Rippler

Ripple #1

by Cidney Swanson

Discovering she can turn invisible terrifies Samantha, especially when she learns a geneticist who murdered her mom wants her too. Handsome Will Baker offers help and secrecy, but soon Sam will have to choose between keeping her secrets and keeping Will in her life. Suspenseful and romantic, Rippler and its sequels capture the collision of the beautiful with the dark.

Two further sequels form a complete trilogy. Four additional books in series for those who fall in love with the Ripple world and want even more!

RIPPLER is the free first book in a teen and young adult paranormal fantasy series set in a contemporary world where invisibility has long been a well kept secret. It combines the heart pounding action of a thriller with a touch of clean romance and a science fiction twist.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction, Mystery, Paranormal Romance

285 pages, ebook

First published May 26, 2011

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

So this one was a freebie that caught my eye a while back, but I never got around to reading it till a few days ago.
I didn't even plan on finishing it, really. I just needed something to keep me occupied while I was sitting in the car line one day, and the cover seemed kinda cool. But, Hey!, I finished it, so that's a good sign, right?!



So Sam has the ability to go intangible, and she accidentally does it in front of a boy named Will.
{spoilery things}
He helps her practice controlling her powers, they investigate the origins of her genetic differences and fall in lurve.
You know, standard young adult story stuff...



{toss in some Nazis}



Annnnnd, you have a pretty decent little story.
The ending has a bit of a cliffhanger, but I'm not going to continue with this series. It's not bad, but I don't think I want to read any further.
For a freebie, this was ok, though.

One complaint:



Hyphens! Hyphens everywhere!
Ok, I'm not a grammar freak. A comma in the wrong place? *shrugs* I doubt I'd even catch it. Hell, I doubt I'd even notice something that's misspelled 90% of the time. And I butcher misuse punctuation enough to feel that any comment I may make will (and should) probably be taken with a grain of salt.
But.
I had a hard time focusing on the plot at times, because of all the freakin' hyphenated words in the book! Now, I'm not saying that those words couldn't be hyphenated, just that they usually aren't.
Examples, you ask? Well, I happen to have highlighted a few...

"So you ready to get up-to-speed on our research?"
"I dug through my sock drawer and found one-hundred-sixty-five dollars: a twenty-dollar-an-hour pledge."
"Will added slivers of nutty-bright-scented garlic."
"I rippled back, smiling at my skin-clad hands, at the control I had over the coming-back-part."

And maybe it's just a case of once you notice one blue car, you notice all the blue cars, but after a while, I couldn't stop seeing all the hyphens and it really screwed with the enjoyment level.

Middle-Eastern, cat-house, paper-towel, step-mom, beet-red, compost-scented, mind-reading, extra-alive, red-dotted...

I can't find another review that mentions this, so perhaps I'm-just-super-crazy?

[Louie the Mustache Matos · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally read this when I first got my Kindle in 2011. I had not realized how long it had been until receiving a 10th anniversary re-issue of the first trilogy. I remembered enjoying this series and re-read it recently with a very similar vibe.

I consistently say that I don't like YA stuff, but this is good. It has a very comic book feel to the superpowers. The teen drama is also right out of Spider-Man, so read into that what you will. Samantha has learned that she can turn invisible and one of her classmates can also so they are trying to figure the whys, when Samantha finds out that a Nazi geneticist may have had a hand in killing her mother. The geneticist is interested in Samantha and Will.

If it sounds like something out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you're not far wrong. There is drama and action and it's the first book in a series. Swanson does a really good job hooking the reader IMHO. She hooked me.

[Lala_Loopsie [fire breathing B!tch Queen] · Rating 1 out of 5]

Is it unfair to rate a book you haven't finished? Yes. Is it unfair to put this book in 2016's challenge if i read it in 2015? Yes.

As much as i would love to say i remember what exactly happened here, I'll be honest, i don't really. Just that Sam can Ripple (disappear) and she can't control it. She disappears in a trip, and her friend Will helps her. From now on he knows about her ability. Also, it turns out that Will's older sister has something to do with her strange ability. And you might ask, why didn't you like it? Well, I'll answer.

The romance in it was too fast. They're teenagers, and i get that's how it goes, but really? If a guy saw my ability to disappear, i would kill him and hide the evidence, not befriend him and trust him with all my secrets, even the ones my parents don't know. At this point i was skeptical. And i figured if i didn't really like a book that was taking me so long to read, i would leave it, so i did.

Don't get me wrong, the concept of Rippling was cool, who wouldn't like to turn invisible? But the name, i'm sorry, but it lost credibility.

That's all i'm saying for today, people and humans, thank you.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this in one day, not so much because it was intriguing as it was just an easy read.

Storyline:
Sam (Samantha) is a teenager who finds out she can Ripple (disappear) during a track team trip to go white-water rafting. Her teammate and friend, Will, helps her to keep her secret. We follow Sam as she learns to control this newly discovered ability, as well as delving into her past and meeting with a few surprising twists along the way.


What I liked...

The Rippling. In and of itself, the ability to disappear I know isn't new to fiction. However, the way Swanson wrote it made it so interesting. The Description in this book was wonderful to the point where I had to bookmark a section in my e-book just so I could come back and write it down in my review.

This was pretty much my favorite section of description:
"The image rippled away. My invisible lips smiled, confidence coursing through me. I turned to the willows. Leaves and branches tickled their way right through me. I wanted to giggle. I caught a scent component: greenish, damp, and full of life. Maybe it was even a flavor rather than a scent. I turned to take another pass - again, the fresh soothing taste passed through my mind. Again, the willows shivered against me as I moved ghostly-smooth in my invisible state. Incredible."

