Genre: Publication.Date 2013 Pages: 336 Published By: Pants on Fire Press Website Patricia Vanasse Resilient on Goodreads My review copy: Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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Livia has never felt like she fits in. As normal as it sounds, Livia is anything but ordinary. She can feel every emotion of every single person around her, and it’s maddening. In pursuit of some psychic quiet, she moves with her family from New York City to Whidbey Island in the lush and sleepy Pacific Northwest. But when a horseback riding accident in her new home gives her a broken leg that heals in a day, she finds that another unexplainable ability has manifested, and her life isn’t about to get any easier.
Adam has no problem fitting in and making friends. In fact, he’s the top of the school, the boy everyone knows and loves. However, people only see what he allows them to. No one knows what Adam is truly capable of. After witnessing Livia’s accident, Adam sees something intriguing in her quick recovery, something that gives him hope that he’s not alone.
Adam is the only one whose emotions Livia can’t read. Afraid of not knowing what goes on behind his dark eyes, Livia decides to keep him at a distance. Yet the more she tries to ignore him, the more alluring he becomes, and while their personal quests for identity will inevitably bring them closer together, it is the confirmation of what they really are that threatens to tear them apart.
Resilient, told in alternating point of views, is a gripping story of survival and romance, in which two teenagers face the consequences of being anything but normal.
Adam has no problem fitting in and making friends. In fact, he’s the top of the school, the boy everyone knows and loves. However, people only see what he allows them to. No one knows what Adam is truly capable of. After witnessing Livia’s accident, Adam sees something intriguing in her quick recovery, something that gives him hope that he’s not alone.
Adam is the only one whose emotions Livia can’t read. Afraid of not knowing what goes on behind his dark eyes, Livia decides to keep him at a distance. Yet the more she tries to ignore him, the more alluring he becomes, and while their personal quests for identity will inevitably bring them closer together, it is the confirmation of what they really are that threatens to tear them apart.
Resilient, told in alternating point of views, is a gripping story of survival and romance, in which two teenagers face the consequences of being anything but normal.
(Goodreads)
"I browse her pictures, she's beautiful. I've never seen such bright blue eyes before. It's a unique blue shade that stands out beneath her lashes and long black hair."
"We end up sitting on my bed, watching stupid YouTube videos until we're snorting with laughter. Adams laughs so hard that it makes me laugh at him instead of the videos."
"We can't seem to let go of each other. It feels like we've been apart for months and not weeks, and now we're catching up for all that lost time. Before I know it, we've moved to the couch and our kisses get stronger, more intense. She lies down and I linger over her before she pulls me against her. We hold each other close and kiss as if the world is ending tonight."
I adore the premise of this book. It's interesting, and I always love to learn about powers like these. I also adored that this book was dual POV. Seeing into both of the MC's brains gives us so much more input into the story, which makes me happy. Especially when a dual POV is done well--we get a great view of what each of the characters is like on a deeper level. Patricia Vanasse did a good job of writing this story and of giving Livia and Adam their own voices when it was their turn to tell us what was up.
While I did highly enjoy this book, it wasn't perfect. While I liked being inside Livia's head, I didn't like her much as a character. I felt a lot like she seemed like a "special snowflake" character. Not so much that I ended up hating this book, but enough that I did not like Livia. Plus, Adam made up for that tenfold. He was so sweet! He had the misunderstood-player thing going, but beyond that he really was a great character. I certainly preferred his chapters. ;)
As for supporting characters, they were okay. I don't feel anything overly excited for them, except for Daniel. I have a crush on him. Speaking of Daniel, I totally saw what was coming with him from a mile away.
While I did highly enjoy this book, it wasn't perfect. While I liked being inside Livia's head, I didn't like her much as a character. I felt a lot like she seemed like a "special snowflake" character. Not so much that I ended up hating this book, but enough that I did not like Livia. Plus, Adam made up for that tenfold. He was so sweet! He had the misunderstood-player thing going, but beyond that he really was a great character. I certainly preferred his chapters. ;)
As for supporting characters, they were okay. I don't feel anything overly excited for them, except for Daniel. I have a crush on him. Speaking of Daniel, I totally saw what was coming with him from a mile away.
The plot, in general, was fun to follow along with. I wasn't wholly surprised by every twist (like the Daniel thing), but I DID enjoy every twist and turn we were guided through by our narrators. In the beginning, I felt the story moved a bit too slow, but that did help with setting up everything that would happen in the rest of the book. After the initial exposition, the story flows well.
Romance! I, surprisingly, don't have a lot to say about this, except that Adam and Livia are completely adorable. I am soooo rooting for them.
