I received this book via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
The Vanishing Girl by Laura Thalassa Series: The Vanishing Girl, #1
on 2014-03-15
Length: 338 pages
Reviewing eARC from Netgalley
Rating:
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Every night after Ember Pierce falls asleep, she disappears. She can teleport anywhere in the world—London, Paris, her crush’s bedroom—wherever her dreams lead her. Ten minutes is all she gets, and once time’s up, she returns to her bed. It's a secret she’s successfully kept for the last five years. But now someone knows.
A week after her eighteenth birthday, when frustratingly handsome Caden Hawthorne captures her, delivers her to the government, and then disappears before her eyes, Ember realizes two things: One, she is not alone. And two, people like her—teleporters—are being used as weapons.
Dragged off to a remote facility where others like her live, Ember’s forced to pair up with her former captor, Caden, to learn how to survive inside until she can escape. Only Caden’s making escape seem less and less appealing.
But even as Ember falls for the boy who got her into this mess, she knows that she is running out of time. Because the government has plans for those like her, and those plans might just cost Ember her life.
I feel the need to preface this review with the fact that I LOVE Laura Thalassa’s writing and as such my review may be slightly biased 😉 The Vanishing Girl is a new adult, sci-fi adventure about Ember Pierce, a young woman with the unusual ability of teleportation and her discovery of a secret government program to build super-spies. Okay so that’s a very simplified version of what this book is actually about but you get the gist.
Ember is an interesting character. I wasn’t sure whether I should applaud her or dislike her. She’s kind of an unlikable character that grew on me. Since puberty she’s had this secret. Every night for ten minutes after she falls asleep she transports to somewhere around the globe. She’s learned how to lie and how to stay hidden, inconspicuous, in these situations. She believes she’s the only one of her kind, that is until the government shows up to take her. Throughout this whole ordeal she shows that she is capable of taking care of herself and hiding her own emotions. That is until Caden Hawthorne enters the picture.
Caden is Ember’s “pair” or partner in the Prometheus Project (secret government experiment). He asks to be a part of Ember’s extraction team, basically he wants to be there when the government gets her. He traps her when they don’t. So obviously she hates him, but dang him he’s just too cute! So she’s also attracted to him. I also like Caden. His witty, sarcastic humor and self-confidence bring lightness to an otherwise dark story. But there’s more to Caden then he lets on and that’s intriguing for both the reader and Ember.
This story is short and a very fast-paced read. I had a hard time sitting the book down and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough! The plot is pretty basic. Ember wants answers as to why she is they way she is and why the government is holding her hostage. There’s also a side story that ties to the main plot that involves Adrian Sumners a man that Ember meets on one of her nightly excursions before being captured by the Prometheus Project. I thought he was going to have a bigger role in the story but it turns out that it’s only minor and I hope he comes back though 😉
Overall I really enjoyed The Vanishing Girl. The characters are a bit snarky (which I love because I am too) and the plot drove the story. My only complaint – and it’s a minor one – is that I felt that the sex scenes and raging hormones of the characters were out of place for the characters’ situation. The scenes felt forced instead of naturally occurring. Besides that it was a great book! If you enjoy the new adult genre and you’re looking for a bit of something different to read, I highly recommend you check out this book. And if you do, come back and tell me about it!
PS I feel it is my obligation to warn you that Laura Thalassa likes cliffhangers and this book is no exception. I’m dying for book two!!!
Review in a Gif:
Final Conclusion:
[…] Pierce’s story as she battles the Project to win her and her pair their freedom. Book one The Vanishing Girl ended leaving you with no warm and fuzzy feelings. Ember has been spliced, Caden believes she is […]