I must add that it was equally fascinating to read the descriptive sensations of feeling and taste and smell as Sam went walking through a brick wall and a glass door. While I didn't like everything, Swanson's writing was wonderful.


What I didn't like...

The cussing. I can withstand a few instances of a slip of the tongue, but when it is dabbled throughout the book, it just gets under my skin. I hate cussing in books and in life. It's completely not needed in my opinion.

The romance. A review I read had written that the romance was "sweet," and so I hoped it would be just that. However, instead, I found it irritating. I'm not a fan of romance to begin with so I know there will be many who disagree, but it just wasn't the type of romance I enjoy reading. A little romance can go a long, long way. And the fact that this was a teen romance only added to my dislike for it.

Sam's and Will's relationship. I didn't like how Sam and will often punched each other on the shoulder as if they were "guy pals" and I didn't like Sam referring to Will as "dude" instead of just calling him by his name. (this only happened a few times.) It was like, instead of Will treating Sam as both a friend and a young lady, he treated her like just a buddy. They were too comfortable with one another, more like best mates. I half expected them to have spitting contests and arm wrestling matches. The only thing that kept that from happening, was that Will was very much a gentleman for the most part. While Sam didn't seem to have any problem being chummy with Will, you could tell there was a line he wouldn't cross with her because he had feelings for her. So, there friendship never got to that level of two guys swapping stories in a locker room, thankfully.

The disrespect. There was underlying disrespect that Sam had towards her father. It was never outright, but she did grumble about decisions he made and one night, she snuck out of the house past her curfew.

There were a few subjects brought up by secondary characters that I found... to put it mildly, unsettling. Specifically, the parallel to world war two and Nazis. The villains history was tied in with these events and while I understand that what happened with the Nazis is history, some of the descriptions I felt were too graphic and again, unsettling. I really don't want to read about how a Dr. put poisoned water on a table and locked children in the room with it as an experiment to see who could resist the urge to drink the knowingly poisoned water.


Honestly, I like my books to be cleaner than this was. However, the rippling kept me interested enough to ignore the whole rest of the story simply to find out how it ended. Sadly, the ending was a cliff hanger. Which irks me because I hate cliff hangers in books. I like the words "the end" to literally mean that this chapter of the book has ended. I don't want to have to buy a second book just to see if the story turns out okay. The happy ending is what makes me ready to pick up book two. If I hadn't also been trying to just add another book to help me complete my book challenge for the year, I probably would have stopped reading after chapter one.

I received this book for free on Amazon. I didn't think this book deserved only one star, however, it definitely wasn't worth two, for me. The descriptions of the rippling were interesting and fresh feeling. So, technically, I rate this book 1.5 stars.

[Shauna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The screaming was the first clue that I'd turned invisible again.

When we're first introduced to our heroine Samantha 'Sam' Ruiz, she has just involuntarily vanished in the middle of a rafting trip. Luckily, no one actually saw this. Well, no one but her new friend Will who, as it turns out, knows exactly what just happened.

Now, I think we've all bemoaned the lack of forthright male characters in YA fiction a time or two or twenty. Maybe that explains why, to begin with, this book felt a little 'Whoa there, do you really need to be telling her all of this at once young man??'
I mean, 'Sam, you're not crazy, you do in fact turn invisible/'ripple'.' 'Sam, there are others like you. My sister happens to study this 'Rippler's Syndrome' you have.' 'Sam, her colleagues and your fellow ripplers are being hunted down by some yet unknown quantity who targets Rippler's carriers. You're in danger.' that's a lot to take in all at once.
It, ridiculously, was taking away from the story for me. Then I reminded myself, 'Shauna, this is what you have been asking for. Now, EMBRACE IT.' So, I threw off the mental conditioning (that I hadn't actually been aware of) and really started enjoying the story.

Hallelujah. Right off the bat, we know our male protagonist is a sweetheart who will look out for his friend, not withhold important information from her, and actually go out of his way to get more for her. Knowledge being power and all that. If only they were all like Will...

There is, of course, a bit of a romance between Sam and Will. It's very sweet.

That night I dreamed of Will. I was his cross-country partner, our feet beating out a rhythm on hot pavement beneath a blistering sun. This rhythm, Will running at my side, became the cadence to which my heart beat. Then we were small children and he was chasing me through piles of autumn leaves at the park. At last I was his lover, and I pressed him to my heart while snow fell silently around us.

I also liked the relationship between Will and his older sister and guardian, Mickie this author likes her unisex girl's names it's very antagonistic, but the love is there.

Will turned to Mickie. "There's on option you haven't considered yet."
She looked up at him wearily, across a row of boxes filled with books and kitchen pots.
"Killing you myself so I don't have to worry about someone else beating me to it?"

'The Rippler' reads a bit like a Mystery. There are a lot of questions raised in the course of the book, and no obvious answers. Usually in these cases, we can see what the protagonist fails to a mile off, but here you were left to figure things out along with Sam; Who is the enigmatic Waldhart de Rochefort and what does he mean by his letters? What do these cryptic translations from the journal of Girard L'Inferne mean? Who is killing Rippler's carriers, and why? What exactly triggers Rippler's Syndrome to begin with? What are the implications of being a carrier? And yes, there are a few big ones.

The book ends having raised more questions than it answered, but you do get the satisfaction of seeing Sam in a much better place than she started off. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for book two.

**Added bonus!! The Rippler will be 99c on Amazon for Paddy's Day weekend for anyone who's interested**

[rebecca | velvet opus · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The screaming was the first clue that I’d turned invisible again"

Sixteen year-old Sam can, inexplicably, turn invisible. She vanishes on a boat during a school trip and when her crush, Will, notices, she realises she might not be the only one. Together with Will and Will’s sister Mackie, they delve deeper into the mystery of Sam’s genes which unveils a host of horrible events from the past like children experimentation and a series of murders disguised as accidents.

