer and trainee is forbidden... but the more time Josie and Reid spend together the more the sparks fly. But when it comes to light that the secret organisation trying to capture Josie is getting closer Josie and Reid must discover a way to get out of their clutches, before there is nothing left to fight for.
Anomaly is one of those YA books that you just devour. I absolutely loved it. I couldn't get enough of this amazing world where the Oculi are magical but how that magic can also be explained through science. I LOVE IT! Tonya is definitely a breakthrough debut author of 2014. Her writing style is fantastic. I was completely hooked right from the start and she threw twist after twist after turn at me and made me just adore this book.
Josie and Reid are without a doubt one of the most amazing duo's I have seen in YA literature. I loved them so much. Josie goes from normal highschool girl to a kick-ass heroine. Reid... oh my Reid. He was so awesome. He is smart, hot and swoony all rolled into one. He is the character that every girl will fall in love with. Together they grew into such a strong team. I just loved them both.
Anomaly is one of those paranormal YA books that doesn't come along often and when it does you just fall head over heels in love with it. It was filled with all of my favourite things. Romance, action, intrigue, mystery. I loved absolutely everything about it. It was just fantastic and I cannot wait to read the second book in this series. A definite must-read.
January 12, 2023
Josie has a good voice but the author is obviously trying too hard to make her a geek. A few of the pop culture references were cute but she went way overboard and they just got annoying.
I actually liked Reid better than Josie. Especially at the beginning because he knows what's really going on. I liked the mystery of the powers, but after a little teasing, we soon got an info dump of answers. Nothing's really left a mystery other than
Josie's powers were too strong and it was too easy for her to master them. Why do they need special training if all it took was pictionary? Also, Anomalies are supposed to be really really rare, and yet like almost everyone we meet is an Anomaly…
I worried about the romance when she started describing the dude's eyelashes, and she did blush an awful lot, but it was actually pretty good. For all the powers and training, and bad guys, this is still mostly a romance. I wasn't all giggly about Josie and Reid getting together but they were a cute couple. It wasn't insta love And it's not like they declared their undying love, they just kissed.
Will I read the next one? If it goes on sale.
I actually liked Reid better than Josie. Especially at the beginning because he knows what's really going on. I liked the mystery of the powers, but after a little teasing, we soon got an info dump of answers. Nothing's really left a mystery other than
Josie's powers were too strong and it was too easy for her to master them. Why do they need special training if all it took was pictionary? Also, Anomalies are supposed to be really really rare, and yet like almost everyone we meet is an Anomaly…
I worried about the romance when she started describing the dude's eyelashes, and she did blush an awful lot, but it was actually pretty good. For all the powers and training, and bad guys, this is still mostly a romance. I wasn't all giggly about Josie and Reid getting together but they were a cute couple. It wasn't insta love And it's not like they declared their undying love, they just kissed.
Will I read the next one? If it goes on sale.
October 26, 2014
I wasn't too sure about this book at first when I requested it, however I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. There was definitely a great storyline going for this book and adding to that, it also has some great and entertaining characters that I think a lot of readers will like by the time they finish this book, so I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from this series in the future.
* Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a review copy of this book!
* Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a review copy of this book!
November 21, 2014
Sexy, funny, fast-paced! Can't wait for more from Kuper. Jennifer Armentrout fans beware-- here's your new favorite.
October 28, 2015
Schrodinger's Consortium 01. Anaomaly - Tonya Kuper
Actionreicher und fantastischer Auftakt einer vielversprechenden Serie!
Anomaly
Klappentext:
"Reality is only an illusion. Except for those who can control it…
Worst. Birthday. Ever.
My first boyfriend dumped me – happy birthday, Josie!- my dad is who knows where, I have some weird virus that makes me want to hurl, and now my ex is licking another girl’s tonsils. Oh, and I’m officially the same age as my brother was when he died. Yeah, today is about as fun-filled as the swamps of Dagobah. But then weird things start happening…
Like I make something materialize just by thinking about it.
When hot badass Reid Wentworth shows up on a motorcycle, everything changes. Like, everything. Who I am. My family. What really happened to my brother. Existence. I am Oculi, and I have the ability to change reality with my thoughts. Now Reid, in all his hotness, is charged with guiding and protecting me as I begin learning how to bend reality. And he’s the only thing standing between me and the secret organization that wants me dead…
To sum it up: The Matrix meets Divergent in contemporary high school. Intrigue, action, romance with lots of hotties, and (understandable) quantum physics theories."
Informationen zur Autorin:
I write teen scifi and contemporary novels. ANOMALY, out 11/14 by Entangled Teen, is my debut novel. I’m a mom to two awesome boys and love music. [...]
Autorenhomepage: www.tonyakuper.com
(Quelle)
Rezension
Josie ist gerade siebzehn geworden, als ihr Geburtstag alles verändert. Nicht nur macht ihr Freund an diesem Tag mit ihr Schluss und ihr Vater taucht (mal wieder) nicht auf, sondern Josie entwickelt plötzlich Fähigkeiten. Fähigkeiten, welche sie erstaunliche Dinge tun lassen, wie beispielsweise Materie aus dem Nichts herzuholen. Coole Fähigkeit, findet sie. Doch als Reid Wentworth in ihr Leben tritt, wird ihr klar, dass sie in Gefahr ist, denn sie ist eine Oculi: Sie kann die Materie nach ihrem Willen formen. Und eine ganz bestimmte geheime Organisation will sie dafür tot sehen. Und während sie gerade lernt, ihre Fähigkeiten zu beherrschen muss sie mit ansehen, wie Geheimnisse aus der Vergangenheit sie einholen und ihr Leben für immer verändern.
Mit diesem Science Fiction Debüt im Bereich der Young Adult Literatur schafft es Tonya Kuper geradlinig zu überzeugen und den Leser in eine spannende und actionreiche Geschichte mit glaubwürdigen Figuren eintauchen zu lassen. Man lernt zu Beginn ziemlich schnell die Protagonistin der Story, Josie, kennen, welche definitiv Mumm hat und so überhaupt nicht klischeehaft daherkommt. Man lernt einige Nebenfiguren kennen, die sich als ganz anders entpuppen, als man es zunächst annahm und der Roman strotzt nur so vor Intrigen, Rachegelüsten und Geheimnissen, die der Leser auf seinem Weg entdecken darf. Man taucht ein in eine Welt, die einen an eine Mischung aus X-Men und Matrix erinnert und doch etwas ganz eigenes besitzt, sodass man den Roman kaum aus der Hand zu legen vermag.
