Chameleon

Ripple #2

by Cidney Swanson

Sixteen-year-old Samantha Ruiz has a lot on her mind. The crush who kissed her but changed his mind. The BFF who thinks Sam is in an abusive relationship. The geneticist who wanted Sam dead but now wants her ALIVE. And of course, Sam’s still dealing with a tendency to disappear into thin air.

When Sam learns of her nemesis Helmann’s Nazi-like plan to establish a Thousand-Year Reign, she’s determined to fight him. Along with Will and Mickie, Sam flees to France to meet Sir Walter—their best hope for stopping Helmann’s brave new world.

But Sam isn’t any safer in France. Someone is following her. Someone invisible. Sam will have to figure out how to hide from an enemy she can’t even see.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Ebooks, Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy

297 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2011

Reviews

[Louie the Mustache Matos · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are into superhero origin stories, this might be the series for you. Chameleon is Book 2 of the Ripple series by Cidney Swanson.

For all intents and purposes, Samantha Ruiz is just like most other 16-year-old girls: she runs cross-country track, has boyfriend issues, her best friend thinks her boyfriend is hitting her, and oh yeah, she has a superpower of invisibility that she calls rippling. Sam is a mutant like the members of Marvel's the X-men, born with her super powers, but manifesting during puberty and tense situations.

There's a backstory that involves Nazis, and a supervillain the likes of Mystique, and her villainous Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. There's a Professor X type as well that makes me believe that Swanson was channeling Chris Claremont as she came up with this story.

Although I can say that this series is at least derivative of the X-men mythos, I really love what Swanson is building with this second entry in the series. I recommend reading the first book, but this second book is filled with some action, intrigue, and a very real confrontation with one of the main villains.

[Mummy's Naughty Corner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well we got a lot of answers in this one. We know who wrote the book and that the experiments were real and even conducted on his own children. I found out what a chameleon can do including increasing their life span. It turns out that Will does like her but they have both gotten mixed signals so I take it the romance will develop more now. I like Mickie his a bit crazy but lovable. It'll be interesting to see how they get close to Helmann.

[Tamara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Characters are like immature eighth graders.

[Crystal Collier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the first three books in this series over two BUSY days, so clearly I was invested after book 1.

Things I didn't like as much about this one: Sam cries a lot. I mean, a lot. Will goes a little beyond in his history-geekiness...enough to stretch believability.

And that's it.

Things I liked more than book one: The ending. YES! Traveling through Europe. Yes, please!

This book was pretty much on par, writing wise, with the first one, except for I liked how it ended more. *cheesy grin* I'm sure I'm not the only one. The antagonist was a little more formidable. In book 1, the primary antagonistic aspect was "discovery." Here, we have an actual tangible foe. Who is ruthless.

The journal entries continue in book 2, but they lend more understanding to the story, so that was cool.

The pace of the story continues. Not super fast, but definitely more action than the first book. In fact, I loved that Sam actually had to fight her way out of a situation or two. And make some hard decisions.

Still debating taking up the series? Might as well.

Content warning: Minor, infrequent cussing. Minor violence.

[Katheryn Robinson]

This book was interesting as Cidney continues the series. She keeps the action coming and adds many exciting turning points. The book is great for those who are looking for more action and excitement!

[Doina Condrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I don't know how to say goodbye, we can't have you disappearing."
Damn, I laughed!!!!

This story is so sad, sometimes cute but ugh so sad!

[☆☆Hannah☆☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I liked this book. Sam and Will go to France on a school trip. This allows them to meet up with Sir Walter. They are able to find out more about their abilities. They also find out more about who is behind kidnapping them and why. Of course we have to wait for the next book to see how everything is going to end.

[Tara Chevrestt · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, in Chameleon, Mickie isn't quit so annoying.. perhaps because she has met her match in Sir Walter. Sir Walter is 600 years old so even though he's quite wordy and old fashioned, finally someone knows how to handle Mickie!

