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Ripple #5
Immutable
Seventeen year old Martina, raised as part of Helmann's elite Angel Corps, wants nothing more than to rebuild the life she lost because of Helmann's lies. In a single afternoon, she discovers the truth about the woman who raised her and the boyfriend she thought she'd never see again. Meanwhile, her Uncle Fritz Gottlieb has his eye on the Angel Corps, and he has no qualms sacrificing Martina's dreams to make his own come true.
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First published July 22, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 4, 2015
This book was okay, not gonna lie. I wasn't really into it to be honest with you all. Why I didn't enjoy it like I did the rest of the series?
1. It was in the point of view of a totally different character in a different place and there was barely any interaction with Sam and Will and the others. The main character Maria is practically on the other side of the universe from where Sam and Will and the gang are. SHe is in France and they are in Cali (California). That twist ripped my heart out by the way.
2. The character was very isolated.
3. I was just really upset and underwhelmed in general by the fact that Sam and Will weren't really in it.
Other than those 3 things, this book was pretty enjoyable. I was very upset that there would be no action between Will and Sam because it was about one of the Angel Corps. I was also very confused about why she would decide to continue the series with the same story line but with a totally different character in their point of view. It kind of annoyed me a little bit. Anyway, once I got past that and pulled myself through the awfullness of no Will and Sam chemistry... I realized... after I read the sample... That there might be SOME action after all. But that was not my main reason for reading it obviously.
Reasons why you should not give up on this series and read this book:
1. Because it is part of the series and some of this information is actually important.
2. It wasn't that bad after I threw my mini tantrum to myself about it not having Will and Sam in the main frame.
3. It is full of suspense throughout the whole book.
4. Maria is a very complex character and her past and the people that she interacts with have history with her that is actually really interesting.
5. There is a twist that you don't see at first, but becomes clear after you read what happened.
6. It actually did have some romance in it... Though it wasn't, for the majority, Will and Sam.
7. It was funny'
8. It was also pretty brilliant and complez
9. THe information and important things they learn about Ripplers' syndrome is actually important for understanding some possible questions from both "Visible" and the other books as well as the books in the future to come.
Some things to consider before reading this book:
1. SOme mild language
2. Some suggestive comments
3. Rude humor
4. Some mild romantic action
5. if you are obsessed with grammar and bad editing it also has some of those errors in their because of stupid NOOK formatting.
6. IT gets boring someitmes but just push through it it is worth it in the end.
7. It is not in first person
8. WIll and Sam are not the main characters just warning you because that was a big let down for me personally.
9. Drugs mentioned'
10. Did i mention the language?
11. Inappropriate comments
12. Mild Violence and generally scary stuff
I do not recommend this book to kids under my age in fact 12 year old's probably shouldn't be reading it either but what do I know I am only 12 after all hardy har har.
But then again I am in 7th grade its not like we dont learn about some of this content in health class in 5th and 6th and 7th grade anyway.
This is GreekGeek signing off see ya in my next review, which is not going to be Knavery by the way and I won't continue on this series for awhile cause I don't have enough money to pay for the next book not getting paid for a month. But stay tuned friends.
1. It was in the point of view of a totally different character in a different place and there was barely any interaction with Sam and Will and the others. The main character Maria is practically on the other side of the universe from where Sam and Will and the gang are. SHe is in France and they are in Cali (California). That twist ripped my heart out by the way.
2. The character was very isolated.
3. I was just really upset and underwhelmed in general by the fact that Sam and Will weren't really in it.
Other than those 3 things, this book was pretty enjoyable. I was very upset that there would be no action between Will and Sam because it was about one of the Angel Corps. I was also very confused about why she would decide to continue the series with the same story line but with a totally different character in their point of view. It kind of annoyed me a little bit. Anyway, once I got past that and pulled myself through the awfullness of no Will and Sam chemistry... I realized... after I read the sample... That there might be SOME action after all. But that was not my main reason for reading it obviously.
Reasons why you should not give up on this series and read this book:
1. Because it is part of the series and some of this information is actually important.
2. It wasn't that bad after I threw my mini tantrum to myself about it not having Will and Sam in the main frame.
3. It is full of suspense throughout the whole book.
4. Maria is a very complex character and her past and the people that she interacts with have history with her that is actually really interesting.
5. There is a twist that you don't see at first, but becomes clear after you read what happened.
6. It actually did have some romance in it... Though it wasn't, for the majority, Will and Sam.
7. It was funny'
8. It was also pretty brilliant and complez
9. THe information and important things they learn about Ripplers' syndrome is actually important for understanding some possible questions from both "Visible" and the other books as well as the books in the future to come.
