Transfixion

by J. Giambrone

A mysterious weapon invades every screen, and society is instantly thrown into chaos. Kaylee Colton's life is devastated when her brother is infected by the mind weapon and he attempts to kill her, after stabbing their mother.

Kaylee flees from her house but finds that she too has been damaged by the mind weapon. She can no longer speak. Her once peaceful neighborhood explodes into total war.

Escaping the bloodshed, Kaylee slowly loses her mind as she hides out in an abandoned home. She then learns that a resistance has formed at a local high school, and she accompanies a strange boy to join in the fight.

Transfixion tells the struggle between militarism and pacifism, war and peace, as Kaylee Colton becomes the key to unlocking the secret of the hypnosis weapon.

Genres: Science Fiction, Post Apocalyptic, Thriller

318 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 8, 2014

About the author

DEMIGODS

When Supernaturals are implicated in terrorism the world is conditioned to look the other way, except for one dying little boy with nothing to lose.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TSRQMQR

TRANSFIXION: Early one morning society ended, and Kaylee Colton found herself at the center of a war no one understood.
https://amzn.to/2HzFdka

WRECKING BALLS: recounts the legendary feud between stand-up comedians Charleston Cranston and Gary Giordano.
https://amzn.to/2HdYCZu

HELL OF A DEAL: A Supernatural Satire.
https://amzn.to/2Hq3uKk

Upcoming:

THE SCOUSERS is a family history set during World War Two.

Reviews

[Trish · Rating 2 out of 5]

*I was provided a copy of the book by the author in exchange for an honest review*

It had to be a dream, because there was no other explanation worth a damn.

Transfixion is a decent read that kept my interest after the first couple chapters.

There was nothing terribly spectacular about the beginning which seriously bored me so bad I put it down for a couple months. I went back to it because I did promise the author a review, and thankfully after pushing through the first couple of chapters again I got interested in Kaylee Colton’s world–which might as well be our world!

Kaylee Colton is a regular teenager, who I’m guessing is thirteen or fourteen because her age is never confirmed and her behavior is so juvenile, who loves books more than anyone else in the history of ever. In the very beginning, she calmly starts reading her book while her brother is on the other side of her door trying to kill her. She cuts herself and possibly could’ve hit an artery, but her only worry is whether she got blood on her book or not. She literally cares about her book more than her life. I know we all kid about how much we love our books, but if we were in this situation we wouldn’t pass it off as some dream and keep reading, right? I mean, even if it was dream I’d still be screaming, crying, and getting away as soon as possible.

I personally didn’t find Kaylee too likable. Not only was she off the charts irrational about her book, her regular behavior was pretty annoying. She acted smug whenever she could do things others couldn’t, didn’t like to do her job whenever she was given one, and seemed like she thought she was some brainiac that could save everyone. Maybe I wouldn’t have felt this way had she not been mute since the beginning of the book and she could’ve explained herself more. Maybe she wasn’t like that at all, but she had to exaggerate her actions to convey herself. Honestly, the moment when she immediately becomes mute was pretty confusing to me.

Speaking of confusing, I think the idea people become “zombies,” or what the resistance calls “dupes,” is really cool, but there was never any explanation for why it happened to begin with. Was it only in Kaylee’s town? Was it nation-wide? Was it an international disaster? I wish there was some more world-building here because it’s an interesting concept and something I would definitely read more about.

The writing style seemed pretty childish or too simple for the subject matter. For a book that’s chockful of violence, you’d think the sentence structure would be less middle-grade sounding and more YA-like. There were times higher vocabulary was used and it stood out since it felt like it didn’t belong with the middle-grade style. This contributed to my reluctance to finish the book at first.

Through it all, I did like the violence and the realistic parts of the book. The violence was appropriate for the book since you can’t have an apocalypse without people dying or showing what’s happening to the dupes as they’re shot. I enjoyed Giambrone took a risk with it because it was definitely worth it. The realistic parts were also great because not a lot of books really show that stuff–peeing your pants you’re so scared, people dying from infections, etc.

Overall, I thought the book was okay because the negatives out-weighed the positives. I think there’s potential here and I’m willing to read another book from J. Giambrone for sure!

[Sumaira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warning this review contains spoilers. Please do not read the review if you do not want to come across spoilers.

I was given this book in exchange for a honest review

I am a fan of YA books but usually do not read much Sci Fi, so it was a nice change for me to read this book. The start of this book was both intriguing and confusing, I will admit I had no idea what was going in the first 6 chapters but I was hooked on the story so far, and I needed to know why everything was happening. As the story progressed some things started to be explained but I will admit I spent the book feeling like I may have missed out on something. The story line was action paced and faced paced but I could not work out why the Armageddon and why the fighting was going on.

I liked Kaylee, she was a good main character, as it was a YA book she did not make too many stupid decisions and I did not end up being annoyed with her which can happen with the YA genre. Dustin also intrigued me, at points I wanted to shake him but she always had Kaylee's back which was nice. There was a suggestion that there was something a little bit more developing between these two than friendship, but that is only a minor sub plot that is hinted at.

I did wonder why Kaylee was unable to speak until nearing the end of the book, it was not explained. By the end of the book I still had some unanswered questions which I wanted the answer to, there were loose ends in the story and so this did take away abit from the enjoyment of the story. This book was a good read and I wish I could give it a higher rating, I would say if you enjoy a fast paced story with loads of action then this book is for you.

I really did like the writing in the book, it flowed well and was well paced but as mentioned before I wish the loose ends were tied up and I knew who to hate. I mean I was waiting for the massive reveal where the baddie comes to light, laughs over the evil plan and then gets thwarted. What I missed in the book was not knowing who the person or people behind the plot were. I would have given this a higher rating if these issues had been resolved.

[Taking the Waters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Transfixion is not your average YA novel, for several reasons. It’s close third person, isn’t a love story (shudder to think), and doesn’t tie up the ending in a nice, pretty bow. All of which make for a refreshing foray into YA literature that I welcomed with open arms. Whether or not anyone else will agree is up for debate, seeing as how reading is subjective. Transfixion follows Kaylee Colton after what is, essentially, the end of the world as we know it. When her life is no longer recognizable, what will she do? Fight or flight? She takes the third option. The one people don’t talk about—ignore. She ignores it at first. And I would too, which is what I liked about her. When your life is falling to pieces, not many people are actually going to jump into action mode. A lot of the time, people, myself included, before even starting to think about what to do, have to process it. We are launched into autopilot and seek our coping mechanism, the one thing that will comfort us when we need comforting, even if that means denial for a little bit. That’s what Kaylee does. She escapes long enough for her brain to repair before kicking into overdrive. After reading other reviews, I think that’s what a lot of others missed: They didn’t catch that development of her character, which is, to me, what makes her a character worth reading.

