Margaret McHeyzer

New York Times Bestselling Author of Ugly and Mistrust. I have something people want. I have something they cannot take or steal. I have something they'd kill for. The something I have, isn't a possession, it's more. Much, much more. It's a gift. It's part of me.

The Butterfly Effect, Book 1.

The Gift

Justin Jerome Price

Nice concept, Short on execution

Admittedly, this book was a frustrating read for me. Not necessarily because of the premise. The premise is that a teenage girl, named Alexa awakens in a hospital to find she has developed the ability to see the future of anybody she touches after almost losing her life due to acute appendicitis and after using her abilities to save a guy named Jude, she ends up being kidnapped by him so that he can use her abilities to help further his criminal empire. Now while the premise of someone developing psychic abilities after a major physical disability is not a new one, I did not mind the concept. Nor do I mind the inevitable romance between the two characters…for the most part. Rather the execution of the premise left a lot to be desired. From the pacing to the plotting, to the characters; I started to feel drained the more I read this story. Even more frustrating is that there are seeds of a decent, entertaining story present. It was just not able to reach its full potential. 

	Now this is a novella size story. Meaning it is a story around 180 pages. A story of this size should not feel as if it is padded. Yet this story does. The author introduces several moments at the beginning of the story that are either extraneous to the plot or a kind of a sequel hook to the next book in the series. Due to this, the story feels weaker. Slower. Jude himself does not appear until thirty percent or so into the story. By that point, we have had several points that could have been its own story. Or contributed to Jude and Alexa’s characterization. Like for example, Alexa’s mom is a judge working on a case that necessitated Alexa having a bodyguard. It feels like a missed opportunity for the case not to be related to Jude and his criminal empire. Perhaps even have it where Jude was keeping tabs on Alexa before her realizing her abilities. There were several characters, including the apparent fake doctor and nurse, that could have been easily revealed to be working for Jude. As is, they feel wasted elements and probably should have been removed. 

	Then there is the plot. As aforementioned, I do not mind the concept. Yet the execution is wanting. While the banter between Jude and Alexa is done well at times, ultimately the relationship feels very manipulative and it is debatable as to whether this was intended by the author. Debatable in the sense that there are moments where the story tries to establish Jude as a sociopath, albeit with some ounce of good in him. Or moments where Alexa is truly worried about her family and being kidnapped by Jude. Only for the story to then try to have a humorous moment that somewhat dampens the whole thing. A good example of this is that there was a scene early in the story where Jude has a guard killed due to the guard grabbing Alexa and hurting her. Alexa is completely in shock by Jude’s actions and she worries that she is in danger. It is depicted as a very serious scene that is supposed to establish the character of Jude. Some page later, Alexa basically does a striptease in front of Jude. Now ignoring that Alexa is only seventeen (and just became seventeen in the story) and Jude is twenty-five, this scene is depicted as humorous. Jude is completely flustered by Alexa’s actions. It is depicted as a ‘win’ for Alexa because she gets the upper hand on Jude in her mind. This dichotomy completely deflates the tension of the story. The characters do not feel like people. They feel more like props in a set piece being moved by the story to act in ways that help the story to progress, rather than people creating their own story. 

	In conclusion, I just cannot recommend this story. The characters need to be fleshed out more. The plot needs more focusing and trimming. The tone needs more work to make the concept work.

The Gift The Butterfly Effect, Book 1.

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