Some things to consider before reading this book:
1. SOme mild language
2. Some suggestive comments
3. Rude humor
4. Some mild romantic action
5. if you are obsessed with grammar and bad editing it also has some of those errors in their because of stupid NOOK formatting.
6. IT gets boring someitmes but just push through it it is worth it in the end.
7. It is not in first person
8. WIll and Sam are not the main characters just warning you because that was a big let down for me personally.
9. Drugs mentioned'
10. Did i mention the language?
11. Inappropriate comments
12. Mild Violence and generally scary stuff
I do not recommend this book to kids under my age in fact 12 year old's probably shouldn't be reading it either but what do I know I am only 12 after all hardy har har.
But then again I am in 7th grade its not like we dont learn about some of this content in health class in 5th and 6th and 7th grade anyway.
This is GreekGeek signing off see ya in my next review, which is not going to be Knavery by the way and I won't continue on this series for awhile cause I don't have enough money to pay for the next book not getting paid for a month. But stay tuned friends.
May 2, 2019
Sweet
Lovely, sad, sweet, just a few words to describe this book. I really like the Ripple series, and I hope we continue to come across 'old friend's within the next book (which I have just purchased). Well worth a read.
Lovely, sad, sweet, just a few words to describe this book. I really like the Ripple series, and I hope we continue to come across 'old friend's within the next book (which I have just purchased). Well worth a read.
September 24, 2019
The immutable, a story told from various characters' point of view, but mainly concentrated on the Angel Corps girl, Martina who was put to sleep by Helmann while waiting for the right timing to be awakened and 'heal' the new world. At first, it was a bit difficult to digest the story since I wasn't familiar with her character, but once her childhood memories surfaced, it got better, and I pitied her for the conflict she faced.
The ending, however, wasn't what I expected, and I hope they will get Georg sided with their team. Meanwhile, I can't wait to know the truth about Gwyn's dad, and I also hope that I'll get to read a book in her POV again.
The ending, however, wasn't what I expected, and I hope they will get Georg sided with their team. Meanwhile, I can't wait to know the truth about Gwyn's dad, and I also hope that I'll get to read a book in her POV again.
June 5, 2021
I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. The protagonist wasn’t one of the original characters in the first couple of books, but the author had me feeling just as welcoming towards her as all the main characters. And because this book brings me closer to getting the bad guy, I’m happy. I’m ready to read the (sadly) last book in the series.
April 17, 2020
Immutable book 5 of ripple
A nice continuation of the series this story came away a little from Sam and Li and moved to Martina but it was a good way of bringing them all together.. on to the next book now
A nice continuation of the series this story came away a little from Sam and Li and moved to Martina but it was a good way of bringing them all together.. on to the next book now
July 10, 2020
You know when some series go on for too long and ruin the good thing they have going... yeah that's this series. I know they are trying to fill in the missing info. But still. I think it would have been good as a trilogy
June 24, 2019
Absolute atrocity.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 14, 2021
Another interesting book.
I love this series. Each time there is a new fascinating story. This is the fifth book in the series and is well written.
I love this series. Each time there is a new fascinating story. This is the fifth book in the series and is well written.
July 29, 2014
Ripple- a small wave or series of waves on the surface of water.
Chameleon- a small, slow-moving lizard with a highly developed ability to change color.
Unfurled- to make or become spread out from a rolled or folded state,
Visible- able to be seen.
Immutable- unchanging over time or unable to be changed.
I first discovered the Ripple series when I was in 8th grade, about 2012.
It was standardised test week, I was stressed, and I needed a book to read. So I doped around on Amazon, and found this book called 'Rippler', and I thought 'Might as well give it a try.'
I wasn't a week later I had finished the third, and, thinking that was the end to the series, was satisfied. But Cidney Swanson wasn't finished, yet.
This past March, I was screwing around on Amazon (what I do best) and discovered a fourth Ripple novel, this time from the point of view of Gwyn. It, too, was lovely. (Need I mention the hilarity of Gwyn Li or the attractive storyteller Chrétien?)
And now Cidney Swanson has graced the world with another novel in the Rippleverse: Immutable.
First of all, I would like to acknowledge the gorgeous cover art done by Stephanie Mooney. (Ohmysweetgoodness it's so pretty!!!)