As the plot progresses, Kaylee changes physically and mentally. There is no easy way to describe this process without giving away spoilers, so you’ll have to take my word for it when I say that the reader’s relationships with the other characters are affected as much as Kaylee’s relationship with them is. Kaylee is our filter in more ways than one. Her whole character’s dynamic changes when she gains something she has been missing for the majority of the novel, and that makes her realistic, too. She’s not simply a raging-hormone teenager, or a child thrust into being a warrior and excelling at it without much effort. She is normal. She fumbles, makes mistakes, learns, grows, and craves those oh-so-human elements, like a hug and a physical object from when life made sense.

Another thing I really enjoyed about Transfixion was that it wasn’t a love story. Sometimes it’s nice to have people interacting on a level that is not hormone-charged, to have friendships and relationships and not constantly be focused on “Does he like me? What does it mean when he hands me a pencil? Oh my gosh, he kissed me!” There is more to life than that, and before two people can enter into a romantic relationship, they have to understand each other fundamentally as humans first. Perhaps I should say should instead of can “enter into a romantic relationship.” Because I am consistently disappointed in the betrayal of relationships in YA literature, it was nice to come across a novel whose author didn’t focus on it, and instead preferred establishing characters as individual people without feeling the need to follow one of the staples of this field and throw in a hot-and-heavy romance. Having said that, I realize that some people will dislike this book because that isn’t the focus. To them, I say, “That’s too bad, but to each his own.”

A book is more than one element; it’s several parts put together like a puzzle. And if the pieces fall correctly, it’s an adventure and an escape for the reader into a world that won’t hurt them. This was true for Kaylee, which you learn in the beginning of the book. Giambrone’s integration of Kaylee’s coping mechanism with the storyline is a nice touch that could be missed if you aren’t reading too closely. As it is, I think that it enhanced the story and the characters, and definitely made me smile at the end.

Speaking of the ending, other reviewers have said it didn’t have a resolution, but I don’t agree. I think the ending was perfectly appropriate, and in fact, I wouldn’t have changed it. Why do we need everything wrapped up in a bow? Life isn’t like that. In life, every ending is a new beginning. You finish college and move on to a job or another academic program. A relationship ends, and you rediscover who you are outside of one, so on and so forth. Giambrone’s “resolution” was what I wanted. I would have been disappointed if it were anything else. I was satisfied, which I hardly ever am with books.

The one thing I would change is the middle. I would have liked to have seen Kaylee assert her opinion earlier and more often, but with a solid ending and beginning, I can’t fault it too much. However, if the middle had had a more assertive Kaylee, I’d have been even more pleased with it. I think it would have better driven home the point that conflict can be resolved nonviolently. If the middle had been more like the last three chapters, I’d have no complaints. But I never discovered myself yelling at the book, which is a good thing. The one time I did, it was, “Oh thank goodness!” and out of relief, not anger. Let me just say that chapter 29 had my heart racing, and how Giambrone ended that ridiculously fast-paced climax was exactly what the doctor prescribed to calm my tachycardia.

As with any book, Transfixion has its ups and downs. But with a solid beginning and ending and a protagonist that’s more like you and me than we give her credit for, it’s worth the read. So, get yourself a copy and buckle up.

This review originally appeared here, where you'll also find other book reviews.

[Kibbin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok before I begin I feel I should say that I haven’t read any young adult fiction since Harry’s greatest problem was working out who left the graffiti in his school text book. Why this was the plot of a book I can’t remember, maybe he was just annoyed it wasn’t the fun kind that kept you amused in class, you know like genitalia and giant moustaches or the chains that lead you from page to page before typically ending in a generic insult with some the harshest language known to a teenager. Anyway what I am saying is that I don’t know why hunky diamond encrusted vampires are now labelled as different and why that means they have to fight each other in a skeletal city in some kind of hungry game. So it was with a bit of trepidation that I started reading Transfixion by J. Giambrone.


The story starts in the not too distant future (next Sunday A.D there was a girl called Kaylee not too different from you or me…) when a strange signal is broadcast to what we can assume to be at least the greater North Americas. Upon seeing it the viewer is driven into a mindless rage and begin slaughtering everything they come across, so I’m going to go out on a limb and call it out as a copy of Threshold.

When her brother whips out a butchers knife and goes loopy, Kaylee is forced to flee her home and try to find somewhere safe as all her once smiling little neighbours race out to stab, shoot and slash at her. However hunkering down in an abandoned attic doesn’t hold too much weight when the people start receiving orders. Now they’re organised and her found key, copy of a young adult novel concerning ghost hunting and half a cooked chicken isn’t going to cut it. Running into a boy, well he runs in on her would be more accurate, also unaffected by the signal this far and with her smarts and his muscles they soon hot wire a car and set off to the rebel strong hold, the local high school.

However this rebellion would long for a man like Porkins, if only for the food source, and is instead made up of mostly scared teenagers, a janitor and the local bus driver. The bulk of the story concerns Kaylee and Dustin who must gain the trust of their new allies and help them build up to stand a chance of withstanding the hoard outside the gates (well school bus blocking the hole in the walls). This means runs into the city, gathering food and intel, establishing a patrol and wondering if anyone else has survived.

Now the book plays out over a fairly short period of time going into some of the mundane that others might have overlooked, like the looting of the local houses and training with the new weapons thrust upon them. Not only does this help to ground the story but it also gives time for each of the characters to be fleshed out and explored without appearing to grind the story to a halt. Too much is typically going on for the story to ever feel slow or plodding but it almost always manages to give everybody at least one scene or line where we get to feel like they are more than cardboard cut outs circling Kaylee like a McCulkin Christmas party. Such as when Lucas, thrust into command, must deal with a bunch of snarky teenagers asking “what now genius?” and not only look them down but answer them. Or Caroline, the local bus driver who must now watch the children she took to school every morning kill and be killed.

