Tasch told me to get on reading this one...so I did XD ( )

Dissonance is an amazing blend of great world-building, delightful plot twists and moving character dynamics. If you love the idea of parallel worlds and enjoy YA (including adorable teen romance) this is not a book to miss out on!

Full review at:
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I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’ve been really picky with books lately. I’ve been picking things up and abandoning them when they don’t keep my interest. Despite the fact that Dissonance is almost five hundred pages, Dissonance kept my attention consistently. Considering that I’ve not been able to make it through some much shorter books, this means something. This book is parallel universe awesomeness. I liked it from the start, but the ending was just as solid. Dissonance is a fabulously unique debut and a wonderful start to a new series.

Delancey is just my sort of heroine, by which I mean that she’s a bit of a bitch. Del’s the sort of girl who doesn’t take to well to authority. She skips class constantly, disobeys orders, and sneaks out of the house. Plus, she totally puts her wishes above those of others. Though she really loves her grandpa Monty, she tends to keep people at a distance and is constantly fighting with most people. She’s judgmental of those around her and generally not all that nice. I know some readers aren’t big fans of heroines like Del, but I love them. Of course, when I was a teen (and now too lbr), I had issues with authority (though I was a total rule-follower) and I was a judgmental bitch, so you know I get these girls.

Anyway, I have to say that the world building is the strongest element of Dissonance. Sure, I come for the characters and stay for them, but this world building is totally boss. Del is a Walker, like the rest of her family and a whole network of people around the globe. Walkers have the ability to sense Pivots, places where someone’s choice has created a new echo of the Key World. The Walkers can travel to these Echoes and seek to maintain the safety of Key World, by fixing or cleaving the echoes from it. There’s also this musical component to being a Walker. They all have perfect pitch and can tell the worlds apart by their musical tones or, in the case of echoes out of whack, their dissonance. Obviously parallel universes have been done before, but the musical tie was such a cool touch. Plus, I’m just amazed by how well O’Rourke managed to describe everything that I am nodding along like OF COURSE and not going CHICKAWHAT.

The ethical quandaries central to Dissonance are the sort of philosophical consideration I love to consider. Are the echoes real or not? The people in them take on their own unique personalities, disparate from the Key World and live their own lives. Given enough time, they can become quite different. However, if the person dies in the Key World, their echoes go too. Are they real? Should their lives be maintained or cleaved? What function do the echoes serve? There’s so much to wonder and debate in this world. It is RICH with possibility.

Dissonance is one of those books where the things that sort of irked me early on actually get handled and resolved in a good way. Del, at the start, has this horrible relationship with her sister Addie. Those two are terrible to each other. However, Addie isn’t an unrelenting villain. They don’t become best friends, but they learn a lot about each other over the course of Dissonance. They have an actual arc, which is all I ask.

I was also concerned about her relationship with her best friend, Eliot, who has a very obvious crush on her. I don’t know about you guys, but I have been burned by this before. However, it’s handled in a very non-dramatic, non-love triangle-y way. Plus, Del is badass and won’t let people make her feel guilty for things she shouldn’t feel guilty for and it’s great. Much like her relationship with her sister, things are still on unstable ground, but I like the arc so far.

Then there’s the romance, which obviously I have to talk about. It’s not a SHIP, but it’s a solid ship. To be honest, they instalove on each other a little bit, but I’m totally not gagging. I believe that they feel that way, whether or not it’s true. They do have a connection and also things are complicated. What especially makes me like them is that they do have some issues that they work through rather than everything being perfect in their relationship.

Basically, if you are into parallel universe things, YOU WANT THIS. Also, if you like complex stories and the bitchy sort of heroine, again THIS. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Dissonance is a unique sci-fi book that blew me away. It is confusing at first and I will admit that it takes a while to grasp everything that is going on, but it is so worth it!

Opening Sentence: IT SEEMED LIKE A LOUSY WAY TO REMEMBER someone: two aging strips of wood nailed together in the shape of a cross, stuck into a weed-choked ditch on the side of the road.

The Review:

You make choices every day, some are big — others are small, but they all shape your life. Do you ever wonder what would happen if you made different choices? Would your life be on a completely different route then the current one you’re on? Well, Delancey Sullivan doesn’t have to wonder — she knows. In her world every choice that is made creates an echo or in other words a parallel world that takes the path of the choice not chosen. There is no limit to how many echoes can exist, they keep going on forever but no one knows about them besides the people known as Walkers. The Walkers can travel throughout all the different versions of the world, and they are charged with keeping all the dimensions in harmony.

