Review: Through to You by Emily Hainsworth

Title: Through To You
Author: Emily Hainsworth
Genre: YA Contemporary Paranormal/Mystery
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Length: 272 pages
Original Publishing Date: October 2nd, 2012
Series: Standalone
Where I got it: Audiobook from the e-library
Links: Goodreads Amazon Author's Website


Synopsis from Goodreads: 
 
Camden Pike has been grief-stricken since his girlfriend, Viv, died. He’d give anything to have just one more glimpse of her. But when Cam visits the site of Viv’s deadly car accident, he sees an apparition. Her name is Nina, and she’s a girl from a parallel world. When Cam follows her there and makes an unbelievable discovery, it’s as if all his wildest dreams have come true. But things are very different in this other world. Nina is hiding a secret, and the window between the worlds is shrinking every day. As Cam comes to terms with the truth, he’s forced to make a choice that will change his life forever.

 
Main characters: 5/5

Wow, I haven't read a book from a male POV (and only a male POV) in a while! It was incredibly refreshing. Cam was honest, genuine and down-to-earth. Everything that he felt was entirely real. He was stubborn at some points, but had such a big heart and I fell in love with him!

Cam definitely had his flaws, don't get me wrong. Sometimes I wanted to smack him because he was so slow on the uptake, and he was stubborn as all get out. But flaws aside, he was truly just real to the bone and I completely related to everything that he felt and thought.

Secondary characters: 2/5

Nina. What can I say about her? I liked her in general, but she felt a little bland to me. I wish that we had learned more about her. She was down-to-earth and sweet, but I didn't feel like I understood her or her motivations well enough. I also struggled a little bit with her decision not to tell Cam some things. In some ways I got it, but I also didn't and it made me wonder.

Viv was a bit of an enigma. I liked the contrast between her in the parallel worlds. I definitely didn't hear enough about Viv though. It was hard to understand her motivations (even more than it was to understand Nina). I seriously wish that Hainsworth had put in some more time putting some characterization on Viv, because I could have connected more with her then.

Writing style: 1.5/5

Hainsworth had some beautiful and real passages, but the main thing that I noted was the slow pacing. Hainsworth had such great ideas and characters, so I just wanted things to move a little bit faster!

I also had some issues with the way that Hainsworth introduced the twist. I could see it coming from so far away, I was astounded by it. I am definitely not a reader that catches twists from this far in the future, so I was surprised that.

Plot: 4.5/5 
What a cool premise! I really liked how Hainsworth integrated the parallel worlds with various other subgenres and plot points. You can tell by the vast amount of different genres that people have tried to shelf this under. I chose three on my own! For such a fantastical premise, there were few action points and few big integral moments where the plot moved forward. It sort of goes back to the slow pacing. There could have been some bigger plot points and action scenes, in my opinion (but take it with a grain of salt, because you know I love the action packed novels!). But overall, I really appreciated the philosophical aspect of parallel worlds and the extent to which Hainsworth really capitalized on it.

Ending: 4.5/5

Besides the massive twist that I saw coming from miles away, I was surprisingly happy with the ending. It left enough ambiguity to keep me questioning and thinking, but enough detail to give me a good idea of how all the main characters ended up. That's my perfect ending; that delicate mix of details and ambiguity.

Best scene: The ending


Reminded Me Of: Inception meets If I Stay

Positives: Cam, the premise, the ending

Negatives: Lack of characterization of the secondary characters, the slow pacing


Cover: I actually love this cover. The colors are gorgeous, as is the font, and everything makes a lot of sense with the novel.


Verdict:  I had a love/hate affair with some of the aspects of Through To You but ultimately I ended up really enjoying this parallel universe novel


Rating:  7.0 / 10 (4 stars)


Your Thoughts: Have you read it? What did you think? If you haven't, will you be adding it to your TBR list? Let me know!

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