[Book Review] The Athena Affect

Title: The Athena Effect
Author: Derrolyn Anderson
Date Published: August 30, 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi, Romance
Source: ARC from Author
Rating: 4/5

Links:
Goodreads


About the Book:

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?

Review:
Perfectly combines the innocence of first love and the thrill of a sci-fi adventure!

Story-wise, genetically modified children of people who participated in science experiments isn't exactly something new. In fact, this is the same prevailing plot in Stephen King's Firestarter. However, the way The Athena Effect was conveyed made it engrossing, memorable and different.

I really loved the two characters as well. They were very different yet they became friends and soon discovered a person to love with each other. Also, the way their interaction with each other was portrayed was very interesting and heart-warming. Seriously, the way that love bloomed between them made me swoon and smile like an idiot.

Also, I think that Caledonia poses serious competition to Katniss Everdeen in terms of skills in hunting and survival. Come on! The girl fought off a leopard and lived to tell the tale! But seriously, I can find myself relating to Cali because she's an awkward turtle in a high school setting. I love how she could look like a complete dork but could actually kick ass when the situation called for it. I would love to read more about her growth as a character!

As for Calvin, I found him really endearing and lovable because he was literally swimming through life without any direction at all, until he met Cali, and that was the biggest change in him as I read through the story. Although he grew up in a not-so-perfect environment, underneath the bad boy persona, Calvin was a good person, and he can be counted on to do the right thing when given the chance.

All in all, I really enjoyed this story! It's heart-warming but at the same time, it's engaging! And I would love to be able to read the second book in this series! =)