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The Fusion Series #1
Full Fusion
Eighteen-year-old Roxie Sebastian lives a charmed life, and she knows it. Too bad she can't feel it.
All her life, she's felt disconnected from the world around her. Everything changes just before graduation, when she's drawn to an eerie, brilliant light-which narrowly misses her as it blows up her friend Lincoln's car. Clearly someone's after Roxie, and finally Lincoln tells her the truth: He and Roxie are angels, beings from another dimension, and that light is her soul, separated from her human body in a traumatic birth.
Once a skeptical Roxie rules out the other possibilities-like Lincoln created this delusion to escape his abusive father-she accepts her gut-deep knowledge of the truth. But someone has been screwing with her light, using it to commit crimes, and their actions are about to cause irreparable damage to two worlds: the one she lives in, and the one she can't remember.
Aided by her best friend Jordan, her boyfriend Tucker, and Lincoln, Roxie tracks down the criminal and uncovers many more secrets not only of her past, but of the history of their race on Earth. And then Roxie faces a horrible dilemma-the only way she can stop them from ripping apart both worlds is to fuse with her light...which could be tainted by the evil with which it was used.
All her life, she's felt disconnected from the world around her. Everything changes just before graduation, when she's drawn to an eerie, brilliant light-which narrowly misses her as it blows up her friend Lincoln's car. Clearly someone's after Roxie, and finally Lincoln tells her the truth: He and Roxie are angels, beings from another dimension, and that light is her soul, separated from her human body in a traumatic birth.
Once a skeptical Roxie rules out the other possibilities-like Lincoln created this delusion to escape his abusive father-she accepts her gut-deep knowledge of the truth. But someone has been screwing with her light, using it to commit crimes, and their actions are about to cause irreparable damage to two worlds: the one she lives in, and the one she can't remember.
Aided by her best friend Jordan, her boyfriend Tucker, and Lincoln, Roxie tracks down the criminal and uncovers many more secrets not only of her past, but of the history of their race on Earth. And then Roxie faces a horrible dilemma-the only way she can stop them from ripping apart both worlds is to fuse with her light...which could be tainted by the evil with which it was used.
322 pages, Paperback
First published June 8, 2014
About the author
N.J. Damschroder
6 books11 followersNJ Damschroder grew up in Massachusetts, and loves the New England Patriots more than anything. (Except her family. And writing and reading. And popcorn.) When she’s not writing young adult adventure novels, she does freelance editing and project management. She and her husband have two daughters, one of whom is also a novelist. (The other one prefers math. Smart kid. Practical.) You can learn more about her and her books at njdamschroder.com.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 24, 2018
I was given a review copy of Full Fusion by Rockstar Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.
Eighteen-year-old Roxie Sebastian has always felt lost in life, disconnected from her loving family, devoted friends, and even her own emotions, but she always considered herself normal. Until the night a brilliant white light destroys her friend, Linc's, car in a blaze of fire and Roxie discovers she's an angel who was separated from her soul during a traumatic birth. That angelic soul, rife with power, has fallen into the hands of a man named Phillip Porcini, who seems to know way more about the angels than he should. Roxie sets off to get her soul back with her best friend, boyfriend, and her friend Linc, who is actually a full fledged angel sent from another dimension to help Roxie regain her soul. But Phillip plans to use her soul to open a gateway between dimensions, which could end up destroying both worlds. The only real way to keep the soul out of his hands is for Roxie to fuse with it and become a full angel again. But have the crimes Phillip committed with the soul tainted it? If so, could fusing with it turn Roxie into something evil?
Where to start with this book. When I picked it up, it seemed like a fun, light-hearted ride through an urban fantasy setting. When I finished, I felt about as far from "fun" as you could get, but it had me questioning: is this simply a book not written for me? Most YA I connect with very easily, but there are a certain subset of books that are written for a young teen audience that have little appeal for adults. Does that make them bad? Not necessarily. After all, adults are not the target audience of YA. It wasn't written for them, it was written for teens. That's something I keep in mind while reading YA, and definitely applies somewhat to this book. Do I think a thirteen year old girl would enjoy this book a lot more than I did? Absolutely! Hell, if I was thirteen I probably would have enjoyed this book a lot more, because I would've been in the maturity bracket for it.
