Pulse (Pulse, #1)

Mar 02, 2013 Blythe rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: print-arc, 2013-reads, almost-fell-asleep, caught-in-a-bad-romance, creeeeepy, didn-t-see-that-coming, disappointments, doesn-t-deserve-the-hype, evil-cliffhanger, highly-anticipating-2013, hooray-for-masochism, i-totally-saw-that-coming, judge-a-book-by-the-cover, love-triangle, meh, snark-bait-ooh-ah-ah, read-reviewed, synopses-that-lie, unmet-potential

Warning: Incredibly long review with some minor spoilers

After finishing and forming my own - and mostly negative - opinions about Pulse, I'd decided to flip back to the first few pages of my ARC and read some of the advance praise quotes it had gotten so far, and see how vastly those opinions differed from mine, and more importantly if I found them to just be the basic difference in opinions, which I will always accept, or something I find to be completely and utterly false, which I have a not-a...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Ashley (Nose Graze) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, physical-arc

BookNook - Young Adult book reviews

1.5 Stars.... I think...

This books is one big UGH! Pulse was such a huge disappointment for me—so mush so that I'm really dreading writing this review. I really, REALLY wanted to love this book—and I thought I would—but it fell so flat for me, and that kind of breaks my heart.

This is going to be a long review, so if you want the quick and dirty, I'll give that to you first. There were just so many things that added up to make me not enjoy this book: the frustra...more BookNook - Young Adult book reviews

1.5 Stars.... I think...

This books is one big UGH! Pulse was such a huge disappointment for me—so mush so that I'm really dreading writing this review. I really, REALLY wanted to love this book—and I thought I would—but it fell so flat for me, and that kind of breaks my heart.

This is going to be a long review, so if you want the quick and dirty, I'll give that to you first. There were just so many things that added up to make me not enjoy this book: the frustrating characters, the bad decisions, the complete lack of romance, the totally unnecessary almost-date-rape-drugged crush at the beginning, the slow moving plot, the shaky world-building, and topped off with a writing style that I couldn't click with. That's the super summarized version of all the things that bugged me. Read on for details.

Faith was not a likeable character; she was naïve, reckless, impulsive, and had HORRIBLE taste in men. There was honestly nothing I liked about her. I never cared about her and I never got invested in her. She did a lot of things that just made me think "What the hell? One example, she meets a new kid named Hawk at school, and maybe one month later she's inviting him to sleep in her bed with her. Not sex, just sleep, but still... WHAT?? I would never do that—would you?? Also, Faith was supposed to be a really smart girl, but the first thing she did was chase after a guy who Hawk informed her was "an asshole". And that's where the book's problems truly start.

The initial 'romance' (if you can call it that?) in this book was unnecessary on so many levels. Faith starts chasing after a fellow student named Wade. Hawk already told her he was an asshat, but she went after him anyway. Why? I have no idea. He acts like a bit of a douche, but she totally brushes it off. He takes her on a date and she chooses this assclown over her best friend. Come on, girl. Chicks before dicks. Then, while on the date, he DRUGS HER, and she's not that upset (until a bit later, maybe after it sank in?). Since Faith was so stupid about the whole thing, I didn't even feel bad for her; I kept thinking that she deserved it. She ignored her friend who warned her about him, she ignored all the signs of douchebaggery, and she went for the guy anyway. Come on.

But the main reason I thought the romance was unnecessary was because after the whole near-date-rape-drug thing, it just died. It was like "Chapter over, let's move on." I honestly think that entire stupid crush could have (and should have) been cut from the book.

Moving on, the first half of this book was really slow. For some reason, I thought Pulse was going to be brimming with telekinesis from page one. Unfortunately, the first half of the book reads more like a lame high school drama than anything else. The telekinesis doesn't even come into play until halfway through the book. And then when it finally did come, I just wasn't all that interested. Either it wasn't presented well, or maybe by that point I had already given up on the book so it couldn't redeem itself.

Plot-wise, I just couldn't get invested. At all. The world-building was a little shaky, but the main problem was that I didn't understand the main conflict at all. It almost seemed like it wasn't there. There's a war brewing and there are two sides to it, both of which have telekinetic powers and are equally dangerous. But I had no idea what the 'evil' side was fighting for AT ALL. We sort of get an answer at the very end, but it was so vague that I still had a million questions and never quite understood it. What are they fighting for? What's their cause? What's the problem here? I have no idea.

From the blurb:

Compulsively readable, with thrilling action scenes and a tender love story.
—Pulse blurb

First, "compulsively readable". I have no problem putting this book down during the climax at the end. That should speak for itself. If I don't mind putting a book down during what should be the height of the story, that's a problem.

