SYNOPSIS
IMAGINE THAT you could change your world with the flip of a switch. You might be prettier, more athletic, more popular, or even living on an exotic island, because your history — your world line — would be different. But here’s the catch: you have no way of knowing if the reality on the other side of that switch will be better… or much worse.
JACOBUS ROSE is a fifteen year-old who believes — as many fifteen year-olds do — that his life could use improvement. School is a numbing routine, and his parents’ marriage seems to be imploding before his eyes. ‘Maybe I was born into the wrong world,’ he thinks. Lured by his best friend, CONNOR, into a strange little house containing nothing but empty rooms and an oversized circuit breaker, he’ll discover that reality comes in a plural form, and that our choices create a continuous web of branching worlds, any of which is as ‘real’ as another.
A solo odyssey becomes a duo, a trio, and then a quartet, as Jacobus befriends other interdimensional travelers along the way: GORDON NIGHTSHADE, the veteran pilgrim and chief theorist; MOSES DeWITT, the alley cat with an old soul; JEMMA DOONE, a girl of many-worlds who becomes the main river home for Jacobus and his crew; and finally, his lost friend Connor, who just may have preferred an alternate universe to his own.
THE SWITCH is the story of their journey home. The question is: if they get there, will it be the same place they left behind?
JACOBUS ROSE is a fifteen year-old who believes — as many fifteen year-olds do — that his life could use improvement. School is a numbing routine, and his parents’ marriage seems to be imploding before his eyes. ‘Maybe I was born into the wrong world,’ he thinks. Lured by his best friend, CONNOR, into a strange little house containing nothing but empty rooms and an oversized circuit breaker, he’ll discover that reality comes in a plural form, and that our choices create a continuous web of branching worlds, any of which is as ‘real’ as another.
A solo odyssey becomes a duo, a trio, and then a quartet, as Jacobus befriends other interdimensional travelers along the way: GORDON NIGHTSHADE, the veteran pilgrim and chief theorist; MOSES DeWITT, the alley cat with an old soul; JEMMA DOONE, a girl of many-worlds who becomes the main river home for Jacobus and his crew; and finally, his lost friend Connor, who just may have preferred an alternate universe to his own.
THE SWITCH is the story of their journey home. The question is: if they get there, will it be the same place they left behind?
REVIEW
This is an intriguing story about a group of friends, in various iterations, who spend a lot of time chasing around various realities, trying to find the way home to their original one(s). The moral of the story seems to be something along the lines of "the grass may look greener on the other side of the fence" - but that isn't necessarily the case. And, really, you should appreciate what you have in life, be it family and friends or circumstances. Even though some aspects of their lives might sometimes be better, there's really no place like your real home. And it could always be worse! Many of the alternate universes that the kids discover themselves in are quite threatening and scary.
There is also a strong sense of the power of friendship. Things definitely go better for the grouop when they are together versus when they are on their own. That they recognize each other through all the changes that take place is in itself a clue as to how important they are to each other.
I'm definitely glad that this is a Middle Grade/Young Adult book, because as it was I was often lost in the Physics of the story. There is no way that I could have even tried to wrap my brain around a more "adult" version of the foundational premise.
There seemed to be a lot of unnecessary running around in realities that didn't appear to have anything to do with the end result of their mission. And I'm still not entirely clear on what the actual purpose of the Switch was supposed to be. But it was definitely an entertaining journey. One that I'm quite sure most adolescents (and adults) will appreciate, especially those who like a little bit of intrigue and brain stretching to go along with their adventure.
There is also a strong sense of the power of friendship. Things definitely go better for the grouop when they are together versus when they are on their own. That they recognize each other through all the changes that take place is in itself a clue as to how important they are to each other.
I'm definitely glad that this is a Middle Grade/Young Adult book, because as it was I was often lost in the Physics of the story. There is no way that I could have even tried to wrap my brain around a more "adult" version of the foundational premise.
There seemed to be a lot of unnecessary running around in realities that didn't appear to have anything to do with the end result of their mission. And I'm still not entirely clear on what the actual purpose of the Switch was supposed to be. But it was definitely an entertaining journey. One that I'm quite sure most adolescents (and adults) will appreciate, especially those who like a little bit of intrigue and brain stretching to go along with their adventure.
~
I received a free eBook copy of this title from Curiosity Quills
and have willingly provided an honest review.
No comments:
Post a Comment