The only way you can become a Walker is to be born with it, it is a genetic gene that is passed on. Delancey loves being a walker and she has outstanding talent with it. Walking through the different dimensions has always been easy for her, but that’s not all the Walkers do, they also have rules and Delancey has never been the best at following rules. If it is possible you are not suppose to interact with the echoes in the other world, but Delancey keeps finding herself flirting with the echo of a boy she has always liked. In real life he doesn’t even know she exists but in the parallel worlds he is totally different. But soon the parallel worlds start to blend into real life and if Delancey can’t figure out how to fix it there will be severe consequences.

Delancey was a great character, but it took me a little while to like her. When I first met her I loved how witty and smart she was. She didn’t care what other people thought of her and she had a refreshing voice. But there were some things that irritated me about her like how insecure she was when it came to boys. I didn’t like that she let boys dictate so many of her decisions. She also tended to ignore her problems instead of trying to solve them and that got a little frustrating. But the more I got to know her the more I liked her and eventually I ended up really loving her as a character. She is very caring, sweet, and surprisingly she really stood up for what she believed in and I respected that. Overall, I ended up loving her and I can’t wait to continue her story.

I have to talk about the boys and yes, there are two of them. I wouldn’t say that it is really a love triangle because of them is completely one sided, but technically there were two potential love interests. The first one is Delancey’s best friend, Eliot. He is a fellow Walker and they grew up together. Eliot is brilliant and has been Delancey’s closet friend her entire life. Their friendship has always seemed to be completely platonic, but because the Walkers have to mate with other Walkers to keep up their population, there was always that underlining possibility that they could be more. I really liked Eliot, he believes in Delancey and is there for her whenever she needs him. He’s a little socially awkward but I found that endearing and part of his charm. I don’t see him being a love interest in the future books, but it is a possibility.

Then there is the gorgeous, Simon. He is a popular good looking guy that has his pick of girls. Up until recently, he didn’t even know Delancey existed, but surprisingly that didn’t make me like him any less. It wasn’t a big surprise he didn’t know her because she never made an effort to put herself out there for him to notice her. Once he does they hit it off right away and their romance is adorable. It is very hot and cold at first, but they have pretty intense chemistry. At first I wasn’t a big fan of Simon, but that quickly changed. He ends up being an amazing guy that is just misunderstood. He doesn’t open himself up to very many people because he has lost a lot in his life. He has a huge heart and if you are lucky enough to become someone he cares about he will do anything for you. Simon melted my heart and I ended up loving him.

Dissonance was a very unique story filled with romance, adventure, and suspense. It was way different than I was expecting but in a really good way. I have read plenty of books that have parallel worlds but O’Rourke brings her own unique spin to it in her story. As you can probably tell from the description there is a lot going on in the story and I will admit that I did get a little confused at times. But I felt by the end of the story, I was able to grasp what was going on with everything. So if you end up reading this, don’t give up in the middle because it does all make sense by the end. There were also a few times that I felt that the pacing was a little rushed which may have also contributed to me feeling a little lost at times, but even though this story had some flaws, I still loved it. It instantly gripped my interest and I found that I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next. It was such an engaging plot line that was easy to get engrossed in. I also was very surprised by some of the twists that were presented. This is always a huge plus for me since I don’t generally get surprised while reading books. I actually really liked the ending even though it was a slight cliffhanger, but more than anything it just left me really excited to read the next book. Overall, even with its flaws, I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a great young adult book with lots of action and romance!

Notable Scene:

IT SHOULDN’T BE SO EASY TO END A WORLD. When you think about it, unraveling the fabric of reality should require more effort than clipping your nails. As it turns out, all you need to do is find the right thread and yank.

Or hold on to the thread while your sister yanks you.

The strings slid away with such force I thought they’d slice my fingertips, the remaining fabric slack and gauzy. The ground at our feet warped like a Salvador Dalí painting, nearby trees going liquid and limp, the sky a smear of blue and white.

“What did you do?” Addie looked around wildly.

“It wasn’t my fault! You grabbed me!” A line of silver shot from the playground to the pond, which turned gray and began to fade.

FTC Advisory: Simon Teen/Simon & Schuster provided me with a copy of Dissonance. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )

Can we please take a moment to appreciate how freakin' epic this book sounds!?
I honestly cannot wait to get a hold of this one!

Over & Out, T xx