Josie's Charakter wird dabei schon zu Beginn in aller Deutlichkeit vorgeführt - und sie ist alles andere als dumm. Tatsächlich entwickelte sie bereits in ihrer Kindheit großes Interesse für die Quantenphysik und besitzt eine schnell Auffassungsgabe. Sie ist intelligent, emotional nicht gerade aufgeladen und weiß, wert auf die wirklich wichtigen Dinge zu legen. Sie benimmt sich in all ihren Handlungsweisen und ihren Gedankengängen sehr glaubwürdig und erspart dem Leser somit klischeehafte oder kitschige Szenen, für die man gerne die ein oder andere Figur in anderen Romanen erwürgen würde. Schlichtweg: Sie ist super cool, mutig und logisch und kommt absolut sympathisch daher. Doch der Leser entwickelt durchaus auch Sympathien und Abneigungen gegenüber anderen Figuren, sodass eine Menge Stoff bleibt, um Konflikte zu erschaffen. Reid Wentworth, Josie's Trainer und Beschützer, ist hierbei eine sehr ambivalente Figur, die frischen Wind in die Geschichte bringt und so ziemlich jedes Klischee, dass man erwarten mag, für nichtig erklärt. Natürlich entstehen auch die ein oder anderen Gefühle - doch die Beziehungsstrukturen sind nicht ganz so einfach - und Geheimnisse seinerseits machen es noch schwerer, dieses Terrain zu betreten.
Die Handlung selbst ist einfach nur super spannend. Man befindet sich in einem ständigen Strudel voller Ereignisse, die von jetzt auf gleich den gesamten roten Faden der Storyline auf den Kopf zu stellen vermag. Auch wenn sich hier und da Ruhemomente einschleichen mindert das nicht im geringsten den ständigen Adrenalinrausch, der einen beim Lesen dieser Lektüre begleitet, weil man so sehr wissen möchte, wie das ganze nun weitergeht. Die Autorin schafft es hier gekonnt, bereits bekannte Ideen aufzugreifen und mit innovativen Details ihrerseits zu spicken und erschafft so eine wirklich großartige Atmosphäre und Grundlage als Basis für den Hauptplot der Geschichte. Mit fortschreitender Seitenzahl wird der weitere Handlungsverlauf zwar ziemlich offensichtlich und kommt auch wie vorhergesehen daher, dennoch schafft sie es zum Finale doch mit einigen Überraschungen aufzuwarten, die einen wünschen lassen, Band zwei dieser tollen Serie wäre bereits erschienen. Den dieser Auftakt verspricht eine Menge Potenzial, und so viel ist sicher: Da geht definitiv noch mehr!
Fazit
Anomaly von Tonya Kuper ist eine sehr spannende und actionreiche Young Adult und Science Fiction Story, die mit ambivalenten und sympathischen Figuren sowie einer tollen Grundidee aufwarten kann. Alt und Neu werden hier harmonisch vermixt und schaffen so eine Geschichte, die man kaum aus der Hand zu legen vermag. Fernab von Klischees und Kitsch kann man sich hier einem grandiosen Abenteuer hingeben, dass zwar doch eine sehr vorhersehbare Handlung inne hat, jedoch vom Potenzial der Grundstory bis zum Schreibstil der Autorin stark von sich überzeugen kann. Fans des Genres sollten also definitiv nicht zögern und den Roman am besten sofort in die Hand nehmen - es lohnt sich!
Gesamte Reihe in einem Überblick:
01. Anomaly
02. Noch unbekannt (2016)
03. Noch unbekannt (2017)
Pro & Contra
+ Josie als Kick Ass Figur
+ Ambivalente Figuren
+ Beziehungsstrukturen
+ Permanente Spannung und sehr, sehr viel Action
+ Mischung zwischen Matrix und X-Men
+ Schreibstil der Autorin
+ Atmosphäre und Setting
+ Kombination aus altbekanntem mit innovativen Neuheiten
o Viel Potenzial vorhanden
o Da geht noch mehr!
- Vor allem zum Ende hin doch sehr vorhersehbar (Gesamtplot
Bewertung:
Handlung: 4/5
Charaktere: 4/5
Lesespaß: 4,5/5
Preis/Leistung: 4/5
Actionreicher und fantastischer Auftakt einer vielversprechenden Serie!
Anomaly
Klappentext:
"Reality is only an illusion. Except for those who can control it…
Worst. Birthday. Ever.
My first boyfriend dumped me – happy birthday, Josie!- my dad is who knows where, I have some weird virus that makes me want to hurl, and now my ex is licking another girl’s tonsils. Oh, and I’m officially the same age as my brother was when he died. Yeah, today is about as fun-filled as the swamps of Dagobah. But then weird things start happening…
Like I make something materialize just by thinking about it.
When hot badass Reid Wentworth shows up on a motorcycle, everything changes. Like, everything. Who I am. My family. What really happened to my brother. Existence. I am Oculi, and I have the ability to change reality with my thoughts. Now Reid, in all his hotness, is charged with guiding and protecting me as I begin learning how to bend reality. And he’s the only thing standing between me and the secret organization that wants me dead…
To sum it up: The Matrix meets Divergent in contemporary high school. Intrigue, action, romance with lots of hotties, and (understandable) quantum physics theories."
Informationen zur Autorin:
I write teen scifi and contemporary novels. ANOMALY, out 11/14 by Entangled Teen, is my debut novel. I’m a mom to two awesome boys and love music. [...]
Autorenhomepage: www.tonyakuper.com
(Quelle)
Rezension
Josie ist gerade siebzehn geworden, als ihr Geburtstag alles verändert. Nicht nur macht ihr Freund an diesem Tag mit ihr Schluss und ihr Vater taucht (mal wieder) nicht auf, sondern Josie entwickelt plötzlich Fähigkeiten. Fähigkeiten, welche sie erstaunliche Dinge tun lassen, wie beispielsweise Materie aus dem Nichts herzuholen. Coole Fähigkeit, findet sie. Doch als Reid Wentworth in ihr Leben tritt, wird ihr klar, dass sie in Gefahr ist, denn sie ist eine Oculi: Sie kann die Materie nach ihrem Willen formen. Und eine ganz bestimmte geheime Organisation will sie dafür tot sehen. Und während sie gerade lernt, ihre Fähigkeiten zu beherrschen muss sie mit ansehen, wie Geheimnisse aus der Vergangenheit sie einholen und ihr Leben für immer verändern.
Mit diesem Science Fiction Debüt im Bereich der Young Adult Literatur schafft es Tonya Kuper geradlinig zu überzeugen und den Leser in eine spannende und actionreiche Geschichte mit glaubwürdigen Figuren eintauchen zu lassen. Man lernt zu Beginn ziemlich schnell die Protagonistin der Story, Josie, kennen, welche definitiv Mumm hat und so überhaupt nicht klischeehaft daherkommt. Man lernt einige Nebenfiguren kennen, die sich als ganz anders entpuppen, als man es zunächst annahm und der Roman strotzt nur so vor Intrigen, Rachegelüsten und Geheimnissen, die der Leser auf seinem Weg entdecken darf. Man taucht ein in eine Welt, die einen an eine Mischung aus X-Men und Matrix erinnert und doch etwas ganz eigenes besitzt, sodass man den Roman kaum aus der Hand zu legen vermag.
