Review: Rippler by Cidney Swanson

Title: Rippler 
Author: Cidney Swanson

Genre: YA paranormal romance

Where I got it: E-book giveaway from LibraryThing

One sentence: Sam is just a regular girl with a mutation that causes her to ripple, or turn invisible, until fellow classmate Will sees her vanish and the two discover that someone has been killing people who possess Sam’s gene.

Themes: paranormal, romance, mystery,

Main character: 3.5/5

I really liked the character of Sam. She is portrayed as a normal teenage girl with a genetic disorder that she can’t control. And this disorder isn’t like a superpower, it has its own pitfalls, which is refreshing. The only thing that I didn’t like about Sam was that sometimes I found her a bit bland. She didn’t have a personality for me other than the fact that she likes running and has the rippling gene.

Secondary characters: 4/5

Will was sweet and funny, and I loved how the relationship between him and Sam develops as a friendship, rather than a romance, however there is certainly the opportunity for it. I particularly loved the character of Mickie. She is multi-layered, interesting and intriguing.

Writing style: 4.5/5

Swanson’s writing style was clear and mature, and the pace unhurried. I found the conversations to be natural and easy-to-follow, and while there wasn’t that much action in the novel, I never really got bored.

Plot: 4/5
I liked the fact that Swanson combined the new paranormal craze with realistic and even historical elements. The combination with the Nazi human experiments added an extra gruesome twist on the side. I was definitely curious about the journal entries; everything just combined to pull me fully into the story.

Best scene:  Sam’s first time walking through walls

Positives:  Writing style, characters that are easy to connect with, intrigue and mystery, new twist on an old plot.

Negatives: The rushed ending, the blandness of Sam sometimes

First Line: “The screaming was the first clue that I’d turned invisible again”

Cover: Very pretty- I love the incorporation of water into it, and the girl in a dress.

Ending: As I mentioned earlier, probably one of the weakest things about the novel. I feel like there should have been some sort of conflict in the end, and instead it felt like I learned a great deal… and then the novel just stopped. I would have preferred some conflict that was wrapped up in the end, rather than just an obvious stopper until the next book in the series.

Verdict:. Cute and refreshing, a quality debut from author Cidney Swanson.

Rating: 7.5 /10