Intrepid

by J.D. Brewer

Texi Nicholson is a small town girl living a small town life—that is, until the Multiverse intervenes. Suddenly, Texi learns she is not only capable of traveling between universes, but she has the ability to create or destroy them as well. Can she trust her childhood neighbor, Iago, to help her navigate the stars or will his own agenda prevent her from realizing her potential?

Liam Martinez grows up believing he understands who he is and what he will become, but he soon discovers his plans do not coincide with those who raised him. When he is given the task of helping Texi learn how to travel the Multiverse, he will truly learn what it means to Stand on the Shoulders of Giants. Can he remain objective when it means the fate of the Multiverse depends on his judgement?

Intrepid is a story of untapped potential, Multiversal imagination, and worlds colliding. Its blend of action, heartbreak, adventure, science fiction, and philosophy will make you question what you think you believe.

Genres: Young Adult

328 pages, Paperback

First published December 8, 2014

About the author

Visit J.D. Brewer Online:
www.jdbrewerbooks.com
facebook.com/jdbrewerbooks
twitter.com/jdbrewerbooks
youtube.com/jdbrewerbooks

Some people call J.D. Brewer a leprechaun, but they just don’t understand that she’s simply vertically challenged. There are those who say she’s fiercer than a baby pterodactyl, despite the fact that she was probably a stegosaurus in another life. Others have titles for her that are a bit more generic: friend, teacher, student, family, etc.

The truth is, she spends her time gathering moments from the people (and puppies) she loves, and from those moments, she creates. She glues letters into words, words into thoughts, and thoughts into questions. When she’s not out having a blast in the universe she shares with you, she’s creating her own through pen, paper, and keyboard.

For more updates on upcoming novels and her shenanigans as a writer, follow J.D. online! Don’t forget to leave your Amazon and Goodreads Review!

Reviews

[Marla · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an interesting science fiction YA story. I really like the idea of multiple universes where people can jump between veins. Some veins have been around a long time and are dying out and some are new. Texi and others can split a universe and make it into multiple ones. I think it would be pretty cool to be able to jump/hop to different locations by just putting in the coordinates into a bracelet or even by thinking about where you wanted to go. Texi is a hybrid. She was an experiment and was given more skills than normal. Some people want to kill her and some want to protect her. I would have to say there is so much more that could be done with these characters and could be an interesting trilogy if J.D. Brewer decided to go that way. I'm curious to know exactly who Emory is. Very enjoyable and worth the read.

I thank the author for an electronic copy of the book.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actual rating 4.5 stars.

Intrepid is told from the perspectives of Texi and Liam. Texi is your average teen girl growing up in a Texas town. She's sarcastic, funny, she's got a couple close friends, and great relationships with her family. Then of course all hell breaks loose when someone close to her tries to murder her and she discovers her life and the people in it are anything but what she thought they were. Turns out, Texi is one of a kind. She's an experiment no one is sure will end well. She's thrown into the Multiverse with on a mission to save it, although not everyone wants her to or sure she can. Texi faces a steep learning curve trying to find out everything she can about the Multiverse and her own abilities in it. And it's not easy given everyone claiming to help her is a little afraid of her. Can she get over her own fear of herself and trust her abilities?

Liam is a Watcher. He's grown up very isolated on a boat in an empty world. He's always known his purpose in life. It's his job to know everything about Texi. He believes he can predict her every thought and move. Until he meets her and discovers that people are more complex than you can anticipate. And that just because you know everything about someone doesn't mean you know them. Can he get over his own fear of Texi and himself and accept his role in saving the Multiverse?

Intrepid was written beautifully. It felt like each sentence was specifically crafted to flow wonderfully and enhance the story. When I read the synopsis for the story I wanted to read it, so I was excited when the author offered me a copy for an honest review. However when I started the story, I couldn't really get into it. I wasn't sure if it was going to be a slow start story or just one I wouldn't like. But the sentences were crafted so beautifully that I carried on. And I am so glad I did because I ended up loving it! Intrepid is a funny, smart, interesting, brilliantly crafted story.

One of my favorite things about it was the detail that must have went into thinking up the Multiverse and all of the rules and positions in it. It was so detailed and so well thought out, it must have taken the author forever to plan it out. I would have been happy if this had just been a book explaining the Multiverse because I want to know everything about it now. I believe this book will turn out to be a series, so I can't wait to see how the author continues to develop and inform us about the Multiverse in later books. I also loved Texi's relationships with the people in her life. They felt real. They didn't feel like just random side characters you forget when they're not in the scene. They were real people with real relationships with Texi. We see why they matter to her and a little bit about their motives. I hope we continue to learn more about them as the story develops.

Now notice about how I said the actual rating was 4.5 stars. Why did I take that half a point off if I loved the book so much? Well, although I loved 99.99% of everything about this book there's still that 0.01%. Even though this book was beautifully written, there were still a couple lines that I found cringe worthy. Just a few. One example was when Texi described a hug between two of the guys in her life as "man-tastic," which I'll admit made me laugh and cringe. It wasn't awful; it was just a couple sentences that made me think "what?" Then, there were also a couple instances in the book where cleaned up cussing was used. I think it was only like two places but it still bugged me. Texi is a sarcastic, somewhat cynical teen, who's life had just turned out to be a lie. Now I know not everyone has a mouth like a sailor, like me, but Texi seemed like the type who'd call out bullshit as necessary and not call it bullcrap. So, it just bugged me a little. But these issues were few and far in between and didn't effect my love of the story, which is why that combined with the slow start I only took half a point off of five stars. Overall, the book is fantastic! I can't wait for the sequel and I'd recommend it to anyone.