Josie's Charakter wird dabei schon zu Beginn in aller Deutlichkeit vorgeführt - und sie ist alles andere als dumm. Tatsächlich entwickelte sie bereits in ihrer Kindheit großes Interesse für die Quantenphysik und besitzt eine schnell Auffassungsgabe. Sie ist intelligent, emotional nicht gerade aufgeladen und weiß, wert auf die wirklich wichtigen Dinge zu legen. Sie benimmt sich in all ihren Handlungsweisen und ihren Gedankengängen sehr glaubwürdig und erspart dem Leser somit klischeehafte oder kitschige Szenen, für die man gerne die ein oder andere Figur in anderen Romanen erwürgen würde. Schlichtweg: Sie ist super cool, mutig und logisch und kommt absolut sympathisch daher. Doch der Leser entwickelt durchaus auch Sympathien und Abneigungen gegenüber anderen Figuren, sodass eine Menge Stoff bleibt, um Konflikte zu erschaffen. Reid Wentworth, Josie's Trainer und Beschützer, ist hierbei eine sehr ambivalente Figur, die frischen Wind in die Geschichte bringt und so ziemlich jedes Klischee, dass man erwarten mag, für nichtig erklärt. Natürlich entstehen auch die ein oder anderen Gefühle - doch die Beziehungsstrukturen sind nicht ganz so einfach - und Geheimnisse seinerseits machen es noch schwerer, dieses Terrain zu betreten.
Die Handlung selbst ist einfach nur super spannend. Man befindet sich in einem ständigen Strudel voller Ereignisse, die von jetzt auf gleich den gesamten roten Faden der Storyline auf den Kopf zu stellen vermag. Auch wenn sich hier und da Ruhemomente einschleichen mindert das nicht im geringsten den ständigen Adrenalinrausch, der einen beim Lesen dieser Lektüre begleitet, weil man so sehr wissen möchte, wie das ganze nun weitergeht. Die Autorin schafft es hier gekonnt, bereits bekannte Ideen aufzugreifen und mit innovativen Details ihrerseits zu spicken und erschafft so eine wirklich großartige Atmosphäre und Grundlage als Basis für den Hauptplot der Geschichte. Mit fortschreitender Seitenzahl wird der weitere Handlungsverlauf zwar ziemlich offensichtlich und kommt auch wie vorhergesehen daher, dennoch schafft sie es zum Finale doch mit einigen Überraschungen aufzuwarten, die einen wünschen lassen, Band zwei dieser tollen Serie wäre bereits erschienen. Den dieser Auftakt verspricht eine Menge Potenzial, und so viel ist sicher: Da geht definitiv noch mehr!
Fazit
Anomaly von Tonya Kuper ist eine sehr spannende und actionreiche Young Adult und Science Fiction Story, die mit ambivalenten und sympathischen Figuren sowie einer tollen Grundidee aufwarten kann. Alt und Neu werden hier harmonisch vermixt und schaffen so eine Geschichte, die man kaum aus der Hand zu legen vermag. Fernab von Klischees und Kitsch kann man sich hier einem grandiosen Abenteuer hingeben, dass zwar doch eine sehr vorhersehbare Handlung inne hat, jedoch vom Potenzial der Grundstory bis zum Schreibstil der Autorin stark von sich überzeugen kann. Fans des Genres sollten also definitiv nicht zögern und den Roman am besten sofort in die Hand nehmen - es lohnt sich!
Gesamte Reihe in einem Überblick:
01. Anomaly
02. Noch unbekannt (2016)
03. Noch unbekannt (2017)
Pro & Contra
+ Josie als Kick Ass Figur
+ Ambivalente Figuren
+ Beziehungsstrukturen
+ Permanente Spannung und sehr, sehr viel Action
+ Mischung zwischen Matrix und X-Men
+ Schreibstil der Autorin
+ Atmosphäre und Setting
+ Kombination aus altbekanntem mit innovativen Neuheiten
o Viel Potenzial vorhanden
o Da geht noch mehr!
- Vor allem zum Ende hin doch sehr vorhersehbar (Gesamtplot
Bewertung:
Handlung: 4/5
Charaktere: 4/5
Lesespaß: 4,5/5
Preis/Leistung: 4/5
December 1, 2014
'Anomaly' is the thrilling first book in a new young adult science fiction/fantasy series that fans of the genre will certainly want to read. The book follows our main characters - Josie, our female heroine who's having the worst seventeenth birthday ever, only to have it become worse when she meets Reid - the incredibly hot new guy at school. Reid turns Josie's already screwed up life upside down when he tells her that she is an Oculi - a person who has the ability to change reality with their thoughts. Reid is there to train her to use her abilities as well as to protect her from the organization that wants to control all Oculi - and to kill the ones with the most power, namely Josie.
This was definitely something original and completely unlike anything I've read before. I've read some science fiction novels that deal with time travel, but nothing like being able to manipulate reality itself. I have to admit that my mind was a bit boggled during the book when I attempted to wrap my brain around the concept - just like it took Josie awhile to adjust to the idea. I loved learning all about the Oculi - their abilities, history, the Resistance, the Consortium - everything. It was incredibly fascinating, and I really hope we get to learn more in the next book. Josie is a cool female lead character. She's ridiculously smart, super nerdy, logical, and practical. She also has a softer side, which makes her a devoted daughter and sister, determined to do what's right and fight the Consortium, and she has hopes, dreams, and fears like the rest of us. She was a very realistic character and I liked her right from the start. I can't say I understood all of the nerdy phrases or references made in the book (like quotes from Star Trek), but I still think she pulls off being super smart and nerdy in an awesome way. Our second lead character is Reid - the incredibly hot guy that seemingly appears out of nowhere on Josie's birthday and enrolls in the school. I loved him as a main character because of his attitude, strength, determination, and devotion. I also adored the way he thinks about Josie and acts around her - not quite like a trainer is supposed to. The book is told in alternating viewpoints - those of Josie and Reid - so the reader gets a really personal look at both characters. We hear their inner thoughts, emotions, and get a firsthand look at the story from their perspective. Using the dual first person viewpoints was a fascinating writing technique, and I feel it did a fantastic job of letting the reader get to know both the characters personally. I'm a romantic - so, of course, I loved all the mushy and sweet thoughts that went through Josie's and Reid's minds - and I really enjoyed watching their relationship grow from each perspective. Although some aspects of the plot have been done before, like the people who have special powers and are being hunted down by a secret organization, the whole premise of the Oculi and the concept of changing reality with mere thoughts was genius and highly intriguing. The pace of the book was a bit slow at the beginning, probably because all of the nerdy jokes and references were going right over my head; but once the story got going - it didn't stop until the very end. Overall, I definitely enjoyed this book and will be reading the sequel when it comes out. I can't wait to see where things are going to go after the ending of this book. Highly recommended for fans of science fiction and fantasy, as well as those who enjoy quantum physics, action, adventure, and a compelling story.
Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
This was definitely something original and completely unlike anything I've read before. I've read some science fiction novels that deal with time travel, but nothing like being able to manipulate reality itself. I have to admit that my mind was a bit boggled during the book when I attempted to wrap my brain around the concept - just like it took Josie awhile to adjust to the idea. I loved learning all about the Oculi - their abilities, history, the Resistance, the Consortium - everything. It was incredibly fascinating, and I really hope we get to learn more in the next book. Josie is a cool female lead character. She's ridiculously smart, super nerdy, logical, and practical. She also has a softer side, which makes her a devoted daughter and sister, determined to do what's right and fight the Consortium, and she has hopes, dreams, and fears like the rest of us. She was a very realistic character and I liked her right from the start. I can't say I understood all of the nerdy phrases or references made in the book (like quotes from Star Trek), but I still think she pulls off being super smart and nerdy in an awesome way. Our second lead character is Reid - the incredibly hot guy that seemingly appears out of nowhere on Josie's birthday and enrolls in the school. I loved him as a main character because of his attitude, strength, determination, and devotion. I also adored the way he thinks about Josie and acts around her - not quite like a trainer is supposed to. The book is told in alternating viewpoints - those of Josie and Reid - so the reader gets a really personal look at both characters. We hear their inner thoughts, emotions, and get a firsthand look at the story from their perspective. Using the dual first person viewpoints was a fascinating writing technique, and I feel it did a fantastic job of letting the reader get to know both the characters personally. I'm a romantic - so, of course, I loved all the mushy and sweet thoughts that went through Josie's and Reid's minds - and I really enjoyed watching their relationship grow from each perspective. Although some aspects of the plot have been done before, like the people who have special powers and are being hunted down by a secret organization, the whole premise of the Oculi and the concept of changing reality with mere thoughts was genius and highly intriguing. The pace of the book was a bit slow at the beginning, probably because all of the nerdy jokes and references were going right over my head; but once the story got going - it didn't stop until the very end. Overall, I definitely enjoyed this book and will be reading the sequel when it comes out. I can't wait to see where things are going to go after the ending of this book. Highly recommended for fans of science fiction and fantasy, as well as those who enjoy quantum physics, action, adventure, and a compelling story.
Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
December 4, 2014
This review was originally posted on my blog, Hiver et Cafe
Check out the post for a giveaway with 4 prizes for this book!
I received an e-ARC of this novel to review as part of the blog tour. This does not affect my opinion whatsoever. This review is my honest opinion and I was not compensated in any way in exchange for this review.
This book has a really interesting concept. The series is named Schrodinger's Consortium, after the physicist, Schrodinger, who created the famous Schrodinger's Cat analogy. If you don't know what the Schrodinger's Cat is, basically it's a theory that says that when a cat is placed in a box and whether it is dead or alive is dependent on whether a radioactive atom had decayed and emitted radiation or not. He says that the cat is both dead and alive until the box is opened. The full thing is a little more complicated on that, but Anomaly plays on this idea of something being in the state of existence or non-existence all at once.
In Anomaly, there are Pushers, Retractors and Anomalies. Pushers are able to push anything non living into assistance, while Retractors are able to retract or disappear anything non living. Anomalies can do both. Josie is an anomaly and she doesn't learn this until her birthday, where suddenly everything starts going wrong. Reid Wentworth comes into town and she finds out that he is her trainer in everything Oculi, as the Pushers, Retractors and Anomalies are called.
Anomaly is told in dual point of view that switches between Josie and Reid's point of view throughout the novel.
Josie is a physics prodigy and she is so good at it that she won an award that would be handed to her by the Vice President of the United States. She's also a proud nerd. She makes a lot of references to Star Trek and Star Wars and as much of a nerd that I believe I am, I didn't really get these references, since I'm only casually into Star Trek and Star Wars. Josie is one of those types that "is a nerd, but is also pretty and doesn't know it" and it annoyed the crap out of me. I'm just kind of sick of that whole situation. Her mom is a scientist and so is her missing father and they are super strict and controlling with what Josie and Eli, her younger brother, are allowed to do. It was ridiculously strict and her mom treated her terribly throughout the book. It really enraged me so as much as Josie irritated me, I sympathized with Josie enough so that I cared for her.
It's admirable how dedicated Reid is to protecting and teaching Josie her oculi powers. There is history between Josie and Reid and he has liked her for a long time so it's obvious he would want to protect her. Also, though he likes her, he is ruthless with her training and gives her initiation by fire. I like that he doesn't skimp on her or hold back just because he likes her.
Since this is a book that's premise is based on a physics theory and the main character is a physics prodigy, expect a lot of it in this book, mostly in the beginning. I don't know how accurate the physics is because I suck at it, but some of it I did understand. The concept and idea of Anomaly is quite interesting and I'm very interested where the next book is going to go, because apparently, not everything is as it seems.
Overall, this is a fun read and though I may not enjoy the characters too much, I quite enjoyed the plot and the concept. I would be willing to read the next one to see where this goes.
Check out the post for a giveaway with 4 prizes for this book!
I received an e-ARC of this novel to review as part of the blog tour. This does not affect my opinion whatsoever. This review is my honest opinion and I was not compensated in any way in exchange for this review.
This book has a really interesting concept. The series is named Schrodinger's Consortium, after the physicist, Schrodinger, who created the famous Schrodinger's Cat analogy. If you don't know what the Schrodinger's Cat is, basically it's a theory that says that when a cat is placed in a box and whether it is dead or alive is dependent on whether a radioactive atom had decayed and emitted radiation or not. He says that the cat is both dead and alive until the box is opened. The full thing is a little more complicated on that, but Anomaly plays on this idea of something being in the state of existence or non-existence all at once.
In Anomaly, there are Pushers, Retractors and Anomalies. Pushers are able to push anything non living into assistance, while Retractors are able to retract or disappear anything non living. Anomalies can do both. Josie is an anomaly and she doesn't learn this until her birthday, where suddenly everything starts going wrong. Reid Wentworth comes into town and she finds out that he is her trainer in everything Oculi, as the Pushers, Retractors and Anomalies are called.
Anomaly is told in dual point of view that switches between Josie and Reid's point of view throughout the novel.
Josie is a physics prodigy and she is so good at it that she won an award that would be handed to her by the Vice President of the United States. She's also a proud nerd. She makes a lot of references to Star Trek and Star Wars and as much of a nerd that I believe I am, I didn't really get these references, since I'm only casually into Star Trek and Star Wars. Josie is one of those types that "is a nerd, but is also pretty and doesn't know it" and it annoyed the crap out of me. I'm just kind of sick of that whole situation. Her mom is a scientist and so is her missing father and they are super strict and controlling with what Josie and Eli, her younger brother, are allowed to do. It was ridiculously strict and her mom treated her terribly throughout the book. It really enraged me so as much as Josie irritated me, I sympathized with Josie enough so that I cared for her.
It's admirable how dedicated Reid is to protecting and teaching Josie her oculi powers. There is history between Josie and Reid and he has liked her for a long time so it's obvious he would want to protect her. Also, though he likes her, he is ruthless with her training and gives her initiation by fire. I like that he doesn't skimp on her or hold back just because he likes her.
Since this is a book that's premise is based on a physics theory and the main character is a physics prodigy, expect a lot of it in this book, mostly in the beginning. I don't know how accurate the physics is because I suck at it, but some of it I did understand. The concept and idea of Anomaly is quite interesting and I'm very interested where the next book is going to go, because apparently, not everything is as it seems.
Overall, this is a fun read and though I may not enjoy the characters too much, I quite enjoyed the plot and the concept. I would be willing to read the next one to see where this goes.