And, I'm sorry, but there is no love story. There was that absurd crush at the beginning (Faith and Wade—already addressed), and that doesn't even count as a romance in my opinion. Then Faith and Dylan meet and I thought that would be the real love story in the book, but it is never developed. There is no flirting, no sexual tension, not even a tiny hint of a romance. Then, very suddenly, at the end, Faith and Dylan make a few comments that suggest they've been in love all this time. What??? Did I miss a ton of flirting and romantic build-up? Because it didn't exist at all, and suddenly they're claiming they love each other.

"When he turned to her, [Faith] wanted nothing more than to feel his lips on her own, to fix all the broken pieces of her life."
—Faith, ARC of Pulse by Patrick Carman, page 352

That is the first tiny hint that a romance ever exists. Note the page number (352 out of 384). Also, look at the last bit of that sentence: "to fix all the broken pieces of her life." That is the WRONG reason to want to kiss someone and start a romance. To fix problems in your life? That's just unhealthy.

Then we have Dylan:

"[Dylan] needed [Faith] in order to keep breathing. Every day she was gone was like a death march, walking through the day in a fog, his heart heavy like the hammer."
—Dylan, ARC of Pulse by Patrick Carman, page 359

Even Dylan and Faith's friendship had sketchy foundations; I never felt their connection, let alone any sort of romance/spark/chemistry between them. So when Dylan started spouting this, I was literally just confused. How did these feelings even come about? I just have no idea.

Finally, the writing style in this book just was not for me. This is mostly a personal preference thing, but I couldn't click with it AT ALL. I had two main problems with it. First, was the fact that we kept jumping from points of view, without any clear indicator or reason. The book was told in third person, but usually books in third person stick to one character. Even though it's from third person, we see from one person's point of view. We're privy to that one person's thoughts and feelings, but no one else's (unless there's very clearly a dual POV thing going on). But in Pulse , we were constantly aware of EVERYONE'S thoughts, feelings, and emotions. We didn't skip from one "POV" to the next at chapter separations, we would skip mid-paragraph. At times, it actually got really confusing. I kept losing track of which character we were 'following' or who we were focusing on, because there was no pattern or sense to the changes. They just occurred at random times.

And secondly, there was one style of sentence in particular that reoccurred A LOT but I absolutely despised it. Here are a few examples:

"If he'd been watching the hammer fly, he would have seen that it was about thirty feet from landing."

"If he could have seen outside the long line of windows of the classroom, Hawk would have noticed that [..]."

I really don't like the "if he could have.. then.." format. It drove me NUTS and it happened all the time. It made me feel like the narrator was getting involved in the story itself, and I didn't like that. In third person narration, I don't like to 'see' or 'feel' the narrator. I just want them to give me the facts. Tell me what the characters see—DON'T tell me what they don't see; if they can't see it, then I don't want to see it either.

I know I've been kind of harsh in my review, but please know that it really kind of crushed my soul to write this. I have been so excited about this book for months and the fact that it didn't deliver for me is a huge disappointment. If you decide to read it, I'm seriously sitting here praying that you will love it. I wish I could have been one of those people and I wish I could have such amazing, positive enthusiasm for this book. Unfortunately, I don't. I literally feel like as soon as I start a new book, I will forget about Pulse completely.(less)

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May 01, 2013 Elevetha Houre rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, characterize-please, cover-fraud, fantasy-sci-fi, gorgeous-covers, insta-love, magic-and-other-magical-substances, meh-worthy, original, please-edit-this-book, potential-wasted, the-series-of-awesome-quest, characters-need-to-die, head-meet-your-new-friend-the-desk, once-is-enough, srb-style

1.5 stars.

Summery of the book - Spoilers

(view spoiler)...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Marie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: beautiful-covers, dytopian, favorites, read-in-2013, sci-fi

OH MY GOSH PATRICK CARMAN HAS ANOTHER BOOK COMING OUT!

I can't wait for this. Patrick Carman can do no wrong!

UPDATE MARCH 2013: Patrick Carman has to be one of my favorite authors EVER. I don't think there's been one book that he's written that I haven't read and loved. And PULSE is no exception. I loved everything about it! It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time, and kept me guessing until the end.

All in all, a superb novel. I can't wait to see what Patrick Carman comes up with next!

C...more

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May 10, 2013 Jennifer rated it 1 of 5 stars

Summary (based mostly upon reviews I've read):
People live in domes that are like states because the world has ended. Faith has special powers and is deeply in love (instantaneously) with Dylan. Dylan helps her figure out her powers and destiny in the world.

My thoughts:
I've based my very short summary on the reviews of others because I did not finish the book. With my limited time, I'm not pushing through books as much as I used to. I gave this book about 100 pages and then gave up. Dystopian is...more

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May 09, 2013 Rachael Mae rated it 3 of 5 stars

Patrick Carmen has written a tense and original story, with an amazing plot and interesting characters.

