Dissonance

"There's a danger in being drawn to something that's not real, in giving yourself to something you can never be a part of, instead of making your life where you are. But those infinite worlds, with their infinite potential, beckoned irresistibly."

3.5 STARS If there is one thing I had to say about this book, it's that the world building is fantastic. The snippets at the heads of most chapters were interesting bits of technicality in the Walker world, from textbooks Del has read, or was supposed to read. The characters were interesting, the writing was well done, and the story was flawed but kept me reading. The Writing O'Rourke's writing is one of simple beauty. It's light, but enthralling enough to keep you floating through it, something like observing the scene not through Del's eyes, but a silent onlooker much like the Walkers themselves. Though it is not irresistible or un-put-down-able, it was fair and held me well through the story. Seeing through Del's eyes was an interesting view, something that was both skewed by teenage problems, but also with a cold detachment that many teens have from depression, isolation, and fear of the unknown. Del's narrative is often choppy in personal thoughts, but vulnerable in description and truth. The writing reflects both her fearlessness and her fear, her connections and her loneliness, in a way that makes you connect to her, but also observe her through your own morals and tendencies. The Characters The characters of this book were well thought out and held well one their own. The relationship between Del and her sister, Addie, was intimate and believable, especially with Addie's need for perfection and Del's need for individuality. The two foiled one another in two veins of individual escape and restraint, and how you can't balance one without the other. Del's family was well-thought out in its absence besides Monty, and his character was endearing until the end. He was Del's father figure, her guide through Walking and both waited for their fortunes to turn before realizing they had to go out and seek it themselves if anything was going to change. I loved how Monty's buttons translated, or rather transposed, into Del's origami stars, and how they were a constant throughout the book. It was like she was making constellations through the worlds she passed, and she was the brightest star. On to Simon. I definitely didn't like how boy-crazy Del was, or her recklessness, but Simon took the cake in characters I didn't like. I understand that he's supposed to be the jock, the be-all, end-all boyfriend that makes conquests out of his flavor of the month girl, but his flippant attitude and self-seeking nature was just too much to bear sometimes. The majority of the book unfolded around him, about seeing him, quite literally, everywhere Del went, and at some points it was just a little too overwhelming. Their relationship began to feel forced and fake, unnatural in its rush and its fickle make-up, break-up sessions that seemed less like true relationship problems and more like plot cannon fodder. The Story Like I said, the world building in this book was fantastic. It was interesting and original and though slightly confusing at first, embraced the reader with a helping hand when needed and let go of the training wheels to let the audience roam free at points to ponder the universe, or multiverse. The character driven, well written story led us through till the end, but then wobbled a bit. The climax of the story was a bit shaky for me. It was a bit rushed, and I didn't quite understand everything by the time it ended. I didn't understand (view spoiler) betrayal, and I wished we had gotten more information about the council and the legal processes of the Walkers and the Original-Walker relationships and later children. Overall I would rate this at a 3.5, and I will definitely be reading the next installment, I just hope that it has a little more information and isn't so heavily focused on the romance as the first book was. Share your thoughts!