This extends to the main characters Kaylee and Dustin who are given human enough foibles to make us like them and give the story a sense of drama without ever feeling like your bashing your head against the wall in watching them run round like idiots in a scary movie. These are two average teenagers and this drives much of their characterization like Dustin who not only surprisingly doesn’t know how to fire an Olympic class bow and arrow to the point where he misses almost as much as he hits but also has too much pride and too much of a stubborn attitude to listen to the young girl trying to shove a book under his nose in an effort to teach him better. Likewise Kaylee who sees far more than most goes into a kind of PTSD which effectively drives her on autopilot for much of the first act and affects her throughout giving the proceedings a decent sense of weight. Of course anybody who values a pulpy action book as much as she does at the start is going to win me over sooner or later. She has enough drive to keep you on her side and enough smarts to stop you looking down on her or her choices without Kaylee turning into some kind of action hero movie star.

The book keeps up at a good pace and doesn’t out stay its welcome nor does it bog itself down in exposition and padding in an effort to draw out some perceived series, milking its cash cow in sequels repeating things over while they think up something new. The book doesn’t strive to answer too many questions. Perhaps it is saving them for some kind of sequel and perhaps it will annoy someone who needs all the answers and likes everything joined up by the end, however I rather enjoyed reading a book that was content to focus on the characters at hand and not sprawl out into some kind of “epic” mess. At the end of the day you are not following Luke Skywalker or Katniss Everdeen but instead what feels like an average young girl, who pees her pants, runs and hides and mourns her loses deeply while still having a great amount of drive and determination that has you rooting for her all the way not to win the war and save the world, but to survive and get her happy ending.

[Blue Cheshire · Rating 4 out of 5]

By Blue
In all honesty, I was thinking about borrowing Cheshire's question mark for my rating. I just liked the last half of the book much, much more than the first half. But, if I somehow average it out in my mind, it comes up to a pretty good four stars. Awesome first book, J. Giambrone! The characters didn't necessarily appeal to me too much, some being a little cray-cray, but the plot and suspense that built up throughout the book really made me keep turning the pages (figuratively - I read a PDF version of it) and want to know more.

Characters

Kaylee: As the main character, I thought it was a creative and interesting choice to make her mute - SPOILER? KIND OF? - for so much of the book. She really matured into her protagonistic role at the end of the story, but it took a little for me to like her. Just a couple of pages into the book, I almost threw it at the wall (again, this is figurative - I would never throw my computer at a wall) out of annoyance at her. For example, after the Armageddon or whatnot takes place, her brother is trying to stab her after killing her mother and she's just like, 'Nah, man, he's weird. Imma go read my book now'. Thankfully, she starts coming to her senses a few minutes later, and really does grow throughout the story into a character that I liked and supported. Also, another very good redeeming quality of her - she's a complete bookworm. In the whole novel, she's reading this one book called Ghostliest, which is about two ghost hunters in some catacombs. It's awesome. I love bookworms.

Dustin: Him, I did like. He was supportive, but not overwhelming, in a very good side-kick-y way. Even though Kaylee was quite annoying at first, he stuck by her and was there through good times and bad, and really brought the story together. When it got rough - especially during the first half, when Kaylee was being her old, helpless self - he was the character that compelled me to keep reading.

Sara: Ok, ok, I know she wasn't really a main main character, but she's so cute and awesome I just had to mention it. She's like a super supportive, great little sister. End tangent.

Kaylee's father: Besides the fact that he's absent for like half the book, he was a really decent character once he started showing up. Steady and calm, he's just what Kaylee and Dustin needed. I love father figures in books, and he took that role very well.

Side characters: All the other characters did exactly what they needed to do - be evil, be funny, be annoying, whatever. They filled out the story well and made it more interesting to read.

Setting

In the real world, albeit after some sort of global disaster has hit, turning most people into killing zombie-ish creatures (I won't spoil any more). Giambrone did a good job in illustrating the gradual change in society and setting as the apocalypse took full effect and affected the physical setting.

Plot

This is summed up pretty accurately in the summary. An apocalypse happens where people are turned into what seems to be mind-controlled zombies that want to kill the few normal people who somehow survived the change. The main character, Kaylee, joins a group of rebels - normal people - who fight to survive and reverse the disaster. Solid, relatively fresh plotline for a YA novel.

Writing

Ok, this is where I start to get a little biased. It's been a long time since I read legitimate YA fiction, and I think that I'm just not used to the style any more. Yes, I've been reading books like The Book Thief and The Name of the Wind, but I feel like those books were written for an older audience than this one. The writing style and language is quite juvenile, which is good for the age group that it is aimed at - I'm assuming middle school level? It was a shock to me for the first few chapters, but once I got used to it, the style did help bring the book to the tone that it was meant to and didn't distract much from the plot or characters. Of course, it did have more colloquial parts, like, ""Hang on, man,” said Dustin. “She’s like, sorta with me. I brought her here, so I said she could be here already. Or else she wouldn’t a come along. You know?” But, it also had very precisely written, detailed writing, as seen in the following quote, "With hypnotized, staring eyes, the dupes didn’t seem part of the real world anymore. Not even gunshot wounds deterred them from crawling inside past the corpses of their compatriots." Overall, it had a good, solid writing style for a young adult novel.

"If nothing else, she could finally find out what those ghost hunters were up to down in that catacomb."

That is all.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some days you feel like picking up a book and relaxing. You enjoy reading a soothing romance with only a few unexpected twists. Other days, a horror piques your interest. You prefer letting the creepy feeling crawl up your spine with ghostly fingers as the protagonist opens a creaky, suspicious door.

Then there's the days when you want to hit the ground running. You want a story to flood your veins with adrenaline and force you to grip the pages anxiously as the action crescendos far quicker than you were prepared for. Forget studying for that next exam, or finishing that extra bit of work you brought home from the daily grind. The only thing that matters right now is the world crumbling to pieces within the book.

And that, dear readers, is precisely what Tranfixion by J. Giambrone delivers.

What immediately caught my attention in this story is that it is grim, alarming, seemingly hopeless—and we are going to hear all about it from the perspective of a young girl. Female protagonists in literature are beginning to gain the spotlight more often nowadays, especially with the wave that The Hunger Games created. However, Kaylee strikes a chord entirely different than that of Katniss. Rather than a panicked young woman who is immediately aware she must fight for her life, Kaylee takes the end of the world in stride. Her reaction is muted (you'll appreciate that for all its punny glory later) and almost serene. She experiences the initial breakdown in a dreamlike state, as if it will all be over in a few hours. As a reader, I found myself clutching at the book and worrying for her more than with her. It's in interesting and unique experience, if a bit stressful!

However, what I think will captivate audiences most is the focal point of the "Armageddon" at hand. The actual cause for life as Kaylee knows it falling into utter chaos. Why?

Because it's never fully explained.