The plot:
I felt like half the book was the beginning. It inched along slowly, drilling facts into my brain. Eventually, it came to a point where we (We, meaning me and the main character) knew it all. That is when it started getting interesting. There was not a lot of action, but when there was it thrilling. The view point switches were flawless, and useful. In some books they can be irritating...more Patrick Carmen has written a tense and original story, with an amazing plot and interesting characters.

The plot:
I felt like half the book was the beginning. It inched along slowly, drilling facts into my brain. Eventually, it came to a point where we (We, meaning me and the main character) knew it all. That is when it started getting interesting. There was not a lot of action, but when there was it thrilling. The view point switches were flawless, and useful. In some books they can be irritating, but not in Pulse. I wasn't exactly sure who the enemy was. That is one of the things unique about Pulse, I got to decide who I thought the bad people were. I noticed that Patrick portrayed the 'good people on both sides' theory delightfully. So the plot, though slow, was interesting and over all enjoyable.

The characters:
Faith Daniels was a very fiery heroine. She was underestimated often, but always proved that she could stand up for herself. Although, she often lost fights. Dylan Gilmore wasn't Faith's first crush. There was another boy, one of the 'bad people', Wade Quinn. At first he is depicted as strong and handsome. As the story goes, you find out that he is just a wimp. Even though he is on one of the bad sides, he still loves Faith so you can't exactly hate him. I think it was an amazing moral, showing that you can't always trust whats on the outside. Faith learned to understand and accept that as well. There are others too, and the depth of Patrick's characters is outstanding. I really loved them.

The Setting:
So this cool idea of the 'State' slowly enveloping the rest of America was interesting. Faith had to constantly move closer and closer to it because schools were closing down as people gave up and moved to the state. With her background, Faith would never move there. She liked open spaces and the State was enclosed. So everything is run down. Abandoned buildings, empty neighborhoods. It was all very dramatic.

The Standout:
The thing that stood out to me the most...
I think Wade was what made the story interesting to me. Over and over he was used to keep the plot rolling. His morals were misshapen and his thoughts out of order. I think it was week of him to not choose a side, to try and keep everyone happy, but I think that also made me look at who I am. He was a jerk to Faith, but only because he didn't know how to handle his emotions. Plus, he had been continually pushed around by his parents and sister. He was an idiot, but he was also the best developed character in the book.(less)

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May 04, 2013 Wally rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, cities, death, dystopia, girl-hero, sf, teen, survival, friendship

In a dystopian future with America divided into two massive city states, Faith is one of the last people living outside of the States, where she attends an ever-shrinking school with a small group of other teens. Her parents have rejected the system and left home as Drifters, so when her best friend Liz finally gives in and moves to the nearest State, she has only a few new kids at the school to turn to. Ultra-cool but evil twins Wade and Clara, mysterious and gorgeous Dylan, and smart but small...more

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Apr 22, 2013 Shannon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

This is super long:

I really, really wanted to fall in love with this book. Really, I did. To begin with, it is one of those books that people love or hate. Science fiction (especially dystopian) can be so good or terribly cheesy, the line between the two is so thin! When i was younger, I adored Patrick Carman's other works so I thought this one would surely be amazing as well. But honestly the novel just seemed to fall a little flat.

First off is the fact that the main character Faith, really ju...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Marika rated it 3 of 5 stars

In every country, the majority of the world's population lives in States, which provide the basic necessities for survival plus all the games and shows you could possibly want. Faith doesn't live in a State, though her all-purpose tablet gives her access to limited shows, news,
schooling, and shopping. While it's usual for families to leave for the State, Faith will stay on the outside, a mostly abandoned area that encompasses most of the former United States. There are perks to this existence, f...more

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Dec 04, 2012 Melissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Another book that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Filled with action, love, secrets and drama there is nothing more you can ask for in this book.

Faith really burrows her way into your heart, as well as the other characters but her more so than them. She is strong, beautiful and not afraid to tell it ow it is, she loves fiercely and will do what it takes to keep them safe. When she starts a new school she catches the eye of not one but two boys who are completely different. Wade who is se...more

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May 13, 2013 Raven rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: utopia-and-dystopia

I just don't know how to feel about this book. On one hand, I do love the concept, on the other, we run into the same problem I've been having with a lot of books lately. I understand that the blurb on the back of the book or on the inside cover is supposed to draw in a new reader, but lately I've noticed that most of what is being advertised doesn't happen until at least halfway through. So we're sitting here waiting for all the cool action to happen as promised, but we don't get it until late....more I just don't know how to feel about this book. On one hand, I do love the concept, on the other, we run into the same problem I've been having with a lot of books lately. I understand that the blurb on the back of the book or on the inside cover is supposed to draw in a new reader, but lately I've noticed that most of what is being advertised doesn't happen until at least halfway through. So we're sitting here waiting for all the cool action to happen as promised, but we don't get it until late. We know that Faith has a special ability. We witness it a few times. But she is completely unaware of it and wondering what's going on. That's so frustrating when it's such a central part of the story and the main character is clueless.

