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Projection

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Three girls battle a dangerous secret society that will do anything to protect an ancient Greek power in this murder mystery for fans of Dan Brown. In ancient Rome it was whispered that the great philosopher Plotinus could project his soul into another human being in a ritual that hinged on a kiss. In present-day Delphi, California, the sole remaining guardians of the Plotinus Ability hide in plain sight as members of the exclusive Oculus Society--until their leader, Octavia Harris, is killed in her own home. With no leads on the case, Octavia's daughter, Gretchen, vows to find her mother's murderer at any cost. One piece of the puzzle falls into place when Gretchen's best friend, Jessica Shaw, discovers the Plotinus Ability. Skeptical but curious, the two can't resist trying the ritual--but they're not alone. Ariel Miller, an outsider with a well-known hatred of all things Oculus Society, films the friends exchanging their first kiss, and it isn't long before the YouTube video goes viral. As Ariel's guilt and the girls' suspicions of her mount, the three must forget the past and trust one another if they are to find the murderer still in their midst.

8 pages, Audio CD

First published September 3, 2013

5 people are currently reading
1429 people want to read

About the author

Risa Green

12 books61 followers
You would think that writing a bio would be an easy thing for a writer to do, but there’s not much that’s harder than trying to convey a sense of who you are in three lines or less. I’ve always admired those writers who are able to come up with hilarious little vignettes about their pets or their strange obsession with Cheetos, and yet, hard as I try, I just can’t find a way to make myself sound that off-beat and quirky. Because I suppose when it comes down to it, I’m not. At the same time, though, I hate those “official” bios that just list where I grew up and where I went to school, and where I live now, because really, what does that tell anyone about me? Nothing. So because I have the space for it, I’ll just tell my story, which, if you’re interested in knowing anything about me all, will probably fulfill all of your curiosity and then some.
I lived my entire life before college in the same house in a suburb of Philadelphia called Ambler. I loved to read, and whenever I found a book that really spoke to me I would read it over and over and over again, and somehow, I never got tired of it. Most of Judy Blume’s books fell into this category for me (particularly Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret), as did Bridge to Terabithia, a book called The Girl With the Silver Eyes, and my all time favorite YA book, The Westing Game. I was a good student, though better at English and writing than I was at math, and although I like to think of myself as athletic, the truth is that I am not particularly coordinated or fast, and I don’t have what my husband likes to call “heart” when it comes to sports. So after dabbling in field hockey and lacrosse in middle school (more because I thought the uniforms looked cool than because I was good at either of them, which I wasn’t), I became a cheerleader. It was very 1980’s. I also was president of my class for three years, which I enjoyed at the time but I now kind of regret, because twenty years later, it turns out that I am the one responsible for planning our class reunion, which is something I distinctly do not recall being told when I was seventeen.
Until I was ten, I used to spend every summer “down the shore” with my family in Atlantic City (I am dating myself here, but I still remember when the first casino in AC had it’s grand opening), and after that I went to sleep away camp, which, as anyone who knows me will tell you, I am rabidly passionate about. When I got older, I had part-time jobs during the school year at Baskin-Robbins and at a Hallmark store, and I spent a lot of time hanging around in the parking lot of McDonald’s with my friends, because there wasn’t a whole lot else to do in Ambler. I couldn’t wait to get out of there, and I always imaged that I would go to college somewhere far away and experience a different part of the country, but I fell in love with the University of Pennsylvania, which was just forty minutes from my house. When I decided to go there, I made my parents swear that they would treat me like I was in California; no visiting, and I would only come home on official school breaks. Which lasted for about six months, until I discovered that it was actually quite convenient to go home and do my laundry, rather than wait all day for a dryer to open up in my dorm.
At Penn, I double-majored in English with a concentration on 20th century literature, and American Civilization, which is sort of like American History but from a social and cultural perspective. I always enjoyed writing and much preferred research papers to tests, but I never did take a creative writing course during college, probably because I never really imagined that I would ever become a writer. During my senior year at Penn, I met a guy from Los Angeles who eventually became my husband, and after I graduated I went to law school at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
I moved to Los Angeles and got marrie

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
Profile Image for Bee.
1,066 reviews222 followers
August 22, 2014
This review was originally posted on my blog: Istyria book blog.

*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss. Thank you!*

This book so utterly unique and engaging, that it haunted me when I wasn't reading. I thought about it the whole time, eager to go back to the book and find out more. Not many books can do that, but this one can. And I am so glad that it lived up to this expectation! Actually, it exceeded my expectations. I've never read anything from Risa Green before, I didn't even know her, so it was a risk to have all those expectations. That does not always pay off, but in this case, it did. This book was brilliant.

In the first chapter of this book we get introduced to two women, Gemina and Amphiclea. They live in Ancient Rome and Gemina talks about Oculus and Plotinus and trading souls and how Plotinus will learn that to Gemina. After that we jump to the present, two years ago. We meet Gretchen Harris and her friend Jessica. On their 8th grade graduation party Gretchen's mother is murdered. Everyone suspects a struggle within the Oculus Society: Delphi's version of the Junior League. But there's more to that then meets the eye. A few weeks later, Jessica tells Gretchen about a guy named Plotinus and how he could separate his soul from his body and even trade souls with someone buy kissing the other one. When they try that out Ariel Miller, an outcast from their class, films the kiss without knowing their motives. The video goes online and the girls disappear from Delphi.
Two years later, they are back with a plan. Ariel is now very popular and most of the time, we're reading her POV. She becomes a pawn, suspect and a big part of their scheme to find out who killed Gretchen's mother and bring the murderer to justice.

I really really liked this book. It had me hooked from the first sentence to the last. It made me curious and kept me guessing until the very end. Every time I thought I knew who did it, I was wrong. Not predictable at all. The writing was really great. I was a bit worried about the projection-stuff. I knew it would be awesome if it was well-executed, but since I didn't know Risa Green, it was a risk. But like I said, it payed off. It was done so brilliantly and it's so original. I honestly never read anything like this before. The mythology mixed with the mystery worked very well. I also liked the switching between times. First chapter is centuries ago in Ancient Rome, then two years ago in Delphi, California and about a hundred pages later, it switched to present day but we still got more background from Plotinus and Gemina. I really loved that. So fascinating!