And now, on to the actual book reviewing. (Will try to keep spoilers out, but be warned.)
After the ending of Visible, I was left craving more of the story. The ending was fantastic, but there were so many things left to wonder. The Rippler journey had another chapter in its tale.
Rippler, Chameleon, and Unfurl were told by Sam. Visible was told through the eyes of Gwyn. Immutable takes on a third person perspective, which took a few chapters to get used to, but, surprisingly, worked for the story.
Immutable sees the addition of new characters, but the inclusion of old ones. The story, for the most part, focuses around Martina, a member of the Angel Corps. She has her own (very interesting) storyline, but slowly all the pieces- Sam, Gwyn, Martina, Fritz, and Pfeffer- line up.
It was really interesting to learn about the lifestyle of the Angel Corps before they were 'ready for their intended purpose'. (Helmann was a much worse villain than we ever expected.) Martina's piece in this big puzzle was heartbreaking and beautifully written.
As with any of the Rippler novels, I believe my vocabulary added a few words. I was sent looking for a dictionary every few chapters, to look up words like 'fractious', 'cadre', 'fisticuffs', 'repose', 'redolent', and 'acetaminophen'. That doesn't even begin to cover all the French phrases that made me run to Google translate.
The overall writing quality was very good, the plot was excellent and the characters mostly realistic. (If you don't count the whole 'turning invisible' thing, or all the medications, and you ignore the fact that teenagers use such advances vocabulary words that you have to go look up.) The romance and longing bit could have been less (ohmysweetgoodness, Martina! Stop teasing us about this Matteo person and get to the point!), but it was a great story.
An ARC (Advanced Reader's Copy) was provided by the author for the purpose of this review.
Chameleon- a small, slow-moving lizard with a highly developed ability to change color.
Unfurled- to make or become spread out from a rolled or folded state,
Visible- able to be seen.
Immutable- unchanging over time or unable to be changed.
I first discovered the Ripple series when I was in 8th grade, about 2012.
It was standardised test week, I was stressed, and I needed a book to read. So I doped around on Amazon, and found this book called 'Rippler', and I thought 'Might as well give it a try.'
I wasn't a week later I had finished the third, and, thinking that was the end to the series, was satisfied. But Cidney Swanson wasn't finished, yet.
This past March, I was screwing around on Amazon (what I do best) and discovered a fourth Ripple novel, this time from the point of view of Gwyn. It, too, was lovely. (Need I mention the hilarity of Gwyn Li or the attractive storyteller Chrétien?)
And now Cidney Swanson has graced the world with another novel in the Rippleverse: Immutable.
First of all, I would like to acknowledge the gorgeous cover art done by Stephanie Mooney. (Ohmysweetgoodness it's so pretty!!!)
And now, on to the actual book reviewing. (Will try to keep spoilers out, but be warned.)
After the ending of Visible, I was left craving more of the story. The ending was fantastic, but there were so many things left to wonder. The Rippler journey had another chapter in its tale.
Rippler, Chameleon, and Unfurl were told by Sam. Visible was told through the eyes of Gwyn. Immutable takes on a third person perspective, which took a few chapters to get used to, but, surprisingly, worked for the story.
Immutable sees the addition of new characters, but the inclusion of old ones. The story, for the most part, focuses around Martina, a member of the Angel Corps. She has her own (very interesting) storyline, but slowly all the pieces- Sam, Gwyn, Martina, Fritz, and Pfeffer- line up.
It was really interesting to learn about the lifestyle of the Angel Corps before they were 'ready for their intended purpose'. (Helmann was a much worse villain than we ever expected.) Martina's piece in this big puzzle was heartbreaking and beautifully written.
As with any of the Rippler novels, I believe my vocabulary added a few words. I was sent looking for a dictionary every few chapters, to look up words like 'fractious', 'cadre', 'fisticuffs', 'repose', 'redolent', and 'acetaminophen'. That doesn't even begin to cover all the French phrases that made me run to Google translate.
The overall writing quality was very good, the plot was excellent and the characters mostly realistic. (If you don't count the whole 'turning invisible' thing, or all the medications, and you ignore the fact that teenagers use such advances vocabulary words that you have to go look up.) The romance and longing bit could have been less (ohmysweetgoodness, Martina! Stop teasing us about this Matteo person and get to the point!), but it was a great story.
An ARC (Advanced Reader's Copy) was provided by the author for the purpose of this review.