"You have a gene for something my sister’s advisor - well, former advisor - called Rippler’s Sydrome. As in, you can ripple"

Set in modern day America, this young adult coming-of-age fantasy is part-paranormal, part-romance and although there are only a handful of named characters, is very character driven. Sam wants to know why she can ripple and what that means for her. The rest of the characters play a part in that, to some extent. So, let’s delve into the cast.

"Don't worry. You had me at, "they'll find you and kill you"

Will is a cinnamon roll character. He’s kind and sweet but he’s faced more hardships than he deserves. Sam lives what seems to be a sheltered life until we learn of her mother’s death as a young girl. Will and Sam start running to and from school together, and it blossoms into a sweet will-they-won’t-they romance. It’s innocent and lovely, plus, there’s a cute picnic and hike at a waterfall to get mushy about.

"Going over a waterfall is NOT funny, I said, "Very not funny."
My own mouth quirked at the corners.
"Splat", said Will".

If you’re looking for great supporting friend characters, Rippler has got them. Sam’s best friend, Gwyn, is supportive, feisty and overall a caring friend. She’s a real star in this book. Will’s older sister Mackie is a sarcastic, overprotective and altogether realistic older sister but also provides real companionship to Sam. Sam’s step-mom is the best step-mother figure I’ve read recently - she's just so supportive.

"I found myself wondering what kind of person would jot down sick riddles about bowls of poisoned water and thirsty children"

And, on to the characters I didn’t like so much: the “bad guys”. Sam and Will find journals detailing experiments on children from World War II and, although they aren’t any modern-day experiments mentioned, seem rather gruesome for a YA novel. There’s a larger plot around eugenics, or "selective breeding", which attempts to take this story into adult fiction (which it isn’t). I’m not a fan of plots involving nazi-esque idealism (even when it's the people-we're-not-rooting-for), so it didn’t work for me, but it might work for you.

”That’s why I ran. Because it was the only way I had to move through the pain of being alive to a space where it became bearable, seemed possible”

Read this if you like soft boy love interests, will-they-won't-they romance, great friends and peril that’s-not-that-perilous.

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[Connie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book for free via Amazon Kindle.

I don't want to say I'm incredibly disappointed by this book, but I am incredibly disappointed by this book. This book started strong with our main character Sam accidentally turning invisible in the middle of a group canoeing trip, when Will spots it, he isn't freaked out. Actually, he helps her and he knows exactly what is happening, which terrifies Sam because she doesn't even know. After the trip, her and Will become closer, exploring this "Ripplers Syndrome" together, as Will's sister is secretly researching it despite numerous scientists being killed for their research in the field. I found this book super tedious after this though. You can tell this book is from the early 2010s, instalove central, character dependency and no independence or free will. We have a lot, angsty relationships with parents and parental figures, a girl who falls in love within 7% of the book, it just started to irk me a little. If I had read this in 2011 I probably would have loved it, but in 2021, not so much.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A teenage girl finds she can turn invisible. Luckily she has a friend who knows all about such things. They have to hide her power and avoid capture by various conspiracies.

[Doina Condrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book felt like it was moving a bit slow. It was like there was a lot more information than action but I think it might be because it's the first in a series so I forgave it. I'll keep going with the series because I like it.

One thing I just can't reconcile with is the fact that Sam would have to be really calm and in the presence of water in order to turn invisible because I think the ability to turn invisible would benefit her more in stressful situations where she's in danger and needs to get away.

[Anna Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fifteen year old Sam has always been soothed and comforted by water since her earliest memories. That turns out not to be such a good thing when she turns invisible on her cross-country team's canoe trip - while she's in the canoe with the other kids. This starts off an odyssey of learning why she is able to turn invisible and what it means for her future happiness and safety. The person to take the journey with her is her neighbor Will Baker who happened to see her vanish from the canoe and covered for her with the coach. Because he knew what her genetic mutation is called and he knew more about it than she ever dreamed possible. It turns out Will's sister Mickie was studying under a man named Professor Pfeffer, who was an expert on Rippler Syndrome, which is an offshoot of a numbness disease (Helmann's) that Will and Mickie's Dad has. Then the Professor disappeared without a trace and the people studying Rippler's and even just Helmann's began getting killed off in what looked like accidents, but weren't. And the only clues they really have are in a journal full of sick experiments in a indecipherable language from World War II. Will and Sam will need all the help they can get to save one another from the danger their abilities present to their very existences while trying to figure out what really happened in the accident that killed Sam's Mom, life, friendship, and their feelings for one another. I was truly invested in this book! Other reviews that I've read have complained that there isn't enough action and the pacing isn't that great. I had NONE of these problems. I LOVED the characters, the plot and the cliffhanger at the end! I absolutely cannot wait to read the next book, Chameleon. The journal entries add a sadistic twist to everything you've ever heard about Nazi medical experiments and worked it into the plot in a chilling way. Cidney's writing style read like the characters were everyday people just telling the readers about themselves. I honestly can say that I really liked it from beginning to end. This book is highly recommended to fans of X-Men, YA paranormal fiction and fantasy.


VERDICT: 5/5 Stars


*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the author herself, via LibraryThing. No money was exchanged for this review. The publication date of this book was May 26th, 2011.*

[T · Rating 5 out of 5]

of all the fantasy books i've read lately. this is in the top 3 if not the best.
i am a nit picker and will find something that bugs me about every book i read. but i made it through all 3 books in this series with maybe 1 nit i found to pick. i would have liked a bit more description of the main characters. i didn't get a solid mental image of our heroin until book 3. i loved the story and the writing. it was very comfortable and addictive, like a good chocolate mousse.
i especially love love love the cover / art on all three books.

[Abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

(first read in 2012)

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

RIPPLER by Cidney Swanson is one of those interesting cases in books to me. On one hand, it was boring and implausible. On the other, it was interesting and kept me thinking and waiting for more. Let me preface this review by stating that my rating is skewed up because of circumstances even I don’t understand (actually, I’m feeling nice today), but this book is the type that will split reviewers down the middle between love and hate. I find myself on that fence, leaning one direction or the other depending on the moment.

The story is a first person past tense narrative of Sam, a girl living in California who suffers from a disease that causes her to disappear for a few minutes at a time. Needless to say, this is not convenient, but mysteriously she finds that one of her friends and cross-country teammates is very knowledgeable about her condition. In fact, his sister researched it with a scientist and he knows all about it and how dangerous it can be. Not the disease itself, which is actually REALLY awesome, but the people who are going to want to hunt her down and study her. Dozens of people with the disease have already been murdered, and Sam appears to be next on their hit list.

So you want to know why I was iffy about this story? I’m going to make a list and in making this list, I might start swaying back towards a lower grade.

1.) The disease is one giant superpower with no drawbacks. Slight spoiler, but Rippling is not just turning invisible. Nope. It’s turning invisible, going intangible, super speed, halted aging, and telepathy. And once Sam is shown how to use it, she’s basically an expert overnight. No limits to use, no disappearing fingers or toes. Her hair gets stuck in a wall once but that just blows the wall apart. Not a big drawback.
2.) The characterization. The characters…fall flat. I liked Sam to an extent, and Mickie as well, but Will was just blah. His role in the story was love interest and companion. His personality was just meh.
3.) The writing. Well, not much of an iffy, but it was just okay. There were things I wanted to edit out but luckily the story was otherwise well edited and composed.

So what did I like? I enjoyed the premise, the setting, and the action. I wanted to know more about the villains, but that is what book two is for, right? I will give this book one thing that helped the grade go up. The last 20% of the book was where everything really happened, meaning the last 20% was actually pretty awesome. We meet the villains, there are problems, there is stupidity on the part of the characters. It sets up a second book nicely and really makes up for the 80% of randomness and stodgy pacing. This book would have been rated solidly higher if the last 20% had carried over into the rest of the book.

This book needed a heavy dose of more action and less “OMG this power is AWESOME!” We are told it’s something that people will kill over yet all Sam does is play around with her power and use it recklessly many times, just because. So does the other character we find with this same power. It’s somewhat dull, but I did like the ending.

VERDICT: With a solid and engaging ending, RIPPLER goes into book 2 well situated, but the series begins rather haphazardly with a clunky beginning and lots of implausibility. A good book. 3.5 hearts rounded up.

[Romancing the Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Valerie
Ebook won on LibraryThing

Teens not sure of what’s going on? Check. Genetic mutations? Check. Historical mystery to thicken the plot? Check. This book started slow but once it picked up I was hooked!

Samantha has “rippled” a couple of times but has no clue what it means or if she’s losing her mind. Who can just turn invisible? No one she knows so she must be going crazy. Then, she ripples while out on the water and a boy name Will sees and knows what’s happening to her...

As Will and his sister try to explain to Sam what they know about her condition, they continue receiving mystery letters offering safety but what really floored me was Sam reading journal entries by a doctor from the World War II era. The journal entries are morbid and sinister and involve experiments with children being forced to choose between kindness and survival. Not only that, Sam finds out that the “accident” that killed her mother and best friend wasn’t one after all and that SHE was the intended target. It also seems that everyone with the rippler gene is disappearing, but why?

An enjoyable first read for a series. I’d like to know a little more about how Will and Sam were drawn together in the first place so I’ll be waiting for book two!

[Abi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ability to turn invisible would be a handy power to have.
It would be great for readers... It's one way we wouldn't be interrupted while at crucial points of the story!

There was a few lines in the book that really made me laugh.

The characters in "Rippler" are likable.
I liked Sam and Will's relationship, they were really cute together.
I also really like Will and Mickie's relationship. They argued a lot, but when it came down to it, they would always be there for each other.
It was nice to see how Mickie always accepted Will for who he was, and accepted his ability from a young age.

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read, although I probably won't continue the series. I'm not super interested in investing a lot of time in the series, but I'm sure the intended age group probably will.

The writing and dialogue felt mostly natural and had a great flow.

I knew this was tagged as romance, but even so, I felt as though I could gave done with a lot less of it. It felt like a distraction in a more interesting narrative (especially the "Will shouldn't be kissing girls he doesn't love" feeling. Ugh, way too melodramatic for me).

Overall, a fun concept for YA sci-fi and worth the read.

[Tamara · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars
Well that was not enjoyable. Everything horrible about a book is displayed in this.

[Craig Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rippler by Cidney Swanson is a pleasant first novel, surprising in its confidence straight out of the gate. Rather the load the opening down with fifty pages of info-dumps and telling, the novel opens mis-en-scene, with main protagonist Samantha not only utilizing her power - the ability to become invisible by "rippling" out of phase with the visible world around her - but in immediate peril because of it.

As the novel opens, Sam is on a whitewater rafting team-building outing with her cross-country team when her power suddenly activates, making her appear to disappear and setting the team into chaos because they think she went overboard. One teammate, Will, seems to understand that she's still there and whispers some advice, and helps her out of the tough situation.

It's a bold way to kick things off, because important things are happening right away, and you don't exactly know who they're happening to, or why. All of that gets filled in as the rest of the novel unfolds, of course, but for a first-time novelist to display such courage and self-confidence bodes well for Swanson.

