Review: DRIVE by Stephanie Fournet
I have loved everything I’ve read from Stephanie Fournet, and DRIVE did not disa[...]
Publisher: Blue Crown Press
Release Date: October 24, 2011
Format: eARC
Source: Author/Lightning Book Promotions
Age Level: Young Adult
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Buy: Amazon
Alex Kosmitoras’s life has never been easy. The only other student who will talk to him is the school bully, his parents are dead-broke and insanely overprotective, and to complicate matters even more, he’s blind. Just when he thinks he’ll never have a shot at a normal life, a new girl from India moves into town. Simmi is smart, nice, and actually wants to be friends with Alex. Plus she smells like an Almond Joy bar. Yes, sophomore year might not be so bad after all.
Unfortunately, Alex is in store for another new arrival—an unexpected and often embarrassing ability to “see” the future. Try as he may, Alex is unable to ignore his visions, especially when they begin to suggest that Simmi is in danger. With the help of the mysterious psychic next door and new friends who come bearing gifts of their own, Alex must embark on a journey to change his future. (Goodreads)
This story was fascinating for me because the protagonist, Alex, is blind, and the story is told from his perspective. Also, the concept of a blind man with psychic abilities to “see” the future intrigued me. Alex is 16 years old and attends a regular public high school where he is constantly picked on and bullied, so I was rooting for Alex from the very beginning. How can you not? He’s the underdog, has a disability, and isolated. When a new girl, Simmi, moves to town they quickly become friends and something more.
I really, really wanted to like Alex… but unfortunately, I just couldn’t connect with him. By 2/3 of the way into the story I realized that I didn’t like him at all. He was rude and downright mean at times, and though a reason was explained, I had a hard time buying into the reasons. I really disliked how he treated both Simmi and especially their friend Shapri.
Shapri was a secondary character, and most definitely my favorite. I loved that she stood up for herself and demanded respect. I really wanted to get to know more about her, her family, and her ability. I liked Simmi too, but I felt that for the importance of her role, her character was underdeveloped.
Farsighted is well written with great pacing. I just wish the characters had more depth, though I’m sure they will grow and develop over the series!
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About the Author (from her website):
From an early age, Emlyn Chandhas counted books among her best friends. She loves to hear and tell stories and emerged from the womb with a fountain pen grasped firmly in her left hand (true story). Her affinity for the written word extends to absolutely every area of her life: she has written two-and-a-half novels, leads a classics book group with over three hundred members, and, of course, runs the whole shebang at Novel Publicity, where she contributes her business and marketing savvy as well as her writing and web design talents.
From an early age, Emlyn Chandhas counted books among her best friends. She loves to hear and tell stories and emerged from the womb with a fountain pen grasped firmly in her left hand (true story). Her affinity for the written word extends to absolutely every area of her life: she has written two-and-a-half novels, leads a classics book group with over three hundred members, and, of course, runs the whole shebang at Novel Publicity, where she contributes her business and marketing savvy as well as her writing and web design talents.
The book that changed Emlyn’s life is Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crocket Johnson. It opened her eyes to the world that could exist if only she was willing to create it—a lesson she has never forgotten. She now reads an average of one book per week. While she enjoys all types of novels, her greatest loves are literary fiction and YA.
