Review: Unique but Muddled
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 18, 2012
*I was given an advanced copy of this book by the author for review, but my rating was not influenced by it.The premise of the book is interesting and somewhat novel in that our protagonist is a teenager with epilepsy. When it comes to YA fantasy the plots are beginning to look pretty similar, bending with popular trends, so it was nice to see Finegan trying something new.The basic plot is that Gabe, a teen boy who experiences seizures and feels like an outcast, moves to a new town with his family and befriends the girl next door. The girl believes that Gabe's epilepsy is actually some sort of gateway to another world which sets them on adventures in both this new world and their own.While I appreciated some of the unique twists I did feel that Finegan fell into the same teenage plot trap that so many authors succumb to. The whole thing felt a bit like a teenage boy's fantasy. The plot screams "I'm not weird, I'm special!" and the author sometimes gets bogged down in duel plots and narrative tone.The story line struggled at points, trying to find its way from one pivotal event to the next, and there are spots where I felt he could have cut whole pages. I was surprised, then, that at the end of the book I found myself wondering what was going to happen. Aside from the issues I've mentioned, the story was interesting, unique, and complex. It isn't easy to start a story, but often once an author gets into the swing the whole thing just pours out. I count this entire book at the beginning of a story and by the last few chapters Finegan was really letting it flow. While this story was at times diluted and at others choppy, I am looking forward to the sequel.