Another thing that bugged me was the foreshadowing. I don't even like calling it that. We kept getting lines like "had so and so done this they would have noticed this." That's not so much foreshadowing as it is screaming HEY LOOK AT THIS IMPORTANT DETAIL I AM SHOUTING ABOUT MAKE SURE YOU WRITE THIS DOWN which isn't fun in books.

I do like the idea of how dependent we will become on technology and how we really won't need to leave our houses for anything ever again. I also enjoy that our first love interest is a jock, but not in the usual sports. Instead he's into pole vaulting. Now, admittedly it's kind of hard to form a football team when there are so few people left in this society, but it was still a nice change.

Now, my main problem with Mr. Jockface Wade? He drugs Faith on their first date. Drugs her twice. He doesn't take advantage of her or anything, but he does try to continue to be friends with her when she's clearly not okay with him at all. Finally, a female character who doesn't take shit like that. She's even led to a similar situation with Dylan and she questions her actions because of what happened with Wade. So many books there are female characters who get into these situations and just don't think twice about it. They keep seeing the guy over and over and fall for him. Nope. None of that here. Faith realizes what a dick Wade is and basically tells him to fuck off. She's also not comfortable with the fact that Dylan has been watching her sleep for the past few months. He never actually goes into her room and he's doing so to make her safe and make sure she's ready to face the world, but yes that is still kind of creepy, Dylan. And she says so. She voices her concerns and he agrees that it's weird but explains that it was for the best. Not the best defence, but not as creepy as some other books.

I love Faith's relationship with Liz. Absolutely adore it. So much so I wish we had more of it. Liz was such a minor character and then she became so important (view spoiler)

Enough is explained to understand what's going on, but it's still kind of confusing. Especially when we get to talking about sides of the war. The blurb made it sound like there was the states and then the rebellion, but it seems like there are really three sides. The states, the side Dylan is on, and the side that Wade and Clara are on. You don't know who the good guys are. I suppose it's the side Dylan is on simply because Clara tries to assassinate the President. That's just a guess, though.

I would have liked more action. The only real action scenes we have are when Wade drugs Faith and then at the big fight scene in the last few chapters. We don't even get much in the first one because Faith is drugged and doesn't realize what's going on. That last action scene was entertaining and I think I would have enjoyed the book more had there been more scenes like that.

I think I would like to read the next book in the series just because I like the concept and I'm curious where the story will go. This wasn't the greatest book in the world, it had plenty of issues to be dealt with, but it was entertaining enough. It was also a pretty quick read so I wasn't wasting my time with it. (less)

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Mar 22, 2013 Becky Savoie rated it 4 of 5 stars

So I picked up this book because Patrick Carman was coming to the B&N near my house for a book signing, and I wanted to see if I could finish this before he got there. I honestly did not expect to finish, let alone be so into the story that I finished it in TWO DAY. It was good. I love that there's a female lead that, while into boys, doesn't just keep following after ones she determines to be jerks. She stands up for herself. She sticks to it. I also love the exploration of the power of tou...more

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Apr 26, 2013 Gabriel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: hardcover, owned

My rating: 3.5 stars

I want to give this book a chance 'cause I really like the idea behind it. I gave it 4 stars to encourage myself to read the sequel when it comes out. So, yeah. Four stars for you Pulse!

Okay. One thing that made me decide to read this book was because it has kids (well teenagers, really) that have super powers! I'm always drawn in by these kind of novels and I just can't help not trying this one out! Also, one other thing was the book's cover! Man, that's a pretty cool cover...more

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Mar 01, 2013 Karin rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-reads, youngadult

I was excited to read this book. I’m mean look at the cover. Read the synopsis. But, it was a let down. In my opinion, which is exactly that, MY opinion, this book has many flaws. I’m not going to get very detailed about any of them because I don’t want to spoil it for people that haven’t read it yet. But, I can’t help saying a little.

This book in written with an omniscient narrator. I really don’t like this style. It can make it very confusing, especially for kids. With this type of narrator th...more I was excited to read this book. I’m mean look at the cover. Read the synopsis. But, it was a let down. In my opinion, which is exactly that, MY opinion, this book has many flaws. I’m not going to get very detailed about any of them because I don’t want to spoil it for people that haven’t read it yet. But, I can’t help saying a little.

This book in written with an omniscient narrator. I really don’t like this style. It can make it very confusing, especially for kids. With this type of narrator the reader can be in everyone’s heads, see what everyone is doing and sometimes that is happening within the SAME paragraph.

Also, it is described as being a tender love story? Uhhhh, not in the least is this a tender love story. There is a bit at the end, but it is really one-sided. Not much going on really in that department.