Sir Walter enters the picture when Sam and Will and Mickie travel to France. He's the keeper of many secrets and hold most all the knowledge that Sam and Will need to know about their amazing rippling ability. While Sam and Will prance around France and see the sights, Sir Walter is in tow appearing and disappearing at will telling them and US, the readers, about the history of his evil cousin and the rippling story...

To read full review, please click on the link: http://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2011/...

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this second book in the Ripple series.The author revealed a lot more back story and tied up loose ends.The constant bickering between Will and his sister Mickie was just as monotonous and irritating as the first book.Yet I feel the author delivered a more mature story in The Chameleon.The book finishes nicely without a big cliffhanger,but leaves room for more in the series.The narrator is quite pleasant to listen to.I received an audiobook from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Diane Daniels]

This was pretty good for an Indie second book. Of course, now I have to read the third book. Yes, there are some editing problems, but not too many. The story is original with the "rippling" genetics and the evil Nazi villains wanting to take over the world with new, improved people was believable. It ends kind of abruptly after the main characters finally admit their feelings for each other.

[Marla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. It incorporates all of my favorite things: YA speculative fiction; blending history into a speculative plot; sweet romance; and a strong female protagonist. Highly recommend!

[Darsie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this second book in the series as a free download, which means that I did not read book 1 in this series first.
So, I came to the story "cold" not knowing the history, previous events or characters.

However, I dont think this lack of knowledge unduly spoiled my experience of this particular book in the series.

A "convenient" school trip to France enables all the main characters to converge and this of course, creates much opportunity for danger, drama and intrigue. Overall the story had a good pace but the characters were mostly all good or all bad. with the exception of the uncle, who was written with great depth. And the other most interesting characters were Helga's henchmen: their duality was most intriguing and Deuxienne was particularly sympathetic.

The parts of the book I most enjoyed were those describing the experience of Rippling. Very interesting. It seemed that the teenagers were very new to this skill and had not yet explored all the tricks and possibilities that this genetic talent gave them.

As to the genetics and history, it was complicated. A lot of it made sense, scientifically speaking, although I could have missed a nuance here or there.

Although not exactly a cliffhanger, I presume the ending is to entice readers into the next book in series. I'm intrigued enough to consider it.

Four stars

[Some Nerd · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was way better than its predecessor, but that honestly isn't saying much. On its own, I'd consider it on the upper end of average. Will, Mickie, and Sam go to France, and a lot of it reads almost like a tourism guide to the region. Will seems more like a repository for regional trivia than a character at times, and he didn't seem even close to consistent with his characterization in the first book.

Deuxieme was really the only character that stood out, which is saying a lot when you have two characters running around who are centuries old. He was an adorable cinnamon roll, so naturally, Swanson tragically kills him off in the end. I'd have really liked to see his friendship with Sam continue and see him overtake Ivanovich entirely, but you can't really have adults and teens be too close for too long in a YA novel, can you? Sir Walter is clearly doomed in the next book, I'm sure.

[MelMon Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

The suspense is getting hard to contain. Life for Sam will never be the same, now Micky and Will are her only way to navigate this new maelstrom lifestyle. Whisking away to different countries to unravel what intricate information they can, these adolescent and very unique individuals are on the journey of a lifetime.

Adolescence is difficult enough to maneuver add a tricky love interest and fighting to save your life and the life and safety of those you love, well that's complicated

So many twists, I had to purchase the whole series. Can't wait to see where this ends and definitely, where it began.

[Bec · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this installment of the Ripple series. In Chameleon we get more back story and learn more about Sam's history and how Sir Walter fits in. There is a new character after Sam and he is a little different. Plenty of action and Sam has to put her skills to the test. I love the interations with Sam, Will and Mickie. The diary entries were an interesting touch. They gave us lots of information in a different format.

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t praise this book enough, along with the previous books in this series. They are so well written. The plot is well thought out. The characters are true to life, but with a little something extra that makes this series fantastic. The descriptions of people, places & things really bring this story to life. I have smiled, gotten teary-eyed, and actually shook with excitement. This series shot up to the top of the list of my all-time favorite series.