November 29, 2014
Immutable is one of those books that gets you involved and smashes you to pieces in the process. After reading the other books in the Ripple series (Rippler, Chameleon, Unfurl, & Visible). But there is still a side of the story that hasn't been told - that of the children that Helmann engineered for his nefarious purposes. We do get to see how Sam, Will, Gwyn, Sir Walter, Chretien and the others are doing in brief scenes, along with glimpses at the evil of Fritz from inside his own mind. But the majority of this book is about Martina, one of Helmann's daughters, and an ex-member of his "Angel Corps." When we first meet Martina, she's living in France, in the city of Nice, feeling absolutely alone and forgotten. Two of her brothers have chosen to take a drug called Immutin from Dr. Pfeffer, who has been monitoring all of them. It will take away their ability to Ripple permanently and they can live a normal life. Martina herself is taking a supressant to curtail her abilties, while working in a clinic to help others. Her other two brothers, Hansel and Georg, have refused to take the supressant and have taken off with their evil half-brother Fritz. Martina thinks she is doing some good, using her abilties to steal from the corrupt and help her poor, underpriveleged patients in the small time frame between injections when her medicine wears off.
But Martina is so low and depressed, all she wants is to see her beloved adoptive mother, Mutti. When Pfeffer puts her on a plane to the Caribbean, Martina thinks that she'll be happy again soon. But upon arriving there she discovers secrets that have been kept from her, and learns of a recent tragedy. This sends events spiralling out of control, until a life or death situation results. Martina is forced to seek out Pfeffer in Las Abuelitas, California. She's thrown into the paths of Sam, Will and their friends and family, while trying to find a way to save her own loved ones. Can they all find a way to stop Fritz from gaining information that could destroy all their lives? Or will Martina be forced to make an impossible choice between her beliefs of what's right, and saving her loved ones? I absolutely loved getting into Martina's head and watching her form opinions of the world around her, without Helmann's twisted philosophies to guide her. She's very smart, but emotionally damaged and trying to cling onto the remnants of a life she doesn't have anymore. There was some great action in this book, but I felt like it was building more towards another one than giving a resolution. The whole thing with Fritz and the Immutin makes sense, but I did feel like it was on the backburner for a good majority of the book. I really enjoyed seeing old friends again and making new ones. Another favorite book from Cidney Swanson, in one of my favorite series! :D
VERDICT: 4/5 Stars
*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the author herself. No money was exchanged for this review.*
But Martina is so low and depressed, all she wants is to see her beloved adoptive mother, Mutti. When Pfeffer puts her on a plane to the Caribbean, Martina thinks that she'll be happy again soon. But upon arriving there she discovers secrets that have been kept from her, and learns of a recent tragedy. This sends events spiralling out of control, until a life or death situation results. Martina is forced to seek out Pfeffer in Las Abuelitas, California. She's thrown into the paths of Sam, Will and their friends and family, while trying to find a way to save her own loved ones. Can they all find a way to stop Fritz from gaining information that could destroy all their lives? Or will Martina be forced to make an impossible choice between her beliefs of what's right, and saving her loved ones? I absolutely loved getting into Martina's head and watching her form opinions of the world around her, without Helmann's twisted philosophies to guide her. She's very smart, but emotionally damaged and trying to cling onto the remnants of a life she doesn't have anymore. There was some great action in this book, but I felt like it was building more towards another one than giving a resolution. The whole thing with Fritz and the Immutin makes sense, but I did feel like it was on the backburner for a good majority of the book. I really enjoyed seeing old friends again and making new ones. Another favorite book from Cidney Swanson, in one of my favorite series! :D
VERDICT: 4/5 Stars
*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the author herself. No money was exchanged for this review.*
December 7, 2014
Once again, I am sad. I am nearing the end of a great series. It has been so much fun to read the Rippler series by Cidney Swanson. You may remember her name from the Mars series I went so crazy about.
The Rippler series isn't space travel but I consider it to be sci-fi rather than fantasy as the condition that causes one to ripple into invisibility is caused by a certain gene, as I understand it. Scientists discover these genes and work with a multitude of medications to control the side effects and or the people that are able to vanish. As in all groups of people there are good scientists and bad/evil scientists. The results push the main characters and plot of this series.
