"Parallel" by Claudia Lefeve

First the cover: I read the ebook version that had the house on front and I'm not sure what that had to do with the story? Perhaps it was suppose to be the Dominion House for Girls, an institution for delinquent foster kids but if so it is not how I pictured it. The house on the cover looks more like a small farm house out in the middle of nowhere. Personally I'd like to see a more interesting cover to better suit this very interesting book.

"Parallel" by Claudia Lafeve joins a refreshing new trend of books written about an alternate/parallel universe. It is so nice to see something other than the bombardment of vampire/werewolf/witch/mermaid books that are hitting the market right now.

Etta Fleming is an orphan whose world is turned upside-down the day she meets Cooper Everett, the man who transports her to an alternate reality.  "Plucked from the only world she's ever known, Etta now has to deal with an aunt she never knew, a boyfriend she doesn't know and a best friend who can't know." Etta is a believable main character but the secondary characters were a little one dimensional in my opinion. I would have liked to have known more about Cooper and some of the other secondary characters so that I could have been more invested in the story line.

Having said that "Parallel" is still very original and different. It is a sci-fi/mystery/alternate universe novel with a hint of romance. The world building is presented in a very believable way and the science behind the premise of an alternate universe is fairly easy to understand. There are lots of twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat. The surprise ending will definitely have you wanting to read the next book in the series.

My rating