November 26, 2014
Mon avis en Français
My English review
I was immediately drawn to the summary when I read it. The novel seemed very different from what we are used to read and I must admit that the first sentence immediately reminds me of Matrix. I immediately thought of a story that would impress me, something unique like the Inception movie. In short you can imagine that I expected much of this novel. In the end I must say that it is not as unique as I thought, this is not that amazing, but I still had a good time.
Josie is a pretty normal girl, but her birthday is messing up her life. I’m not going to make the display of all the problems of the girl that day because everything is explained in the summary, but it is true that it is very far from being a good day. And on top of that, she learns that she is an Oculi, an anomaly in fact, that is to say a person who can create a reality from her mind, and she can also destroy it. This is an extraordinary talent, but it also goes for any inconvenience with it, because people of her kind become physically or mentally ill in the end. More than that, she finds herself between two clans in war. Yes, because both parties want to destroy the other and it seems that one is determined to kill her at all costs. Josie will have to quickly learn to manipulate her gifts and to fight to survive.
I was really sad with Josie compared to her relationship with her mother. It’s pretty sad to see that there isn’t a lot of love and the girl is left to fend for herself. The cause of the Oculi always comes first and we feel that pretty easily. Fortunately for her, Reid is here to help her and even more. However, the young man hides a lot of secrets that may well hurt her apprentice. I liked that their relationship was evolving slowly. At the same time, I admit that I felt a bit down compared to this romance. Even if it was touching, I admit that the relentless progress and setbacks in their history had left me a little disturbed. But I liked discovering this little flirtation and see it evolve.
In terms of history, we discover the world that the author created as well as the characters, we glimpse the tracks for the future. I was quite taken by the story at the beginning of the novel, but I admit that I let it go a little in the last chapters, however the author really surprised me on a character. And it’s true that I’m curious to see what will happen thereafter.
In the end it was a good novel even if it is true that I was expecting something more. I had a good time and I would read the following volume with pleasure.
My English review
I was immediately drawn to the summary when I read it. The novel seemed very different from what we are used to read and I must admit that the first sentence immediately reminds me of Matrix. I immediately thought of a story that would impress me, something unique like the Inception movie. In short you can imagine that I expected much of this novel. In the end I must say that it is not as unique as I thought, this is not that amazing, but I still had a good time.
Josie is a pretty normal girl, but her birthday is messing up her life. I’m not going to make the display of all the problems of the girl that day because everything is explained in the summary, but it is true that it is very far from being a good day. And on top of that, she learns that she is an Oculi, an anomaly in fact, that is to say a person who can create a reality from her mind, and she can also destroy it. This is an extraordinary talent, but it also goes for any inconvenience with it, because people of her kind become physically or mentally ill in the end. More than that, she finds herself between two clans in war. Yes, because both parties want to destroy the other and it seems that one is determined to kill her at all costs. Josie will have to quickly learn to manipulate her gifts and to fight to survive.
I was really sad with Josie compared to her relationship with her mother. It’s pretty sad to see that there isn’t a lot of love and the girl is left to fend for herself. The cause of the Oculi always comes first and we feel that pretty easily. Fortunately for her, Reid is here to help her and even more. However, the young man hides a lot of secrets that may well hurt her apprentice. I liked that their relationship was evolving slowly. At the same time, I admit that I felt a bit down compared to this romance. Even if it was touching, I admit that the relentless progress and setbacks in their history had left me a little disturbed. But I liked discovering this little flirtation and see it evolve.
In terms of history, we discover the world that the author created as well as the characters, we glimpse the tracks for the future. I was quite taken by the story at the beginning of the novel, but I admit that I let it go a little in the last chapters, however the author really surprised me on a character. And it’s true that I’m curious to see what will happen thereafter.
In the end it was a good novel even if it is true that I was expecting something more. I had a good time and I would read the following volume with pleasure.
July 7, 2017
Young Adult science fiction anyone? I never thought I would read YA, but I am finding more and more that are well written, with very creative premises. This book fit right in with that.
It's Josie's seventeenth birthday, her boyfriend breaks up with her, her dad has been missing for awhile, her summer placement has fallen through, and out of the blue, two extremely good looking guys show up at her school. And actually, that was a laugh out loud scene at one point for me. At a party later on that night, she meets the two guys, Reid and Santos. Reid takes her out for a ride, and shows her things about herself that she could not ever dream of, but it does explain the why of some weird thing that have been bothering her. When a man tries to kill her, the story completely ramps up. I guess you could say it was not her best birthday.
The story is told by both Josie and Reid, first person perspective. That really helped in explaining a lot in this story. Josie is a total physics nerd, but is attractive, and does have good friends. Star Trek and Star Wars topics come up many times, not to mention all the physics references. I was a bit lost with those-with the exception of the early Star Wars ones. Reid is an operative in the resistance against the Consortium, a group that is trying to police people with abilities like Reid and Josie possess. They also have nefarious reasons for this-also known as being the villains of the story. Comic relief is provided by Santos, at least most of the time.
Action, deaths, betrayals, and a good romance round out this well written story. I know there are a lot of books out there that feature a teenage girl finding out what she is, or that she is going to change/save the world. I've read a few, and have turned away from a lot more as being the same thing over and over again. I thought this one completely worked, and was written in such a way that it was a one day read for me, as I didn't want to put it down.
On purpose, I haven't touched on anything about their abilities, or what Josie, Reid and Santos are, although I think the blurb kind of already did that. Suffice it to say that I found it to be a different, and very creative premise, and I enjoyed the whole thing. Thankfully, there's not a bad cliffhanger, although there's a whole lot of story still to be told, and I have every intention of reading the next one. How could I not? It was just that good!
Due to violence, I would recommend this for YA readers, at least 14 plus, up to adult. I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest, and fair review.(RabidReads.com)
It's Josie's seventeenth birthday, her boyfriend breaks up with her, her dad has been missing for awhile, her summer placement has fallen through, and out of the blue, two extremely good looking guys show up at her school. And actually, that was a laugh out loud scene at one point for me. At a party later on that night, she meets the two guys, Reid and Santos. Reid takes her out for a ride, and shows her things about herself that she could not ever dream of, but it does explain the why of some weird thing that have been bothering her. When a man tries to kill her, the story completely ramps up. I guess you could say it was not her best birthday.
The story is told by both Josie and Reid, first person perspective. That really helped in explaining a lot in this story. Josie is a total physics nerd, but is attractive, and does have good friends. Star Trek and Star Wars topics come up many times, not to mention all the physics references. I was a bit lost with those-with the exception of the early Star Wars ones. Reid is an operative in the resistance against the Consortium, a group that is trying to police people with abilities like Reid and Josie possess. They also have nefarious reasons for this-also known as being the villains of the story. Comic relief is provided by Santos, at least most of the time.
Action, deaths, betrayals, and a good romance round out this well written story. I know there are a lot of books out there that feature a teenage girl finding out what she is, or that she is going to change/save the world. I've read a few, and have turned away from a lot more as being the same thing over and over again. I thought this one completely worked, and was written in such a way that it was a one day read for me, as I didn't want to put it down.
