Patrick Wong

I was given the book free from the author in exchange of an honest review(Thank you, Mr. Wong!). The following review contains spoilers.

Rating 8 of 10

First I will say I really liked the book. And Nicole is still in top 10 of my all time favorite main heroines. She proved herself as a smart girl in the first book and for most part kept that reputation in the second too. The situation on the plane was fast paced and really spiced up the book, mostly I liked the way Nicole and her friends dealt with it.
A few things that put me back thought. First, the book started exactly where Balancer left off, which was good as I hate wondering what happened in the mean time, but I would have appreciated a bit of a introduction. It have been a while since I read Balancer and 20-30 pages into Taker I had to leave it down and go back to the first book, because... yeah, who was Drake(for example)? And as I mentioned Drake, I will admit he was a nice guy, brave and... forgettable. Amy and Ben were a lot more memorable in my opinion, they had more character in them. I really felt for Amy when she was grieving.
Another thing that bugged me a bit was how easy team Balancer trusted the professor down in the well. I know Ben vouched for him, but still I think they decided to go with him waaaay too easy. At this point I was thinking Nicole will be a lot more careful and maybe even a bit paranoid.
And one more thing - Nicole believed DuBois too easily, without questions. I sort of expected from a smart girl like her to doubt him a bit and think of options or possible consequences.
Agent Bishop is steadily on the path of becoming a favorite of mine too. He is smart and a man of action. Think he is someone worth having as a friend and dangerous to have as an enemy.
Now about the new hero in the book - Jason. I will admit I am not a big fan of instant love, but even I fell for him the moment I first met him. He is kind, brave and I didn't forget about him till he reappeared. His past remained a mystery thought and I would really love to know a bit more of him.
Overall the book was a very good read and I am wondering if there will be a next one. There were some answers offered in it, but still a few questions remained open. I am curious, very, very curious....
… (plus d'informations)

I was given a free copy of the e-book in exchange for an honest review. The following review contains spoilers.

Rating 8 of 10

I really liked the book. It was captivating and had some original ideas.
I can honestly say that Nicole is probably in the top 10 of my favorite heroines. She kind, smart and resourceful. She also have some doubts and insecurities and that makes her even more resourceful.
At first I didn't have a very good opinion of Amy but that changed when she got sick. The trick with the hair was a great idea.
I didn't really liked Ben. He was some creepy stalker for me. I know he turned up to be an okay guy, but if I was on Nicole's place I would have ran as far away from him as possible. He would have been the last person to ask for help.
Agent Bishop thought, can easily become another favorite of mine. I want to see more of him to make a decision about it.
The villains are not very good seen in that book yet. Carter made me suspicious from the beginning but not overly so. We still need to see the professor.
Interesting, fast read, the books raises a lot of questions, gives some answers and I really want to read the next.… (plus d'informations)

I would like to start by saying that this is a FIRST book from Mr. Wong and boy does he deliver! If this is the kind of writing he is doing at the very beginning of his career, I cannot wait to see how long and fruitful his career ends up being. I found the cover was very eye catching. The cover alone would have reeled me in.

I felt the story has great pace. You do not have to wait long to be pulled into the drama that is suddenly placed in Nicole's path. I am an adult, but I felt everything that Nicole was going through as she has this sudden "gift" that she learns about. I was impressed that Mr. Wong did not rush that part of the story too quickly.

Nicole learns about her power by accident and acts like a normal teenager by first experimenting with it like any other teenager would. But then the full impact of what she is capable of doing hits her and she decides that it is too much and she does not want to be responsible for causing life to end for one so that life can continue for another. She decides to ignore her power and keep herself away from anyone who she might accidently shift the balance of life to.

I loved the dynamic of the relationships within this book: from Nicole and Amy, to Nicole and Ben, to Nicole and her mom and dad, Amy and Nicole and Ethan, Mr. Bishop and Mr. Carter...etc. Once you read the book, I hope you will discover all the wonderful intricacies of those relationships. Everyone in the story was impactful. I did not feel that there was anyone in the story that did not need to be.

I felt the way Nicole explored and used her powers was fascinating. From the pencil drawings, to the feathers, to the bulbs lighting and to threading the needle (you’ll understand when you read it). It was a great device to illustrate how Nicole’s abilities worked and how she was able to focus and control her powers.

There was plenty of plot twist to keep the story from being too predictable. The character personalities are what made the book the most interesting for me. To see all the relationships develop and grow was smooth and realistic.

I truly appreciated the author taking the time to develop the story and plot threads. To show character development and then weave them all together into a fantastical read! Hopefully, Wong continues the story because it has all the ingredients to be a fabulous series. I will be keeping my eye on this author and any of his future work. If you are between the ages of 12-100 and enjoy a book that is different than the rest....this is the book for you! A must read!… (plus d'informations)