Sure, they uncover some of the secrets. A few mysteries are solved and counterattacks hurriedly implemented. But the whole story never comes to light. The "who" that set the gears into motion remains a man behind a curtain.

At first I found this aggravating. I kept wondering when the big, shocking reveal would occur to unveil the enemy's true face. But it never happened. Instead, readers must stumble alongside the characters in the story, worrying about food rations and enemy forces and simply living until tomorrow without a clue as to who they are fighting against. Again, this generates a unique experience for the reader. You know nothing more than they do. Any plans or theories you lay out as you read can be struck down just as quickly as theirs.

Readers are, quite simply, along for the ride.

There is nothing about Transfixion that won't excite you and keep you reading late into the night. So if you're ready for an "end of days" novel with a one-of-a-kind experience, I say you order now and buckle up.

Follow my blog at kimberlysbookspot.wordpress.com for more book reviews!

[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happens when anyone who looks at a TV becomes a brainwashed killer? That's the premise of Transfixion. As family members turn on one another and armed 'dupes' roam the streets, a group of teenagers (and their school bus driver) take up shelter in a local high school with one goal: survival. As they deal with the basic questions - where to find food, how to avoid being killed by the dupes - they come into conflict with one another. Killing the dupes in self-defence is the easy option, yet it is impossible to ignore the fact that they are, as their nickname suggests, duped; underneath the brainwashing they're real people who would never in a million years harm their neighbours. The novel forces the reader to think about when - and if - violence in the name of defence is okay, and about the consequences of that choice. While many of her peers advocate for survival at all costs, the protagonist, Kaylee Colton, stands firmly on the side of non-violence, eschewing weapons and instead striving to deprogram the dupes, not kill them.

At its core, the novel is a thought-provoking science fiction thriller. At the same time, however, Giambrone weaves in elements of paranormal fiction. After her death at the start of the book, Kaylee's mother appears to her in fuzzy visions, offering advice and support. Around the same time as her first appearance, Kaylee mysteriously loses her voice. This provides practical difficulties for her as she struggles to fit in in a group of aggressive teenagers, but it is also deeply symbolic. Kaylee represents the voiceless victims of war, those caught up in a conflict but without the ability to speak out.

Although I really enjoyed this book, I was left wishing there was more. Who created the brainwashing TV transmission? For what purpose? Kaylee never learns the answers to these questions and, as the entire story is told from her perspective, neither do the readers. To an extent, it's not relevant to the novel's central theme, but I think exploring the mindset that considers it okay to invade the sanctity of people's minds and force them to commit murder is relevant to the story's overall exploration of violence versus pacifism. I don't think Giambrone plans a sequel, but if there is one I hope it addresses this aspect more.

Overall, however, this book has the perfect mix of heart-thudding action and brain-wrenching moral themes, and is a very enjoyable and satisfying read.

[Mira · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author J. Giambrone provided me with a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Transfixion is an action-packed novel that will leave you breathless and full of adrenaline. You might need to stop and take a breath every third page or so. At least, I did.

Kaylee Colton is trying to read a super interesting book before heading to school but this strange noise keeps coming from her brother’s room.Then she hears screaming from downstairs. And just like that the suburbs break into a civil war. People are robbed from their free will are turned into killing machines. All alone, Kaylee has to find a way to survive in this new scary world and avoid being turned into a robot.

Kaylee is a teenage girl and unlike many modern female teen protagonists she behaves as such; just one of the many reasons why Transfixion is such a fascinating book. She cannot comprehend completely what is going on and how serious the situation is. Of course, she is scared and knows she needs to fight, but all in all, Kaylee cannot see the bigger picture. She cannot imagine that in the end of the day, she won’t go home to mum and dad.

Since the story is narrated from Kaylee's point of view, I couldn't help but feel for her and pray that she would somehow make it. When I got to know her better, I completely fell in love with her and her spirit.

However, I cannot say that about any of the other characters (except probably Sara, but that’s because she reminded me of Rue from The Hunger Games). They lacked depth; I couldn't relate to any of them because I didn't know anything about them! Once we came close to finding out more about Dustin, but that was it.

Transfixion leaves plenty of unanswered questions, which actually gives me a bit hope there will be some kind of a sequel. We would all love that, wouldn't we?

If you want a book full of action, Transfixion is the right one for you! You cannot simply get bored with it, because every page brings something new and exciting. Don’t hesitate and buy it now!

P.S: I would love to read More Ghostliest! As Kaylee said, one cannot simply end the series there – it’s insane!

Mira, Literary Worm

[Casia Pickering · Rating 4 out of 5]

Transfixion by J. Giambrone is a young adult scifi thriller that kept me going. The first few chapters have the main character going back to her book, but in the worst of times. There is no slow climb into the action, it starts right off and has lulls that leave you wondering what will happen next.

I found that I could relate well with Kaylee Colton. Mind you, she was mute for the good first half, but that's due to a traumatic event whe witnesses. The fact that she returns to her book is that she isn't ready to realize what her new reality is. She would rather hole herself up in literature. Which is much of what I did and sometimes still do. Reading helps with my anxiety and for Kaylee, it helps her cope with the apocalypse.

I don't know if the author intended this, but the book really made me think of people with disabilities not being seen as any more than a nuisance. Mind you, Kaylee goes mute, it's not a birth disability or behavioral, but it does make people treat her differently. When she has a plan or is telling a person she knows something, she writes it down. Only for the others to laugh at her. I felt this is similar to my brother with Autism. He is brilliant and has a good soul and mind, but people outside of home don't really give him the time of day. They see the Autism, not the compassionate person. That's what Kaylee's predicament reminded me of.

Dispite being mute for half of the book, Kaylee is a strong character. She really pulls through in the end and sort of becomes a leader, but it's with her actions when she was mute that made her a loyal member of her group. This is a serious quick and fast paced read. I really liked it and could see what the author means by it being a good book to adapt to a movie.

[T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Transfixion is a modern day story that starts as your typical day for a teenager before school, and then it all changes in an instant when one teenage girl hears strange noises coming from her brother’s tv……Kaylee quickly realizes not only is her mother dead, but her brother is intent on killing her and she has to escape and fast. But it only takes moments after leaving her home to realize something is very wrong. People are screaming and running, and others are lying dead on the ground. She escapes to her best friend’s house hoping to get help, but finds it abandoned. Not only that, she quickly realizes there are many more just like her brother, somehow programmed to kill anyone that escaped the programming.
She eventually meets up with other’s that like her have not been programmed and they join forces to stay alive. Kaylee really seems to grow throughout the story, in the beginning she seems like a very spoiled self-centered child, but the end she is willingly sacrificing her safety for others and finding ways to save the “programmed” people instead of outright killing them all.
This book is a great YA book, the violence is not so descript that I would fear young teens reading it, it did not have a lot of sexual content and I have actually already recommended to several teens in the 12-15 age range. I really enjoyed this book, it moved very quickly and had a great flow to it.

