MOMENTUM / Imogen Rose

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: YA/Paranormal

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words

Availability
Kindle US: YES UK: YES Nook: YES Smashwords: NO Paper: YES
Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

Dr. Imogen Rose (she has a PhD in Immunology) has an addiction to Hermés. Her first book (not available for your Kindle) is a “look book” with Rose and her friends showing off fashions from their favorite designer. Since then, Rose has turned to paranormal fiction, with two series of Kindle bestsellers for Young Adults (the Portal Chronicles and Bonfire Chronicles) which have also proven to be popular with adults. For more, visit her website.

Description:

This is the fourth book in the Portal Chronicles series. PORTAL, EQUILIBRIUM, and QUANTUM are the first three.

Arizona Darley wakes up, eager to meet David at Starbucks before school, because she is sure he is going to ask her to “the Ball.” (If you’ve read the Portal Chronicles up to this point, you should spot the problem with this right away.) Crushed when David is a no-show, Arizona drives from the coffee shop to school where things take a strange turn.

Appraisal:

Each book of the Portal Chronicles has built on the prior book in two ways. First, the story world has gotten more complex. EQUILIBRIUM introduced the Wanderers (barely hinted at near the end of PORTALl). In QUANTUM, it was the introduction of the Sigmas. Both books added additional characters, each with their own agendas that influence the lives of the Arizonas (Darley and Stevens). Second, these changes complicate the life of Arizona (one, the other, or both) in some way. Complication equals conflict, and if all else is done right, also results in a good story.

In MOMENTUM, Imogen Rose doesn’t increase the complexity by introducing more paranormal beings or many new characters. But Arizona’s life does get more complicated, not to mention confusing. This confusion of Arizona’s, along with conflict from expected quarters in unexpected ways, should prove to be a spellbinding story for Portal Chronical fans. No matter how quickly Rose writes new books in this series, it is never fast enough for me.

FYI:

I would recommend starting with the first book of the series, PORTAL, and reading the full series before MOMENTUM. Although it might still be an enjoyable read, there is too much history from the prior books to completely understand the events in MOMENTUM without reading what came first.

Format/Typo Issues:

My review is based on a Beta copy that, by definition, is released previous to the final edit and proofreading. Although the author was notified of all errors I found and is believed to have corrected them, I can’t gauge whether there are any issues in this area in the published version.

Rating: ***** Five stars