Friday 24 May 2013

Review: Quicksilver by R.J Anderson

Quicksilver (Ultraviolet #2) by R.J Anderson
Publisher: Orchard Books
Publication date: May 2nd 2013
My rating: 4 stars


Back in her hometown, Tori Beaugrand had everything a teenaged girl could want—popularity, money, beauty. But she also had a secret. A secret that could change her life in an instant, or destroy it. Now she’s left everything from her old life behind, including her real name and Alison, the one friend who truly understood her. She can’t escape who and what she is. But if she wants to have anything like a normal life, she has to blend in and hide her unusual... talents. Plans change when the enigmatic Sebastian Faraday reappears and gives Tori some bad news: she hasn’t escaped her past. In fact, she’s attracted new interest in the form of an obsessed ex-cop turned investigator for a genetics lab. She has one last shot at getting her enemies off her trail and winning the security and independence she’s always longed for. But saving herself will take every ounce of Tori’s incredible electronics and engineering skills—and even then, she may need to sacrifice more than she could possibly imagine if she wants to be free.

With quite a few sequels set for release this year, Quicksilver was definitely one of my highly anticipated releases. I absolutely adored Ultraviolet with its twists and turns, so couldn’t wait to get back to a fantastic set of characters. 

I loved getting the story from Alison in Ultraviolet, so was surprised to learn that we would be getting Tori’s pov instead in Quicksilver. Alison was a sure favourite, so I wasn’t sure how I’d feel being inside Tori’s head, especially the way things had ended. But Tori’s character did surprise me with her honesty, depth and rawness. I thought Alison had it all to deal with, but Tori’s family also had to make a lot of sacrifices along the way. With the scientists at GeneSystem after Tori and Constable Deckard also joining the pursuit. Tori and her family had no other option but to leave everything behind and make a new life for themselves in Canada. Tori also has the relay, so she didn’t know when Mathis could beam her back. Her life was even more on the edge now with everything being able to be taken away in the blink of an eye.

Whereas before I didn’t want to read this story from Tori, as the story progressed I really began to appreciate her character. She was resilient, even though everything was against her and she was the only one who could make Faraday stop to think things through. I always had secret hopes that two of my favourite characters from Ultraviolet would make an appearance, so I was ecstatic of Faraday’s appearance so early on. He was so haggard, run down and of course being elusive as ever about what went down with Mathis. Then when I was finally getting warmed up to his character he would disappear. Faraday the poor guy was so full of self doubt and guilt, that I wanted to shake him at times. But once again his incredible talent and skills won me over in the end. I would love to have a friend as Faraday who could hack e-mails and cause diversions whenever necessary.

Quicksilver in my eyes is a solid follow up to Ultraviolet. There is a lot to get your head around with building of transmitters and talk of shutting down wormholes. But when you’re invested into the story and characters as much as I was you can get through this technical jargon quite easily. I hope that one day Anderson decides to revisit these wonderful characters, as Anderson has created such a magical world that I know I will have a hard time leaving. (I can already see several re-reads of this fabulous series in the near future).  


18 comments:

Tanja - Tanychy said...

I've seen this book around but I haven't read it. Still most of the people seem to really enjoy this series. I'm so happy that this sequel wasn't disappointing to you. Also it's good that you started to appreciate Tori's character. Great review Jasprit :)

Suzanne (Parabooklover) said...

I didn't enjoy Ultraviolet as much as others did though I did really like Alison and Faraday so when I seen that the sequel was a continuation of their story, I wasn't too bothered about it. But reviews since are making me reconsider. Great review Jaspirit.

The Cover Contessa said...

I liked this one. I wasn't a huge fan of the first one, but I read this one b/c I wanted to see what happened. I'm glad I did.

Keertana said...

I haven't read Ultraviolet yet, so I skimmed through this, but I'm so glad this sequel satisfied your high expectations! I'm so excited to read this over the summer - hopefully! - so I'm looking forward to meeting all these characters. Lovely review, Jasprit! I'll be back to read it in more depth once I get around to reading Ultraviolet!(:

Unknown said...

I'm positive I had an arc of Ultraviolet, but never read it. Your review has me wishing I had read it. I'm glad to see you enjoyed this sequel, Jasprit !

Melissa (i swim for oceans) said...

Despite the technical aspects of this series, I think it's right up my alley. I have a copy of Ultraviolet on my shelf that is still waiting for me, and to hear that there is a solid second installment definitely makes it more worthwhile to get invested in a new series! Wonderful review, Jasprit :)

Jenny said...

Yet another series I need to read Jasprit! There are so many out there just taunting me with their awesomeness. I'm glad this sequel didn't suffer as so many sequels do, and that it got such a high rating from you:) *sigh* One of these days I'll have time to read all the books I want to, I'll just take like a 8 week vacation in which I do nothing but read:)

Maja (The Nocturnal Library) said...

I had my doubts about Tori too, to be honest, but I quickly warmed up to her. She is so... odd, and I liked that! I never quite new what to expect from her.
I'm still hoping for book three. :) Maybe we'll get it, who knows.
Great review!

Rachel said...

Amazing review, Jasprit! I love re-reading books, so I'm glad this book should be a joy to re-read!

I'm glad you were able to dismiss your respirations and instead like Tori's character. I haven't started this series yet, but now I am sure I will!

Unknown said...

I have seen Quicksilver at my library and wondered if this is a good series, it certainly sounds like it is. Wonderful review.

Jenea @ Books Live Forever

Unknown said...

I also gave this one 4 stars, I thought it was a really solid follow-up but I think I enjoyed Quicksilver a teensy bit more. Fantastic review though! :)
Bonnie @ Sweet Tidbits

brandileigh2003 said...

I like the sound of A and glad its a good followup. I haven't read the first, but interested

Wendy Darling said...

Ugh, I still haven't written my review for this yet (mixup in release dates, for one thing, and getting swamped for another), so I'm not reading this just yet--but I'm glad to see your 4 stars! I will have to pop by your GoodReads review when I've gotten off my butt and posted mine.

Wendy @ The Midnight Garden

Henrietta @ Leisure Reads said...

It's exciting to see that as the story progressed, you began to appreciate Tori more and more. Thanks for sharing.

tthepageturner said...

Ultraviolet was such a pleasant surprise. I didn't expect to love it as much as I did! I was so happy I when I heard there was a sequel, but when I found out that it was from Tori's POV, not Alison's, I was, like you, a little wary. So it's good to hear that Tori grew on you and that you like her. Can't wait to read this now. Fab review, Jasprit! <3

Sam (Realm of Fiction) said...

I do hope that Anderson decides to revisit these characters one day, too! I was really thrilled when Faraday made an appearance in this book. I actually think I appreciated him more in Quicksilver than I did in Ultraviolet. I'm glad you liked this one overall too, Jasprit. Lovely review! :)

Unknown said...

Oh! I haven't read the first one, but I definitely will now! This sounds lik ea great read, thanks for the even greater review :)

selkiereads said...

I haven't read this book and the first book but everyone seems to enjoy it. It sounds different and powerful. Great insight!

- Ellie at The Selkie Reads Stories

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...