Fluidus Rising

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
(Shield your eyes if you're absolutely smitten with this book!)
It started out fine. The beginning was deeply engaging and full of excitement and justified teen (sorry, YA) angst. I'm impressed with the world that the author has thought up: set in our regular, 21st-century realm, with the exception of a secret society of supernaturals. This secret society has its own political structure and race classifications. Our heroine is of the rarest kind of supernatural, a Fluidus. Sadly, her powers aren't really expounded on in this book, so she doesn't get to show off her competence very much; however, there is hope in the other books, in which she will undergo further training of her newfound powers.

Now, on to my own opinion. (Again, you read on at your own risk!) I didn't really like the main character. Or anyone, for that matter. At first, I was impressed with how reasonable Sierra is, reluctant yet accepting of the fact that she must leave her whole old life behind in order for her and her grandmother to survive. After a while, though, the luster faded. Instead of coming off as a strong young adult who stands up for herself, she seemed more petulant and lacking in any other redeeming characteristic. The petulant part I got from how she was constantly telling Gavin and her grandmother to stop treating her like a child, hiding matters that personally dealt with her. Yes, I realize that that's her right and all, but it kept happening so often that it just felt like she was complaining. The part about how she's lacking in any other redeeming characteristic was from...everything else. She wasn't very witty; her intellect didn't make an appearance often. And she didn't seem capable of helping herself, even though she's escaped more than one hairy situation. But this personal issue of mine with her lack of self-protection will probably be rectified once she learns how to control her powers better in the next books.

Let's see. And then there's the romance part. I just...didn't get it. I'm sorry. I feel like I should be apologizing. It was all really weird between Gavin and Sierra. There was no insta-love, yet, a few pages or chapters later, with nary an important event or hormone-inducing conversation in between, they were mutually unable to stop thinking about the other in a romantic manner. Maybe I missed something, but it didn't feel very well developed. Then the rest of the time, Sierra was just mad at Gavin for supposedly treating her like a problem child while Gavin was being...reticent.

Speaking of developing relationships, yeah, it didn't just not apply to Gavin and Sierra (again, this is just my opinion. I can just feel the indignation from fans). I didn't really feel anything for any other character. (Be warned, I'm trying to phrase this in a way that doesn't spoil anything from here on.) When something horrific happened to one of the important side characters, it didn't make me shed a tear or anything. Not that I'm dying to have an emotional breakdown or anything, but I should feel something, right?

And finally, there's the mystery. I feel like everything was just crammed in the end. Yeah, you should save the climax and big reveal for then, but it didn't feel like the investigation team did much to lead up to that point. So when they were fitting all the pieces together, it seemed more like luck than actual thinking. Up to the end, the investigation team kept hitting roadblocks via a loophole in the supernatural database search engine. (To have progress be blocked by technology–darn!) I also suggest adding more liable suspects if the author's thinking of doing another mystery in her other books. It was kind of too predictable. (Sorry. Again. >> <
So, all in all, I see a lot of potential. There's characters with backgrounds that could make them grow into so much more, power and personality-wise. The author obviously knows what makes for an interesting YA read: a murder, a heroine with kickass powers (still hoping to see more of this!), and lots of enemies to keep the readers and the main characters on our/their toes. With more development and unpredictable surprises (redundant, I know, but there's a minute difference between that and just “surprises”), this series could be on my, and many other readers', “more-please” shelf.