Rippler by Cidney Swanson

Published May 2011 by Williams Press
Format: eBook
ISBN 9780983562177
172 Pages
Series? Ripple| 1
Rating: High School
Source: Cidney Swanson via LibraryThing
Challenges: 2012
GoodReads
http://ebookfling.com/#Rapunzel

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Samantha Ruiz has a freak gene that turns her invisible. She can’t control it, and it’s getting worse. Afraid of becoming a lab-rat, Sam keeps her ability secret, until fellow runner Will Baker sees her vanish into thin air. Will promises secrecy and help, and Sam begins to fall in love.

Together, the two discover there are worse things than being a scientific curiosity. Someone’s been killing people who possess Sam's gene. A mysterious man from France sends letters that offer hope for safety, but also reveal a sinister connection with Nazi experiments.

The more time Sam spends with Will, the less she can imagine life without him. When Sam uncovers secrets from her past, she must choose between keeping Will in her life or keeping Will safe.

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I first saw the second book, Chameleon, of the series on LibraryThing under either Early Reviewers or Member Giveaways. I can't really remember. What I do really remember was the fact that the cover was ridiculously gorgeous. When I mentioned this to Cidney Swanson she pointed me to Claudia at http://phatpuppyart.com/. I spent almost an hour longer than I meant to at her site just looking at the before and after pictures. I also think I read somewhere that she did the Jenny Pox series covers. Don't quote me. I don't have a fact checker. Not only does she have some awesome pictures but the site plays "The Mystic's Dream" by Loreena McKennitt so if you don't like music when you first enter a site remember to mute your speakers.

The reason that I chose the book was because of the fact that Sam could go invisible. I had read one other book about someone with the ability to become invisible called The Daughters of the Moon. As anyone who has ever read any of that series would know the girl with the ability to turn invisible is not the main character. Instead the spotlight is shared between a handful of girl who can all do something. I did not enjoy the series. However since it had been quite some time since that burn I felt that I was ready to go back in with invisible people. I was not disappointed.

This book is a lot like a Stephen King movie in which it starts out very slow but when the action starts it always gets your attention. (I can't say if it is anything like Stephen Kings books because I have never read any of his works. If you don't understand why then you have never seen an actual copy of his books. They look like they can eat me for a snack. That said: Stephen King fans please do not attack me for my simile.)

I spent a lot of the book yelling at the main character because she did not always make the smartest decision. Or the most rational one either. And when she practically alienated her 'best friend' I was about ready to look for the pitchforks and torches.

In between most of the chapters are translations of a little black book that has nothing to do with conquests and everything to do with a sick and disturbed person. Every time I read them I felt almost dirty because of the horrible things that happened in them.

I was utterly hooked.

This book was very much an introduction to the world and to the people in it and while I do have the second book and I do plan on reading it I think it would be best if I took a small break.