[Sharon Obelenus Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Something is going on.......Kaylee, is a bookworm, give her a book from her favorite series and she can block out anything. Even her brother, who loves to torment her and anyone else he can come across. But when she hears her mother and brother fighting, she knows something isnt right. As she sneaks down the stairs she sees her brother stabbing her mother. It seems unreal until he turns on her, she rushes to her room and locks the door, but its not enough to stop him. She has to climb out her window to escape. But now not only is her brother trying to kill her, her neighbors are too. She has to find a place to hide. She sneaks to a friends house, and just gets into the attic crawl space before she is spotted. The trauma of it all causes her to not be able to speak. So when she spots a guy outside, she tries to hide but he has seen her. In her attempt to hide better she puts her foot through the ceiling. Luckily, he isn't one of the crazies outside. Together they make their way to a place Dustin has heard about, a school. There they team up with other kids to protect each other and keep each other fed.

Being a bookworm comes in handy for Kaylee, not only in having a idea on how to hot wire cars, but she notices things that are going on and comes up with a idea of how to stop it. But can a group of kids stop what is going on?

[Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Transfixion” could have been a good novel, if a decent structural edit and proof read had been completed before publication.

Significantly, the novel begins too slowly. Almost nothing happens up to the 25% mark. Things look up between the 35% and the 50% mark, but then slow down again. There was an improvement in pacing at about 60% that continued throughout the end. Basically, there is a lot of surplus material that slows down the pacing of the novel and does not improve the story. A structural edit would’ve helped to eliminate these superfluous scenes.

Then a proofreader could hopefully remove the numerous typo-like errors throughout the piece, and maybe reduced the used of adverbs, too.

Our protagonist, Kaylee, is unbelievable. She possesses too many talents - hot wiring cars, firing guns, painting, medical assistance. Sure, she can’t speak, but she doesn’t seem to have any other flaws. It’s great to have a female heroine, but she still needs a personality.

Kaylee was only one unbelievable aspect. All plots involving her father were likewise unbelievable.

This novel did have good action throughout, and from the 60% mark I almost enjoyed myself - but the lack of polish continued to nag, and the damage had already been done.

[Lake Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Transfixion will keep you hooked from the very start. I first thought that this would not be an enjoyable read for me.  I don’t do zombies, much, or military books. However, even though Transfixion is a mixture of both -zombies in the loose sense- I could not wait to find out what would happen.

Kaylee has a lot going for her and her mind picks up what others might not.  It was a confusing start of the story and I really thought that it was a dream in the beginning because of the book she is reading. But I kept with it and it is no dream. Kaylee has to deal with her mother being gone and her brother turned. No one is there to help her she had to do it on her own. We see her grow as a person, have a breakdown, get turned herself, and come back fighting harder then ever. Kaylee has brain and makes sure to share her ideas. If you are a prepper or maybe think about comspearise you might enjoy this, end of humanity with people fight, book. It did get a little jumbled in places but you can still understand all of it.  The end made me laugh out loud. If you want to pre order it from Amazon you can.

[BookHeathens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kaylee, thought her only problem was to finish the book she was reading. But when her brother attacks and kills their mother then turns on her, she has to escape. But once she gets out of the house, she notices everyone seems to be going crazy. Something is turning the people into Dupes. The Dupes are killing machines, but also, neighbors, friends, and relatives. She hides out in a friend's crawlspace, only to be found by Dustin. Kaylee isn't sure who to trust, but when Dustin says he knows where others are hiding, what choice does she have. She uses her book smarts to hot wire a car, but also she notices things others aren't. The group has to work together in order to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. Can a group of teens figure out what needs to be done to stop the Dupes?

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

With Transfixion, J. Giambrone presents us with a fast-paced YA thriller. The story is cleverly elaborated, focuses on Kaylee and her personal growth. I was drawn in, felt like a member of her comrades. I could easily envision the characters. I had a real good time reading Transfixion. Even if you do not learn the complete ‘why’ – it does not really matter, as the book is primarily about Kaylee.

This is a book to read again.

[Kirsten Caldwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was AMAZING! I honestly wasn't expecting too much from it because I've read iffy things about ARC books, but I loved this story! It was action-packed, constantly moving, and definitely worth the read!

Read more on my blog: www.readingmyreality.wordpress.com

[Jessica Bronder · Rating 4 out of 5]

After watching a television broadcast people are turning into killing machines. Kaylee Colton narrowly escapes after her brothers kills their mother then comes after her. But Kaylee did not escape the broadcast, she manages to escape and finds Dustin who takes her to local high school with other survivors. There they train to defend themselves as the ‘dupes’ start changing their murderous tactics.

Kaylee seems like a younger teen, it’s never mentioned, and all she wants to do is finish her ghost hunter story. But she is forced to participate in the real world if she doesn’t want to be another person killed by the dupes. I liked watching her grow and thought the idea of her unable to talk an interesting twist. It was interesting watching her grow through the story but I don’t know what to feel at the very end.

You don’t learn much about what caused the broadcast although I loved the concept of the television turning people into crazed, zombie like killers. You don’t have a lot of closure on this but you can take that one of two ways. Most people I see are disappointed but in real life it’s not like you would get much closure either.

I liked this story and think it’s a fresh take on YA stories. I like how it focused on reality instead of forcing a teen romance. I can’t wait to read more books from J. Giambrone.

I received Transfixion from the author for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.

[Erica · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This review originally appears on What Am I Reading

Rate: 1

Transfixion was such a disappointment. I wanted so badly to like it, but it just didn’t happen. The beginning will captivate you. It’s fast-paced and action-packed so you truly believe that you can get into this book. However, awesome moments like this are followed by dry spells that have you questioning why you bothered to pick it up and whether you should keep reading. This book is for patient and persistent readers.


Protagonist: Kaylee Colton is the protagonist and heroine of the story. She is supposed to be, like heroes and heroines of other apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic stories, strong, innovative, and admirable. But she isn’t. In the first half of the story, Kaylee is plagued by psychosomatic mutism, which she recovers from in the second half of the story and causes her to become the strong character she should’ve been the whole time. Kaylee just isn’t relatable. No one can do a 180 on his/her personality that quickly. I just don’t like Kaylee.