[Jassicca · Rating 4 out of 5]

At this moment, Sam still doesn't know how to control her ability, but on the plus side, we learn more on the history and how it linked back to her. I was a bit sceptical about Sir Walter, but in the end, he's alright. Sam's friendship with Gwyn also being restored, and her love life finally happening, now if she could only focus on controlling her gift, it would be perfect.

[Mary Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I were a chameleon!

The rich descriptive language. I felt like I was there too. I went to France once when I was able to visit my son during his deployment in Europe back in the late 90's. I wish I remembered more of my high school French. The history lessons were fun reminisces. I can't wait to dive into the next book.

[Dana Granville · Rating 3 out of 5]

We pick up right where we left off in the first book. Sam, Will, and Mickie head to France on the school sponsored French trip, to meet Sir Walter to learn more about rippling. We meet some baddies that try to kill them etc etc. It was a bit better than the first book, still pretty teeny boppy, but it is that type of a book. It will be interesting to see how the trilogy ends.

[Debbie Lawrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable tale, however, I reduced to a 3-star rating because of the blatant teenage love angst element to the story. This is purely a personal niggle - I think my critical menopausal self cannot relate to that aspect of the world any longer.

[Maria Loeber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really liking the story, feel like it was not necessary to divide the story in 2 or 3 books (haven't read the third book yet) but joinig book 1 and 3 shows a well thought story that I'm really enjoying

[Teshai · Rating 4 out of 5]

The action keeps coming as these two fall head over heels in love with each other.

To be 16 again.

[Hannah Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

100% cannot wait to get the 3rd. Yet another amazing book !

[Shyam · Rating 1 out of 5]

worse than the first, the characters continue to feel dumbed down and 2d. the villains are unconvincing and flat. the main characters are a bit annoying and don't think through their actions at all.

[Crystal Mooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have fallen completely in love with this series. Everything about it is amazing. I can't wait to see how Will and Sam's relationship progress.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did not disappoint. So looking forward to number 3.

[Trix · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hated it.

[Graciela Del Rio · Rating 2 out of 5]

These characters do not sound like 16 year olds!!! It’s like reading about 4th graders!! I don’t care enough about these characters to finish the series!!! This is where it ends for me!

[Laurie • The Baking Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author: Cidney Swanson
Genre: Supernatural / Young Adult
Type: e-book for Kindle
First Published: September 2011
Published By: Williams Press
Series Order: Rippler (June 2011), Chameleon (Sept 2011), Unfurl (2012)
First Line: "Excerpted from my Father's Brilliant Journal by Helga Gottlieb -- Killing Kathryn Ruiz and her daughter Samantha seemed a simple assignment."

Synopsis: Samantha Ruiz seems like the typical American teenager ... if you overlook her quirky ability to literally disappear. Add in the fact that her best friend is not speaking to her, she's trying to learn more about Rippling and she's unsure about her relationship with Will ... oh, and a mad scientist is hunting her down, and you can see that Sam's life is more stressful than the typical teen.

When Will, Sam and Will's sister, Mickie, are given the opportunity to travel to France on a school trip they take advantage of the situation and set up a meeting with Will and Mickie's mysterious benefactor Sir Walter. Under the guidance of Sir Walter, Sam and Will are able to learn more about what being a Rippler entails and are given a clearer picture of what evil forces they are up against.

My Thoughts: This is the second book in the Rippler series. Typically, I've found that the second book in a series tends to wane a bit for me. I've already been introduced to the setting and characters so the subsequent books need to bring their 'A games' when it comes to the plot/twists to keep me interested.

I'm happy to report that Chameleon didn't fall into the 'sophomore blues' category. The first book in the series, Rippler, was used to introduce us to the characters and plot but Chameleon can be aptly described as the book where 'the plot thickens'. Ms Swason wastes no time in jumping right into the storyline and delving into the sinister storyline involving rippler syndrome as well as further developing the main characters.