The characters were so awesome. They are very realistic and there wasn't any Mary Sue in sight. I loved Gretchen, Jessica and even Ariel. They were all so relatable! I loved all of them. I was so invested into their story that, like I said, it haunted me when I wasn't reading. I wanted them to solve the mystery and find out who killed poor Gretchen's mom. So so SO good! And all the other characters were relevant. There wasn't any character in this story that made me think: 'Well, the story would've still been great without him/her.' Not a single one!

To conclude this review, I recommend this book to everyone who loves an original and engaging book, full of mystery and mythology. Even if you're not that into Greek mythology, I'm sure you'll like this book. But beware, it may not let you go until you finish it. So get cozy, clear your schedule and read the book.
Profile Image for Mia.
15 reviews7 followers
July 20, 2013
Honestly, I think Projection was great. It was well written, and interesting, and engaging, but it was missing something. I'm not really sure what that is, but it's the thing that makes the reader force all of their friends to read it, because they need someone to share all of the feels with. Maybe that's the problem; I didn't get any feels. I didn't really care about the characters. Yeah, they all have their little sob story, but they don't have very strong personalities, there isn't really anything to relate to. It's like, "Oh your mom was just murdered? That sucks. You'll get over it. Here's some flowers. Bye." In another case, I might have been sobbing my eyes out and screaming at the universe for being so cruel.
I think the story was very intriguing, and the chapters set in ancient Rome were placed perfectly. I'm really bad at solving mysteries so those really helped out. The one really weird thing about Projection was that about a third into the book, the main story just jumps ahead 2 years, which is kind of confusing at first, but it works. I think that this is the main reason why you don't really get to know the characters. That and the fact that they aren't even in their own bodies for a lot of the time, so they're pretending to be each other.
In all, I wouldn't go so far as to tell someone the absolutely have to read it, but if they asked me if they should read it, I would say yes.

Profile Image for Megan.
1,734 reviews199 followers
June 4, 2024
This is a book I've had on my tbr for a long time, but finally got to reading it. I think having the audiobook helped me get into it, because I think I started it once before and didn't get very far.

The story starts with Gretchen and Jessica's graduation. The Plotinus Award is given out, from the Oculus Society. Then Gretchen has a party, where her mom is murdered. After this, I think it's a week or so, Jessica tells her about the secret held by the Oculus Society - of which her mother was a member. The secret is it's possible to switch bodies with someone!

The story is told mostly in present day, from the POV of Gretchen, Jessica, or Ariel. There are a few chapters that are set in ancient Rome with Plotinus, Gemina, and Amphelcea - the original members.

I thought this was a fun read.
Profile Image for Meghan.
645 reviews68 followers
November 23, 2015
If I had expectations for this books going in I think I would've been disappointed. However, I didn't. I found this book while roaming through the isles of Book Con this past May. The cover drew me in right away and I thought it looked awesome.

Projection is the story of two girls, one whose mother was murdered. The two girls are best friends who end up discovering this unique ability that can be traced back all the way to ancient Rome. They use this ability to try to figure out who killed the girls mother.

The book had some small twists and turns but I had guessed the murderer by the first fifty pages. It was blatantly obvious. I liked the friendship between the two girls especially when another girl gets added into the mix. However, what I really enjoyed about this book the most though was the flashback to the origin of this ability. The reader gets the treat of going back to ancient Rome and seeing how everything came to pass. I thought this was when Risa Green's creativity and true writing abilities really shined through.

I did enjoy this book and it was a nice, quick, and easy read but it wasn't anything special.
Profile Image for Ju. Be..
70 reviews2 followers
June 22, 2018
Ein Geheimnis. Eine Wahrheit. Der Preis ist deine Seele.

Klappentext:
Aus dem Augenwinkel sah sie, wie jemand leise das Tor zum Küchengarten öffnete und auf die Seitentür zuschlich. Sie konnte das Gesicht nicht erkennen, wohl aber, dass es sich um ein Mädchen handelte, dessen Haar bis auf die Schultern reichte, wo es sich in einer sanften Welle nach außen drehte. Ariel Miller. Gretchen war sich sicher.
"Dieses kleine Miststück", murmelte sie. Sie leerte den restlichen Appletini in einem Zug und reichte das Glas an Jessica weiter. "Halt das mal. Ich bin gleich wieder da."

Meinung:
In "Projection" geht es, wie der Titel schon verrät, um das Projizieren von Seelen. Konkret heißt das, zwei Personen tauschen miteinander ihre Körper und schlüpfen so für eine bestimmte Zeit in die Rolle des jeweils anderen. Die Fähigkeit des Projizieren wurde von einem antiken Philosophen namens Plotin und seiner Gönnerin Gemina entdeckt und sollte ursprünglich dazu dienen den Verrat ihres Mannes aufzudecken. So spielt einer der zwei Handlungsfäden in der Vergangenheit, während sich der andere Strang mit dem Geschehen in der Jetzt-Zeit beschäftigt. Plotins Geheimnis wurde bis heute in der Oculus-Gesellschaft bewahrt, einer Vereinigung von Frau, welche nach außen hin ein reiner Wohltätigkeitsverein ist. Eines der Mitglieder ist Oktavia, Gretchens Mutter. Oktavia wird eines Tages ermordet aufgefunden und es wird festgestellt, dass ihr Bernsteinreif fehlt. Nun macht sich Gretchen mit Hilfe ihrer besten Freundin Jessica auf die Spur nach dem Mörder ihrer Mutter. Im Verdacht hat Gretchen Ariel Miller, das unbeliebteste Mädchen der Schule und so vermutet zumindest Gretchen, hat Ariel aus Neid und Eifersucht einen Mord begangen. Bei weiteren Nachforschungen stoßen Jessica und Gretchen allerdings auf Geheimnisse rund um die Oculus-Gesellschaft, die sie nicht für möglich gehalten hätten...
Alles in allem ist dieses Buch sehr spannend geschrieben. Der Wechsel zwischen Gegenwart und Vergangenheit ist durchaus gelungen und man erfährt viel über den Ursprung des Projizieren. Gretchen und Jessica sind Teenager und so würde ich es auch eher Personen in diesem Alter zum Lesen empfehlen - man kann es aber auch als Erwachsener gut lesen, da die Personen zwar durchaus mal zicken, ansonsten aber fast schon zu nett sind!
Profile Image for Jojobean.
308 reviews
May 12, 2016
I like this book and it was a quick read.