The book itself was written well, with a simpler style lacking flowery prose. There were times where the description was a little thin, but not in a way that really took away from the story or made it confusing. The pacing moved nicely, and so the story itself was very easy to read. The fundamentals were there, but it was the story itself that made me falter. Starting with the characters, we have Roxie, who is a very obvious Mary-Sue. She has a perfect life, perfect family, doting mother, plenty of money (I'd die for a pool in my backyard), a gaggle of besties who do everything she wants, good grades, and is the "nice girl." The only thing missing from the Mary-Sue package would be the cheerleader checkbox. As for the rest of the main characters, they were all really flat with no motivation outside of Roxie. Even Linc, who was arguably one of the more developed characters, was still little more than a typical YA bad boy: dark hair, brooding, rough home life, aggressive under a guise of "protection," obsessed with the main character, etc, etc. Even the bad guys, who were driving the plot for most of the book, were about as developed as bumbling cartoon villains that resemble the Three Stooges.
The book itself was filled with classic YA tropes and cliches: the Unqualified Protagonist, a love triangle, the Gullible Martyr, Unambiguous Bad Guy, I Didn't Know I Had Powers, a bit of Chosen One, etc. I was hoping the author would play around with these tropes a bit, but they're about as predictable as can be. In fact, most parts of the book are highly predictable, and the actual actions taken by characters to move the plot forward are pretty sad at times. Roxie charges into an enemy lair with no plan after dumping her supplies and is surprised when she opens the door and finds bad guys, the villains are professional criminals but can't physically overpower a few teenagers (most without any powers), an explanation for how the bad guys found them was just "Science. The methodology isn't important." (I sh*t you not). The list could go on. It seemed like there was very little creative thought put into the actual actions or plot in the story, which made it kinda boring to read, and made the characters (all of them, good and bad) come across as incredibly stupid.
All the "meat" in this story, per se, was in the romantic tension. The love triangle between Roxie, her boyfriend, Tucker, and their friend, Linc, was what ultimately kept the book moving. And it's the very reason why I could see a lot of younger teens really enjoying this book. As much as it leans into heavy cliches, the romantic plotline fulfills that "dirty little secret" read that you know is bad, but you like it anyway. There were little parts of me getting caught up in that romantic subplot, and I found myself enjoying it most out of the book, probably because it seemed like there was more effort put into it. Up until this point, I could have recommended this book as a read for teens and say adult YA readers might not enjoy it, simply because it wasn't written for them. What made me change my mind from "this book isn't for me" to "this book is bad" came down to the messages it was sending.
The first message being very sexist, as about three or four times throughout the book, and in very minor ways, the main character refers to how girls are weaker than boys. It tried to play it off as "it's not sexism, it's just fact," and then as Roxie stating it's "one of the reasons she didn't like being a girl," and then finally by the last mention, the author gives up all pretense of trying to sugarcoat her opinion: "Bing went with Jordan, and I heard her hissing her displeasure at even more sexism. But I felt better, anyway. Call me an anti-feminist, I don't care." (Direct quote). I'd like to play it off as a character trait, but it has no other influence on the story, and is just an ideological piece that the author seems to be hammering into the reader, finalizing it by having Roxie (who sort of initially resisted the sexism, or called it out for what it was) settling in that she's happier this way (that her girl friend has a man to protect her during a fight) and that she's proudly anti-feminist. What kind of message does that send to young girls, who are devouring this book for the romantic plotline?
** SPOILERS IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH. SKIP PARAGRAPH IF YOU DON'T WISH TO BE SPOILED**
The second message, which really broke the book for me, was that cheating was okay. Much of the romantic tension between Linc and Roxie was heightened by the fact that Roxie was dating Tucker, and so they couldn't be together. Of course, during the climax, both characters forget or don't care about this, and Linc kisses Roxie anyway. Nobody is mad at each other, nobody feels that guilty, and instead it becomes a thing that "Tucker must never know," until Tucker reveals he does know at the end, and forgives Roxie anyway. Which made me feel awful for Tucker, because even cardboard cutouts don't deserve to be treated like crap. The message comes across that it's okay to cheat, that things will work out okay because she loves both of them and so it can't be bad. There are literally no repercussions that Roxie faces from this and she manages to shrug off the problem, which comes across as pretty heartless.
The part that infuriates me the most about the above two messages is that the book is written specifically for young YA readers, and that's obvious by reading it. So these messages feel specifically targeted towards that young audience, and that's where I draw the line. Entertainment is one thing, but knowing your audience is much more important.
All in all, 2/5 stars. An uninteresting YA romance with decent writing and awful anti-woman messages.
Eighteen-year-old Roxie Sebastian has always felt lost in life, disconnected from her loving family, devoted friends, and even her own emotions, but she always considered herself normal. Until the night a brilliant white light destroys her friend, Linc's, car in a blaze of fire and Roxie discovers she's an angel who was separated from her soul during a traumatic birth. That angelic soul, rife with power, has fallen into the hands of a man named Phillip Porcini, who seems to know way more about the angels than he should. Roxie sets off to get her soul back with her best friend, boyfriend, and her friend Linc, who is actually a full fledged angel sent from another dimension to help Roxie regain her soul. But Phillip plans to use her soul to open a gateway between dimensions, which could end up destroying both worlds. The only real way to keep the soul out of his hands is for Roxie to fuse with it and become a full angel again. But have the crimes Phillip committed with the soul tainted it? If so, could fusing with it turn Roxie into something evil?
Where to start with this book. When I picked it up, it seemed like a fun, light-hearted ride through an urban fantasy setting. When I finished, I felt about as far from "fun" as you could get, but it had me questioning: is this simply a book not written for me? Most YA I connect with very easily, but there are a certain subset of books that are written for a young teen audience that have little appeal for adults. Does that make them bad? Not necessarily. After all, adults are not the target audience of YA. It wasn't written for them, it was written for teens. That's something I keep in mind while reading YA, and definitely applies somewhat to this book. Do I think a thirteen year old girl would enjoy this book a lot more than I did? Absolutely! Hell, if I was thirteen I probably would have enjoyed this book a lot more, because I would've been in the maturity bracket for it.
The book itself was written well, with a simpler style lacking flowery prose. There were times where the description was a little thin, but not in a way that really took away from the story or made it confusing. The pacing moved nicely, and so the story itself was very easy to read. The fundamentals were there, but it was the story itself that made me falter. Starting with the characters, we have Roxie, who is a very obvious Mary-Sue. She has a perfect life, perfect family, doting mother, plenty of money (I'd die for a pool in my backyard), a gaggle of besties who do everything she wants, good grades, and is the "nice girl." The only thing missing from the Mary-Sue package would be the cheerleader checkbox. As for the rest of the main characters, they were all really flat with no motivation outside of Roxie. Even Linc, who was arguably one of the more developed characters, was still little more than a typical YA bad boy: dark hair, brooding, rough home life, aggressive under a guise of "protection," obsessed with the main character, etc, etc. Even the bad guys, who were driving the plot for most of the book, were about as developed as bumbling cartoon villains that resemble the Three Stooges.
The book itself was filled with classic YA tropes and cliches: the Unqualified Protagonist, a love triangle, the Gullible Martyr, Unambiguous Bad Guy, I Didn't Know I Had Powers, a bit of Chosen One, etc. I was hoping the author would play around with these tropes a bit, but they're about as predictable as can be. In fact, most parts of the book are highly predictable, and the actual actions taken by characters to move the plot forward are pretty sad at times. Roxie charges into an enemy lair with no plan after dumping her supplies and is surprised when she opens the door and finds bad guys, the villains are professional criminals but can't physically overpower a few teenagers (most without any powers), an explanation for how the bad guys found them was just "Science. The methodology isn't important." (I sh*t you not). The list could go on. It seemed like there was very little creative thought put into the actual actions or plot in the story, which made it kinda boring to read, and made the characters (all of them, good and bad) come across as incredibly stupid.