There is also some big war brewing that our main characters Faith, Hawk, and Dylan are supposed to win in order to save the world. The problem is, by the end of the book the reader still doesn’t really know what the war is about. Sure there are two opposing views about living inside the super cool, super efficient walled city, but other than that we don’t know what the big deal is.

Character development was a problem, too. I had absolutely no connection with the characters. In fact, the one I liked the most was the super evil chick that wants to kill Faith. Faith isn’t likeable at all. I guess I did like Hawk, her younger, geeky sidekick, but there is a problem with him to in the sense that instead of keeping him the good friend, Carman conveniently worked Hawk into the world-saving team. When it was revealed that he was going to help Dylan and Faith with this mission I was like, “Of course his is.”

In addition to saying this book is a tender love story, it is also being sold as “compulsively readable.” Again, nope! By the last 1/4 of the book I was almost skimming description and reading dialogue only. I just wanted it to be over!

But you might be saying, “But Karin, there was a huge, exciting fight at the end.” Well, I thought it was stupid. Throwing vans around and football goalposts? And, the whole 2nd pulse thing was silly, too.

Oh, and to top it all off, about 3/4 of the way through we start getting some pretty heavy handed preaching about the dangers of Global Warming. Carman worked it in as a way to give the readers some backstory, but it didn’t work well.

Finally, I have a problem with the revealing of Dylan’s parentage at the end. I understand who his mother is. I understand who his father is. But, I also understand who the evil twins, Wade and Clara’s dad is. Does anyone else feel like there is something wrong here? I mean Clara really like Dylan. Wouldn’t they know??? Someone contact me and help me out with this one.

For those of you who have read my other reviews you know this is unusual for me. I like most of what I read. So, why am I being so harsh with this one? This is a poorly written book. And, it is going to be a series. Patrick Carman is a popular author with a huge fan base so kids are going to automatically buy it. Gosh, I was totally excited for this book. But, this is the type of book that will turn kids off. They’ll be confused and say, “Forget this.” and shut it!

Like I said, this is my opinion. Others will like the book.(less)

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Feb 26, 2013 Audra rated it 4 of 5 stars

The very first thing that struck me in Pulse was the world built around the characters. Everything seemed crafted so well, and I was drawn into the story immediately. I wasn’t sure where it was going, but I was along for the ride. I’m honestly not sure how I feel about the book, as there were definitely pros and cons to the book.

I really loved the characters. I felt that Faith was a strong female lead that really carried the book and brought me through the slow or moving parts of the books. I lo...more

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Apr 01, 2013 Katelyn *Constantly-Dreaming* rated it 4 of 5 stars

"Pulse" was confusing. To say the least.

Good story, it all came together well-enough in the end, but dear sweet Lord, in the middle I was all sorts of confused. I assume that was on purpose, because there were many things Faith wasn't supposed to know... but Jesus.

The main thing I had to get used to was the POV changing, constantly. One paragraph we're in Hawk's head, the next Wade's, then Faith's.. etc. I had trouble keeping track. However, it was nice getting all the insight, well what littl...more

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Apr 08, 2013 Christelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Hi,

So Pulse...let me break it down.

There's this girl, there always is this girl. She pretty, she's sweet, she's blah and then BAM! She's extraordinary. That's Faith. Not much to her, she can be a little moody sometimes so I don't ind her too much. There's Wade, the charming, popular, athlete who everyone loves but falls for our blah heroine. And YES! There's Dylan, of the tall, dark, and mysterious lot. So that rounds out our classic YA love triangle. There are some note-worthy additions such as...more Hi,

So Pulse...let me break it down.

There's this girl, there always is this girl. She pretty, she's sweet, she's blah and then BAM! She's extraordinary. That's Faith. Not much to her, she can be a little moody sometimes so I don't ind her too much. There's Wade, the charming, popular, athlete who everyone loves but falls for our blah heroine. And YES! There's Dylan, of the tall, dark, and mysterious lot. So that rounds out our classic YA love triangle. There are some note-worthy additions such as loveable, uber-geek Hawk and super-hot baddie Clara. But yes, otherwise we pretty much have the main characters of most teen books.

The book is about teenage Faith who lives in an post-apocalyptic world where most of the earth's population has moved in massive super-cities, leaving large expanses of land empty or under-water. Faith's life is turned upside-down when she meets Wade Quinn and his stunning sister, Clara, who harbour an unbelievable secret. With the help of a mysterious hottie, Dylan, Faith soon learns she carries a secret of her own and that the future of the world may very well depend on that secret.