The story alternates between ancient Rome, 2 years ago from the present day and the present day. There are 4 main characters. Amphiclea who is in ancient Rome; Gretchen in the 2 years ago from present day and Ariel and Jessica in the present day. However Gretchen, Jessica and Ariel are in all chapters that don't have to do with Ancient Rome and the povs change usually after an Ancient Rome chapter. With these three Gretchen and Jessica are best friends and Ariel is an outsider at first but years later becomes their friends.

The basic plot of the story is a murder mystery. Grtechen's mom is the head of the Oculus society which is basically a status society that wealthy people are in. Underneath that facade, a few members and I'm talking like 6 total know the real reason that the society exists. Its to protect what they call the Plotinus ability. Gretchen's mother is murdered in her own home during Gretchen's 8th graduation party. Both Jessica and Gretchen are part of the Oculus society but after Gretchen's mother died, Jessica was told the real reason why they exist and she told Gretchen. Basically the Plotinus ability is "given" or allowed to be performed by one member and it was supposed to go to Gretchen. But after the murder and Gretchen's depression, they decided to give it to Jessica. Gretchen and Jessica decide to try to use the ability in secret to find out who killed Gretchen's mother. Gretchen thinks its Ariel, her fellow classmate. In this part of the story Ariel is an outsider that no one likes. To get back at Gretchen and Jessica who are mean to her she videotapes the two performing the ritual which to an observer looks like the two girls are kissing. Ariel then puts the video on youtube and it goes viral. Jessica and Gretchen disappear and somehow Ariel become the most popular girl in High school. Fast forward 2 years where Gretchen and Jessica return to Delphi (they're hometown) and they recruit Ariel to help them find Gretchen's mom's killer, which is the second half of the book. The Ancient Rome chapters, which are in Amphiclea's pov, basically give the history of the Plotinus ability and tells about what happened with Plotinus.

I found that I enjoyed the Ancient Rome chapters the best. I liked the story in general but those chapters were the best ones. They're full of roman culture and how people lived back then. The murder mystery is good and I was stumped at who did it about halfway to the book. Then I figured out who was the murderer and it was interesting to see how the characters came to the same conclusion as I did only they did it A LOT later on in the book.

I really didn't like Gretchen at all. She just rubbed me the wrong way. She was one of those stuck up girls that I always avoided in school because if they started with me I'd end up being suspended for punching them in the face. Gretchen thinks she all that and more and that she's perfect. She is even bitchy, on the inside anyway, towards her best friend Jessica. When a guys she likes flirted with Jessica she had nasty thoughts and turned his attention away from Jessica to her. She was really mean to Ariel calling her a loser. Here's a shiny quote from Gretchen's pov about Ariel: "But there was just something off about her. And when everyone found out that her mom was a lunch lady...well, after that it was full blown banishment". Wow really? Not being friends with some one because of their mom's job? WTF cares? Another thing that bothered me about her and showed me she was "That kind" of character was on the very first page of her pov she constantly kept fixing her grad hat because "It was messing up her blow out". Just...wow. The stupidity. I was not that dumb and into myself at 13 (their age in the "2 years before the present chapters"). I just really didn't like Gretchen or care enough about her that her mom was murdered. Yes it was terrible but I just found myself not caring at all about finding out who did it or about her emotions about the whole thing. She believed that Ariel was her mom's murderer which is ridiculous because Ariel was a 13 year old girl at the time. Shen sent threatening messages to her and harassed her. She was also "Its all about me" after the murder, thinking nasty thoughts about Jessica because she wasn't there all the time. She was just a bitch.

I didn't really like Ariel either. She was annoying. When we first meet her she is calling out rude comments during her graduation ceremony at Gretchen's mom when she was presenting/speeching (lol I made up a word!) about the Oculus society. She was massively annoying. It's like when your sitting at a movie or a concert or a game and the person behind you is yelling things that are stupid and you just want to turn around and deck them. That's how I felt about Ariel. I wanted to punch her. The she did a nasty thing and posted a video of Jessica and Gretchen kissing. Fast forward 2 years and Ariel is popular but still unhappy. She whines so much about how she regrets posting the video, how she never meant for both girls to go away, how she can't eat and how she sees her school counselor about her guilt. It was all poor me. Please. Man up and grow a pair. She did something nasty now she has to deal with the consequences. I had no sympathy for her whatsoever. She genuinely is sorry for what she did but to me its too little too late.

I really liked Jessica. She was bubbly, funny but serious when she wanted to be. She was mean to Ariel as well but she just ignored her, not be outright mean. She is a loyal friend who was there for Gretchen through the whole murder and its aftermath. She included Gretchen in the Plotinus ability although she wasn't supposed to. She was willing to use the ability, secretly, to help her friend find the murderer. When the video Ariel posted went out, she left to go with Gretchen and helped her plan how to find out her mother's murderer. Jessica didn't have an easy life either. Both her parent died in a car crash and she was living with her bitchy aunt Michelle and cool step-uncle Rob, who was more like a kid than a parent figure.

I also liked Amphiclea. She was very loyal to her friend Gemina who was the first woman to practice the Plotinus ability with Plotinus. Amphiclea worried for her friend and worried that she was making a mistake in performing the ability. She helped Gemina in any way she could.

There was really no romance in the book. Sure Ariel had a boyfriend Nick and Jessica had a boyfriend also but there was no focus on that at all. It was all about the ability and finding the murderer. Which I have to say is refreshing to read. Its seems like I can't pick up a book without there being some kind of romance and I'm glad to have a break from that.
93 reviews
April 3, 2025
3,5 ⭐️

Ich hatte hier einen Jugendthriller oder so etwas erwartet nachdem ich den Klappentext gelesen hatte. Als das Buch dann aber plötzlich 200 vor Christus angefangen hat war ich erstmal total verwirrt, ob ich hier gerade das richtige Buch lese 😂 nach 2,3 Kapiteln war ich mir dann sicher, dass es das richtige Buch, war aber es war trotzdem total anders, als im Klappentext angeteasert wurde. Es geht hier auch wieder um paranormale Dinge, allerdings muss ich sagen, dass die Autorin dieses projizieren unbedingt mit in das Buch bringen wollte, denn irgendwie wäre es auch ohne gegangen, also ich habe den Sinn hinter dem projizieren nicht so ganz verstanden.

