The Almost Girl

 
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The Almost Girl
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Age Range
14+
Release Date
January 07, 2014
ISBN
978-1908844804
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Seventeen-year-old Riven is as tough as they come. But coming from a world ravaged by a devastating android war, she has to be. There’s no room for softness, no room for emotion, no room for mistakes. A Legion General, she is the right hand of the young Prince of Neospes, a parallel universe to Earth. In Neospes, she has everything: rank, responsibility and respect. But when Prince Cale sends her away to find his long-lost brother, Caden, who has been spirited back to modern day Earth, Riven finds herself in uncharted territory. Thrown out of her comfort zone but with the mindset of a soldier, Riven has to learn how to be a girl in a realm that is the opposite of what she knows. Riven isn’t prepared for the beauty of a world that is unlike her own in so many ways. Nor is she prepared to feel something more than indifference for the very target she seeks. Caden is nothing like Cale, but he makes something in her come alive, igniting a spark deep down that goes against every cell in her body. For the first time in her life, Riven isn’t sure about her purpose, about her calling. Torn between duty and desire, she must decide whether Caden is simply a target or whether he is something more. Faced with hideous reanimated Vector soldiers from her own world with agendas of their own, as well as an unexpected reunion with a sister who despises her, it is a race against time to bring Caden back to Neospes. But things aren’t always as they seem, and Riven will have to search for truth. Family betrayals and royal coups are only the tip of the iceberg. Will Riven be able to find the strength to defy her very nature? Or will she become the monstrous soldier she was designed to be?

Seventeen-year-old Riven is as tough as they come. But coming from a world ravaged by a devastating android war, she has to be. There’s no room for softness, no room for emotion, no room for mistakes. A Legion General, she is the right hand of the young Prince of Neospes, a parallel universe to Earth. In Neospes, she has everything: rank, responsibility and respect. But when Prince Cale sends her away to find his long-lost brother, Caden, who has been spirited back to modern day Earth, Riven finds herself in uncharted territory. Thrown out of her comfort zone but with the mindset of a soldier, Riven has to learn how to be a girl in a realm that is the opposite of what she knows. Riven isn’t prepared for the beauty of a world that is unlike her own in so many ways. Nor is she prepared to feel something more than indifference for the very target she seeks. Caden is nothing like Cale, but he makes something in her come alive, igniting a spark deep down that goes against every cell in her body. For the first time in her life, Riven isn’t sure about her purpose, about her calling. Torn between duty and desire, she must decide whether Caden is simply a target or whether he is something more. Faced with hideous reanimated Vector soldiers from her own world with agendas of their own, as well as an unexpected reunion with a sister who despises her, it is a race against time to bring Caden back to Neospes. But things aren’t always as they seem, and Riven will have to search for truth. Family betrayals and royal coups are only the tip of the iceberg. Will Riven be able to find the strength to defy her very nature? Or will she become the monstrous soldier she was designed to be?

Editor reviews

4 reviews
Overall rating
 
3.5
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3.5(2)
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The Almost Girl
Overall rating
 
3.3
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What worked: Amazing futuristic world where Terminator meets Sliders with one kick ass heroine. Riven is a tough, hard soldier of the parallel world Neospes. Her latest job involves jumping to our world to find the twin of her world's ruler. Riven's attempts to fit into our world's high school are funny as readers can feel her awkwardness. Seriously, how can something like the prom be as important as saving a world? Riven's edge sets her apart as someone not to mess with.

The big plus of this novel has to be the world building. Neospes is the opposite of our world. It reminded me so much of the Terminator in which one character is set back in time to our world in an attempt to stop a future horror. In THE ALMOST GIRL, Riven is like a teen version of that one hero. The contrasts between Neospes and Earth are haunting and chilling. So is the futuristic technology which involves zombie-like soldiers and also cloning.

What I wished for was more chemistry between Caden and Riven. Sure, it's there but I felt almost as if the author was teasing us. I wanted more! Some parts of the novel dragged and took away from an otherwise engaging story.

YA Terminator meets Sliders with a kick ass heroine who finds out not all is what it seems to be. Futuristic adventure with hints of romance. A must read for fans of futuristic stories set on parallel worlds.
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Strong Female Characters Abound!
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3.7
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Riven, the title character in Amalie Howard's THE ALMOST GIRL, is a teenager from another world and a warrior. She has been sent to Earth to retrieve the brother of her king so that he can help the king survive a seemingly terminal disease. Cale is the king and Caden is the brother, and Riven has given her allegiance to the former and she eventually gives her love to the latter.

I wasn't a huge fan of the love story in THE ALMOST GIRL, but the action scenes are great. Howard has a good feel for describing fights, and the science part of this Science Fiction story is interesting--world hopping zombie warriors?! What's not to love about that?

I'm a big fan of strong editing, and I wish there had been a bit more of it in this book. Some scenes dragged on and had me flipping pages to get past them, but definitely not any that involved Riven's battles. Howard's sentences in those are crisp and detailed, and they were exactly what was needed to propel the story.

Ultimately, there are many compelling reasons to read this book: the world building is great, the action sequences (of which there are many) are awesome, and Riven is a complete bad ass teenager with understandable daddy issues. Plus there are zombies.

This book is the first in a series, and I'll definitely be picking up a copy of THE FALLEN PRINCE, the second book in The Riven Chronicles.
Good Points
Bad ass protagonist

Excellent world building
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4 reviews
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3.9
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4.0(4)
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3.8(4)
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Girl Power!
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Two ninjatas, two worlds, two sisters, two princes; The Almost Girl by Amalie Howard is full of dualism. The hook is that seventeen-year-old Riven is an alien bounty hunter searching Earth for a lost prince. But perhaps “bounty hunter” isn’t the best word to describe Riven’s capabilities. She is a committed soldier, trained to kill.

Like all of Howard’s books, The Almost Girl is sharply written and well crafted. Every chapter ends with suspense, making the reader beg for more. However, the plot is so intricate that it did take me about 40 pages to really “get into” The Almost Girl. I’ve seen other reviews that said this book had a slow start, and I think that’s what they meant.

My favorite part of The Almost Girl was that it was packed with strong women. Riven definitely puts the kick in kickass.
JB
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THE ALMOST GIRL
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4.0
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Romance, royalty, and rebellion. Riven is on an unofficial mission to secure a target, but that sounds simple enough when it’s just a name to track. Everything changes when she meets him and discovers more about him and the people around him. Despite trying to cling on to her orders, things quickly get out of her control with a series of explosive twists and shocking revelations. Nothing quite goes to plan as more people get involved and more truths are uncovered. Riven is super strong and feisty, constantly battling with her feelings for Caden—the target—and others she comes across on her journey. She’s very untrusting (understandably) and doesn’t allow her emotions to get in the way, believing they’re a weakness that could get her killed. But that gets harder the more time she spends around Caden and others who care for her. The story is tense and exciting, and the world is incredibly well-imagined. The detail of technology introduced throughout and the “creations”, such as Vectors and hybrids, add extra risk to this cold world, making it hit home just how dangerous this alternate universe is.
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Excellent story!
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The first thought that comes to my mind after reading The Almost Girl is that it had really good story-building. Alternate universes, with one technologically far ahead of ours, from where a duty-bound soldier girl comes into ours. Also, in that world, children are brought up differently, and basically are trained from birth. Riven is one such kid – strong, warrior type – and taught that love is weakness. So, she basically stifles all emotion inside and is constantly at war with herself. She comes off as cold most of the times and while that was frustrating, it was also heart-breaking.

The plot-line was intricate, with a few surprises but also some expected tropes. Also, the name pretty much gives away Riven’s secret and Caden’s role is one I suspected from the start, considering the other unethical (for our universe) developments in Neospes. Character development was excellent and the flow of the story was fast-paced but smooth. The story was riveting, and I stayed up until 4am to complete it because, damn, I wanted to confirm my suspicions. *wink* The canon was genius, with the Guardians, Eversion and Vectors. Is it just me or Riven’s dad seems like Dr. Frankenstein? Ending was good, quite unexpected and I loved the twist at the end.

Emotionally, I would say I wasn’t much invested in the book – there was still a bit of disconnect with the protagonists and the characters. Even though it was well-written, it did not feel so real. Also, I felt a bit of discrepancies with respect to the timeline, especially when her sister ran away. For a fast-paced read, it is quite good and the ending leaves you wanting for the next one.

Received a review copy from Strange Chemistry via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
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Good structure
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3.7
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The first thought that comes to my mind after reading The Almost Girl is that it had really good story-building. Alternate universes, with one technologically far ahead of ours, from where a duty-bound soldier girl comes into ours. Also, in that world, children are brought up differently, and basically are trained from birth. Riven is one such kid – strong, warrior type – and taught that love is weakness. So, she basically stifles all emotion inside and is constantly at war with herself. She comes off as cold most of the times and while that was frustrating, it was also heart-breaking.

The plot-line was intricate, with a few surprises but also some expected tropes. Also, the name pretty much gives away Riven’s secret and Caden’s role is one I suspected from the start, considering the other unethical (for our universe) developments in Neospes. Character development was excellent and the flow of the story was fast-paced but smooth. The story was riveting, and I stayed up until 4am to complete it because, damn, I wanted to confirm my suspicions. *wink* The canon was genius, with the Guardians, Eversion and Vectors. Is it just me or Riven’s dad seems like Dr. Frankenstein? Ending was good, quite unexpected and I loved the twist at the end.

Emotionally, I would say I wasn’t much invested in the book – there was still a bit of disconnect with the protagonists and the characters. Even though it was well-written, it did not feel so real. Also, I felt a bit of discrepancies with respect to the timeline, especially when her sister ran away. For a fast-paced read, it is quite good and the ending leaves you wanting for the next one.
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