I am loving all the superheroesque teen coming out now, LOVING IT. This book wasn't the most amazing one I have read in this new category of teen. At time's I found Carman's writing a little bland and to-the-point. There were some instances where Carman's thrilling horror scenes came out (See the Arena Hammer-throw scene). However, the writing style was as I said, very plain. Also, there were some gaps like how everyone fell in love in a minute. It could benefit from the introduction of more characters to add a different dynamic to the story. Carman would benefit from reading some really sappy, YA love stories to inspiring him in making the romance in Pulse a little more swoon-worthy. But honestly, the story was so entertaining I didn't focus on the bad parts. It wasn't the best of Carman, it didn't floor me like Thirteen Days to Midnight, but it was pretty darn fun. The back story is excellent. I loved the imagination behind the world he put together. I actually was interested in discovering all that Carman created in this novel.

So, if you love sci-fi and teens with superpowers, this is for you.

A VERY fun read. Can't wait for the next one.(less)

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Feb 04, 2013 Jeannette rated it 2 of 5 stars

Allow me to start by saying there will be people who love this book. I am just not one of them. I can sum it up like this...I didn't really care what happened to the characters. I didn't connect to them. They were likable, but I didn't LOVE them. I also didn't know what was really happening until page 201. 201!! Once I did find out why the world was the way it was and why the characters were doing what they were doing I was left with a feeling of indifference. Maybe that was due to the fact that...more

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Apr 21, 2013 Katie Stutz rated it 4 of 5 stars

I will start by saying I had read reviews stating that this book was mostly mediocre so I had my bar set pretty low but given that dystopian is my current go to genre I had to give this one a chance and I am glad I did! On top being a dystopian setting this book deals with telekinesis, which I have been enjoying lately. This book had its unique elements but also things that made it the same as so many dystopias. There are people within society and there are people outside society. Almost the ent...more I will start by saying I had read reviews stating that this book was mostly mediocre so I had my bar set pretty low but given that dystopian is my current go to genre I had to give this one a chance and I am glad I did! On top being a dystopian setting this book deals with telekinesis, which I have been enjoying lately. This book had its unique elements but also things that made it the same as so many dystopias. There are people within society and there are people outside society. Almost the entire novel is set outside the walls of society. What I found interesting about this world is that everyone chooses when they join society and you do not get punished per say if you choose not to be a member of society. When you are a member of society you have access to more (medicine, TV channels, you know the essentials) and by choosing to be outside the walls you get only what is necessary (plus movies come out at a delayed rate).

The pacing of this book was only OK. I think if the whole book was paced like the second half I would have enjoyed it more. The first half of the book did contain needed world building but also contained many scenes that did not add to the plot in any way. Telekinesis doesn’t even come into past the hallway mark. There was a point where this felt like just a set up for the next book. Also after we start finding out what having a Pulse really means, I felt like we kept getting only half explanations as to how and why people have “pulses”.

I have a bone to pick with Faith’s character. She is supposed to be a smart girl. Not only is she book-smart with her AP/honors classes but she has been living on her own for some time. But what I don’t understand is why she falls so hard for the boys in this book. I felt that there was no reasoning behind her crushes besides “he’s cute”. In the end the romance aspect was satisfactory but that’s only because Dylan’s character finally gets some backstory.

In general I enjoyed this book. There were a few twists in the story that I did not see coming and found pleasantly surprising. If the romance was more convincing and the pacing a little better in the first half, I think I would have loved this book. Overall 4/5 stars.

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May 10, 2013 Jamie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 8th-grade, acl, dystopian, young-adult, get-for-hp

Faith Daniels is a mysterious and beautiful teenager living in the year 2051. She lives in an area between the recently formed Eastern and Western States, an area that barely has any people left. Each school that she attends closes because the population keeps dwindling, until she is left in a school with only a handful of students. Most families end up choosing to go to one of the two states because life is supposedly better there. One night, Faith chooses a date with a not-so-nice boy over her...more

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Apr 24, 2013 Crystal rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopia

I felt there were too many unanswered questions & inconsistencies. Why is it better for the earth to have these huge walled cities where the entire world’s population lives? Why is there a war brewing between the “insiders” “outsiders”. Why does Clara “like” Dylan given their parentage? That creeped me out. Wade drugging Faith during their date so that she'd forget what he had done to the Drifters also creeped me out. I also didn’t appreciate the instances of swearing, violence and sexual in...more

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Feb 17, 2013 Beth (Curling Up With A Good Book) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopian, guest-review, arc-hard-copy, review-copy

love Dystopian novels so when I saw the synopsis for this book I immediately wanted to read it...not to mention I LOVED the cover! It was so intense! The book cover states "Everyone has a heartbeat. Few have a pulse."...Yep so had me at that!!

This book was everything I love about dystopians. It had action, suspense, mystery, great characters, and awesome world building. I loved the aspect of the States and the mystery surrounding it.