Insgesamt war es jetzt nicht so das Highlight konnte mich aber zum Ende ganz gut unterhalten.
54 reviews1 follower
June 29, 2020
I thought this book was good- it had an interesting mystery storyline with a few plot twists. However, the thing I couldn't get around was the premise for the story. The Plotinius Ability allows two people to trade souls. The two main characters, Gretchen and Jessica use this ability to try to solve Gretchen's mother's murder. I never understood why they needed to trade souls in order to do this-they each could have just asked questions as themselves that would have led to the same conclusion. Despite this reasoning that nagged me for the story, its a fun mystery novel to read!
Profile Image for Aeishi.
11 reviews1 follower
May 22, 2021
3.5 stars

It's a good book. It got me hooked in the story but it's not really exciting until you reach the end of the book. I liked the storyline but I can't get into the characters because I find them annoying sometimes. I also liked that it also narrated the history of the Plotinus Ability.
Profile Image for Van (Short & Sweet Reviews).
662 reviews17 followers
September 5, 2013
*Disclosure: I received a review copy from the publicist in exchange for a honest review.

Green’s debut novel Projection is a clever and unique addition to the Young Adult genre.Projection is a paranormal/sci-fi sleuth novel (on the light-side) set in three time periods that will appeal to a lot of readers.

The book opens to Rome 249 A.D., introducing readers to Gemina, her best friend Amphiclea, and Gemina’s teacher/a philosopher Plotinus. Gemina believes her husband is cheating on her. Plotinus says the only way she will know for sure is if they ‘project’ with one another. Projection (The Plotinus Ability) is where two people switch souls with one another (sort of like breathing into the other person’s mouth, or think Lindsey Lohan’s Freaky Friday movie LOL.) In order for a safe projection, Gemina and Plotinus needs someone to witness their soul exchange and that is where Amphiclea comes into play, she is chosen as a ‘witness’ and if anything bad happens she will tell others the truth. The novel then fast-forward to the present day to Gretchen and her friend Jessica, both 13-years-old who just graduated from the eighth grade. Gretchen’s mom celebrates this monumental moment by throwing a lavish eighth grade graduation party for Gretchen and the entire eighth grade class…but there is also another reason to celebrate Gretchen’s mom says. Gretchen doesn’t ever find out what her mom wanted to say because she is murder that night. Jessica then reveals to Gretchen that her mom was going to pass on her Oculus Society (a disguised philanthropy club that really is protecting the Plotinus Ability) leadership role to her. The leader/group swore to protect the ability to project for over 2,000 years, a tradition that’s passed from mother to daughter. In order to find the killer, they project with one another and while they succeeded in projection they couldn’t find the murderer. The book then fast forward again two-years, and the girls are now 15-years-old and they’re still determine to find out who murdered Gretchen’s mom.

Gemina and Plotinus's back-story is told in a couple of chapters between Gretchen, Jessica and Ariel’s chapters, sprinkled through the short book (288 pages) to better explain the Plotinus Ability. At first I didn’t see how Gemina/Plotinus story was really relevant to the present day girls but everything ties together nicely towards the end. I wasn’t a fan of the back-story at the beginning, but as I got further into the book I found myself looking forward to reading more about Gemina and Plotinus. I was sad they didn’t get a happy ending like the girls, but I’m glad the Gemina/Plotinus chapters were added because it added something more to the story. The projection concept is quite refreshing, having never read a YA like it. It was fascinating to see how all the characters used the Plotinus Ability, and how it eventually aided them in finding out who killed Gretchen’s mom. When the girls switched places with one another, they learn a lot not only who the killer was. They learned how it is to live in another person’s shoe (even if it’s for a day) and that though you think you know someone, you don’t really know what happens when you’re not around or behind closed doors. They also learned how others perceived them/how they see themselves, which was fun to see.

Green did a great job in creating an engaging plot that had me guessing till the very end. There were so many twist-turns that I didn’t see coming, especially who the killer was! Overall, Projection was very well-written and the cast of characters were realistic even with the hint of paranormal/sci-fi. I enjoyed every aspect of this book, and think it will appeal to a lot of readers, not just young-adults. I highly recommend this book to everyone looking for a refreshing, page-turner.
Profile Image for Brianna bribookish.
1,826 reviews359 followers
October 31, 2015
** I received an ARC copy from a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.**
--
I will write my full review later. I was seriously surprised at how good this book was!
--
The book begins with the back story of two characters- Plotinus and Gemina. The story is first set in Rome 249 A.D. Gemina is married to Castricius who is the Senator of the city or town. She is trying to find out if her husband is cheating on her and stealing her money (which her father gave her) to this other woman. The other character, Plotinus is an older man who is a philosopher and very smart. He has heard about this ability to project each others souls into the other person’s body.

“Twice now, he has done it. He has projected his soul through the Oculus. He has passed through the highest part of the Pantheon, leaving his body behind while his soul floated among the stars!” (p. 2)

Gemina’s best friend, Amphiclea is to be the witness of this projection. In order for this to work, she has to wear a gold bracelet which she chooses to wear on her ankle. Gemina wants to switch bodies with Plotinus to figure out what her husband is up to.

We then switch back to two years ago in Delphi, California. We met two best friends- Gretchen and Jessica who are at their 8th grade graduation. They are the “popular” kids in school and Gretchen’s mom is a member in the Oculus Society. It is a secret society that hides the secret of Plotinus and Gemina’s ability to project. None of these group of women know that the ability still exists, but still protect the secret of it because it has been done for centuries.

