Customer Reviews

Rippler (The Ripple Trilogy)

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Do you ever start a book and know, just know, from the very first line that you're going to love it? That's how I felt about Rippler. It drew me in from the very beginning and that great first impression extended through the whole book for me.

Besides the beautiful cover, there's a lot to like about Rippler. Sam is just a regular girl until she starts turning invisible. She has no idea what's going on, or the cause of her new invisibility, until her cross county friend Will witnesses one of her "spells". Will covers for her to keep Sam out of trouble, and the two become fast friends. The story takes off from there as Sam discovers more about her new talent as well as threats from people looking to exploit her.

Rippler has great characterization. I loved Swanson's character development, and especially the way she writes emotion. The world-building was also very intricate, which I loved. I liked how the communication between the "mysterious man from France" was included in the beginnings of the chapters. It added some great depth.

One thing I really liked about Rippler was that it touches on depression. So often, mental illness is overlooked or made out to be a character flaw in literature, especially YA literature. Swanson brings depression and its far-reaching effects out into the open. I like reading about characters with real issues. When someone goes through a traumatic event, I like when they have a realistic response to it, instead of just bouncing back like nothing happened.

Rippler was a great start to a promising new series. I have to note that Cidney Swanson is such a nice person. She has been so friendly, understanding and gracious in our email communications. Don't you just love it when you like an author personally as well as enjoy their work? I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series!

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!

4.5/5 stars (rounded up for Amazon)

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.

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.

I just recently got a kindle fire, and this was the very first book I downloaded onto it mostly because it was on the free top 100. I really didn't even know what I downloaded because I quickly chose one before I left out of town. I started reading it and couldn't put it down until I finished reading it! It was an easy, fun, relaxing read. My husband even had me read out loud to him while driving, and he really got into it as well.

I love books that keep you guessing because I think that is what keeps you intrigued. The author says just enough to keep you wondering, but doesn't do it too much that it is frustrating.

I work and go to school full time, so the fact that I made the time to finish this book has something to say for itself. It is definitely a book both male and females can enjoy, so guys, don't write it off!!

First of all, I'd like to thank the author, Cidney Swanson, for giving me the opportunity to read her utterly captivating book!

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

That had my attention and it was just the first line!
Samantha Ruiz is a carrier of a weird gene that makes her turn invisible. At first, she doesn't control it and most of the time it takes her a minute to realize she's even turned invisible but with the help of her friend Will and his sister Mickie.

I'm a huge fan of paranormal books and 'Rippler' has managed to stand out in a genre where the popular trend is vampires,werewolves,faeries and witches. From the first chapter, Cidney Swanson has managed to jump right into the action without having a slow beginning. Once you get started, it's hard to put the book down. I would know, considering I had to go a few days without reading what happens next. Reading this book was like trying to solve a puzzle, there's various pieces/dots scattered all over the book and you start to connect them one by one till the end where the book leaves you screaming because you just want to know what happens!

The writing is good and is written in a language that relates to teens/young adults. The chapters have a continuous flow to them. I loved the parts of the book with the riddles and journal entries! It takes pretty good creativity to come up with little things like that!

The author has captured the essence of a shy and confused teenage girl growing up perfectly! Throughout the novel, Sam tries to figure out and embrace her identity. When I read Sam's thoughts I understood what she was going through and connected with her. It was also lovely to see Will & Sam's friendship slowly turn into something more.

Will's sister did annoy me a bit at first but once I got to know more about her, I grew fond of her and the relationship she has with her brother! The characters have been developed really well, with close similarities to reality and each character is someone you'd be able to relate to in your life.

My only flaw with this story was that, Sam's freak gene was cool but a little too much! I found it far-fetched that she could turn invisible, walk through things AND read minds (if she tried!)

That's the reason I can't give 'Ripper' 5 stars. But other than that, this book goes back into an interesting period of history - Nazi Rule & Scientific Experiments - and I LOVED it!

I will definitely read the sequel Chameleon: Book Two in the Ripple Series ! I recommend 'Rippler' to young teenagers, especially girls, who're fans of X-Men! Sam reminded me of Rogue (although she should've reminded me of Kitty) - one of my favorite characters!

I won this off of Library Thing and I'm so glad I did. This story will pull you in and leave you wanting more. The plot is great and keeps going, there is romance, adventure, mystery and history. I read this story in one setting. It is for young adults, but adults can enjoy it as well. The teen dialogue is great and isn't teeny. I am definitely going to be getting the second one.

Rippler is one of those tempting books, leaving you unable to stay away for very long. Swanson does an amazing job of painting a picture as the story progresses and pulling you strait into the words on paper.

I love the YA paranormal books and Rippler did not disappoint for even a second. A story of a young girl, invisibility, and self discovery...the makings of a great book!

RIPPLER is, simply put, a good read. The plot is quick-paced and suspenseful. Swanson spins a tale involving friendship, love, family, and invisibility in such a way as to keep readers wanting more. This novel is impossible to put down once it's begun, and leaves the reader seeking more. RIPPLER is worth reading, and its sequels are worth waiting for.

From the moment I picked up this book, I was hooked. It had all the elements of a great YA paranormal novel and none of the things that have been done to death. (By the time I finished the book and no sparkly vampires or topless werewolves had made an appearance, I was even more impressed.) Cidney Swanson puts a new twist on the genre by introducing Sam, a young girl who has an unfortunate habit of literally disappearing into thin air. This novel combines mystery, danger, young romance and a new look at paranormal abilities. I cannot wait for the next book!