The main character Faith is such a strong heroine. I loved h...more

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May 01, 2013 Natalie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Pulse was a good book. It is a book that takes place in the future, in the year 2051. I really liked the characters of the book and the story line. However, the book was very confusing because I didn't know who was telling the story in a few parts of the book. He tells you what one character is thinking in one paragraph and what another is thinking in the next.

I was confused when the synopsis of the book said "'... and change the course of a hurtling hammer ...'". I thought it meant an actual...more

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Feb 22, 2013 Stacey B. rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: amazon-vine, arc, read-2013, reviewed, i-own

2.5/5

OVERALL IMPRESSION: This book has great imagery. From the very opening scene, I could picture everything perfectly. Carman does a great job of painting a picture for us to imagine in our minds. I really liked the scene towards the beginning of the book in the old elementary school library.

About halfway through the book, I felt like I got slapped in the face (in a good way) by something I never saw coming. And then after that, the book lost it's way for me.

I feel like the book switched poin...more

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Apr 16, 2013 Michelle rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-fantasy, owned, dystopian

I wanted to like this book. In fact, I'm still trying to like this book. Pulse does contain a lot of fascinating concepts that I really liked. I particularly loved how Carman tried to confuse the reader on whether or not the States were good or bad for humanity.

However, I don't think I'm ever going to succeed in liking this series.

In the first case, I can't say I had any particular fondness for any of the characters. Faith, the main character, wasn't particularly interesting. While I didn't dis...more I wanted to like this book. In fact, I'm still trying to like this book. Pulse does contain a lot of fascinating concepts that I really liked. I particularly loved how Carman tried to confuse the reader on whether or not the States were good or bad for humanity.

However, I don't think I'm ever going to succeed in liking this series.

In the first case, I can't say I had any particular fondness for any of the characters. Faith, the main character, wasn't particularly interesting. While I didn't dislike her (at least yet, she has a ton of potential to become quite annoying in the future), I found nothing about her to like either. However, where Carman has really failed is in creating likeable male leads/love interests. Faith should have figured out that Boyfriend One was trouble long before he drugged her just by his general unlikeable demeanor and treatment of her friends. As for Boyfriend Two, so far he has absolutely no personality beyond his looks and his ability to teach Faith to use her powers (and seriously, standing outside someone's bedroom at night for months watching them sleep is called STALKING -- I don't care what his excuse was, he was really just stalking her). The only character I found interesting at all was Hawk, but Carman just seemed to use him as the generic technogeek character and gave him no depth whatsoever. In fact, all the characters in this book were flat and boring with no personality. Perhaps he'll manage to give them more personality in the sequels but given he had three-fourths of the book to give them personality before he actually bothered to explain the plot, I'm skeptical.

Second, it took far, far too long to actually get to the plot and action. Three-fourths of this book was bland, boring and utterly forgettable (and I struggled to finish this until the last third where it actually got interesting). World-building is good, but I understood the basics of this world in the first two chapters. I think the rest of the boring beginning was supposed to be for character building but it didn't work.

I will probably read the sequels because the last section was decent enough to make me curious about what will happen. However, it failed the reread test (I have no desire to reread it). Ultimately, this book has reminded me of a lot of the other books I read by Patrick Carman -- good ideas that just aren't executed very well.

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Mar 15, 2013 Jeanbooknerd rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviews

The first book in the Pulse Trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Patrick Carman, takes readers into the year 2051 where people have the power to move objects with their minds. While the perks of living in the United States allows for better living, teenager Faith Daniels continues to live on the outside. This uncontrolled area encompasses most of the United States’ prior land and provides its own type of perk. When Faith and Dylan Gilmore discover they have a “pulse”, otherwise telekinet...more

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Jan 30, 2013 Savannah (Books With Bite) rated it 4 of 5 stars

There needs to be more books like this. Intense and satisfying, Pulse brings a whole new card game to the table!

The best part I love about Pulse is the first two pages in the book. It's started off like the opening of a Stephen King novel, playing like a movie in my mind. It's mysterious yet caught my attention right away, never wavering from the moment. This has got to be the best opening that I have ever read in a book. It hooked me, keeping my eyes glued to the paper.

The plot itself does slow...more

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Mar 02, 2013 Karen Yingling rated it 2 of 5 stars