Gretchen’s mom throws her a graduation party that night at their house and invites all the kids from school, excluding a girl named Ariel Miller. Ariel moved to Delphi not too long ago and Gretchen and Jessica thought it would be a nice thing to do to try and befriend Ariel. Little did they know that Ariel would turn out to be “weird” and “annoying”. Gretchen notices her mom wearing the gold bracelet on her ankle and wanted to know about it. Her mom told her:

“Things are going to start happening to you. Things you can’t even imagine.” (p. 18)

Later that night, Gretchen and Jessica hear screaming from inside the house and find out that Gretchen’s mom had been killed. Gretchen had found her mom face down on the bed with marks on her neck and the bracelet gone. There are no leads as to who the killer might be. Gretchen and Jessica have made it their mission to figure out who was behind the murder.

Things I liked:

I loved all the plot twists that happened throughout this book! I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed this book! I could not put the book down while reading! I just wanted to figure out the killer and was very surprised when the girls figured out who it was that murdered Gretchen’s mom.

I enjoyed having the back story about Gemina and Plotinus and how this ability worked and what happened to the two of them in the end.

My favorite character would definitely have to be Ariel Miller; I can somewhat relate to her. I loved her character and the fact that she didn’t let things get to her and let it ruin her life. She went head-on with what struggles came towards her. I was very shocked at how well her character developed in the two years that had passed since the murder.

Things I didn’t like:

Michelle- I had an good and bad relationship with her; one minute I’d hate her then the next I’d feel sorry for her. I really didn’t like her attitude and what she thought about for 2/3rds of this book. Some things she did really annoyed me and how she would justify what she just did why it was okay.

Favorite Quote:

“If the perfect life is within human reach, the man attaining it attains happiness…” (p. 140)
Profile Image for Brittany.
1,197 reviews39 followers
September 23, 2013
How I Came To Read This Book: I received a free ARC from Edelweiss.

The Plot: The book sort of takes place in three time periods. It opens in Ancient Greece, where a noblewoman named Gemina suspects her husband is cheating on her. The philosopher she’s a patron of, Plotinus, suggests a ‘soul switching’ tactic of the Freaky Friday variety. Flash forward to the future, when Gretchen is graduating from middle school. The night of her lavish graduation party, her mom reveals ‘wonderful things’ are about to happen to Gretchen. Unfortunately, they definitely don’t happen that night as Gretchen’s mother is murdered. Soon afterward, Gretchen’s best friend Jessica reveals what those ‘wonderful things’ were – that Gretchen was to take her mother’s place in the protecting the Plotinus ability for the exclusive Oculus Society they’re all a part of. When Gretchen uses the power to determine whether her most-hated classmate Ariel had anything to do with her mom’s murder, things backfire in a big, bad way. Fast forward two years later and the three girls’ paths cross once again, to try and get to the bottom of the murder once and for all. Oh, and we find out what happened back in Ancient Greece as well.

The Good & The Bad: This book was surprisingly good (I’m judging the book by it’s meh cover). It was well-written without being particularly poetic (the specialty of some other YA writers at the moment) and the characters are all pretty believable and realistic, despite the paranormal undertones of the book. The murder mystery itself was pretty twisty turny, spurred on by the fact the motive is unveiled early on, but the people who would know about the motive are quite limited. I also thought it was an interesting choice for the author to split the ‘current day’ entries amongst the three main girls – Gretchen, Ariel, Jessica – because normally you’d only see one perspective. Despite being given more information as the story is guided by each girl, the story still managed to be suspenseful.

Seeing the historic tale at first was a distraction, but as the book went on I actually looked forward to the Gemina / Plotinus back story, if mostly to see how it would tie back to the present day story amongst the girls.

I will say that you have to suspend your belief a little bit here and there throughout the book. That people would have such an overdramatic reaction to the incident that essentially banishes two of the girls for a couple of years seems unrealistic, especially in a book where the primary plot point is freaking body-swapping projection abilities. Also, Gretchen’s hell bent obsession with Ariel fizzles out when you hear the story from Ariel’s POV in Part two, and any dramatic tension of Jessica revealing there really was an anti-Ariel plan in part three is sort of tepid by that point. But all of that isn’t really the point of the book – any logical-thinking person would know Ariel had nothing to do with the murder mystery (although what a twist if she did); it feels unbelievable from the moment Gretchen fixates on it, yet takes up substantial portions of the plot. Still, as a whole, I have few complaints about the book – it’s a solid enough read from start to finish to earn itself a better-than-average grade. But as an aside,

The Bottom Line: A fun mystery that sheds some dangerous slight on the classic ‘freaky Friday’ plot device.

Anything Memorable?: Nope.

60-Book Challenge?: Book #35 in 2013
Profile Image for Tonyalee.
783 reviews136 followers
September 9, 2013
See this review on my blog and enter to win an ARC Lilybloombooks

3.5 stars
In every book, there is always that one thing that stands out. Whether it be the Characters, the romance, the plot or the writing. In Projection, it is defiantly the writing. That’s not to say that anything else in the story isn’t mention-able, or even good. Because they are. It’s just that the writing stood out for me.

The story flips between POVs throughout the book. We start off being introduced to Amphiclea and Gemina, two teens in Rome in 259 A.D. Then Gretchen, Ariel and Jessica present day- but goes back to Amphiclea and Gemina throughout the novel. Complicated, I know. But there is a distinct difference between ALL the different POVs. Each and every “voice” is different and unique. There are two different stories here. The one with Amphiclea and Gemina and the one revolving around Ariel, Gretchen and Jessica. But they go hand in hand. And both stories are crucial to understand everything that is going on.

After the death or her mother, Gretchen is desperate to find out who killed her. When Jessica learns about the true, hidden secrets behind the Oculus Society and shares what she discovers with Gretchen, the two try to “trade souls” in order to find out more about what happened. Ariel; whom both Jessica and Gretchen dislike, caught this moment on film and posted it on YouTube. After three years, Gretchen and Jessica move back to Delphi, after being abroad at a boarding school and trick Ariel into helping them find the killer.

First of all, the characters. I honestly thought both Ariel and Gretchen with immature bitches. I couldn’t fathom why Gretchen thought a 13-year-old GIRL could strangle a grown woman and WHY.. It isn’t logical. She was so hung up on the simple fact that the girls didn’t like each other and she wanted to get back at Gretchen for not inviting her to a party. What? As for Ariel; she is the perfect example of how MEAN middle school girls can be. However, I find it rather difficult to believe she would harbor so much guilt, after three years, about what she did to Gretchen and Jessica. But I guess it’s possible. Jessica; well I honestly don’t have much to say about her as a whole. She was just THERE. Well, OK. There were some things that made me pity her. But that’s it, really.