Setting: The story is about someone taking over the broadcast system and using it to turn people into mindless creatures. When the process is eventually explained, the idea is brilliant and differs from the normal take on zombies or zombie-like behavior. But in the meantime, the world is poorly developed. Sure people are going crazy and attacking each other, but how do the characters know that it’s happening everywhere and that they, since they aren’t under the spell, are the only survivors left? It seems a little presumptuous to go from chaotic fighting to “I must be the only one left.” The story is centralized to one location, but it makes so many generalizations about the whole world. At least in Divergent, the characters went as far as the Amity farms before the government told them not to go any farther so they didn’t know there was more world to explore. Since Tranfixion doesn’t work under the same limitations I don’t see why the characters would believe they’re the last survivors and operate under that notion.

“Dupes”: “Dupes” are what the characters come to call the people who have been put under mind control. In the beginning, the dupes operate as mindless people like typical zombies. Predictably, this leads to war and chaos because they’re trying to kill people, which is supposed to make the story interesting. However, over the course of the story, the dupes begin to gain an intelligence that isn’t explained in the story and takes the story on a tangent far from where it began. This could’ve been corrected if Giambrone had revealed who controlled the dupes or how they were adapting to the fighting.

Romance: Up until the end of the story, Giambrone hadn’t included a forced romance, which was a relief from many stories that do that. However, since the whole story was being turned upon its head for no apparent reason, it became fitting that an insta-romance blossomed at the end of the story. This ruined the end of the story, which confused me to begin with, but at least it was the end so I didn’t have to deal with it much.

At the beginning of Transfixion, I thought I would’ve given it a rating of 5, but as the story progressed the rating just kept decreasing until at the end I knew I was going to give it a one. Had the romance not occurred I probably would’ve given it a 1.5, which doesn’t sound any better but is 0.5 higher than what it is now.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many of us own at least one television set and spend at least a couple hours a day watching it. What if some organization or individual weaponized the broadcast system turning anyone who gazed upon those screens into mindless angry killers?

Kaylee Colton is an awkward teenager whose love of reading knows no bounds. Even in the midst of a technological Armageddon she’s focused on reading but who can blame her for burying her nose in a book while the world goes mad. Her suburban neighborhood has become what looks like a war zone. Her annoying brother has become an emotionless killing machine. Everyone seems to be either dead or crazy but at least her Ghost Hunter stories can offer her some comfort, normalcy and peace. In fact even I became lost in the Ghost Hunter stories as Kaylee read them. (Please, J. Giambrone turn those glances you gave us of Jasmine and Kurtz adventures into a novel I can read!)

Eventually Kaylee has to pull herself out of her book fantasy world and face reality. While hiding out she meets up with a teenage boy named Dustin who knows of a school where some others are taking shelter and working together. Kaylee reluctantly follows him and joins the group. At first the group sees her just as another mouth to feed rather than an asset but slowly she proves her worth as a member of the resistance. Her intelligence and moral compass allows her to become a leading voice and she pushes the focus from merely surviving to actually going out and destroying the broadcast system turning people into “dupes.”

J. Giambrone did a great job of building up the depth of the confusing emotions the characters were experiencing as they muddled their way through a scary turn of events. He gave the teenage characters faults that were realistic and true to their development. These aren’t battle ready warriors but average teenagers trying to survive. They falter at times, fumble with learning how to use weapons for the first time, pee their pants when facing incredibly strange and dangerous situations, hide in attics hoping no one notices, and cry quietly to themselves missing their parents. Yet, in the face of all that uncertainty they are determined which is why you can’t help but root for them and hope they all make it out alive. Just imagine going through your most awkward period of life while the world is in the midst of an Armageddon.

The storyline doesn’t get into the why and who’s behind the technological Armageddon but I wasn’t bothered by that because we’re stumbling along with Kaylee learning information as she does. We’re just a bunch of book nerds wandering our way through a world falling apart. There is a message to be found in Giambrone’s story, a message about letting mass media influence our thoughts, the idea that we all need to take the right steps together toward peace and topple the very forces that have divided us and put us into a state of mindless anger.

Copy provided for review.
Reviewed by Joy for Crystal's Many Reviewers

[A. Fae · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Transfixion” is a relatively easy YA science-fiction read with an interesting premise and some decent action, but a lack-luster protagonist and unexceptional writing stop it from being incredible.

Kaylee’s life is thrown into chaos when an unknown force takes control of her city’s TV broadcast system and turns its citizens into hypnotized soldiers. Alone and suddenly unable to speak, Kaylee must figure out how to survive in this new world, find her father, and help bring peace back to the world.

One thing I love about YA sci-fi is how imaginative it can be and “Transfixion” is no exception. Since binge-watching Netflix has become a national past time, the “take-over-the-air-waves” scenario is the perfect balance of far-fetched and believable to suck readers in. It definitely sucked me in. I wanted to know how the characters were going to stop a force that they can’t really touch or pin down and the curiosity held me until the end of the book.

Unfortunately, Kaylee was my guide on the journey. I don’t think she’s a bad character per say, she’s just not interesting enough to be the protagonist. For the first half of the book she has the strangest set of priorities I’ve ever seen in a post-apocalypse book, which was off putting. Not only that, but she’s incredibly disengaged with the world around her. By the time she comes around, there’s not enough book left to make her anything more than a Katniss Everdeen-Tris Prior wannabe. If a key component of a story is going to be survival, the protagonist needs to be interested in surviving most, if not the entire course of the book, not just the second half. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the focus should have been on one of the boys, either Lucas or Dustin. Some of her issues, however, might have been due to the writing.

Usually, I give writers a lot of slack when it comes to mechanics. If the story and characters are strong I let the actual writing slide, but the characters were so weak and the narration so sloppy that I was constantly being distracted. I was constantly being told what was going on rather than being shown. Humans rely on a lot of avenues to communicate what they’re thinking and feeling and there are a plethora of ways to describe settings and action, but I don’t think Gianbrone really took full advantage of that. Telling us everything was just easier. In the end, that really hurt what could have been a phenomenal book.

All and all, I think “Transfixion” could have been great if Giambrone had a beta-reader or two look at it. Maybe then Kaylee and the writing would have been stronger. The premise really lends itself to the genre and I’m quite disappointed it didn’t live up to its potential. However, I’m still glad I gave it a try, so if you like to focus on ideas rather than characters and you don’t pay much attention to writing, “Transfixion” just might be your next YA sci-fi fix.

