I read Impulse as a newbie to this series. It’d probably have been even better if I’d had a chance to read Jumper and Reflex first – but Impulse did well on its own, too.
Cent, the sixteen-year-old daughter of parents Davy and Millie, lives in a remote cabin – hiding from the people who kept her father imprisoned and tortured him because of their desire to control his ability to teleport, or “jump”.
This means that Cent’s primary view of the world is from TV, movies, the internet – not anything real. Deciding enough is enough, Cent pleads with her (understandably) cautious parents to let her go to a normal high school in a safe town.
Right around the time they agree, Cent’s own ability to “jump” like her parents is discovered – and she begins to utilize her strong intellect from years of stringent home schooling to experiment with it a little.
Once she enters high school, she realizes that her newfound ability to “jump” may come in handy – but could end up changing all of their lives…
Impulse was interesting – in some ways it didn’t feel like a YA novel at all. In the best ways.
What I mean by that is that Cent’s relationship with her parents is refreshing and mature – mostly. Even the way she interacts with others has a level of confidence and wisdom that isn’t that common in YA normally. It’s also realistic because she has spent her life around adults only, really.
Impulse has an absorbing premise, though I did initially feel as though I was jumping (ha) into an established story – oh wait, I was!
Yet Cent’s sturdy, tomboyish and intelligent, which translates into a fast-moving, attention-grabbing story that deals with the sci-fi elements of teleporting and more gritty issues in high school. It was easy and smooth to read and I really liked the characters.
It definitely made me interested in reading Jumper and Reflex. Maybe someday!
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