On purpose, I haven't touched on anything about their abilities, or what Josie, Reid and Santos are, although I think the blurb kind of already did that. Suffice it to say that I found it to be a different, and very creative premise, and I enjoyed the whole thing. Thankfully, there's not a bad cliffhanger, although there's a whole lot of story still to be told, and I have every intention of reading the next one. How could I not? It was just that good!
Due to violence, I would recommend this for YA readers, at least 14 plus, up to adult. I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest, and fair review.(RabidReads.com)
December 5, 2014
I'd like to thank Entangled Teen for providing me with a copy of this book to read and give an honest review. Receiving this book for free has in no way altered my opinion or review.
So this is one of those book that starts out with a bang. We're pushed right into Josie's world that takes a turn for the worst, and right on her birthday when her boyfriend decides to break up with her! Worst way to start it, right? But right from the start I knew that there were great things waiting for Josie, so I wasn't worried that she wouldn't bounce back. And that she did.
My most favorite part of this book was the geeky nerd that Josie is. And she's not afraid that others know about it. She intelligent, but she's also really strong. And she loves Star Wars, so what's not to like. She was easy to relate to and seemed down to earth and genuine. And I love that she's so open to all the changes she's going through.
Enter Reid. Yup, he's the swoon worthy man of the story. And I love that you get his point of view. He's got secrets he's keeping from Josie, things he can't tell her because he's sure they will make her run the other way. But when push comes to shove, it's really about his need to protect her, and so his secret remains locked away. At least for a while.
Kuper certainly fills her story with tons of action. While there were parts that were slow, there were enough twists and turns to keep me coming back and wanting to know how it would all end. And the way the characters can change things was really interesting. Kuper also did a nice job with the world building in this book. There really wasn't anything left to question, the descriptions really leant to understanding what exactly was happening and why. I did find a few plot holes in the book, places where I thought there really needed to be more explanation so it would coincide with what we had been exposed to earlier, but they didn't take away from my enjoyment of it.
I will say that Josie's relationship with her mom made me sad. And the way her mom used her as a pawn also made me mad. I didn't feel like she cared about Josie. I suppose this leant to Josie becoming more independent and self-serving when the need arose, which was good since she's fighting some kind of evil at every turn.
Oh and did a mention my cover love for this book? From the first moment I saw it, the cover alone made me want to pick up a copy of this book. The blurb only made me that much more interested.
Overall it was a very enjoyable read. I am curious to see how Kuper plays the next book out.
So this is one of those book that starts out with a bang. We're pushed right into Josie's world that takes a turn for the worst, and right on her birthday when her boyfriend decides to break up with her! Worst way to start it, right? But right from the start I knew that there were great things waiting for Josie, so I wasn't worried that she wouldn't bounce back. And that she did.
My most favorite part of this book was the geeky nerd that Josie is. And she's not afraid that others know about it. She intelligent, but she's also really strong. And she loves Star Wars, so what's not to like. She was easy to relate to and seemed down to earth and genuine. And I love that she's so open to all the changes she's going through.
Enter Reid. Yup, he's the swoon worthy man of the story. And I love that you get his point of view. He's got secrets he's keeping from Josie, things he can't tell her because he's sure they will make her run the other way. But when push comes to shove, it's really about his need to protect her, and so his secret remains locked away. At least for a while.
Kuper certainly fills her story with tons of action. While there were parts that were slow, there were enough twists and turns to keep me coming back and wanting to know how it would all end. And the way the characters can change things was really interesting. Kuper also did a nice job with the world building in this book. There really wasn't anything left to question, the descriptions really leant to understanding what exactly was happening and why. I did find a few plot holes in the book, places where I thought there really needed to be more explanation so it would coincide with what we had been exposed to earlier, but they didn't take away from my enjoyment of it.
I will say that Josie's relationship with her mom made me sad. And the way her mom used her as a pawn also made me mad. I didn't feel like she cared about Josie. I suppose this leant to Josie becoming more independent and self-serving when the need arose, which was good since she's fighting some kind of evil at every turn.
Oh and did a mention my cover love for this book? From the first moment I saw it, the cover alone made me want to pick up a copy of this book. The blurb only made me that much more interested.
Overall it was a very enjoyable read. I am curious to see how Kuper plays the next book out.
November 22, 2014
Hmm... What did i think of Anomaly? It was great rather awesome! The whole i have so much power and i could literally do stupendous things kept me intrigued. And don't even get me started with Reid goodness gracious i think he was my favorite character in the whole book.
Anomaly started off incredibly funny with Josie breaking up with her boyfriend and not even shedding a tear. Even though, it was her birthday, what a jerk. Then, when she met Reid...
Yeah that was pretty much my face to sum it all up.
I honestly loved the book it was incredibly good and the action was amazing it made me for some odd reason feel a sense of pride toward Josie. ESPECIALLY, when she totally kicked and punched that girl to heaven knows where. Total awesomeness i tell you.
The heated but, at the same time terrifying training that Josie had to endure with Reid kept me on my feet and enthralled. Oh and you did hear me say HEATED.
Here comes to say the things i didn't like about it. I mean i could go on and on saying good things about Anomaly but, there were some parts i just didn't like. I don't mean it in a bad way I'm just being honest. Josie was pretty amazing when the thought counts. But, the whole pseudo science this and that kind of just bored me a little and i had to skim those parts. I mean we all want to know what's behind the scenes of all this but, to me it felt like it took some part of the book. Though, i don't want to judge. That is what kind of made me drop the five star. But, it did not damage the whole book because overall it was absolutely enjoyable and great. Tonya Kuper managed to surprise me with that twist close to the end. I guess you can't be so trusted on your friends at times...just kidding. Josie you are amazing!! And Reid... well yeah Reid. ;)
Anomaly started off incredibly funny with Josie breaking up with her boyfriend and not even shedding a tear. Even though, it was her birthday, what a jerk. Then, when she met Reid...
Yeah that was pretty much my face to sum it all up.
I honestly loved the book it was incredibly good and the action was amazing it made me for some odd reason feel a sense of pride toward Josie. ESPECIALLY, when she totally kicked and punched that girl to heaven knows where. Total awesomeness i tell you.
The heated but, at the same time terrifying training that Josie had to endure with Reid kept me on my feet and enthralled. Oh and you did hear me say HEATED.
Here comes to say the things i didn't like about it. I mean i could go on and on saying good things about Anomaly but, there were some parts i just didn't like. I don't mean it in a bad way I'm just being honest. Josie was pretty amazing when the thought counts. But, the whole pseudo science this and that kind of just bored me a little and i had to skim those parts. I mean we all want to know what's behind the scenes of all this but, to me it felt like it took some part of the book. Though, i don't want to judge. That is what kind of made me drop the five star. But, it did not damage the whole book because overall it was absolutely enjoyable and great. Tonya Kuper managed to surprise me with that twist close to the end. I guess you can't be so trusted on your friends at times...just kidding. Josie you are amazing!! And Reid... well yeah Reid. ;)
December 9, 2014
This book had a unique, interesting premise. It's hard to find an original paranormal book anymore. Well, the paranormal ability is rather unique, but the plot isn't so much. It's not bad at all, but it follows the typical plot of random girl finds out she has special powers and that omg, she's like the best at the special powers and now she has to save everyone!