Rippler is a paranormal romance, and fits neatly into the modern incarnation of that genre. Samantha's powers, it is explained, are actually a rare genetic disorder that is a mutation of another rare genetic disorder. The parent disorder merely causes unexplained numbness in limbs; Sam's condition goes a step further by causing her to ripple out of phase with the visible world around her.

It's an intriguing concept against which to build a mythology, and by combining it with the infamous Nazi science experiments on human test subjects, in World War II, there is a natural tapestry against which to draw villains.

Swanson demonstrates a flair for building and evolving character over the course of a narrative, and her pacing is steady and even-handed, and rarely overlooks the logical consequences of character actions.

For example, as Sam is learning how to control her powers, she makes a mistake when "phasing back" into the visible world and inadvertently causes some property damage to a wall.

In more careless hands, such an incident would be taken for granted, but Swanson follows through on the logical consequences of this property damage and much of the character development that follows in Sam's relationship with at least two other characters, flows from this seemingly mundane event that, in a Spider-Man story, wouldn't even be considered. Swanson's attention to detail and a logical flow of events is therefore a welcome addition to the paranormal romance genre.

Of course, the novel is not without weaknesses.

The most glaring problem with Rippler is related to both length and pacing. While the pacing of the story has a natural, unhurried feel, the novel ends just as all the pieces get put on the table.

This is not atypical, unfortunately, of the modern paranormal romance series genre; the first novel is spent introducing and establishing character, while the actual plot isn't introduced until later novels. It's a pattern established most clearly and popularly by Stephanie Meyer; her Twilight series of books contained virtually no discernible plot in the first two books, or at least none of any major impact. The real "story" of Twilight didn't pick up until the final two books.

The cultural influence of Twilight has "rippled" throughout the genre ever since. And while it's not clear whether Meyer is a direct influence on Swanson, she has structured her first novel in a similar way.

Rippler introduces villains, but there's very little in the way of major confrontations. Rippler introduces allies, but those alliances face few major tests. The groundwork for bigger conflicts and confrontations is laid, set in motion, and just as one expects that something significant is about to happen... the novel ends.

Now, please keep in mind, this is in no way an indicator that Rippler is an unpleasant read. The prose bubbles along nicely, and those events which do happen are genuinely interesting.

What is problematic is that it's just not a complete story in and of itself. It's like sitting down in a theater and, about forty minutes in, the actors come out on stage for a curtain call. "Show's over," they said. "We're only performing Act One."

Is this a method for causing readers to want more? Perhaps. It's a method many in this genre employ, and I am not opposed to cliffhangers or the idea that this novel is the first installment in a series.

Even so, how would readers have felt if Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone had wrapped up, I don't know... shortly after Harry is assigned to Gryffindor and plays his first Quidditch match? Or, to go back in time a bit, what of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew had books that introduced a mystery, but didn't solve it until the next installment or two down the line.

Now, in fairness, this is not something that should reflect solely on Swanson. This is how most paranormal romance series are written these days; it's a conceit of the genre. Unfortunately so, because it leaves a reader feeling a bit unsatisfied, I think.

If a lesser writer had crafted Rippler, that "it's over after Act One" feel of the book would rankle a person more significantly. However, Swanson's charm in building her cast of characters is handled with enough grace that the incomplete feel of the plot is more forgivable.

Will I come back for Ripple Book 2? Yes, because at the end of the novel, I find myself invested in Samantha, Will, Mickie, Syl and the rest of the characters introduced here. And frankly, I want to see what the villains introduced are capable of.

But personally, I'd have felt just a bit happier, just a bit more satisfied, if Rippler had been longer, and had more of a series-opening conflict. There's a great beginning here, and a well-developed middle. But even an installment in a series of novels needs, I think, just a bit more sense of resolution.

Perhaps the second installment will deliver on that count. I certainly expect good things, given all the fine skills on display. Keeping in mind this is a first novel, I'm sure the next one from such a confident, poised writer will deliver the goods next time at an even more satisfying level.

[Crystal Collier · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was totally the invisible girl aspect of this book that caught my attention, but then when my husband asked what the book was about, I found that unlike many books with redundant concepts, this one was truly unique. He agreed that it was pretty cool, conceptually.

I'll admit, I was a little put off by the journal entries which kept popping up at first. Their relevance isn't explained until around the midway point of the book. Still, the characters drove me on.

Now this isn't a super fast paced story. And that's okay--but be prepared for it. The action sequences aren't long or huge, but they do come. There is tension and a draw to keep reading. The developing romance between the two main characters is sweet. Rather than form a "love triangle," that tension extends to an alienated best friend, vs a love interest. I enjoyed that aspect of the book especially. Very refreshing.

So should you pick this one up? I'd say so. It's a fun read, and it's clean! Oh happy day.

Content warning: Minor, infrequent cussing.

[Vered · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, original premise and good pacing. The romantic aspect is a bit predictable (it's YA paranormal, after all). Still, I enjoyed reading it and liked the strong female characters (no wilting wall flowers here) plus the unique idea of a genetic disorder that gives a person the power of invisibility. Now that's cool!

[Morgan Karli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the slow-burn of will and sams relationship but I wish there were more parts about their relationship. I also didn't really understand how will and Mickie knew Pfeffer but maybe I didn't pay close enough attention. overall I thought it was a pretty good book

[☆☆Hannah☆☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent book. Sam is able to ripple. Luckily for her her friend Will can to. So now she has someone that can help her. Of course there are people that are after them. Now in the next two books we will see how it will all play out for them.

[Kari · Rating 1 out of 5]

hard to finish but I did.

[Maberan Potato · Rating 1 out of 5]

Eeeeeeeuuuuuuggggggggghhhhhhhhhh <-- my reaction to this whole thing. Please don't read this it's written like the draft of a fanfiction. Your time will be much better wasted watching all of ralphthemoviemaker's reviews.