In the year 2051, Faith has to go to a new school because so many people are moving to the Western State, leaving vast sections of the US sparsely populated. There, she meets Wade Quinn, one of the few boys she has ever met who is taller than she is, and falls hard. School is now more of a warehouse for students, since all instruction is delivered by famous teachers on the Tablets that everyone has. Occasionally, Faith and her friends, including Liz and Hawk, like to take a break from technology...more In the year 2051, Faith has to go to a new school because so many people are moving to the Western State, leaving vast sections of the US sparsely populated. There, she meets Wade Quinn, one of the few boys she has ever met who is taller than she is, and falls hard. School is now more of a warehouse for students, since all instruction is delivered by famous teachers on the Tablets that everyone has. Occasionally, Faith and her friends, including Liz and Hawk, like to take a break from technology and read actuall books in an abandoned school library. This freedom is the main reason not to fall for the propaganda and move to the Western State, but Liz is soon relocated there. Hawk has a crush on Faith and also does a lot of work hacking computers, but his skills are often used for evil by Wade. Hawk develops a "Wire Code" that Quinn shows to Faith. These codes are like drugs-- they interact with people's brains and make them violent if they are exposed to too many. Considering that Faith is also struggling with the fact that she can move things with her mind (the "pulse" of the title), Hawk is very concerned that she has also consumed a wire code. Wade has more evil plans than just messing with Faith's mind-- the Western State is becoming more and more powerful and advancing further, and not everyone want to be in a community where they can't drive, burn wood or have pets. Will Faith be able to be trained so that she can use her powers in the next two books in this projected trilogy?
Strengths: There are some Carman books that I adore-- Thirteen Days to Midnight was brilliant. This had its moments-- the description of actual books versus tablets is absolutely quotable, and the future vision for education is interesting. Some action, lots of dystopian details, great cover.

Weaknesses: This meandered so much that I really had trouble following it. Faith's powers not really being described until near the end didn't help. Wade was really evil, but I never felt what the motivation for this was. (less)

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Apr 05, 2013 Kayla rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-with-characters-i-want-to-mar, borrowed-at-library, covet-these-covers, fiction, future, fantasy, never-read-again, read-in-2013, science-fiction, trilogy, young-adult

All of my hopes for this novel fell flat. I loved Patrick Carman's novels when I was a kid and I was hoping this new YA trilogy by him would only help to continue the awesomeness that is his writing. Or was, because I really don't think that Pulse or the books that will follow after it will really ever be liked by me.

I think it was partially the book summary's fault for my impatient disappointment with this novel. Because it was talking about telekinetic powers and fighting and action, I thought...more

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Feb 22, 2013 Book Twirps rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-150-challenge

In 2051, the world is a much different place. After global-warming caused major changes in the world (California is now gone), The USA now consists of only two states: The Western state and the Eastern state. Faith Daniels lives in neither. She is part of an outlying group whose family has refused to sacrifice their freedom by moving into, what they believe, is a controlled way of life. Faith and her friend Liz have changed schools several times, mainly because as more and more families join the...more In 2051, the world is a much different place. After global-warming caused major changes in the world (California is now gone), The USA now consists of only two states: The Western state and the Eastern state. Faith Daniels lives in neither. She is part of an outlying group whose family has refused to sacrifice their freedom by moving into, what they believe, is a controlled way of life. Faith and her friend Liz have changed schools several times, mainly because as more and more families join the states, the student population dwindles to the point that keeping the school open is pointless. When they start at Old Park Hill, Faith is immediately drawn to tall, freakishly handsome, Wade Quinn and he to her. But Faith has also captured the attention of mysterious loner, Dylan Gillmore. Wade’s sister, Cora, has a thing for Dylan and is none too happy that Faith is in the way. But Faith has bigger worries coming her way. Strange things are happening around their run-down city. More and more people are joining the states, and someone is watching Faith at night as she sleeps. They know faith has “the pulse” — the ability to move things with her mind. But this talent can be hard to control, and Faith will have to learn to master it if she wants to save herself and her friends from an even bigger threat.

The world building in the book is insane. It felt very familiar and plausible. Everyone in the book is tied to one another through a tablet — much like an expandable iPad. They make all of their purchases with it, study on it, read on it, watch TV on it and even communicate with it. It’s not so different from where we are now. The mention of old malls, and abandoned stores such as Old Navy and Macy’s made it seem even more familiar and that much more haunting.

All of the characters were interesting, but I never fully connected with any of them. Faith is the focus of the story, but I was actually more captivated by Wade and Cora. The two of them are deliciously evil. Liz, Faith’s BFF could have been developed more. She was probably the flattest of all of the characters. I liked Hawk, Faith’s new, geeky, computer-hacker friend, and I liked the mystery surrounding Dylan.

With that said, I have to admit that I almost DNF-ed this one. The writing style wasn’t gelling with me. There was a lot of head-hopping and despite the awesome world-building, I wasn’t connecting with the characters or the story. About 130 pages in, my curiosity was peaked enough to continue on to the second part of the book. It was then that the action and development picked up a lot. By the time I hit part three, I was totally invested, and by the time I finished, I was completely hooked.

Despite a clunky beginning and a style that just didn’t grab me, I ended up really liking the story, even though I wasn’t completely invested in Faith. There’s a lot happening between the pages and if you can make it through the setup, you’re in for a wild ride. It took some time, but it did finally grab me. I will definitely be checking out the next book in the series!(less)

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Pulse (Pulse Trilogy #1)

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