[Angela Crouch · Rating 5 out of 5]

How often do we think of words? Not just read the words flying by us on the page, but actually think about their meanings? Or how a single sentence can shift a story? It's almost as if we miss something, or just simply skim over a section, the story turns out completely different than it would had it truly captured our interest in the first place. For those that spin their magic and win us over by captivating our precious attention and drawing us into their characters, they are deemed works of art, not necessarily by the literary world, but by the opinion that should matter most to us: our own.

For me, my first read of the new year will most certainly be one of the latter. Intrepid by J.D. Brewer not only captured my attention but catapulted my imagination. Intrepid is a dual perspective following the characters of Texi and Liam. Texi grows up in Geronimo, Texas (I know, so many Doctor Who feels!) and is a perfectly average teenager with perfectly normal problems...or so she thinks. When she begins to experience severe headaches and her best friend tries to kill her, she realizes life is anything but normal. Enter Liam, the boy who has been watching Texi her whole life on board the solitary boat Geeta. He knows of all of Texi's secrets, but he cannot anticipate her greatness. Texi is not who she thinks she is. In reality, she is the last of her kind, someone who was created to explore the Multiverse, looking for the one Universe among the dying Multiverse that can create energy once more. With everyone around her hiding ulterior motives, can Texi discover who she is before beginning her search to save humanity? Can she become Intrepid?

Genre: Sci-fi/Fantasy
Positives: I felt the story was unique and the characters were so well written. I easily got absorbed in this book and was disappointed when it ended.
Negatives: The book took until about 24% into it to get to action, but be patient! The wait was definitely worth it!!!!
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

[Tawallah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this free from Ms. Brewer in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a ya science fiction book with elements of philosophy. At times this reminded me of the older science fiction books. But in a good way, an engaging story which tackles the hard issues. Some of those included were what does it mean to be human, a look at destiny in terms of choice and its consequences including the ripple effects on society, how we treat those who are different. But even those these are difficult questions to wrestle with personally this novel was never boring or predictable.

Learning about Texi Nicholson,the Change and the Multiverse was a wonderful experience. Texi is typical teenager who has an unusual upbringing after losing her mother. She has close friends Lindsay and Sully but is angry with Iago, a former best friend. But then her life is shattered by the revelations to come.

Then we meet Liam who gives another perspective. I don't want to spoil it. But I liked Liam, he has plans to excel and struggles with being patient and wants to understand everything instantly. And he too is undergoing the Change.

For me, the hardest part was the philosophy. But I have always struggled with these seemingly abstract concepts. I find I need to slow down and break down the concepts which means reading over the same paragraph many things. But this time around I just wanted to be finish the story and not really delve into the hard issues and if I actually agree. This was the challenge for me here. So I'm going to have to re-read to get those parts I missed.

Overall a good read. Recommend for those who love ya books- enough for you to enjoy the story even if you don't get it all. But I think those who love hard science fiction books will enjoy this one more.

J.D. Brewer, this is my first time reading any of your books. Thank you for this wonderful experience and for challenge my reading. I will be on the lookout for more of your books.

[Marian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, I had no idea what to expect. Was Intrepid a romantic tale of star-crossed lovers? Or an adventure with guns and war? Was I going to need tissues for crying my eyes out or for laughing until I had a pain in my stomach? And now that I have finished the book, I still can’t exactly pinpoint its genre. It is original with a bit of everything you want to make it an epic read. 



This tale is told by both Texi and Liam as they encounter what will change their lives forever. With a familiar start to the novel, set in Texas, soon this book evolves into a perplexing world that was beyond my wildest imaginations. Texi appears to be just your normal average teenager. Nothing special. Until suddenly, that all changes. Left questioning her friends, family and even her own self -who could she really trust?

Intepid is full of twists and turns. As this intriguing tale unravelled, filling me with more and more information whilst building the alienish world in my mind, I was drawn in with concern for the characters and thirst for more answers. As soon as I uncovered explanations and grew to like and trust certain characters, it's as if the story decided to flip and totally crush my new found knowledge and hope with it. There was a constant sway between confusion and understanding. It had me questioning everything and everyone.

Intrepid is a truly original story and a captivating masterpiece of imagination.

Although that ending has left me with so much anxiety and suspense. I need answers. I need the next book. And I need it now!

[Kitty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this a lot. Good read.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a difference take on multiple universes where people can jump between veins. What I found interesting is that Texi and other could split a universe and make them into multiple ones. It would be great if you were able to jump locations or even by thinking about where you would like to go. Texi was an experiment that was given more skills than others.

Liam is a Watcher he knows his purpose in life. His job is to know everything about Texi. Liam believes that he can predict her every thought and move. Until he meets her and he realizes that people are such a complex and more than what he thought he knew about her. Sometimes we think that we know everything about someone doesn't mean that you know them.

This story Intrepid is told from the perception of Texi and Liam. J.D. Brewer has written an enjoyable read and, if you are a Sci-fi and Fantasy read than this book is worth reading.

[Jana Henderson (Reviews from the Stacks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review to come.

[Clyde Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, but didn't like the ending......she just kinda stops writing....without finishing the story