Cute love interest, but nothing super swoon-worthy. This book is told mostly from Josie's POV, but also occasionally from Reid's POV. I think it would have been better if it had been all from Josie's POV. Reid is sweet, but his narrative doesn't add a whole lot.
The most annoying thing about this book for me is how Josie's nerdiness is played up so much.
All of this, only halfway through the book!! And don't even get me started on the number of times she says "thank Thor" or "by the USS Enterprise" or "dear Star Lord" or "thank the moon of Endor" or -- okay, I need to stop there before I end up rating this any lower. I get it, she's a geek. I'm a geek and I do not talk like this. I know lots and lots of geeks (it's pretty much a requirement for being my friend) and I don't know anyone who talks like this. It's just annoying. Once I was able to ignore that, this was an enjoyable book.
This and other reviews can be found at Folded Between the Pages of Books
Cute love interest, but nothing super swoon-worthy. This book is told mostly from Josie's POV, but also occasionally from Reid's POV. I think it would have been better if it had been all from Josie's POV. Reid is sweet, but his narrative doesn't add a whole lot.
The most annoying thing about this book for me is how Josie's nerdiness is played up so much.
It had to be what it felt like to be zapped by Loki's specter.
My rib cage rattled as if my heard was demonstrating Newton's Law of Inertia.
My chest hurt, like the Hulk had my torso in a death squeeze.
And I latched onto that one morsel of good news like Thor's hammer, Mjolnir.
So I'd hopped in my car, my personal version of an X-wing, like when Anakin first embarked on his new life to train as a Jedi.
The weight of obligation settled on my shoulders with the force of a landing Y-wing.
All of this, only halfway through the book!! And don't even get me started on the number of times she says "thank Thor" or "by the USS Enterprise" or "dear Star Lord" or "thank the moon of Endor" or -- okay, I need to stop there before I end up rating this any lower. I get it, she's a geek. I'm a geek and I do not talk like this. I know lots and lots of geeks (it's pretty much a requirement for being my friend) and I don't know anyone who talks like this. It's just annoying. Once I was able to ignore that, this was an enjoyable book.
This and other reviews can be found at Folded Between the Pages of Books
November 20, 2014
The wonderful cover of this book, combined with the well-written blurb, does an excellent job of luring us in by promising a book both hilarious and filled with adventure and romance. However, Anomaly doesn’t quite live up to the promise. There is, admittedly, a decent amount of adventure, but romance is far from satisfactory, and the promised humor strangely absent.
Josie is having the worst day of her life, and who cares that it’s her 17th birthday? Certainly not her slimy boyfriend who decides to dump her on that very day, and neither does her overbearing, depressed mother or her absent father. But even with all that on her plate, Josie doesn’t get a reprieve. Instead, strange things start happening around her and instead of ending with a birthday party, her day ends with murder.
Anomaly follows the usual YA paranormal route, without a single detour to make it at least somewhat more memorable. Josie learns that she’s very powerful and that a group of people is trying to kill her because of it, a hot boy is there to protect her but he (naturally) can’t be in a relationship with her because she’s apparently too important to be kissed senseless, there’s a loyal best friend, a traitor in their midst, absent parents and just about everything else one would expect from a book such as this. Sometimes these combinations of tropes and stock characters end up working splendidly, but unfortunately, this is not one of those times.
Anomaly might be better suited for younger readers and those who haven’t read much paranormal YA. It’s cute and fairly well written, but not for people who have read many similar stories in the past. However, other series have started this way and ended up being original and entertaining. There is hope yet if Tonya Kuper decides to take things in an unexpected direction.
Josie is having the worst day of her life, and who cares that it’s her 17th birthday? Certainly not her slimy boyfriend who decides to dump her on that very day, and neither does her overbearing, depressed mother or her absent father. But even with all that on her plate, Josie doesn’t get a reprieve. Instead, strange things start happening around her and instead of ending with a birthday party, her day ends with murder.
Anomaly follows the usual YA paranormal route, without a single detour to make it at least somewhat more memorable. Josie learns that she’s very powerful and that a group of people is trying to kill her because of it, a hot boy is there to protect her but he (naturally) can’t be in a relationship with her because she’s apparently too important to be kissed senseless, there’s a loyal best friend, a traitor in their midst, absent parents and just about everything else one would expect from a book such as this. Sometimes these combinations of tropes and stock characters end up working splendidly, but unfortunately, this is not one of those times.
Anomaly might be better suited for younger readers and those who haven’t read much paranormal YA. It’s cute and fairly well written, but not for people who have read many similar stories in the past. However, other series have started this way and ended up being original and entertaining. There is hope yet if Tonya Kuper decides to take things in an unexpected direction.
November 30, 2014
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review
Anomaly is an interesting, fun read. Full of science, action, and humor, this is a fast-paced novel with a rather original plot line. I think it's safe to say there was never really a dull moment during this story.
I loved Josie. Super smart, sassy, snarky, and a self-proclaimed dork, she is one of the best heroines I've come across this year. You can get an idea of her personality from the book blurb. Yeah, every scene from her POV reads like that. Josie is a quick learner and quick on the uptake,,, no one needs to explain anything to her twice.
Love interest/protector Reid is also quite smart, strong, and completely devoted to Josie. He carries some secrets as most male protags do, and these secrets complicate his relationship with Josie. Though he is supposed to be her teacher and protector, of course he falls hard for her. Reid's sidekick Santiago provides lots of humor when things get dicey.
I enjoyed the plot, it was different from others in the genre. While I loved the geek references, after a while they got a tad annoying... but that's Josie-- she is obsessed with geek culture. The relationship between Josie and Reid was sweet and I liked them as a couple. POV shifts between the two, so the reader has much more info than we'd receive from just one POV. The ending made me a touch sad, but I can't go into the 'whys' without spoilers. Overall this is an enjoyable read with a great female main character.
Anomaly is an interesting, fun read. Full of science, action, and humor, this is a fast-paced novel with a rather original plot line. I think it's safe to say there was never really a dull moment during this story.
I loved Josie. Super smart, sassy, snarky, and a self-proclaimed dork, she is one of the best heroines I've come across this year. You can get an idea of her personality from the book blurb. Yeah, every scene from her POV reads like that. Josie is a quick learner and quick on the uptake,,, no one needs to explain anything to her twice.
Love interest/protector Reid is also quite smart, strong, and completely devoted to Josie. He carries some secrets as most male protags do, and these secrets complicate his relationship with Josie. Though he is supposed to be her teacher and protector, of course he falls hard for her. Reid's sidekick Santiago provides lots of humor when things get dicey.
I enjoyed the plot, it was different from others in the genre. While I loved the geek references, after a while they got a tad annoying... but that's Josie-- she is obsessed with geek culture. The relationship between Josie and Reid was sweet and I liked them as a couple. POV shifts between the two, so the reader has much more info than we'd receive from just one POV. The ending made me a touch sad, but I can't go into the 'whys' without spoilers. Overall this is an enjoyable read with a great female main character.