What I don't yet do like about this series is that even though you have the oldies but goodies from former books, each book or so introduces a new point of view. The reason I like it is because you can travel to new places and see things you might not have had Ms. Swanson kept the same main character for all the adventures. I like getting to know characters in their depth so that is why I don't like a new character every time. I know, I'm hard to please. :-)
At any rate, what I am left with is a case of wonderment. What if one could go invisible, hide in walls or in plain sight? What if one could read another's thoughts? And how fun would it be to hitch a ride in an airplane anywhere in the world by hiding in the wall? And not only can you be invisible, but you can fly! Or you can take a dip in the ocean with a school of dolphins and not get wet or cold. These are just a few adventures the main characters have in this series.
I'd say try either the Rippler series or the Saving Mars series if you want to have some fun.
The Rippler series isn't space travel but I consider it to be sci-fi rather than fantasy as the condition that causes one to ripple into invisibility is caused by a certain gene, as I understand it. Scientists discover these genes and work with a multitude of medications to control the side effects and or the people that are able to vanish. As in all groups of people there are good scientists and bad/evil scientists. The results push the main characters and plot of this series.
What I don't yet do like about this series is that even though you have the oldies but goodies from former books, each book or so introduces a new point of view. The reason I like it is because you can travel to new places and see things you might not have had Ms. Swanson kept the same main character for all the adventures. I like getting to know characters in their depth so that is why I don't like a new character every time. I know, I'm hard to please. :-)
At any rate, what I am left with is a case of wonderment. What if one could go invisible, hide in walls or in plain sight? What if one could read another's thoughts? And how fun would it be to hitch a ride in an airplane anywhere in the world by hiding in the wall? And not only can you be invisible, but you can fly! Or you can take a dip in the ocean with a school of dolphins and not get wet or cold. These are just a few adventures the main characters have in this series.
I'd say try either the Rippler series or the Saving Mars series if you want to have some fun.
December 26, 2015
Age Recommended: 14 and up
My Secret Santa bought me the fifth and sixth book of this series!! I am ever so grateful for this and can’t wait to read the next book! If you’re reading this, you know who you are!!
I found this book a little more difficult to understand, again, because of the abrupt change of main characters, but also because the characters had very similar names.
———————————————–
Martina is one of the Angel Corps- a group of clones designed by Fritz to rid the world of imperfect people. With the help of Pfeffer, Fritz is managing to keep all of the Angel Corps in check by damaging their genes so that they need an enzyme injection every few weeks but they themselves don’t know what enzyme they need.
However, Martina tricks Pfeffer by changing the vials just before he injects her with a serum designed to take away her ability to ripple, or turn invisible. She runs away the next day to find her brothers, both of whom have run away and are extremely sick from the lack of the enzyme.
Martina attempts to find a cure for her brothers but is reunited with her old love on the way. He convinces her that he left her because Fritz was going to kill him and she believes him until he goes to “work” and she sees him delivering drugs to a man who later dies.
Fritz starts blackmailing Martina as he has kidnapped her love and her two brothers. Too many lives hang in the balance now…
—
For more young adult book reviews and recommendations, visit http://www.PriyankaReads.com
My Secret Santa bought me the fifth and sixth book of this series!! I am ever so grateful for this and can’t wait to read the next book! If you’re reading this, you know who you are!!
I found this book a little more difficult to understand, again, because of the abrupt change of main characters, but also because the characters had very similar names.
———————————————–
Martina is one of the Angel Corps- a group of clones designed by Fritz to rid the world of imperfect people. With the help of Pfeffer, Fritz is managing to keep all of the Angel Corps in check by damaging their genes so that they need an enzyme injection every few weeks but they themselves don’t know what enzyme they need.
However, Martina tricks Pfeffer by changing the vials just before he injects her with a serum designed to take away her ability to ripple, or turn invisible. She runs away the next day to find her brothers, both of whom have run away and are extremely sick from the lack of the enzyme.
Martina attempts to find a cure for her brothers but is reunited with her old love on the way. He convinces her that he left her because Fritz was going to kill him and she believes him until he goes to “work” and she sees him delivering drugs to a man who later dies.
Fritz starts blackmailing Martina as he has kidnapped her love and her two brothers. Too many lives hang in the balance now…
—
For more young adult book reviews and recommendations, visit http://www.PriyankaReads.com
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 17, 2015
I have a feeling that we'll be seeing more of Martina. And I'm definitely looking forward to more of Gwyn. Yay!
August 9, 2016
Sort of in and out of love with the series at this point. Still reading though, I want to know how it ends.
January 11, 2017
Good
This was a good book. I liked it almost as well as the rest of the series. However I wish there was more of Will and Sam in it.
This was a good book. I liked it almost as well as the rest of the series. However I wish there was more of Will and Sam in it.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews