Slide by Jill Hathaway Review

Monday, February 13, 2012

Title: Slide
Author: Jill Hathaway
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Publish Date: March 27, 2012
Genre: YA, Sci-Fi, Paranormal
Pages: 256
Source: Publisher
Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth—her sister’s friend Sophie didn’t kill herself. She was murdered. Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn’t actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else’s mind and experiences the world through that person’s eyes. She’s slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. She learned the worst about a supposed “friend” when she slid into her during a school dance. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie’s slashed body.

Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can’t bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police. Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting off lately, more distant, especially now that she’s been spending more time with Zane.

Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must find a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again.

Vee, for all intents and purposes, is your everyday teenage girl. She deals with backstabbing teens, catty girls, boyfriend drama and life in a clique-driven high school. Vee is unlike other girls though because, when she least expects it, she is unable to prevent herself from sliding into another person's consciousness. She sees the world through their eyes, and she's come to terms with it. It might make her odd, and it might be inconvenient, but it's life. Life for Vee, however, is about to get very complicated. She slides into a killer's mind one night...her sister's friend...and she can't just let it go. Suddenly, she's involved in a murder mystery, and everyone's a suspect.

Slide has such a brilliant premise. Before I even begin to remark on the book and the writing, I just have to say that. Seriously, touching aspects of sci-fi and paranormal, as well as blending great high school drama and teenage qualms, it's got all the makings of a winner. Author, Jill Hathaway, has written an engrossing novel rich with vivid prose, great imagery and a sweeping, dramatic storyline. Her characters are solid and entertaining, the idea behind Vee's story is fantastic, and it's a page-turner, for sure. If you're looking for a fantastic who-dun-it, this is the perfect YA version. Fast-paced and action-packed, it's a fast read you'll be unable to put down.

Vee was a great character. She was multi-layered, and she had a lot of depth, making you become involved in her story. I felt for her, and I felt for her situation. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to lose herself in another person continuously. Even more so though, I can't imagine how it must have felt for her to feel as though she was actually holding the murder weapon. Her reactions are true and genuine, which definitely made me become invested in her story. Rollins, too, was a fantastic character. He was true and honest, making him a beacon in a maze of unease. Zane was an interesting love interest - not my absolute favourite, but he definitely added another layer to Slide, which contributed to the overall plot. The makings were all there for an absolutely perfect mystery, but here is my one qualm...the clues throughout the story actually felt more like reveals than clues. I felt like I was being pointed in the absolute direction of the answer. Frankly, I like it when a story keeps me guessing, and Slide, though fun and engaging, was pretty blatantly hinting at the culprit the entire time.

Overall, Slide was a great book. Truly, it was. Despite the fact that I wished it was more mysterious, it was well-written and engaging. I give it a 3.5 out of 5, and I highly recommend it to all fans of YA, especially those who enjoy mysteries, sci-fi and paranormal stories.

I received this ARC free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

12 comments:

  1. I really liked the idea of this book, but the execution was sorely lacking. For such a suspenseful-sounding novel, I couldn't help but be a little bored with it. I did like Vee's edge, but.... that's kind of it :( Glad you liked it more than I did!

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  2. This one really reminds of of the Wake trilogy by Lisa McMann which I really enjoyed. I love the premise of this one and I wished it was a tad more mysterious too. I also enjoy mysteries that keep me guessing, but I'm still curious as to why and how Vee has the ability. I'm putting this on my tbr pile but not rushing to read it. Thanks for the review, Melissa!

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  3. I'm interested in giving this book a shot. I really like paranormal mysteries. Thanks for the review!

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  4. It sounds really really good. Too bad the clues were too blatant. I really like mystery books that make me think the whole time and then at the very end, flip my head with the actual answer. I think I may give this one a try, I really like the premise and the characters sound like they give really good depth to the story.

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  5. I had a similar reaction to this one Melissa! I enjoyed it overall, but it's not one where I closed the cover going "that was amazing!". And you're definitely right about the clues, they were a little more blatant than I typically like for my mysteries:) Still a good read though.

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  6. I love mysteries and paranormal, not so much sci-fi but I really like the premise of Slide. It sounds like a good read overall! :)

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  7. Slide sounds like such an engrossing story! Her ability to "slide" reminded me a lot of Lisa McMann's Wake, Fade, and Gone - a series I really enjoyed! Thanks for sharing :)

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  8. I really love your review and definiely can't wait to finally pick this one up myself. It sounds super good and I'm really glad you enjoyed it!

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  9. This sounds great. I've heard good things about this one. I like that the characters is well layered. It's so important to have a character that you really get a feel for.

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  10. I really enjoyed Slide for the reason you mentioned: the premise was just way cool. It didn't completely blow me away, but I still liked it a lot. You're right about it being engaging! Thanks for the review, Melissa. :)

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  11. I truly love the concept of this one. It's not purely one genre or another and that just adds to the allure. While it sounds like it needed just a little more oomph, I think I'm definitely going to read this one. Great review, as always!

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  12. I have this book and need to read soon! Loved the review! I want to see how in-depth the characters are.

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