I don't even know where to start with this. It's far from being one of the worst book I've read, it's just so... incompetent that I can't help but be baffled.

Let's just follow the book. It literally starts with this:

The screaming was the first clue that I'd turned invisible again. Above the steady roar of the river, my teammates shouted: some with paddles flailing, others frozen mid-stroke. I'd never disappeared in front of anyone. Before this, I hadn't even known if it was read or if I was losing my grip on sanity. But now, surrounded by people who looked terrified, I knew it was real.

I know I tell authors to get on with their premise, but this is just too much! . This is only a snippet, and this first chapter must really be read to be believed but this setting is never explained! WHERE ARE YOU??? What are you doing? With whom? The Mc keeps dropping character names being all worried and all the while I'm trying to guess what these people mean to her and why I should care that these idiots are all yelling and panicking.

Let me do the author's job for her; it seems like MC (I forgot her name and really don't care) is part of some sort of camping/canoe thing and these are her classmates. Out of the four named girls, only one is important (BFF) but you only learn that later. Then, as the coach is plunging into the water searching for MC, who's invisible on the shore, Will comes up to her and tells her to chill, bro.

I was so confused. Everyone's panicking, everyone's running around, the MC's panicking because she doesn't know what to do, then this guy just SHOWS up and talks to Miss Invisible, not the least bit shocked or anything, and talks her down before faking her drowning. THEN HE JUST IGNORES HER???? And all the while, the MC treats this MAGIC POWER the same as if she'd passed out or something.

LIKE

WHAT

IS THIS

So MC finally runs after Will and he tells her all this information he has on the INVISIBILITY GENE that's SUPER RARE and UNHEARD OF that HIS SISTER WORKED TO RESEARCH and isn't it convenient that out of all this girl's classmates, the one who could tell her what she is just happened to see her and no one else?

Oh yeah and it's revealed that there's an invisibility gene and get this, it's triggered when your mom and dad conceive you in a hot spring with zinc and gold in the water.

*coughs*

DO YOU KNOW HOW GENES WORK????? NOT LIKE THAT, THEY DON'T. But then again this author thinks that glass, aka heated sand, aka hot+dry=slow moving liquid. I am not kidding.

No one acts human and the basis of the plot is based on a coincidence so utterly impossible that I just can't believe it. The characters are just ??? they do things??? why??? is the question. The one thing I remember about the MC is how slow she is.

REENACTMENT:

Man: Can I ask you a few questions? Who lives in that house at the end of the street?
Girl: Siblings who came here a few months ago. Sugar with your coffee?
Man: Thank you. And what about that farmer who became famous?
Girl: He's still here with his daughter, over the hill.
Man: Daughter, but no wife? What happened, if I may?
Girl: She and a little girl got in a car accident several years ago.
Man: How tragic. Thank you for your help, miss.
MC: *ponders*
MC: He's not here for coffee, he wants information!

.
.
.

Jeez, how did you figure that out, Sherlock.

And there's these journal entries that happen a few times and like, they're supposed to be a german doctor's logbook about experiments done on kids but it's written in omniscient? Like the guy knows EXACTLY how this starved child feels about the other children and that he hates everyone and can't ever love anyone and it's really stupid.

The plot is like??? what is a linear story. I don't know what's going on half the time (maybe due to my skimming but why was there 5+ pages about cooking a fucking pizza? I don't care!=skimming dammit. I only have so many neurons.)

Don't read this ever it's boring and incomprehensible.

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars (rounded up for GR)

A blend of science fiction, historical novel, thriller and romance, Rippler was an incredibly intriguing story that I just couldn’t put down. Told from the perspective of Samantha Ruiz, Swanson crafts a compelling mystery surrounding a rare genetic disease, interspersing Sam’s story of discovery with passages of an old journal written by a Nazi scientist who conducted rather horrendous psychological experiments during WWII. I found this blending of the past and present fascinating and very well paced. For just as I am about to sigh blissfully from the sweetness that is Will & Sam, Swanson reminds us again and again in increasingly disturbing ways that all is not well — that the situation is serious and dangerous. It’s shocking and unsettling, and it is good storytelling.




Sam was a protagonist that I really identified with right from the beginning. Despite her confusing and sometimes inconvenient new-found ability to ripple – or turn herself invisible – she is very much a normal girl who’s just discovered she’s a little more abnormal than she thought. Just beginning to heal from her mother’s death in a tragic car accident years earlier, Sam doesn’t have a whole lot of people she can call friends. As a result of the trauma of seeing her mother die, Sam spent many years withdrawn inside herself, depressed and lonely. However all that begins to change with the reappearance of an old childhood friend and the arrival of her cute new neighbor, Will. As Sam begins to open up to her new friends, she begins to learn more about herself than she could have ever imagined possible.




While I have never experienced personal tragedy to the extent that Sam has, I can definitely relate to her. She’s someone who has experienced real sorrow, and it has matured her. Although she’s been socially withdrawn since her mother’s death, Sam is not a wall flower, painfully shy or socially inept. Instead, she just needs friends who don’t view her through the tainted lenses of her past, and she finds them in Gwyn and Will. Though she has a lot of the same insecurities most girls share, they’re not debilitating – she’s a confident and intelligent young lady. She’s just a normal girl. I mean, despite the fact that her genes allow her to ripple. Sam is someone I could see myself befriending and I really enjoyed getting to know her character throughout the book.




There were so many things I loved about Rippler, but perhaps the item that tops my list is the friendship between Sam & Will. Swanson did a wonderful job establishing them as good friends before the idea of romantic entanglement surfaced. They have a genuine connection, a comfortableness with each other. I’m of the opinion that relationships tend to be deeper when there’s a well-established friendship at the foundation of the romance. And perhaps I’m just an incurable romantic but there’s something incredibly swoon-worthy about suddenly realizing you’re falling in love with your best friend. Sam & Will are just so sweet and adorable, as is their budding romance, and I can’t wait to see where their story takes them.