November 29, 2014
*I received this book for free from Entangled Teen via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!! This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.*
*Genre* Young Adult, Science Fiction
*Rating* 3.5
*My Thoughts*
Anomaly is the first novel in the Schrodinger's Consortium series and author Tonya Kuper's first full length novel. Anomaly is told in alternating first POV's by 17-year old Josie Harper, and Reid Wentworth her trainer, protector, and powerful Anomaly. Kuper's idea to use Dual POV actually works. You don't have to imagine what the other person is thinking. Kuper puts you in both of their heads and you get first hand accounts as events progress and the action ramps up.
*Full Review posted @ Gizmos Reviews*
http://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/201...
*Recvd 10/21/2014 via NetGalley* Published: November 25th 2014 by Entangled: Teen
*Genre* Young Adult, Science Fiction
*Rating* 3.5
*My Thoughts*
Anomaly is the first novel in the Schrodinger's Consortium series and author Tonya Kuper's first full length novel. Anomaly is told in alternating first POV's by 17-year old Josie Harper, and Reid Wentworth her trainer, protector, and powerful Anomaly. Kuper's idea to use Dual POV actually works. You don't have to imagine what the other person is thinking. Kuper puts you in both of their heads and you get first hand accounts as events progress and the action ramps up.
*Full Review posted @ Gizmos Reviews*
http://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/201...
*Recvd 10/21/2014 via NetGalley* Published: November 25th 2014 by Entangled: Teen
February 21, 2015
I don't read a lot of YA, nor do I read a lot of Paranormal/Urban Fantasy, but I quite enjoyed this one. I really liked Josie, the heroine, a geek girl through and through. It was her voice that drew me in and kept me turning pages as the story flew along. It's a fast-paced read and the romance angle never overwhelms the story. This is Tonya Kuper's first novel and the start of a promising new series.
July 3, 2017
*I RECEIVED A FREE COPY FROM THE PUBLISHER IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW*
Josie had the typical life-sucks thing going on until bad boy Reid shows up on a motorcycle intent of convincing her she has special powers. When the evidence gets to strong to ignore, Josie is thrust into the unknown of the Oculi world with a target on her back. Her consolation prize? A hot trainer. But as Reid and Josie train, their feelings for each other grow but things are standing in their way. Like a certain society motivated to kill Josie. Suddenly, her brother's death doesn't seem so unconnected to her new life after all and with a traitor in the midst, Josie has no choice but to do everything in her power to stay alive and uncover the secrets that have been surrounding her life.
There are two types of Oculi-Pushers and retractors. Pushers can kind of manifest things and Retractors can make things disappear but they can't mess with things that have a soul. Then there's the Anomaly which can do both manifest and retract things. I know the science of it all may sound a little boring but it's actually a really exciting read!! Josie and Reid are anomalies which makes them powerful and dangerous.
I loved Josie mostly because she's a total nerd as much as I was and I got all her Star Wars/Big Bang Theory references and she was unapologetic of her character. BUT I have to say the author took a risk with all those fandom references because not everyone would get what Josie is talking about. In a way it completed the whole "nerd" aspect of the character the author was trying really hard to portray but I think it was the only way the reader could connect with Josie. If you don't get all her refs then you might not really connect with her.
Reid was awesome! There was a lot of mystery surrounding him especially because he kept hinting that he knew Rosie from before. It was obvious that he liked her and despite the bad boy persona he was still super sweet and affectionate.
There were some pretty shocking twists and Tonya Kuper's writing was amazing! Though it was a pretty stereotypical YA novel so I guess the premiss might not be for people who've read loads and loads of YA books. But it was definitely an entertaining read and for someone who's just jumping on the YA train, this book would be perfect!
Entangled Teen definitely has some of the best titles out there! I've included the trailer below if any of you guys wanna check it out and my review of book 2 will be on my tour date which is on the 6th of July of June so be sure to check it out!
Josie had the typical life-sucks thing going on until bad boy Reid shows up on a motorcycle intent of convincing her she has special powers. When the evidence gets to strong to ignore, Josie is thrust into the unknown of the Oculi world with a target on her back. Her consolation prize? A hot trainer. But as Reid and Josie train, their feelings for each other grow but things are standing in their way. Like a certain society motivated to kill Josie. Suddenly, her brother's death doesn't seem so unconnected to her new life after all and with a traitor in the midst, Josie has no choice but to do everything in her power to stay alive and uncover the secrets that have been surrounding her life.
There are two types of Oculi-Pushers and retractors. Pushers can kind of manifest things and Retractors can make things disappear but they can't mess with things that have a soul. Then there's the Anomaly which can do both manifest and retract things. I know the science of it all may sound a little boring but it's actually a really exciting read!! Josie and Reid are anomalies which makes them powerful and dangerous.
I loved Josie mostly because she's a total nerd as much as I was and I got all her Star Wars/Big Bang Theory references and she was unapologetic of her character. BUT I have to say the author took a risk with all those fandom references because not everyone would get what Josie is talking about. In a way it completed the whole "nerd" aspect of the character the author was trying really hard to portray but I think it was the only way the reader could connect with Josie. If you don't get all her refs then you might not really connect with her.
Reid was awesome! There was a lot of mystery surrounding him especially because he kept hinting that he knew Rosie from before. It was obvious that he liked her and despite the bad boy persona he was still super sweet and affectionate.
There were some pretty shocking twists and Tonya Kuper's writing was amazing! Though it was a pretty stereotypical YA novel so I guess the premiss might not be for people who've read loads and loads of YA books. But it was definitely an entertaining read and for someone who's just jumping on the YA train, this book would be perfect!
Entangled Teen definitely has some of the best titles out there! I've included the trailer below if any of you guys wanna check it out and my review of book 2 will be on my tour date which is on the 6th of July of June so be sure to check it out!
July 3, 2017
I'm guessing there were books like Anomaly around when I was a teen, but I think I was just so fixated on reading my mom's Harlequins that I didn't bother to see what else was out there. I'm glad that as I've gotten older I've also gotten wiser, and have expanded my reading horizons quite a bit. I don't think you need to be a teen to enjoy this one, even with all the pop culture references. Anomaly is an entertaining, fast-paced, and fun read.
Although I'm nowhere near being a sceince nerd, or dork as Josie prefers to refer to herself, I found all the science based references in this book really interesting.
I loved that Josie is such a smart and strong girl, she loves her family, and makes no apologies for her geekiness. If I was a mom she's a character I wouldn't mind my daughter emulating.
Reid is a great character- he's tough, but has a heart. He's very mature for his age, and has a lot riding on his shoulders. Even with all his responsibilities he's able to keep a level head for someone his age. I really liked his relationship with Josie. There was an underlying pull between them, and when things were revealed it all made sense for Josie.
The romance between Reid and Josie wasn't a major plot point, but it added a sweetness and light to the story.
I thought Anomaly was really terrific. The plot was unique, the characters engaging, and the end left me wanting more.
Copy received courtesy of Entangled: Teen, via NetGalley.
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