Review: Parallel Universe? Yes, Please.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 29, 2013
I couldn't decide whether or not I wanted to give this novel a 3 or 3.5. In the end I ended up with the 3.5 because the pro's outweighed the cons. Oh yeah, that's right. I'm a list person. Lists, Charts, and all those things I love them, I LIVE for them.Beyond parallel is the debut novel by Matthew Turner, with characters that change their destiny by one decision. Turner labels the chapters well with "With" and "Without", as the main characters go on about their lives in a two totally different realms of existence. I really love the idea of parallel universes, and I always have. To be honest, I think quite often about all the "What if's?" and the "maybe's" of my life. "What If" is a serious inner turmoil question. I mean, at least for me it is.I liked this novel, probably more than I thought I would. I do have some issues with it though. I admit it wasn't exactly what I expected. I do feel like it was light, and fresh... compared to my normal reads. Don't get me wrong. There are still a couple surprises and twists. I liked how each segment let you know exactly which "universe" you were going to read about. As I read this I couldn't decide which story I liked better. At first I was completely enthralled about the "With" story. Then I decided I liked how the characters played out in the "Without" story.I appreciate the ending, but I felt it was generic. Matthew decided to write about a two worlds, which is a pretty daring move. It's hard to transition back in forth between the two. It's almost as if you're reading two companion books at the same time. To some it may get a little too confusing, but again... I'm a total parallel universe fan. Throughout the book I was fairly sure of what was going to happen but I still had that "Ooh what's gonna happen now!?" perspective. Unfortunately at the end, I saw it coming a mile away and didn't enjoy it as much as I could have. I'm sure it's super hard to create a world without having people know the ending. Matthew did a GREAT job with that, until about 85% into the book.Beyond Parallel was extremely well written, and I thoroughly enjoyed the novel. I feel that many people will fall head over heels in love with this book. Personally, I'm not a big Chick Lit. fan and I would have to classify this novel as that. So if you're looking for a book like that, with some light twists, a little angst and just a great read... This book is definitely for you. Beyond Parallel still makes you smile, laugh, get a little emotional, and want to scream at the characters. All in all I think this was a great debut Novel from Matthew Turner. I look forward to seeing what he has to offer in the future.