The main characters could have easily gotten stuck in a rut and not further developed but I found all of the main characters to be very well-rounded and believable. Sam begins to see herself as much more capable and stronger than she originally thought. And while I didn't love Will in the first book, I was happy to see that in Chameleon he held his ground with Sam, Mickie and the quirky Sir Walter. I even enjoyed the chemistry between two of the teens. It wasn't written as a saccharine teen romance (as some teen romances are apt to be) and I appreciated the fact that it didn't take over the book or detract from the suspense of the main storyline.

As for Sir Walter? I found him to be a wonderful addition to the fairly young cast of characters. He brings a knowledgeable, yet not infallible, great (great, great??) uncle kind of character who helps the teens learn more about what it's like to be a Rippler/Chameleon. He's old school but not stodgy and he quickly became one of my favourite characters.

One of the aspects of this series that I continue to enjoy are the short blurbs at the beginning of each chapter where the villains recount, via journal entries/letters, what's going on inside their heads. It gives the reader a very unique opportunity to get a peek inside the mind of the villain while not giving too much away. The reader is also given a better understanding of why the villains are after Sam before Sam even knows.

Ms Swanson has the rare ability to successfully develop her characters, plot and keep the suspense on high throughout her story. If you're looking for a new brand of YA supernatural read I highly recommend picking up Rippler. I'm really looking forward to reading the final book in this unique YA supernatural trilogy.

My Rating: 4/5 stars

Note: I received a complimentary e-book copy of this book directly from the author. All opinions expressed in my review are uniquely my own.

[Larissa Hinton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now, this is the second book in the Rippler series. Check out previous book and reviews here: http://teacherwritebookaholicohmy.blo...

Anyway, lucky or not, I won this book on LibraryThing, so I won both the first and second book of this series.

Normally, I would find this a good thing, but I'm torn about this book.

On the one hand, the mystery continues and the plot seems okay. The characters are the same. The stakes are higher. And the book is overall better in most respects.

But I had a few problems with this book though. So instead of listing each literary element, I'll just stick to the pluses and minuses. So let's give this a whirl.

But I had a few problems with this book though. So instead of listing each literary element, I'll just stick to the pluses and minuses. So let's give this a whirl.

Positives:

1. Same excellent characters with some new lovable ones tossed in the mix

I have to say, she didn't drastically change the characters and they all have their personality quirks that I loved about them in the first book. So that's great.

Additionally, she added some new characters that are interesting, like Sir Walter. At first, I didn't like him. He seemed like a pompous jerk, but as the story continued on, I learned to trust him and his character. Even Will liked him after a while.


2. Romantic Setting

I love that they traveled to France. I think that's awesome and the way she described it was lovely.


3. More about Rippling and the history behind it

I def love the fact that she described more about rippling and what it entails. We get more concrete information about it from an experienced Rippler and how far their abilities can stretch. So love that.


4. Higher Stakes

She elevates everything to a new level. So I like that.


5. Building of Relationships

I like how she started one way with all the characters and how their relationships build through the series, so that I like a lot.


Negatives

1. Stereotypical Bad Guy

"I want to rule the world with super humans!"

That is the bad guy in this story, and I'm kinda tired of seeing this one dimensional enemy. Let's give him some dimensions. Let's give him some depth.

I just hate the bad guy in her novel. He's so predicable.


2. Will and Sam

I don't think the explanation about why they didn't get together was a good enough reason. I'll leave it at that.


3. Same mistakes but more of them

Guffaws become more frequent, awkward phrases are still there and too many repeating phrases. I'm surprised somebody else, maybe an editor, friend or beta reader didn't catch this sooner. So that surprises me.



Overall, would I recommend this book?

I'm not so sure I would. I loved Ripple, but Chameleon? I think with some reworking, I would. But as it stands right now? No. I really couldn't.

And with that, I bid you good reading!