All the "meat" in this story, per se, was in the romantic tension. The love triangle between Roxie, her boyfriend, Tucker, and their friend, Linc, was what ultimately kept the book moving. And it's the very reason why I could see a lot of younger teens really enjoying this book. As much as it leans into heavy cliches, the romantic plotline fulfills that "dirty little secret" read that you know is bad, but you like it anyway. There were little parts of me getting caught up in that romantic subplot, and I found myself enjoying it most out of the book, probably because it seemed like there was more effort put into it. Up until this point, I could have recommended this book as a read for teens and say adult YA readers might not enjoy it, simply because it wasn't written for them. What made me change my mind from "this book isn't for me" to "this book is bad" came down to the messages it was sending.
The first message being very sexist, as about three or four times throughout the book, and in very minor ways, the main character refers to how girls are weaker than boys. It tried to play it off as "it's not sexism, it's just fact," and then as Roxie stating it's "one of the reasons she didn't like being a girl," and then finally by the last mention, the author gives up all pretense of trying to sugarcoat her opinion: "Bing went with Jordan, and I heard her hissing her displeasure at even more sexism. But I felt better, anyway. Call me an anti-feminist, I don't care." (Direct quote). I'd like to play it off as a character trait, but it has no other influence on the story, and is just an ideological piece that the author seems to be hammering into the reader, finalizing it by having Roxie (who sort of initially resisted the sexism, or called it out for what it was) settling in that she's happier this way (that her girl friend has a man to protect her during a fight) and that she's proudly anti-feminist. What kind of message does that send to young girls, who are devouring this book for the romantic plotline?
** SPOILERS IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH. SKIP PARAGRAPH IF YOU DON'T WISH TO BE SPOILED**
The second message, which really broke the book for me, was that cheating was okay. Much of the romantic tension between Linc and Roxie was heightened by the fact that Roxie was dating Tucker, and so they couldn't be together. Of course, during the climax, both characters forget or don't care about this, and Linc kisses Roxie anyway. Nobody is mad at each other, nobody feels that guilty, and instead it becomes a thing that "Tucker must never know," until Tucker reveals he does know at the end, and forgives Roxie anyway. Which made me feel awful for Tucker, because even cardboard cutouts don't deserve to be treated like crap. The message comes across that it's okay to cheat, that things will work out okay because she loves both of them and so it can't be bad. There are literally no repercussions that Roxie faces from this and she manages to shrug off the problem, which comes across as pretty heartless.
The part that infuriates me the most about the above two messages is that the book is written specifically for young YA readers, and that's obvious by reading it. So these messages feel specifically targeted towards that young audience, and that's where I draw the line. Entertainment is one thing, but knowing your audience is much more important.
All in all, 2/5 stars. An uninteresting YA romance with decent writing and awful anti-woman messages.
March 19, 2018
Roxie Sebastian is like every other teenager except she doesn't always feel like she belongs and she is missing something. While, she has a caring family, a loving boyfriend, and supportive friends, she can't help but feel that disconnected from the world around her. When on shopping trip with her friend, Lincoln, she narrowly manages to escape death when brilliant light misses her and blows up Lincoln's car instead. After seeing the brilliant light, she is drawn to it and can't help but feels she needs the light. However, it seems Lincoln knows more than he is letting on about Roxie and the light that almost killed them. What secret is Lincoln hiding? Why is the light so important to Roxie?
This young adult paranormal novel was an interesting read. The author did a good job making the characters feel authentic and age appropriately in their dialogue. The plot was fast moving and interesting but I felt like the description in the back gave away most of the important part of the story. Instead of being a description to entice readers into reading the book, I felt like it was a summary of the entire book. Overall, an interesting book for those who like paranormal novels but skip the description on the back otherwise you might ruin the book.