I really liked the idea of trading souls. It was just the SOUL. Imagine inhibiting someone else’s body, having their voice, their freaking TASTE buds but your MIND and SOUL are your own. Pretty fascinating. I really enjoyed the story with Amphiclea, Geminia and Plotinus. I was looking forward to getting back into that story vs the mystery on who killed Gretchen’s mother.

Speaking of; the mystery behind who DID kill her was pretty awesome. I had my suspicions– and they were OUT THERE– but I never thought the story would have taken that kind of turn. Well done :)

Overall- I liked it. While I didn’t care for the three girls; Jessica, Gretchen and Ariel, I loved the story with Amphiclea, Geminia and Plotinus, the plot and the writing. It’s different, original and pretty fascinating. I recommend it.

* A copy was provided by the Publisher in exchange for an honest review*
Profile Image for Katie.
234 reviews30 followers
July 31, 2013

Expected Publication Date: September 3, 2013.

Favorite Quote from the Book:

‘Our trust and our faith shall bring justice…This is the promise we solemnly keep.’


MY THOUGHTS:

Judge the Book by its Cover:

While I think the girl and overall design is beautiful, the book’s cover holds no relevance to the story. In fact I believe that it is just a typical pretty YA cover designed with the intention to sell more books when it’s published. It’s okay but not one of the best.

Things that Made Me Happy:

I absolutely loved how this book was told through dual plots: the ancient Romans’ invention and use of projection and the modern society’s continuation of projection. Creatively, Green conceived this magical act of projection, the power to trade souls with another person, in the early Roman Empire. While women were suppressed in this society, this power gave them a sense of sovereignty against the men’s oppressive authority. Since then, women had secretly passed this power among generations, where it was found in the modern times of this book. Still, women honored this power and found it was fundamental to their lives. Both the ancient women and current women created a strong sense of female empowerment that made for a great read.

This book was full of many plot twists, which were unexpected by readers. Combined with the tense mystery element, the plot’s zigzagged development constantly kept the audience on their toes in anticipation for what was to come. Nothing was predictable, which made for an overall entertaining read.

Wow, what a gripping ending. Initially I was concerned within the last 50 pages because I felt that the novel would end unresolved; however, the novel quickly pieced together that created an intricate sub-plot story, which was entertaining and riveting.

Things that Made Me Unhappy:

At times I felt that there were inconsistencies to the personalities of the characters, as if they were not fully developed. While their development was not terrible, I believed that Green had the potential to create more three dimensional characters. Considering this book was a mystery novel, implementing deeper well-developed characters would have further enhanced the mystery element and generated more suspicions. Overall, their actions and mannerisms never fully created genuine characters, which was frustrating.

Lastly, Green overemphasized the true criminal. Suddenly, all of his or her actions became suspicious, which aided in my belief that the people in this book sometimes acted out of character. It was upsetting, as I was hoping for a more unsuspecting mystery. While placing together the final pieces of the puzzle and capturing the criminal were fantastic, the suspect’s actions became increasingly annoying as they were too obvious and detracted from the mystery elements, which created more of a suspense novel.

My Rating:

★★★★ 4/5 stars!

Recommendation:

I’d recommend this book to those who enjoy simplistic young adult suspense and mystery novels.

*This book was sent to me via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review!*
Profile Image for Jenea.
680 reviews60 followers
September 23, 2013
Projection was one of those book that I read the blurb before I started reading, which is something I tend not to do, so I wasn’t sure whether after reading it if it was going to be something that I would enjoy or not. It ended up being pretty good, so I am glad that I gave it a try. Gretchen is 13 years old when her mother is murdered, and after she learns some secrets that her mother was hiding. She sets out to find out her is behind her mothers murder and learns a lot more.

There were two main characters, Gretchen and Jessica as well as two from the past that we get to know also. I will start with Gretchen, She loses her mother the night of her 8th grade Graduation, and she wants to know who could have done this horrible thing to her mother. I found it hard to agree with some of the things she did in the name of finding the murder, and how she treated people, and for that I didn’t have much of a connection with her and I had the same issues with Jessica, but they did grow on me some during the progression of the book. Ariel was one characters that I seemed to enjoy, I kinda felt for her, being accused of such a terrible things and all. But I think the two that I found the most interesting were Gemina and Amphiclea, there were the women from the past and their stories were just fantastic.

The concept of the story was a great one, it kinda reminded me of the movie Freaky Friday, switching bodies and all, but this was a little different. They swapped souls, they had the appearance of the person they swapped with. This was all part of the secret society, that Gretchen’s mother was a part of. the whole point was to find out who murdered her, and I did have my ideas of who it might have been, and with a few twists along the way I did second guess my first idea, and for that I was pleased. Some of the history of the Oculus Society and just how long they had kept it a secret was interesting. It is told from several POV’s, from different times as well. I did find myself getting a little confused from the time switches, but it all came together towards the end, and I ended up enjoying this more than I thought I was going to. The mystery of who murdered Gretchen’s mother and the ending was one that satisfied the questions I had and I was happy with it.

Projection had some history, magic and a murder mystery mystery that great , I say give it a try.


For more review, check out For more of reviews, visit Book Live Forever

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Profile Image for Kimberly.
56 reviews3 followers
June 30, 2013
This book is a great new addition to the YA genre. Like many other YA books its appeal expands to older readers as well (I definitely qualify as an older adult). I started reading the book on red-eye airplane trip from the west coast to the east coast. Although my plan was to sleep most of the way, I had a hard time putting the book down. It is a combination of murder mystery, contemporary sci-fi, and teen chick lit.