Review by Senior Reviewer Tay Laroi as seen on www.tabbyafae.com

[Jasmine · Rating 3 out of 5]

**I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

Transfixion is a young adult, post-apocalyptic novel that, when I read the premise, reminded me a bit of Cell by Stephen King. Unfortunately for me, at least, it just didn't seem to be executed as well as it probably could have been.

Transfixion starts off with a bit of a bang and doesn't really let up until the very end. The main character, Kaylee, is having a normal day, chatting with her mother about a book she's obsessed with. Everything seems to be fine until a strange noise starts emanating from upstairs. When Kaylee's brother joins them downstairs, all hell breaks loose. Kaylee, however, seems almost indifferent to everything at first. She eventually realizes things are really, really wrong, and she has to try and figure out just what is going on and why.

Is she able to uncover the truth behind the mysterious noise? Does she survive in a world gone mad? You'll have to read the book to find out.

First off, I'd like to say that I really wanted to love this book. It had a great idea, but it didn't quite live up to my expectations, I guess. I did like parts of it, and I thought it did have some potential, but it sort of fell flat for me.

Kaylee is a bit of an annoying character. I didn't really like her that much. She's obsessed with this book series, which isn't a bad thing, but it seems to be the only thing she cares about, even when things start getting crazy. Eventually the book is forgotten, but I thought it was a bit much.

She also turns into a mute very early on. I mean, I guess after what she witnessed and went through, it sort of makes sense. Like she went into shock and refusing to talk was her way of dealing with the trauma or something. I just found it frustrating. I even forgot she could talk for a while there as I was reading because she goes so long without speaking.

The other survivors Kaylee meets up with as she tries to figure out what's going on are all kind of...rude. They treat her like a child, and even though she's acting like one in a way, I don't think she deserves to be treated the way they treat her.

Plot-wise, I felt the book was actually kind of slow, even though it just jumped right into things. I was left with a lot of questions throughout the book, and even by the end, I was still confused and unsure about a lot of things. I was expecting a little more, and I felt a bit let down.

Overall, I'd rate Transfixion as a three star book. It does have potential, but it's not really something I enjoyed as much as I thought I would. If you're into post-apocalyptic stories, though, pick up a copy and give it a whirl. You may like it more than I did.

[Tay LaRoi · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Transfixion” is a relatively easy YA science-fiction read with an interesting premise and some decent action, but a lack-luster protagonist and unexceptional writing stop it from being incredible.

One thing I love about YA sci-fi is how imaginative it can be and “Transfixion” is no exception. Since binge-watching Netflix has become a national past time, the “take-over-the-air-waves” scenario is the perfect balance of far-fetched and believable to suck readers in. It definitely sucked me in. I wanted to know how the characters were going to stop a force that they can’t really touch or pin down and the curiosity held me until the end of the book.

Unfortunately, Kaylee was my guide on the journey. I don’t think she’s a bad character per say, she’s just not interesting enough to be the protagonist. For the first half of the book she has the strangest set of priorities I’ve ever seen in a post-apocalypse book, which was off putting. Not only that, but she’s incredibly disengaged with the world around her. By the time she comes around, there’s not enough book left to make her anything more than a Katniss Everdeen-Tris Prior wannabe. If a key component of a story is going to be survival, the protagonist needs to be interested in surviving most, if not the entire course of the book, not just the second half. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the focus should have been on one of the boys, either Lucas or Dustin. Some of her issues, however, might have been due to the writing.

Usually, I give writers a lot of slack when it comes to mechanics. If the story and characters are strong I let the actual writing slide, but the characters were so weak and the narration so sloppy that I was constantly being distracted. I was constantly being told what was going on rather than being shown. Humans rely on a lot of avenues to communicate what they’re thinking and feeling and there are a plethora of ways to describe settings and action, but I don’t think Giambrone really took full advantage of that. Telling us everything was just easier. In the end, that really hurt what could have been a phenomenal book.

All and all, I think “Transfixion” could have been great if Giambrone had a beta-reader or two look at it. Maybe then Kaylee and the writing would have been stronger. The premise really lends itself to the genre and I’m quite disappointed it didn’t live up to its potential. However, I’m still glad I gave it a try, so if you like to focus on ideas rather than characters and you don’t pay much attention to writing, “Transfixion” just might be your next YA sci-fi fix.


Check out more reviews at cheapreads.wordpress.com

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

*** 3.5 Stars***
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review, This book has ended up with a 3.5 star rating from me. Overall I enjoyed this book, It starts off with a bang, the action starting up quickly.

Kaylee Colton is our main character, she's a Nerdy bookaholic who loves to read her 'Ghost Stories' and she is engrossed in her latest book one morning in her room when all hell breaks loose.

Someone has weaponised the TV broadcast spectrum and when you watch the transmission it turns you into a murderous puppet who's strings are being pulled by some unknown source. Luckily for Kaylee she was too absorbed in her book to be watching TV.

The Author doesn't really give us much background information about Kaylee, other than to say she didn't really get on with her older brother, her mum shared her passion for reading (I liked that as my daughter and I also share our passion for books) I have tried to estimate the age of Kaylee, but the Author never really gives us a defined age, and I am going to hazzard at around 14 or 15, but she seems quite nerdy and shy, a girl who prefers to disappear into a book.


Kaylee is traumatised by the events of that morning and she looses the ability to speak.
All alone, and mute, Kaylee finds the will to survive and slowly she combats her own fears to stand against the armies of 'Dupes'.

There are some notable sub characters, and in some respects I wish that the Author had given us a bit of background information on them. In fact there is very little background information given on any of Kaylee's Resistance compatriots, and I felt that if there was a bit more on the main sub characters the story would have felt more attached to the characters.

I could write about these questions but then I will spoil the plot for others.

The action scenes are very well written, you get swept up into the scenes and this book is full of them. I really enjoyed the final action scene, although at one point I had to google a certain Acronym as I didn't quite get what the Author was saying, (thank goodness for Google!!)

What I did like is how Kaylee ends up the brains amongst the Resistance group, I have always said that if we ever encountered something like this the things I have read and watched over the years would come in handy!

I enjoyed reading this book, and any reader who likes the Dystopian/ Apocalypse themed story will enjoy it too. I just think with a bit of extra depth it could have been a whole lot more.