This young adult paranormal novel was an interesting read. The author did a good job making the characters feel authentic and age appropriately in their dialogue. The plot was fast moving and interesting but I felt like the description in the back gave away most of the important part of the story. Instead of being a description to entice readers into reading the book, I felt like it was a summary of the entire book. Overall, an interesting book for those who like paranormal novels but skip the description on the back otherwise you might ruin the book.
November 1, 2018
Full review coming soon as part of RockStar Book Tours.
I did enjoy this take on good vs. evil! I can't wait to read the next book. :)
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This book surprised in me one of the best ways. Even though this book came out a few years ago, it still reads as if it is a new publication. I may struggle with my review as I tend to do when I like books.
The main thing I enjoyed about this story were the characters. They all felt developed and wonderfully flawed. I won’t like, I didn’t like Roxie in the beginning as she felt like a spoiled brat but she changed as the story progressed. She had a bit of a reality check that brought her back to reality and she began to humble a lot. That is when I started to really like her. The rest of the characters really helped to round out the story – Jordan, Lincoln, and Tucker. The interaction between all of these friends was a lot of fun to read.
The plot of the story itself was rather fascinating to me. I’ve been trying to read more books like this because I find they are better than I could have imagined. I love stories that deal with good vs evil and this was a good story. This was also a fast paced story that never slowed down. I was totally invested the entire time. I had to know what was going on and where Roxie’s race of people came from.
I am trying SO HARD not to give much away in my review so it’s short this time. Bottom line – give this book a try! Add it to your TBR or borrow from library/buy a copy. This is a good read that will make you want to jump into book 2, so have that ready.
I did enjoy this take on good vs. evil! I can't wait to read the next book. :)
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This book surprised in me one of the best ways. Even though this book came out a few years ago, it still reads as if it is a new publication. I may struggle with my review as I tend to do when I like books.
The main thing I enjoyed about this story were the characters. They all felt developed and wonderfully flawed. I won’t like, I didn’t like Roxie in the beginning as she felt like a spoiled brat but she changed as the story progressed. She had a bit of a reality check that brought her back to reality and she began to humble a lot. That is when I started to really like her. The rest of the characters really helped to round out the story – Jordan, Lincoln, and Tucker. The interaction between all of these friends was a lot of fun to read.
The plot of the story itself was rather fascinating to me. I’ve been trying to read more books like this because I find they are better than I could have imagined. I love stories that deal with good vs evil and this was a good story. This was also a fast paced story that never slowed down. I was totally invested the entire time. I had to know what was going on and where Roxie’s race of people came from.
I am trying SO HARD not to give much away in my review so it’s short this time. Bottom line – give this book a try! Add it to your TBR or borrow from library/buy a copy. This is a good read that will make you want to jump into book 2, so have that ready.
October 22, 2014
Unique plot with a steady pace and a great climax scene. Bing's character is so mysterious!
February 7, 2015
I received a free copy of this book from the GoodReads First Reads program in exchange for an honest review. Great book, interesting plot and characters.
June 21, 2020
I wanted so badly to like this book. But it just didn't pull me in like others have. The writing itself was great. I'd love to check out other stuff the author has done. But this story was just so cliche. Yes, I am aware it is YA, I typically love YA but this one just wasn't for me.
March 27, 2018
**Review posted on https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/ **
Roxie has always felt disconnected from her life, her emotions just a dim feeling she can't really relate too. She knows she loved her family, boyfriend Tucker, and her two best friends Jordan and Lincoln, but she feels as if she goes through the motions more than anything. When she and Lincoln are out shopping, a crazy event occurs and Lincoln saves her life- revealing his truth to her. She is not just like everyone else, but really an Angel who had her light, almost like her soul, ripped from her at birth. With the help of her best people, Roxie is on a mission to find her light and figure out why she is being targeted by strange men.
I am such a sucker for Angel stories, I am always looking for new ones to read but half the time I feel disappointing by what I get. Well, I am happy to report that this was such a fun read. Seriously, I could have easily speed through this book in an afternoon since it was quick (as per my ereader a little less than 200 pages) and engaging if life hadn't kept interrupting. I liked the characters, the pacing, and the fact that the story overall was low on angst, high on action, and didn't leave on a cliff-hanger.
