Review: Pulse by: Patrick Carman

Pulse by: Patrick Carman (2013) 

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (Harper)

371 pages

Genre: YA/Dystopian

Source: Library

Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

Goodreads Summary: From New York Times bestselling author Patrick Carman, a teen fantasy-adventure of epic proportions. In 2051, some teens have a “pulse,” the power to move objects with their minds. Compulsively readable, with thrilling action scenes and a tender love story.

The year is 2051, and the world is still recognizable. With the help of her mysterious classmate Dylan Gilmore, Faith Daniels discovers that she can move objects with her mind. This telekinetic ability is called a “pulse,” and Dylan has the talent, too.

In riveting action scenes, Faith demonstrates her ability to use her pulse against a group of telekinesis masters so powerful they will flatten their enemies by uprooting street lights, moving boulders, and changing the course of a hurtling hammer so that it becomes a deadly weapon. But even with great talent, the mind—and the heart—can be difficult to control. If Faith wants to join forces with Dylan and save the world, she’ll have to harness the power of both.

Patrick Carman’s Pulse trilogy is a stunning, action-filled triumph about the power of the mind—and the power of love

My Review

A strong start to an interesting trilogy, Pulse will have you curious from the beginning but won’t pull you in completely until the last half of the book, where it will take its hold and never let go. 

I just want to say that it is becoming harder and harder to find a dystopian novel that I really really love, I'm starting to think that maybe there are just too many of them now, making them less unique. Anyway...

This may not be my favorite dystopian novel and it may not be the best, but it was a fun read that left me wanting more. It took me a week to read this book when in all honesty I could have read it in four hours, but it just wasn’t captivating me, that is until I hit a little bit past the midway point, then I couldn’t put it down and finished it in one sitting. So if you start reading this book, just hang in there, it gets better. I mean it gets so good that in the end I had to give this book four stars.

What I Liked:

Teenagers with a Pulse, the ability to move objects with their minds, is an awesome concept. It wasn't executed quite as well as I had hoped but it was still interesting and a great idea that involved some pretty cool scenes. (I'm pretty sure I have a Pulse. (okay maybe I'm just wishing) I just haven't discovered it yet.)

I really loved Faith's friend Hawk, the nerdy young kid who is super smart. At times he was kind of creepy, but overall he is just too much fun for that to bother me. Dylan is also a great addition to Pulse and is my favorite character. The love story between Dylan and Faith works well. It is actually the only instance of love that works in this book. There are some other "love" relationships that make no sense and are kind of pointless. 

We finally got to have a lot of action toward the end of the book, and the waiting was totally worth it. So, let’s talk action, omg moments, and death. There is a fantastic vividly described fight scene with flying vans and other various objects that I could almost see first hand. There were also several moments that had me in shock, like serious eyes popping out of my head omg moments people. And yes my friends, there were even some prominent deaths in the first book of this trilogy. 

What I Didn't Like

The third person writing style threw me off a little at first,and although it grew on me, there was just something about it that bothered me.

There is a small plot hole with one of the characters. I can't go into detail because that would cause major spoilers.

The book took a while to really pick up. I hate to admit it but I was kind of bored throughout the first half of the book.

There was a moment that reminded me too much of Twilight. Once again, you must read the book to find out what I'm talking about. Don't worry, you can't miss it.

The Cover

If you think the cover is awesome now, just wait until you read the book. I can't wait to see what the second book's cover will look like!

In The End

If you are looking for a dystopian novel that features teenagers with the ability to move objects with their minds then this is for you. It reminded me very slightly of the television show Heroes. This was a good dystopian novel and an overall enjoyable read. It just didn't quite hit epic status.