Book Review: Split Second

Life can change in a split second.

Addie hardly recognizes her life since her parents divorced. Her boyfriend used her. Her best friend betrayed her. She can’t believe this is the future she chose. On top of that, her ability is acting up. She’s always been able to Search the future when presented with a choice. Now she can manipulate and slow down time, too . . . but not without a price.

When Addie’s dad invites her to spend her winter break with him, she jumps at the chance to escape into the Norm world of Dallas, Texas. There she meets the handsome and achingly familiar Trevor. He’s a virtual stranger to her, so why does her heart do a funny flip every time she sees him? But after witnessing secrets that were supposed to stay hidden, Trevor quickly seems more suspicious of Addie than interested in her. And she has an inexplicable desire to change that.

Meanwhile, her best friend, Laila, has a secret of her own: she can restore Addie’s memories . . . once she learns how. But there are powerful people who don’t want to see this happen. Desperate, Laila tries to manipulate Connor, a brooding bad boy from school—but he seems to be the only boy in the Compound immune to her charms. And the only one who can help her.
As Addie and Laila frantically attempt to retrieve the lost memories, Addie must piece together a world she thought she knew before she loses the love she nearly forgot . . . and a future that could change everything.  Quoted from Goodreads

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There is the great great possibility that I actually liked this book even more than the first one.  I'll admit it's hard to judge, but I really love the way Kacie West continued the story.

The second book picks up right were the first one leaves off. Laila is on the cover this time instead of Addie, and I actually didn't realize that half the book would be told from her POV (so instead of two different paths both featuring Addie, we get two different caracters.  In fact, the first time Leila started talking, I was kind of nervous I wouldn't like it as well---but I did!  Sure, I want more Addie and Trevor. That was my favorite plot line in the last book, but the author does a great job of weaving action, intrigue, and romance into Leila's half, that I ended up loving both POVs. Plus, Addie and Leila both feel different.  It's very clear which on is speaking at any given chapter despite the constant POV change.  

In fact, all the characters are well thought out and developed. Everyone you know and love, or love to hate, is back. The author fleshes out the characters even more this time around.  The stereotypical high school bad guys (you know, the mean cheerleader and the entitled jock) are given depth, and even redeemed at points, this time around. It's also fun because Addie goes out of the compound, not remembering the search she did in the last book, so we get to meet a bunch of the characters all over again, but it's very different this time around, and I think the author had a lot of fun with that.

As for the plot, it's deceptively intense.  It's a lot like Pivot Point, where all these little, innocuous things, start building up into something horrible and life altering that our main characters have to overcome.

Basically, this is the third Kacie West book I've read, and I just love it.  Her characters are always realistic, her plots intense (for their genre), her humor subtle, and her writing descriptive (I'm talking, she knows how to really show, not tell).  I don't know if Split Second is the last book in the series or not (it could be but there are a few loose ends I'd like to know more about), but I really loved the ending and am giving this book a high 4 stars.  If you want to read a well put together book, you really should check this one out.  It's excellent.