Book Review: Ultraviolet by R.J Anderson

Ultraviolet

R.J Anderson

Source: Courtesy of publisher via NetGalley

Once upon a time there was a girl who was special.

This is not her story.

Unless you count the part where I killed her.

Sixteen-year-old Alison has been sectioned in a mental institute for teens, having murdered the most perfect and popular girl at school. But the case is a mystery: no body has been found, and Alison's condition is proving difficult to diagnose. Alison herself can't explain what happened: one minute she was fighting with Tori -- the next she disintegrated. Into nothing. But that's impossible. Right?

My Thoughts  (contains spoilers)

To be honest, I'm not really sure how I feel about this book.

Dont get me wrong I really liked the first two thirds a lot. 

But then it went in a direction totally out of left field that I really did NOT see coming.

I really liked Alison. 

I enjoyed reading her struggle to regain her sanity, what really did happen to Tori?

Her strained relationship with her mother, her growing attraction to Faraday, and her desperation to remember the events surrounding her breakdown.

It was all very well written and interesting and I found myself jealous of an often debilitating condition, the writing was THAT good. 

But then from about page 225 I was 'What the...?!. Hang on, really?!?!' and that's when all the great writing (up to that point) lost it for me.

It became a totally different playing field, almost a different book. 
Instead of trying to figure out how to help Alison and the strange events in her life, it became  how to help Faraday get back to his home planet. 
Yes, I said home planet.
Oh did I forget to mention that? Yeah, Faraday is an alien!
Oh, and guess what? 
So is Tori!!!!!

Sadly, I didn't enjoy the last portion of the book. 
I felt the explanations of time and space, wormholes and experiments were all a bit weak and their (Alison and Tori's) way to get home boring and predictable.

Started out great ended badly, overall a 3 star read.