When I started reading the book, I was expecting a cliche version of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight. Female protagonist goes to school with seemingly-normal guy, doesn't pay him much attention, until *BAM* he saves her life in a supernatural way. Suddenly female protagonist sees supernatural (now hunky) dude as an attractive suitor, and finds herself falling for him even though she hardly knows him. At first, the comparisons were quickly stacking up between the two books (i.e., getting hit by a truck but surviving thanks to supernatural cute guy; dad in law enforcement; supernatural dude first insisting the female is crazy about what she saw, then revealing the truth to her and professing his love for her, etc. etc.). But fortunately, this book managed to take a 180 degree turn and became a fantastic creation all on its own. (Don't get me wrong, I tore through each book in the Twilight series as they came out, but the vampire theme is a little overdone and I'm ready to try some new plot lines.)
Beyond the initial comparisons, this book has a really great concept and pulls the reader in. It's a new take on science fiction, end of the world plots, and concepts that are out of this world. Janelle Tenner is a strong female lead character, full of persistence, determination, and strong will. Those qualities end up getting her into trouble occasionally, but she doesn't require a guy to defend her. Even when facing the possible end of the world, she can hold her own against FBI agents, catty ex-friends, and the supernatural.
The main character, Janelle Tenner, gets hit by a truck and killed, but she is brought back to life by Ben Michaels, a guy she barely knows from school. Mystery surrounds the incident--the truck has no identification information, not even a VIN, and the driver died from radiation burns, not from the crash. Meaning he was dead when he ran into Janelle. How is that possible? Speaking of the impossible, why was Ben Michaels at the accident scene, and how did he bring Janelle back to life? Who exactly is Ben Michaels? With secret access to her FBI agent dad's case files, Janelle and her friend Alex try to put the pieces together to the case. But the deeper they dig into the case, the stranger the case gets.
Each chapter is titled with a countdown, which speeds up the closer it gets to the end. Three days into the book, or 13 mini-chapters later, the reader finds out the countdown is for a UIED (Unidentified Improvised Explosive Device) that seems to be connected to a string of unidentified dead bodies that have been melted from radiation--just like the truck driver. As the clock ticks, Janelle and Alex realize it's not just a countdown to a bomb, but a countdown to the end of the world. Will they be able to work with Ben to stop the clock and save the world? You'll have to read to find out!!
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