Overall, Patrcia Vanasse has written a story with a great premise that turned into a story I was invested in 100%. Especially with that ending, there is no doubt that I'm going to pick up the next book. I'm actually extremely excited for book 2. I kind of want it NOW!
Actual Rating: 3.5
I got to spend a little time with my boy Adam for an interview! He's so niiiiice :)
Hey,
Adam! Welcome to Bookish! It’s so cool of you to stop by!
Hi Jessica, sure no problem, thanks for
having me.
How
is your day going? Good, I hope.
It’s been a quiet and relaxing day, so I
guess that’s good.
I
feel like I should let you in on my maturity level right off the bat.
SPONGEBOB. You said there weren’t any similarities between you and our favorite
sponge, but if there WERE to be, what would you wish it was?
Dude, who doesn’t love the squarepants?
He is generally a happy-go-lucky guy and is friendly to everyone. I wish I was
more happy-go-lucky like him.
Kyle has always been there for me. Since
we were very young, I’ve felt comfortable just being myself around him. I knew
I could tell him whatever and nothing would change our friendship. My family…
not so much. My father gives me a hard time when my opinion differs from
his. Essentially, I felt that our
relationship wasn’t strong enough. If he doesn’t accept me for being into things
that he doesn’t care about, I can’t imagine what he would do if he found out I
was different than any human he has ever known.
Livia.
You are quite fond of that girl. If you had to pick one thing, what would you
say is your favorite thing about her?
Have you seen the girl? I mean she’s the
most gorgeous girl I’ve ever seen. But beauty aside, she’s just a down to earth
kind of girl. When I first heard of my father selling some of our property to
some famous all mighty doctor, I just assumed his daughter would be a snobby
New Yorker that thinks she is better than everyone because she has a Yankee
accent. Anyway, she was not. She even ventured to show up at a party where she
didn’t know anyone and easily made new friends.
Most of all tough, I love how she cares about people around her. She’d
do anything not to hurt someone’s feelings.
Can
you describe Livia in five words or less, please?
Beautiful- Powerful-Caring-Smart-Determined
(which she call it stubbornness)
All
right, let’s say I gave you a pet tiger (because I’m that awesome. You’re
welcome). What would you name him and why? (He’s also cute, but also super
vicious.)
You know looks are deceiving right? Cute
but vicious…uh, how about Cutous? A mixture of cute and vicious.
You
and I are totally best friends. I just decided this now. SO IT’S OFFICIAL.
Haha! Sounds good but let’s keep it from
Bri, she might not like to know she’s been replaced.
Questions!
More questions. Okay… Of all your abilities, which would you say is your
favorite?
You know all my abilities are still
developing and eventually they will be stronger and more defined. Right now, I
like the fact that I can hear whatever and whoever within a mile radius.
So
this one is weird, but I was just wondering—what’s your opinion of Daniel?
Daniel? Why? Don’t tell me you’ll be one of those girls on the bleachers watching the football practices from now on? I’m not sure what I think of him. I don’t like the way he looks at Livia, and I sure don’t trust the guy. It feels like he’s hiding something, but maybe it’s just my take. I don’t trust too many people.
Daniel? Why? Don’t tell me you’ll be one of those girls on the bleachers watching the football practices from now on? I’m not sure what I think of him. I don’t like the way he looks at Livia, and I sure don’t trust the guy. It feels like he’s hiding something, but maybe it’s just my take. I don’t trust too many people.
If
you were to be stuck on an island all by yourself and you could only bring
three things, what would you bring and why?
Can one of those three things be a
person? If so, then I would bring Livia and that would be it. If I have her I
wouldn’t need anything else. However, if
that’s not an option, then I’d bring a fishing pole to make sure I have food
everyday, a knife for survival reasons, and a reverse osmosis pump to
desalinate seawater.
What’s
your favorite snack food? I may or may not be asking this because I am having a
snack right now.
Doritos, the spicier the better.
So…the
end of Resilient…no spoilers, but if
you could say one thing to Livia right now, regarding the ending, what would
you say? You can be as cryptic as you want, if needed.
What to say in a moment like this? There’s
so much I would like to tell her, but there’s one thing she has to know and
that is— I’ll never forget.
Snap. We’re so close to the end of this interview. Wah. Before we get to goodbyes, is there anything you can tell us about book 2? Because I must say—I WANT.
In Awakened you’ll meet lot’s of new
people, strong friendships will be formed, trusts will be broken, hearts will
be shattered, the truth will unveil everything, enemies will unite for a
greater cause, and war will be inevitable.
And
is there anything you’d like to say? You can be as random as you want.
Randomness tends to be fun.
I have a question actually. Why is
Donkey Kong called “Donkey” if he’s a monkey?
Anytime!
A tour-wide giveaway for a Kindle Paperwhite (US) and a signed paperback of Resilient (INT)!
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