Rippler (Ripple Series Book 1) Kindle Edition

4.5/5 stars (rounded up for Amazon)A blend of science fiction, historical novel, thriller and romance, Rippler was an incredibly intriguing story that I just couldn't put down. Told from the perspective of Samantha Ruiz, Swanson crafts a compelling mystery surrounding a rare genetic disease, interspersing Sam's story of discovery with passages of an old journal written by a Nazi scientist who conducted rather horrendous psychological experiments during WWII. I found this blending of the past and present fascinating and very well paced. For just as I am about to sigh blissfully from the sweetness that is Will & Sam, Swanson reminds us again and again in increasingly disturbing ways that all is not well -- that the situation is serious and dangerous. It's shocking and unsettling, and it is good storytelling.Sam was a protagonist that I really identified with right from the beginning. Despite her confusing and sometimes inconvenient new-found ability to ripple - or turn herself invisible - she is very much a normal girl who's just discovered she's a little more abnormal than she thought. Just beginning to heal from her mother's death in a tragic car accident years earlier, Sam doesn't have a whole lot of people she can call friends. As a result of the trauma of seeing her mother die, Sam spent many years withdrawn inside herself, depressed and lonely. However all that begins to change with the reappearance of an old childhood friend and the arrival of her cute new neighbor, Will. As Sam begins to open up to her new friends, she begins to learn more about herself than she could have ever imagined possible.While I have never experienced personal tragedy to the extent that Sam has, I can definitely relate to her. She's someone who has experienced real sorrow, and it has matured her. Although she's been socially withdrawn since her mother's death, Sam is not a wall flower, painfully shy or socially inept. Instead, she just needs friends who don't view her through the tainted lenses of her past, and she finds them in Gwyn and Will. Though she has a lot of the same insecurities most girls share, they're not debilitating - she's a confident and intelligent young lady. She's just a normal girl. I mean, despite the fact that her genes allow her to ripple. Sam is someone I could see myself befriending and I really enjoyed getting to know her character throughout the book.There were so many things I loved about Rippler, but perhaps the item that tops my list is the friendship between Sam & Will. Swanson did a wonderful job establishing them as good friends before the idea of romantic entanglement surfaced. They have a genuine connection, a comfortableness with each other. I'm of the opinion that relationships tend to be deeper when there's a well-established friendship at the foundation of the romance. And perhaps I'm just an incurable romantic but there's something incredibly swoon-worthy about suddenly realizing you're falling in love with your best friend. Sam & Will are just so sweet and adorable, as is their budding romance, and I can't wait to see where their story takes them.One of my biggest hang-ups with plots that delve into the scientific realm is credibility. Sometimes the science is just laughable, sometimes it's just too vague, sometimes it just doesn't quite feel plausible. I have no idea how much of the things discussed in Rippler are grounded in actual fact, just theoretical or just plain made up, but Swanson writes with an authority that makes me think it could be. And that's really what matters. It doesn't matter how true the science is, it's a matter of "does the author make me believe it could be?" And she does.Overall, Swanson has written a thrilling and romantic tale that had me alternately curling my toes in delight and gasping in horror, but that ultimately left me extremely satisfied... or unsatisfied, because I can't wait to read the next book.

Samantha has found that she can... accidentally... go 'invisible'. She doesn't know what causes it, but it can happen inconveniently, like when she's on a rafting trip with her track team and they think she's fallen in. Luckily, the only person who witnessed her disappearance knows exactly what happens—he is also a rippler, and can help Sam figure out how to control her ability, and give her insight into the history behind it. But it's not a superhero fun and games adventure. Someone has been killing people with the genetic condition that leads to Ripplers.I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a fairly light read but with some heavier themes. Interspersed in Sam's teenage drama are snippets from journals of some mad scientist experimenting on children. It adds a good mystery to the book. (Even though it seems to be from Nazi Germany... is that so overdone or what... although a reasonable time to say there were these human experiments.)Now... the questions are definitely not all answered in book 1. Very few are. I plan to keep reading the series and hope it keeps being interesting and fun to read.Some of the characters are cardboard-cutout and that can make some scenes/dialog awkward, but for the most part I liked the interactions between Sam and her family/friends.The romance aspect is interesting because Sam already has a crush on the boy before the book even starts. In fact, it seems like the book is missing some chapters of setup, which could be a good or bad thing (since all writing advice says 'start with the action'....).I like the power they have and how it's explained. It's fun!

Book Title: Rippler (Book one of the Ripple Series)Author: Cidney SwansonPublished By: Williams PressGenre: Supernatural Young AdultRecommended Age:Reviewed By: Emily Tuley / AngelsCryHavocBlog Reviewed For: Great Minds Think Aloud Literary CommunityRating: 5 RavensStarting this book was a real treat, I received it over the holidays and had the time to actually sit down and read not only this one but the sequel so that I wasn't left to long hungering for more. The author really took her time with the story setting up all the details and fleshing out the characters. So much so that when I got to the end and the story was picking up more than it had been before things in Samantha's world was just beginning to get a little turned upside down and she realized that normal was never going to be an equation in her life it ended making me rush right to the next book in this series to find out what was going to happen next.The story unfolds with Samantha Ruiz a teen just trying to enjoy her life and everyday adventures. She's on her schools track team rafting trip when she suddenly realizes that everyone is freaking out yelling and trying to call for her thinking she's fallen in the water. Looking down is when Sam realizes that what she once thought were bad dreams and jokes isn't she really has turned invisible. With the help of Will she is saved from embarrassing herself and having to many people asking questions as she slips back to the realm of the solid and visible.Will now knows what Sam's secret is and he has one of his own, but vowing to help Sam and still respect the promise he made to his sister the two embark on a journey to help discover Sam's special talent , develop it more so she doesn't have it happen to her on accident again and only causes to realize that their two worlds were destined to intertwine anyway.Discovery of something from Sam's past and from Will's has left the two with a choice to stay in each others life or risk them. On top of all of this Sam's having to deal with her best friend Gwen dumping her for thinking that Will is some bad boyfriend from hell. Tensions mount and the adventures build up as each face their own uncertain futures.Definitely a fine read and one I'm really excited to have gotten a chance to read. More to come on the next novel for sure but till then read this one catch up and join me on a wonderful ride.

A superb cover photograph and a gripping saga of mutants and their secretive lives. The blurb accompanying the book places this book as a "first book in a teen and young adult paranormal fantasy series set in a contemporary world where invisibility has long been a well kept secret. It combines the heart pounding action of a thriller with a touch of clean romance and a science fiction twist."Having been mesmerized by the world of mutants while watching the X-Men series I picked up this book out of sheer curiosity as also to see whether I can recommend it to young teenagers. And while this book should certainly be an excellent read for the teenagers it is equally suitable for adults. I was fascinated as the character of Samantha and Will Baker came alive in the pages of the book and look forward to reading the other books in the series.If you have enjoyed the X-Men then pick up this book and discover a new secretive world of mutants.

I downloaded this book purely because the cover intrigued me, it's also the reason why I picked it to read first out of my selected bundle. I don't like to admit it but I often do judge a book by it's cover, I'm glad this one grabbed my attention..I could not put this book down for all the right reasons, the character development intrigued me, I didn't even realise myself falling in love with the characters by the time I did there was no going back :)The pieces about the journal really intrigued me, it made the danger that they were in seem all the more real somehow. (I don't want to say too much and give away spoilers)The only thing that kind of niggled away at me about the book was the place names, I thought the same areas were mentioned too many times.Overall I really loved this book, I've already started the next one. I can't wait to see where this story goes.

Excited to read book 2! Nice storyline, great characters, clean content (great for young adults and adults alike), awesome book!

Quite an interesting premise which was well executed by Swanson. I thoroughly enjoyed Rippler and looked forward to the next books. Unfortunately, the books became progressively worse. Book 2 started to get more involved with the romance side of things as did book 3. Book 4 was a terrible. I would suggest reading books 1 and 2, but forget the others.

Enjoyed