The Athena Effect by Derrolyn Anderson

Release Date: August 30, 2012
Publisher: Self-published
Pages: 221
Series: The Athena Effect #1
Review Source: eBook for review from author

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Country girl Cali has been kept a secret her entire life, raised in isolation by two very troubled people. Despite her parent’s disturbing fits, Cal is perfectly content, living at one with the nature that surrounds her, and finding adventure inside the pages of her beloved books. When an awful tragedy tears her away from her remote cabin in the woods, nothing she’s ever read has prepared her for a world that she knows very little about.

Girls and motorcycles are what bad-boy Cal’s life is all about. Brought up in a raucous party house by his biker brother, he’s free to do as he pleases, going through the motions on his final days of high school. Aimless, Cal stopped thinking about his future a long time ago.

Attacked by a gang of thugs while running an errand for his brother, Cal is in serious trouble until a fierce girl appears out of nowhere to intervene. She chases off three grown men, sparing Cal a brutal beating before disappearing into the night like a spirit. He can’t stop thinking about his mysterious rescuer, and when she turns out to be the weird new girl at school who goes out of her way to avoid him, he can’t contain his curiosity.

He’s never met anyone like her before, and the more he learns about the unusual girl who shares his nickname, the more he wants to know. Cal can’t help falling for Cal, but can he keep her from falling victim to a dangerous enemy from her parent’s tragic past?

My Thoughts:
I was drawn into ‘The Athena Effect’ from the beginning, though I actually wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew that the book featured two characters named Cal who were hurting from their pasts and that they came together under interesting circumstances. This is definitely the case, although one of the most interesting parts of the book is the “Athena effect” concept which the book is named after. This science fiction element of the story was very interesting, with Cali having a type of synesthesia and abilities which stem from this.

‘The Athena Effect’ is one of those books that I enjoyed well enough, but I can’t say that it sticks out especially in my mind. Despite being very interested in the book’s premise, I never really connected with the characters that much. Cali and Calvin were both interesting enough, but even when I felt for them, I never really felt like I was getting in their heads or completely understanding them. The villain(s) of the story also came off as a bit cartoonish. Their background and plot was believable enough, but their actions and words just seemed very amateur and simple.

Overall I feel very “meh” about ‘The Athena Effect’, which is unfortunate, because it makes it very hard to review. Some of it I really enjoyed, while other parts left me a bit bored. I was interested enough to want to know what happened in the end, but I had a hard time getting through the last part. This was also very much a first book in a series, where we get an ending to one chapter of the story, but not any concrete answers to the book’s larger questions. Based on reviews on Goodreads it seems like other bloggers have really enjoyed it, so perhaps check out their thoughts and see if this book might be for you.

The Cover:
Not a fave, but not too bad either.

Rating:
[2.5/5]

Find The Athena Effect by Derrolyn Anderson on Goodreads, & check out Derrolyn's site for purchase options.