One of my biggest hang-ups with plots that delve into the scientific realm is credibility. Sometimes the science is just laughable, sometimes it’s just too vague, sometimes it just doesn’t quite feel plausible. I have no idea how much of the things discussed in Rippler are grounded in actual fact, just theoretical or just plain made up, but Swanson writes with an authority that makes me think it could be. And that’s really what matters. It doesn’t matter how true the science is, it’s a matter of “does the author make me believe it could be?” And she does.




Overall, Swanson has written a thrilling and romantic tale that had me alternately curling my toes in delight and gasping in horror, but that ultimately left me extremely satisfied… or unsatisfied, because I can’t wait to read the next book.

[Larissa Hinton · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can read the full review on my blog here: http://teacherwritebookaholicohmy.blo...

I'll just tell you straight up: If this book was in paperback, I would have read it in two days.

I think we can end to review right there, huh, lol?

I really fell in love with this book, the author and the story line.

I had a few issues with it, as with most people, but they were really minor. Like her repeating guffawed alot and Phhst with certain characters. I think there were certain awkward phrases in there, but for the most part it is flawless.

I really enjoyed this book though, other then that. But let's break it down and describe what exactly I truly loved about it.


Characters: The three main characters are Will, Sam and Mickie.

I loved Mickie who was just so paranoid and so balls to the wall. She was suppose to be a minor character, I guess, but for me, she was a major character. She's blunt but I really love that about her. And the humor that she delivers is hilarious! Had me smiling a few times. Or like, "Wait, a moment, was that a joke!? Ha!"

Will was kind of a puzzle for me. I think sometimes I understood him perfectly, other times, it was like, "HUH!? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" So I liked his character and what he meant to Sam, the true main character.


Sam was the girl next door that I think everyone can identify with. She just seemed normal until she rippled then it was like, "Woah, she really IS not normal! Cool." It's almost like magical things can happen to the most ordinary people, which I did the same thing to my character too, so yeah.


I really liked Sam. There was a moment in the book where she thought to capture a guy she likes, Will, she thought that maybe if she changed herself, that she could get him . . .


But then she was like, "Nah, I like Sam. I like myself!"


Even though it sounds corny in the way I described it, I really like the fact that the author has denied the trend of trying to get girls to fit the mold of what guys want. So yeah, I like the positive message she delivered to young girls saying that it's okay to be yourself.


So yeah.


Dialogue: Realistic and straight to the point. It doesn't carry on and on, but I do like the fact that when awkwardness comes, she delivers it.


You know when you're a teenager, there are funny awkward moments, Cidney Swanson delivers them with impact and with a touch of humor. I really loved how realistic the dialogue was.


I would crown her new dialogue queen, but I like my title. :)


Ending: Realistic, but I'm a little concern about plot points.


I know, it's the English Teacher in me, but I have to wonder where the climax was?


I think it was in the ending, but I'll leave it alone. But I did love the ending. It ended the book with a light touch and made you wonder where the author was going to take the series.


Once again, Hilary Duff, take notes on how to properly end a book in a series! :)


Setting: I had NO idea where we were, but I love the small town setting. I think it just added the touch of ordinary.


Anyway, the main question: Would I recommend this book?


ABSOLUTELY!?


Have you read the review? Did you read the beginning that I read it so fast to the equilevant of two days in normal time?


Then that means that heck yeah, I loved this book and you should get your buns out there and buy it!


I'm actually thinking of buying it myself for a Christmas treat. :)


But the paperback version and not the ebook version. Reading this book on the computer has nearly killed me. So yeah.


So what's the moral of this book review?


Pretty covers CAN equal great books!


The end! Go buy it NOW!

[Eustacia Tan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: I'm reviewing Rippler and the sequel Chameleon concurrently.

I got these two ebooks almost two months ago (I could make it sound longer by saying "last year"), but only started reading it about two or three days ago. And yet, I finished both books last night, that's how good they were. Currently, the Ripple Series consists of two books: Rippler and Chameleon. But for the sake of cohesiveness, I'm just going to talk about them as a whole.


The series revolves around Samantha, as she discovers that she can Ripple (i.e. turn invisible). And as she learns more about what's going on with her, she and Will (her friend that progresses to love interest) discover that they are being targetted (strictly speaking, Will already knew, Sam discovered).

First up: the universe creation. The Ripple series is in America, but since there is this whole mutation thing, it kind of throws stuff out of balance. But, the whole ability to Ripple, how it works, and why she only gains awareness now is very well down, without sounding like people spewing information for the sake of the reader. I thought that the release of information was well-timed, because I didn't feel like I was left out in the dark, yet each new revelation about the Ripple syndrome brought (mostly pleasant) surprises.

Another thing I really love are the characters. Mickie, Sam, Gwyn and Will (and later, Sir Walter), are all wonderfully written. The brother-sister dynamic between Mickie and Will was, I felt, really authentic. I have a little brother myself, and I can see echoes of how we intereact in the interactions between Mickie and Will. Sam and Gwyn's friendship was also realistic. They (small spoiler alert!) have a small falling out, but I understood Gwyn's reactions, and could empathise with both of their actions and reasonings.