Yes, there is a love triangle here and it was so obvious to me who she needed to be with, but it didn't seem like Roxie and I are on the same page. Here is the hard part though, both guys are pretty amazing. We have her current boyfriend Tucker who starts the book melting your heart playing with her little sisters. And on top of that, he is accepting, attractive, super smart and a great computer whiz. But then there is Lincoln who I absolutely adore. He has a troubled past with an abusive family, is the quiet, broody one who is always there when she needs him but never asks anything from her in return. He is the same as her, can understand her completely, can protect her, help her... I think they were meant for each other... It was seemed as if the love triangle has resolved by the end of the story (to my dismay) but who know what the future may bring.
Relationships in general were very important to Roxie, not just romance. The love she felt for her sisters and parents was palpable and super sweet, you could see it in every action between them. Also, friendship was important to her, be it with her best female friend Jordan (who was pretty resourceful and great on her own, pretty much the best friend Roxie could ask for). Roxie never blew off her friends for Tucker and the fact she included her close people in her woes was my favorite part, no emotional angst over her loneliness and secrets.
As much time as I just spent on the romance aspect of the story, this was not the focus of the book. Instead, the book was an action mystery, with lots of danger and sleuthing thrown in. I think there is a lot of potential for more angel action, with little hints at what could be thrown out here at the end. There was a lot to enjoy in this story and I would easily pick up more books by this author to read.
I am voluntarily reviewing an advance, complimentary copy of this book.
Roxie has always felt disconnected from her life, her emotions just a dim feeling she can't really relate too. She knows she loved her family, boyfriend Tucker, and her two best friends Jordan and Lincoln, but she feels as if she goes through the motions more than anything. When she and Lincoln are out shopping, a crazy event occurs and Lincoln saves her life- revealing his truth to her. She is not just like everyone else, but really an Angel who had her light, almost like her soul, ripped from her at birth. With the help of her best people, Roxie is on a mission to find her light and figure out why she is being targeted by strange men.
I am such a sucker for Angel stories, I am always looking for new ones to read but half the time I feel disappointing by what I get. Well, I am happy to report that this was such a fun read. Seriously, I could have easily speed through this book in an afternoon since it was quick (as per my ereader a little less than 200 pages) and engaging if life hadn't kept interrupting. I liked the characters, the pacing, and the fact that the story overall was low on angst, high on action, and didn't leave on a cliff-hanger.
Yes, there is a love triangle here and it was so obvious to me who she needed to be with, but it didn't seem like Roxie and I are on the same page. Here is the hard part though, both guys are pretty amazing. We have her current boyfriend Tucker who starts the book melting your heart playing with her little sisters. And on top of that, he is accepting, attractive, super smart and a great computer whiz. But then there is Lincoln who I absolutely adore. He has a troubled past with an abusive family, is the quiet, broody one who is always there when she needs him but never asks anything from her in return. He is the same as her, can understand her completely, can protect her, help her... I think they were meant for each other... It was seemed as if the love triangle has resolved by the end of the story (to my dismay) but who know what the future may bring.
Relationships in general were very important to Roxie, not just romance. The love she felt for her sisters and parents was palpable and super sweet, you could see it in every action between them. Also, friendship was important to her, be it with her best female friend Jordan (who was pretty resourceful and great on her own, pretty much the best friend Roxie could ask for). Roxie never blew off her friends for Tucker and the fact she included her close people in her woes was my favorite part, no emotional angst over her loneliness and secrets.
As much time as I just spent on the romance aspect of the story, this was not the focus of the book. Instead, the book was an action mystery, with lots of danger and sleuthing thrown in. I think there is a lot of potential for more angel action, with little hints at what could be thrown out here at the end. There was a lot to enjoy in this story and I would easily pick up more books by this author to read.
I am voluntarily reviewing an advance, complimentary copy of this book.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews