Review: Wonderful story, but suffers from middle book syndrome
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 30, 2013
A solid 4 stars.. Volition is the second book in a planned series of four books. Volition picks up right where Perception left off. Zoe, a Genetically Engineered Person or GAP and Noah, who is anti-GAP fell in love, against all odds, in Perception. Only, thanks to Zoe' s crazy grandfather, who erased all memory of Noah, Zoe can't remember her love for him. And it's really messing with his mind. They are on the run, and Noah is determined to protect Zoe and to get her memory of their love back.While on the run, fleeing from Grandpa V and cyborgs that want to kill or capture them, Zoe and Noah spend weeks in seedy motels, as well as a stop in Utah to a freaky Amish like religious cult that does not believe in technology (or do they). That's where they meet Taylor (a part of the dreaded - at least for me- love triangle) who Zoe is somehow drawn to. Finally, after fleeing Utah, they end up in St. Louis, bunking with a sister and brother, Mary and Jabez who may be more than they lead the reader to know.There is lots of jealousy - Noah is jealous of Taylor; Zoe is jealous of Mary, and it is extremely frustrating for this reader! The story is told from alternating points of view of Zoe and Noah. Unlike many other books I have read (especially lately) the POV's are not by chapter, therefore you never know when you are going to shift POV's (which I kind of liked). Just when we think we know what is going on between Zoe and Noah, and know what they are each thinking, the POV switches, and learn that we didn't know the whole story. I really liked how Strauss built up the tension between the two of them with this tactic. However, I was very frustrated, with both Zoe and Noah and how they acted toward each other, clearly not understanding what each are really thinking and feeling.As with Perception (Perception, #1),Strauss weaves a believable scifi story, while focusing on what is really important in a story - the characters. I really enjoyed Volition, although it is not as good as its predecessor Perception - as this was clearly a "middle" book, but still a great story. The only thing that I really missed was the romance. I know that the focus was on Zoe and Noah escaping and trying to survive, while setting up relationships for the next two books in the series (with the return of Taylor Blake to shake things up? I hope not). However, the little glimpses that we do get of Zoe and Noah's love (as Zoe realizes that although she does not remember how she felt, it doesn't matter, because she understands why) are goosebump inducing! I wanted more! I anxiously await book #3, Contrition, to come in September.