Review: Delete (Shift #3) by Kim Curran

The country is at war. Beset by enemies within and without. And all because of the decisions changed by one boy, Scott Tyler. In this ravaged alternative world, Scott hardly recognises himself. He's a war hero, a leader of a unit of Shifters and maybe the only one who can prevent the country's frail defences from crumbling.

But all Scott wants to do is find a way back to the reality he knew, without losing the girl he loves. With every Shift he makes, Scott edges closer towards oblivion. With no one to trust - not even himself - how much is he willing to risk to get home?

*I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

So last time we saw Scott, he and Frankie were falling to their death. He was forcing her to undo one of her decisions, and with that saving Aubrey and undoing all the evil with the children. The new reality he crashes into though is not just foreign, it's disastrous.

Thanks to Frankie's shift, Scott is now in a reality where the world is at war and he and Aubrey never met before. Scott still has that special talent of being able to keep hold on previous realities and he's having trouble coping with this new one. Even him as a person is completely different in this world. He's the head of A.R.E.S. or as they are called now S3 and it seems he's a lot colder and calculated.

While trying to figure out what's going on, he still needs to lead his people hopefully to victory. Every moment in between he's looking for a shift that can change it all back, the pivot point where everyone still lives and Project Ganymede isn't happening.

Slowly along with Scott we find out the motivation and reasoning of this world Tyler. It's hard to see how different they are. Scott is reconnecting with what are supposed to be old friends, but it seems they've never met before. It's all very confusing for him and difficult to keep his distance from certain people. If he acts out too much of character, they will know something is wrong.

In the previous books Scott always had his friends helping him out and now he's on his own, once again trying to save he loves and doing the right thing. The vibe of this story felt a bit different towards the previous books. Never before has there been a shift this big, with consequences like this. I really was wondering how Scott would be able to save the day, how far he was willing to go.

The ending therefore took me a bit by surprise, but I am happy with it. Somehow it feels like a full circle, though I am curious what the future will bring for Scott. Shift is a great trilogy. Because of all the possibilities you have thanks to shifting, you get three completely different stories. Scott is an amazing young man and I found it fascinating to see how he dealt with his abilities. I know everyone has ever wondered "what if" and here we get to see it really happen. That is why Scott's last shift is so wonderful. It all comes back to the beginning.

Shift - Reading order and purchase links

    

Shift: My review - Amazon - Kindle

Control: My review - Amazon - Kindle

Delete: Kindle

The Author

Kim was born in Dublin and moved to London when she was seven. She got her first typewriter when she was eight, had a poem she wrote about a snail published in a magazine when she was nine, and that was it – Kim was hooked on writing.

Because she never thought she’d actually be able to make a living as a writer, she decided she needed a trade to fall back on. So, naturally, she went to Sussex University to study philosophy.

While Kim’s plan of being paid big bucks to think deep thoughts never quite worked out, she did land a job as a junior copywriter with an ad agency a week after graduating. She’s worked in advertising ever since, specialising in writing for videogames.

Connect with Kim Curran:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

Review: Control (Shift #2) by Kim Curran

*I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review*

Scott Tyler is not like other teenagers. With a single thought he can alter reality around him. And he can stop anyone else from doing the same.

That's why he's so important to ARES, the secret government agency that regulates other kids like him: Shifters.

They've sent him on a mission. To track down the enigmatic Frank Anderson. An ex-Shifter who runs a project for unusual kids - as if the ability to change your every decision wasn't unusual enough. But Anderson and the kids have a dark secret. One that Scott is determined to discover.

As his obsession with discovering the truth takes him further away from anyone he cares about, his grip on reality starts to weaken. Scott realises if he can't control his choices, they'll control him.

Review:

Control starts off a couple of months after Shift. Scott is now a full agent at ARES. Together with his partner and girlfriend Aubrey he has to find new Shifters. Still the last events from the previous book have left a mark on Scott, making him doubt every decision he has ever made. With the ability to remember every choice, that is quite a lot.

His task for the past six months has been tracking down the other adults with the shifting ability. Which has all been going pretty well, except those few times he's been stabbed. Now there is only one person left, Frank Anderson.

Meanwhile there are some other strange things going on. Someone is shifting major decisions, suddenly there is a new Prime Minister, children of important people are getting murdered, then they are alive again... Scott is going nuts with all these changing realities. He is having a hard time figuring out what has changed, what is still the same and why someone would do those things.