[Chelsie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the success of a story like this lies in how well the reader connects to the characters. If I don’t feel strongly enough for them, then I don’t care what’s going to happen. And, unfortunately, I never felt any kind of connection to any of these characters. This really should have been told in first person from Kaylee’s perspective, which would have added to me getting to know her better. But for some reason the author kept his distance, which is the biggest flaw in this book. To me, post-apocalyptic stories need that touch of humanity, the feeling of being in someone’s head. Had it been done in a different way, I probably would’ve enjoyed my reading experience more.

The action is what kept me going, since it’s what kept the story moving and kept things interesting. But even though this book starts off with a bang and the action is almost non-stop, the beginning was still really rough for me. I just couldn’t get into it, which goes along with what I was saying about not connecting to characters. Plus I wasn’t too into the self-appointed leader of the school and how it felt like if you were a girl you were useless. But I’ll get to that later. In the end, the action is the best part of this whole book.

Still, Kaylee really is the only person who matters. The rest of the characters are kind of just background noise. There’s the mean bitch, Tyretta, whose presence is definitely not needed. I’m not a fan of mean girl characters that only exist to be mean. The rest of their little troop are all guys. All of them. Okay, well not all of them, but only the ones who make a difference. I don’t know, but I guess it’s too difficult to have more than one female protagonist.

I was torn when it came to giving this book a rating. I wanted to like it more than I did. But I couldn’t in the end; there were too many things that didn’t work out.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Warning: spoilers!)
I loved the plot of this book - it's the beginning of the apocalypse when a mysterious signal on TV brainwashes anyone who watches it, tricking them into killing those around them and fighting a 'war'. I will agree with other reviews, that this author's writing style is different, although I enjoyed it and liked how he left the reader questioning what would come next. I became engrossed in the story of Kaylee Colton, a girl gone mute when things went south, and if she would succeed in surviving the apocalypse, and if she'd also be understood so she could help in the cause to end the war.
However, two major things brought the story down for me - first, we never learn the age of Kaylee. At first I thought she was 8 years old or so, since the story is told through her eyes and her thoughts and actions are very immature. Then others treated her as if she were older, so I wondered if she were mentally challenged (I actually thought that would have been a great plot twist!) But then she gets her voice back and appears to be a normal teenager, which I couldn't seem to grasp, since she'd seemed so immature in her thinking just a chapter before.
The other point that bothered me is that we never find out who puts up or why the the brainwashing signal comes on TV in the first place. The story is sort of resolved but not really, since it's unclear if any other town has been successful in stopping the signal, or if the war will continue on in the near future.
Overall, good idea; interesting writing; but I lost interest in the last hundred pages and had to fight to finish.

[Kelly Smith Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every so often, you read a book that makes you stay up till all hours of the morning just so you can finish it. Transfixion is that book.


Kaylee Colton is a high school girl and bibliophile. She has just received the latest book in her favorite series, Ghostliest, and all she wants to do is read it. No TV, no internet. Just good ol' ghost hunters Jasmine and Kurtz.

But then, the world ends.

Everyone has been hypnotized by the TV and computer transmissions. She watches as her older brother stabs their mother to death. On a quest for survival, she meets a bad boy named Dustin and they hole up with a few other survivors in the high school, but is it a futile attempt, add the rest of the world has gone insane?


First of all, this is NOT your typical YA dystopian novel. It's not the future. It's right now, featuring kids just like us, including the endearing main character, Kaylee The Bibliophile. Dustin could be the bad boy you crush on in the back of the class, Sara your little sister, and the other kids your classmates.

Aside from the believability of the characters, there's the vivid way in which Mr. Giambrone tells the tale. You're inside Kaylee's mind, you're watching the "dupes" try and kill all the normal people. You're fighting along with her.

She's also got a psychological quirk, suddenly becoming mute after the events occur. It's a topic for discussion for sure one you've read the book.

There's everything from a to z in this story, and it will keep you up all night (I'm writing this at one in the morning). Your next obsession? Transfixion.


5/5--absolutely amazing! Must read!

[Alana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I made it to page 120 and gave up. It's not that it's awful, because I would've given up sooner or maybe even hate-read it to completion. But I didn't think it was good, either. I never connected with Kaylee--worse, I never thought there was enough of Kaylee to connect with. When she loses her ability to speak early on, I expected as a reader to find that connection in her innermost thoughts, but instead the author maintains his distance and the book suffers for it. Without either voice available to me, I lost my ability to understand her motivations, and ultimately lost interest in her. Being mute, she has the feel of one of those video game characters you're forced to take with you on a mission, and it was too easy to become frustrated with her often sulky and clueless decision-making.

I think I could've kept reading had the other characters been finding information at a rate faster than once every fifty to a hundred pages, but they weren't exactly asking intelligent questions or making good decisions either, so at 120, that was it for me.

[Charissa Wilkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book for a fair review.

Overview: It’s official. The world has gone crazy, at least ever since that transmission ran out over the television sets. Who sent the signal? Is there any hope for those already affected?

Likes: The idea of someone being egotistical enough to create a signal that hijacks control over a person’s free will seemed like it should be a good story. Kaylee’s Mom, Sara along with Little Paws, and some of the other people at the high school were nice to be around.

Dislikes: See, the thing is, for all Mr. Giambrone’s attempt to show a different way to handle conflict, this is one violent book. There wasn’t much of a break in the action, unless it was around Sara. And too many unanswered questions were left.

Conclusion: This book will not be for everyone. Parental supervision and guidance not only is advised, I strongly urge it.

[Janak Mistry · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first started reading the book it was a big turn off with the number of pages and the plot it had. It made me loose my interest. It was after a few chapters or twisting and turning of the story that I actually made me more curious to read further.
The plot is very unusual and way different than what I thought it would be. The characters are so well defined and so well placed. I could actually visualise the scene in my head during the time of intensity the story reaches on.
With every specific detail mentioned and the variety of the characters this book is way more than one can think of.

Truly one of the best reads I ever had.

Thank you J. Giambrone to consider me in proving the advance copy of the book and extremely sorry to delay it so much into reading it till the end.

[Amy Wallin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Transfixion is not the kind of book you want to have a glass of red and sit on the couch with. Transfixion is the kind of book that could replace pre-workout. Honestly I feel like I could run a million kilometres if slightly tempted. I definitely couldn’t, but hey, I’m a writer – we all know I’m all words. I sat down to read Transfixion a week ago, all fresh faced and full of wonder, thinking I could squeeze in a quick chapter or two before some sort of banal bodily requirement (sleep) became necessary. I had to stop. This isn’t the kind of book that you read in one or two sittings. This is the kind of book you will want to set a day aside for.


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