Gretchen’s mother is murdered the night of her eighth grade graduation. Her mother had been a leading member of the Oculus Society, an exclusive social group that turns out to be much more that it appears on the surface. Gretchen is determined to find her mother’s killer and accuses Ariel, an unpopular schoolmate. Gretchen’s best friend, Jessica, is invited to join the Oculus Society and as a result she learns their secret, they are heirs to the Plotinus Ability. Plotinus was an ancient Greek Philosopher who discovered a ritual, involving a kiss, for projecting his soul into another human. Jessica shares the secret with Gretchen and the two decide to see if it works. They hope that by exchanging bodies they will discover information about who killed Gretchen’s mother. The girls are caught “kissing” each other by Ariel who posts it on YouTube where is goes viral. Eventually the three girls realize that they are going to have to work together to discover who killed Gretchen’s mother.

I highly recommend this book. I know my two young adult daughters will enjoy reading it when they get a chance. The only parts on the book I had issues with were the scenes of underage drinking. The teens are afraid of getting caught but the drinking is accepted as a norm at their parties.

Disclosure: I received this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it.
Profile Image for Jen.
1,567 reviews
August 17, 2013
Many thanks to SoHo Press for giving me the chance to read and review this book from the Goodreads First Reads program.

Projection was a refreshing young adult book to read. It explored a topic that I had never thought about before, and I liked all the historical references (though I have no idea if they are based on fact or not). It was an interesting concept--being able to "project" into another person's body.

The book had a good start, but honestly I didn't care for either of the main characters, Gretchen or Jessica, until later on in the book. The plot itself definitely kept my attention enough to excuse my lack of interest in the characters.

I liked Ariel the best out of the girls (once the storyline progressed to the current time) and found her the easiest to relate to. Actually, when the girls meet up with Ariel again, I believe that's when I started to like them better. Rob is my favorite of the minor characters, though that ends up being a bit ironic once reaching the end.

The relationships in the book were pretty realistic and deep. I especially liked the relationship between Jessica and her aunt Michelle. The plot twist really didn't surprise me--I started to suspect what was happening chapters before the big hints began to develop, but it was still a good twist. It kind of made me feel like I'd been fooled as well.

The book itself was well written and enjoyable to read. I'd definitely recommend it. I would give it 3.5 stars out of 5. It would have made 4 if I'd liked the main characters better earlier on, but I suppose in a way, they did grow in becoming better people. Still, 3.5 stars.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for this review. These opinions are my own; I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated for this review.
Profile Image for Katherine Paschal.
2,289 reviews62 followers
September 28, 2013
Gretchen and Jessica were best friends and top of the food chain when they graduated 8th grade. Ariel on the other hand was an outcast, someone who no one wanted to associate with. Something terrible happens to Gretchen and it changes her world, making her and Jessica have a falling out. Time passes and events are set in motion that have been paused for a long time, and all three girls must get over their anger and past hurt to stop what is coming.
I thought the beginning of this book was great. I was instantly captivated, drawn onto the elite world of these too girls, and bam! something tragic occurs, which made me even more into the book. I could not wait to see what would happen next. But then the story just sort of fizzled out for me, my interest was lost. It became more about teen angst and drama than the paranormal I was expecting. But it did pick back up for me near the end with intrigue and lies and potential murder. The ending was able to suck me back into the story line and makes me want to give the next book in the series a try when it comes out.
Gretchen at times was so meticulous and precise about everything, even her emotions were logic based at times I wanted to shake her. Jessica I was mad at at first, but she ended up being my favorite character, the one who was the most real. Ariel seemed like the typical teen idea of popular mean girl, but then she grew a real personality. I liked when the girls all worked together, it made for an interesting dynamic.
Overall it was an interesting read with a cliffhanger ending. I have not read anything like it before, be it teen or adult, making it very unique.
I received this book from the publisher and Goodreads in exchange for my honest review.
Profile Image for Brytani.
26 reviews
September 15, 2013
Projection by Risa Green provided a new look at Ancient Rome. I really enjoyed this book and I won it as a Goodreads Advanced Reader's copy. This book looks at Ancient Rome through both modern day and snip its from Ancient Rome.
This book is about a 2,000 year secret, an unsolved murder and three girls who risk their souls to find the truth. Gretchen Harris starts as an 8th grader, who's mother is murdered the night of her graduation party. This story takes place in Delphi, California, where there is an exclusive Oculus society, with Gretchen's mother, Octavia, as the leader. Jessica Shaw, Gretchen's best friend helps the pieces start to fall into place as she discovers the Plotinus Ability. The plotinus ability, the ability to project a soul into another person in a ritual hinged on a kiss, was guarded by the Oculus society. Curious and skeptical, Jessica and Gretchen perform the ritual but are caught on tape by outsider Ariel Millar. This video makes it onto You Tube and goes viral. Gretchen and Jessica move away to come back during their 10th grade year. Gretchen and Jessica perform a complicated plan to find the murder with their main suspect as Ariel but they are forced to leave behind the past and trust Ariel and each other to find the murderer in their midst.
This book was well written and I enjoyed learning about the Plotinus ability as well as the society in Ancient Rome and how that may and can still affect the modern day world. This book is a great read and I look forward to more young adult books by Risa Green.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
505 reviews9 followers
September 20, 2013
Got this book as part of Goodreads Giveaway.

The overall premise was good, but sadly the execution was not. We are introduced to two main characters Jessica and Gretchen. They discover how to swap souls and they do so to find out who murdered Gretchen's mom.

Interrupting their story are a few chapters dedicated to who first started/discovered this ability, set in Ancient Rome. These sections are more tailored to adults, since they deal with issues like adultery and gender equality. Of course, everyone should be exposed to such ideas, but these topics don't fit in with the rest of the book, which is ultimately a murder mystery.

The time jump also irritates me. We go from the end of eighth grade to the start/middle of junior year. We don't see the fallout of Ariel's video post and we don't see the girls Jessica and Gretchen struggle/evolve. The author just quickly brushes over it and moves on with the mystery. I wouldn't have such a problem with it if it weren't for the language. By junior year, and after this fallout, I would imagine that the girls would sound a but more mature, but they still talk like they're in the eighth grade ("I hated you because..." for instance). With no apparent character evolution, the two main characters remain flat.

However, the plot twist wasn't something I had expected. The author does a good job in making us believe one thing only for it to turn out differently.

Pick it up if you like mysteries. Just don't expect a lot out of it. The book is relatively short and once you start, it'll be quickly over.
Profile Image for Ornella.
1,341 reviews81 followers
never-finished
May 1, 2014
I'm sorry to report that this one was a DNF for me. I love books about astral projection and ancient civilizations. This one had both, plus a secret society! It should have been a winner by all rights.