But very importantly, Will is a very good male lead. I grow sick of reading books where the girl is fairly well-characterised but the guy is the male version of a Mary-Sue (i.e. he's too perfect). Funnily enough, the opposite is true for most shonen manga. Will is obviously kind and caring, but, I don't know exactly how to say it, but he felt authentic somehow. Well, I think the way he treats Sam was the main reason. The pace of the relationship between them was really great, there wasn't any of those "eyes-meet-and-wham!" kind of romances, which to be honest, is way too common nowadays. I like how they are first and foremost friends before actually entering a relationship. And this isn't the kind of plot where Sam has another boyfriend then they break-up and she finds Will type of plot (second-most common scenario). The simplicity (and naturalness) is so refreshing.

The pace of the book was good. The plot wasn't overly quick and I like how there was time for her to explore how to Ripple and get to know Will and Mickie better.

Basically, I have no problems with this series, and I'm really looking forward to the third book.

Disclaimer: I got these two books free from the librarything member giveaway. I was asked to write a review, but it didn't have to be positive/as positive as the one I just gave.

(First published at http://allsortsofbooks.blogspot.com/2...)

P.s. The URL works fine. The type is due to a very basic spelling error by me (I'm terrible at spelling/remembering names)

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally posted at Read Me Bookmark Me Love Me

When Samantha suddenly turns invisible on a canoeing trip with her cross-country team, she is shocked when she realises that her friend, Will, is now aware of her secret. He's witnessed her in action and knows more about her ability than she does herself. Who is he and where is he getting his information from? In their possession is a journal from over a century ago, and in it they discover the deep dark secrets of a disturbed stranger, which could give them more grief than help.

I enjoyed Cidney's writing style immediately. It was simple and in a way which conveyed Sam's exhilaration and the novel's mystery element really well. What seem to be riddles in the old journal are actually reports of experiments done on children in captivity. One plate less of food is provided to pit the children against each other, blankets are removed in the freezing weather for the same reason, water is withheld and only some unknown and possibly poisonous liquid is offered... It's a game of survival, designed to pick out the fittest, meanest and most ruthless. Who is willing to do anything? These flashback scenes are intriguing, and when you discover the way they link with the present… *gasp* Oh my!

Will and Sam have a thing for each other, obviously, but they don't act on their feelings very often. The times they do hug and kiss are adorable though. How about those friends-fall-in-love stories! Will lives with his sister, Mickie, and she just might be my favourite character. Responsible with a hint of cheeky…what's not to like? Her university professor was a man called Pfeffer, someone who's now dead. Theory: Everyone who knows about the Rippler Syndrome is picked off one by one. Fact: One false move and they're in big trouble.

I enjoyed reading about their exploration of invisibility and seeing the mystery unfold, but I would have liked to see more action and plot. There are hints and trickles of the plot throughout, which culminate to form an exciting last few chapters. Some spread would've improved Rippler a whole deal but despite that, this was a fun, yet serious, novel which should have just the right amount of mystery to pull you in. A good debut novel by Swanson!

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam is nearly 16 and a keen member of her schools cross-country team. She's been alone and depressed in the past following the death of her mother and best friend in a drink related road traffic accident when she was seven. Recently though things have started to look up for her, an old childhood friend has returned to town, and she's become friends with Will, a boy on the cross-country team that she secretly has feelings for. Unfortunately that's when things start to go wrong again.

Whilst on a cross-country day out, white water rafting, Sam misteriously disappears, leading her coach and team mates to believe that she has fallen overboard. Sam hasn't moved though, she's become invisible. Will somehow knows what Sam has done, and distracts the coach so that Sam can ripple back. Discussing what happened later, it turns out that Will knows all about Rippling - his sister has been doing a research project on the condition, which turns out to be caused by a faulty gene.

Sam and Will then begin to spend more time together, discussing Rippling and trying to help Sam to control the condition, and a romance blossoms. More trouble is in store though when Will's sister tells Sam how everyone who has ever studied Rippling is being murdered, and that she is herself in hiding, fearing for her and her brother's lives.

Sam and Will have to find a way to discover more information about Sam's condition, without attracting attention from the wrong people, although unfortunately it seems that the wrong people might already know too much.

I have to say that I really enjoyed this book. At the beginning I did find it very hard to believe how convieniant it was that Sam's best friend just happened to be an expert on an extremely rare genetic condition that people were being killed over, but I kind of forgave that a little as the story progressed. The other downside is that the book didn't really have a proper end - it is part of a trilogy, and ends that way, which means that we all have to wait now for the second and third instalments to find out what happens! Cidney Swanson please write faster!

[Melissa (thereaderandthechef) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the cover. It looks beautiful with the girl's dress blown by the wind on the cliff, and the breathtaking view of the sea. I believe it fits perfectly with the whole Rippler concept, and how the soothing sound of the water calms Samantha Ruiz, allowing her to ripple or become invisible.

On to the story, Samantha found out she was able to disappear from the moment her mother and best friend died in a car crash, and has been afraid somebody would find out about her abnormality. Keeping this a secret(even from her father and step mother) so no one would take her away and lock in a psychiatrist ward, she avoids disappearing, though not knowing how she does it in the first place. That is until one of her only friends, Will, tells her all what he knows about rippling, and the danger that comes along with having this rare gene.

I enjoyed reading this book and all its amazing characters. Samantha herself is a person I can admire due to her strength, how she's been able to pull through tough emotional situations, and her fright to disappear and be discovered by the wrong people. She's not perfect, as she tends to push away the people who actually care about her, but she does it in order to protect them from what she is able to do.
Then there is Will, his quick thinking, certain ability and his gift around the kitchen kind of closed the deal for me. Seriously people, a guy who can cook is definitely a keeper.

As to the plot, I found it quite interesting, though I believe it needed a bit more of action. Fast paced, I couldn't believe I was almost done with the book until I saw the page number I was on, followed shortly by "the end".

I really want to know what's going to happen with Will and Sam (cute love story in here), and solve out all the questions raised as the story progressed, because the few answers we got are clearly not enough to satiate my curiosity.