Shift [Paperback]

As soon as I started reading this, I couldn't put it down. The story just sucked me right in. I loved the male POV. Scott is a really likable character, and I really felt for him. His entire life changes in a second--or in a shift. He alters a choice he made and shifts the reality he's in, which alerts others like him to his location. A girl named Aubrey tries to help Scott stay under the radar and avoid the training he'll be forced to do because of his ability. But Scott makes the mistake of shifting again, and sends himself into an alternate reality that he's not willing to stay in because it means he'd be responsible for his sister's death.

Scott thinks turning himself over is the answer, so he trains and learns more about his abilities. But things aren't what they seem, and Scott learns about a secret experiment that is killing shifters. He'll have to uncover the truth, save the ones he loves, and try to get the girl.

This story is action-packed and a seriously great read. If you are looking for a good male POV, Scott is your MC.

Here's a new superpower to think about: what if you could go back and change any choice you made? Pick up the penny or just keep walking? Buy the moped or just ride your bike? Accept the dangerous dare or let common sense prevail? In Kim Curran's new novel Shift, a select group of people can change the course of their lives by altering choices they've made. A secret government agency trains shifters and works to keep their existence a secret while manipulating history, hopefully for the better.

Curran's hero, Scott, discovers his power to shift later in life than most shifters, but he quickly comes to learn that shifting potentially has terrible consequences that we did not anticipate. As he becomes more deeply involved with ARES, the Agency for the Regulation and Evaluation of Shifters, he learns that not all shifters want to use their power for good, and that some shifters he trusts may not be what they seem.

Shift follows a pretty standard story line: a teenager discovers he has a special power, he's conflicted about what that means for him and what he should do about it, he meets a girl who helps him understand his power, and he ends up in conflict with more powerful establishment figures on his way to becoming a hero. Curran provides enough action and plot twists to keep the story moving. She is a little weak on the science and the moral questions, but that's probably appropriate for her teen audience. There's probably some good material for deeper reflection here, if we stop and think about how the small choices we make every day have wider consequences than we ever imagine. But that's for another book. For a fast, fun read, Shift is a good choice.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary review copy!

[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

I honestly don't know how this book could have gone wrong, but I just couldn't get into it. The premise was fascinating and well executed and the plot was reliably fast-paced throughout the entire novel. Shift had the potential to be an absolutely amazing book, but it was the characters that fell flat for me.

Scott is your average YA protagonist: he accidentally stumbles upon his powers, is seen by someone with the same powers and is taken to a secret location to learn about them, only to discover that he is more powerful than most people with the same powers. Without spoiling much more of the plot, let's just say I could predict most of his actions throughout the novel, which I don't like to be able to do as characters should surprise readers once in a while. Of course, since it's a girl that finds him, you know that they're going to fall in love eventually. Aubrey is another cardboard cutout and the other characters in the novel really aren't much better.

However, I absolutely love the explanation for why and how shifting occurs. Kim Curran has actually taken the time to come up with a believable, scientific explanation rather than just saying that it's magic and leaving it at that. She also wrote a very fast-paced novel, which somewhat makes up for her poor characterization. If Shift had not been fast-paced, I never would have been able to finish it.

I give this book 3.5/5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars for Amazon rating purposes.