As most of you know, characters are huge for me and in this case Gretchen just wasn't doing it for me at all. I could have excused it as her being so young but I just really couldn't stand her. The whole book seemed to childish even when we were in the middle of a murder investigation. I liked Jessica for the most part, if the book had been written entirely in her POV I probably would have been able to at least finish this, but as it was Gretchen grated on my nerves.

She was a bratty, know it all little girl. Selfish and entitled. And it all just really rubbed me the wrong way. After her mother's death I thought she would change enough for me to be able to keep reading, and she did change some obviously, but just not enough. Everything she did was annoying to me, till I just got def up and finally chucked it up as a DNF.

I really don't know if this book would have gotten better if I had kept going after the 25% mark, but for me if it doesn't grab enough of my attention by then, it hopeless. I have a short attention span when it comes to books xD If you like stories that deal with switching bodies and secret societies you should give this one a try anyway, you might end up liking it :)
Profile Image for PrincyJessie.
49 reviews11 followers
January 9, 2015
Greeek Mythology, thriller, never ending suspection, friendship, love

WOWWWWW Projection! This book was a thriller read when i picked it up I saw the cover it was cool but then when i read the description I got to borrow it. I am a personal fan of the greek mythology and when i read this i wasn't disappointed.
Gretchen = She is a complex character, I love her friendship with Jessica and her eager to find the truth is very very good. I love how she came to not trust Ariel and then to the last working together to find out the truth of her mother's murder.

Jessica = I always love character's that has the same name as me lol but Jessica is strong and loyal to Gretchen. She lost both of her parents and only have her aunt and his wife, I love the love and hate game she played with gretchen and when they project its always fun how you feel in other people's bodies.

Ariel = Aaahh at first i didn't trust her that much, she was always messing with our beloved two characters. I'm glad she developed friendship with Jess and Gretchen i love the bond they have.

WHAT A sHocking twisttt on who killed her mother! The writing is amazing!
Quote : These women and girls around her, they were imperfect, every single one. She and her friends had traded places to find what had been in front of them all along, all that remained, and in the end, all that mattered.

Great bOOK!! :)
Profile Image for Veronica Vannoy.
136 reviews8 followers
October 7, 2014
Oh geeze..where do I begin. First of all, I am so glad I was able to finish this book. The first few chapters were... just... I was like..nope..no way in hell I would be able to finish it. The names were just terrible.. too long, too strange, Amphiclea...really da hell is that? I'm sorry, but the Author shouldn't have made the first chapter what she did.

The main story was told by 3 teenage girls in present day, but the first chapter, and a few other chapters were told by people from A.D. times. It just made it super confusing at first, but I'm glad I stuck with it.

The book turned out to be an alright read. It was about people in the olden days who could project their soul into another person, pretty much switching bodies. And for generations, the knowledge of this ability was passed down and held secretly between a few chosen people. And the teenage girls mothers were a part of this chosen group, and knowing this privileged information ended up getting Gretchen's mother killed. So the story progressed from there, trying to figure out what happened to her mom, who murdered her and why. The girls stumble across some answers..but they weren't answers that were easily understood.

An okay read, once you get past the first part of the book. Keep trucking through.
Profile Image for Venus Smurf.
168 reviews9 followers
December 5, 2013
I won this as part of a giveaway, and while it was definitely aimed more at a YA audience, I still enjoyed it.

Without giving away any spoilers, the book is essentially about a group of girls who learn to switch souls. There wasn't quite enough focus on the difficulties they had while in each other's bodies, and there were times when I felt the characters weren't developed quite as well as they could have been, but overall, the story moved along at a nice pace and had enough twists to keep me interested. I enjoyed the dynamics between the three girls, the way they changed and how they responded to the chaos in their lives. I enjoyed the changes in perception and the surprises about the adults. I certainly enjoyed the bits about the first ones to develop the ability and how their story played out. Overall, this was a unique, if light, read. Probably perfect for younger audiences.
Profile Image for Laurie.
991 reviews16 followers
October 8, 2013
Here is an excerpt from my review: "Gretchen is a typical 13-year-old. She's just graduated from 8th grade, she's totally into cute Nick Ford, and she's looking forward to spending summer vacation with her best friend Jessica. But when her mom is murdered, Gretchen discovers that she's anything abut typical. She's actually descended from a line of Ancient Greek women who, as part of the Oculus Society, protect a very special power: projecting souls. Basically, with a "kiss", two women's souls can change places. Gretchen's mom was a prominent member of the Oculus Society, which, to outsiders, was merely a community social club. Both Gretchen and Jessica have their ideas about who committed the murder, and in order to find out more, they decide to switch souls. The only problem is that Ariel Miller, the class outcast, videotapes their "kiss" and posts it to YouTube."

You can read my full review here: http://cookscrapcraft.blogspot.com/20...
Profile Image for Lee.
47 reviews1 follower
September 22, 2013
I received this book for free from First Reads.

Once I started reading this book, I realized that it's target audience is definitely girls in the tween-to-teen range, not 36-year-old fathers. That being said, I actually enjoyed reading it. The characters were fairly well-developed, if a little on the archetypal side. The plot was interesting, and kept me reading, even when I had other things to do. I don't want to go into too much detail, because there isn't much you can talk about without giving away major plot points.

I would definitely recommend this book to those in it's target range (I have already suggested to my 15-year-old daughter that she would really enjoy it), or for those who like a quick, entertaining read.
Profile Image for Don O'goodreader.
246 reviews8 followers
May 11, 2013
Projection by Risa Green is a cross between Freaky Friday, The Mummy and Nancy Drew. Three high school girls set off the solve the mystery of the Oculus Society, a 2,000-year-old secret society of women protecting the power to exchange bodies, and the murder of Gretchen's mom. The other two girls are wild and poor Ariel and Gretchen's BFF Jessica.

All three girls share a common bond that they have lost someone: Gretchen's mom, Jessica's dad, and Ariel's parents.

I received a free copy of this book from the Goodreads First Reads program.

For more see: http://1book42day.blogspot.com/2013/0...
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