Since he is actually the only one who knows something has changed, it is up to him to figure out who is doing this. While trying to figure out what is going on, he starts alienating the one closest to him. Not on purpose, but his quest for the truth becomes so consuming, he starts pushing the limits of their trust in him.

Overall Scott is a very dutiful guy, does what he is supposed to do and tries to go by the rules. Unfortunately that does not always work out the way he wants to. Still his intentions are good.

I also like that dual part of Scott. On the one hand he's a regular teenage boy, trying to get through puberty without making to much of a fool of himself. On the other hand he has this power and with that comes certain responsibilities. So when he gets mad or hurt, he can become very scary. He changes. He's no longer himself and his powers give him the chance to undo all if he wants. It's up to him then to make the right choice.

I liked Control a bit more than Shift, because there is more action and Scott is now growing into his responsibilities and natural leadership qualities. Also there are some major plot twists that I did not see coming. The overall tone of the book becomes a bit more darker and the complexity of shifting becomes more clear. The effect of changing your choices might be greater than you thought.  

Ooh and that cliffhanger!!! It's going to be a long wait for the third book to come out!

Connect with Kim Curran:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

  

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Music Monday (Dec. 9)

Music Monday is a weekly book meme, hosted by Athena of Total Book Geek. Everyone can join in, you just have to do the following:

• Choose a book or a scene from a book.
• Choose a song that fits said book or scene.
• Tell us why you paired them together.
• Don't forget to share the title and author.
• Be careful not to include spoilers!

This song fits really well with the Shift series by Kim Curran. In Shift and Control we follow Scott and his adventures as a Shifter (review). What makes Scott different from the others is that he can remember the outcome of previous decisions, which makes it harder for him. While others forget the mistakes they have made, Scott remembers all and it can get pretty confusing in his head. Also, and this is why the song fits so well, with every shift you make there is always a chance people will forget you, because the new choice results in never having met.

So don't pay attention to the fact that a girl is singing this song (Jennifer Hudson is so good!), it's about the lyrics. With all that shifting going on, Scott must not forget himself.

Please leave a comment with a link to your Music Monday post! If you don't have a blog and want to participate just share your links to the book and song in the comments.

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Review: Shift (Shift #1) by Kim Curran

When your average, 16-year old loser, Scott Tyler, meets the beautiful and mysterious Aubrey Jones, he learns he's not so average after all. He's a 'Shifter'. And that means he has the power to undo any decision he's ever made.

At first, he thinks the power to shift is pretty cool. But as his world starts to unravel around him he realises that each time he uses his power, it has consequences; terrible unforeseen consequences. Shifting is going to get him killed. In a world where everything can change with a thought, Scott has to decide where he stands.

Review:

At first it seems Scott is an average sixteen year old. He has mediocre grades in schools, he plays a lot of video games, has one best friend and whenever a girl approaches he turns into an mumbling fool. Until one night he accidentally shifts, drawing the attention of the beautiful Aubrey. She knows what is going on, Scott has absolutely no idea.

Aubrey explains about Shifters, people who can change their choices from the past and it that way altering their current reality. For example; if Scott would not pick up that penny he would bump into someone, spilling coffee all over himself. The other possibility is picking up that penny and not getting coffee spilled all over him. Being a Shifter he can choose. Now this is an easy example, most decisions have bigger consequences as he soon discovers.

Scott is granted the opportunity to step away from is ordinary life and join ARES, a government organisation for people like him. To be clear, there is only one special power, not multiple talents and when two Shifters fight it's the one with the strongest will who wins.

So Scott is so glad to participate in this opportunity, even if it means training with a bunch of eleven year olds. Soon though he figures out not all is as great as it seems. Children are going missing and it seems someone very powerful is shifting reality around them.

Shift is a very fun and thrilling story. It is absolutely not realistic, but to me that's part of what makes it so great. Scott is just clueless about most things, but in this adorable geeky way. He's very enthusiastic, but when the threat is real he is not afraid to admit being scared, which he then tries to cover up with humour. I really liked reading it and young adults will love it. Some of the characters have a bit of a caricatural vibe going on though. All in all it was fun and weird, mostly weird and a nice change of read.

If I was fifteen or sixteen I would have given it 4 stars, because for that age category this is the kind of book that will make teenagers love reading!

Connect with Kim Curran:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

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Teaser Tuesday: Shift (Shift #1) by Kim Curran

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

“I knew exactly what he wanted. He wanted to eat me.”

- p71, "Shift", Kim Curran

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here!

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