Quake by Patrick Carman

Series: Pulse Trilogy (bk. 3)

Genera(s): Dystopian Sci-fi/Near-future

Subjects: paranormal, psychic ability, supernatural, telekinesis

Setting: Portland, Oregon. About 47 years in the future

POV/Tense: 3rd person POV omniscient

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 358 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: HarperTeen: Katherine Tegan

Summary/ product description: “In the year 2051, Faith can move mountains…

Faith Daniels and Dylan Gilmore are in love, and they have a special ability called a pulse: they can move things with their minds. They're caught in the middle of a deadly war with two other pulses: Clara and Wade Quinn, who have joined forces with Hotspur Chance, the most wanted man in the world.

At the start of Quake, Faith and Dylan are holed up in a spectacular abandoned mountain lodge (once used in the film The Shining 71 years before), and their Intel friend Hawk leaves them in the middle of the night, in spite of a newly blossoming love with a girl named Jade. Hawk’s plan is to penetrate the Western State and make contact with a sleeper cell working on the inside that will give them valuable information about Hotspur’s violent plan.

But while Hawk is searching for answers on the inside, Faith and Dylan are still fighting on the outside. In a series of hair-raising battles, the second pulses duel it out, only to raise the body count on both sides. During the battles, Faith and Dylan discover an even great strength: the power of their combined love. Together, Faith and Dylan might just be able to save the world with a quake that is big enough to change the course of history.”

My Review:  Quake is the final book in the Pulse trilogy. It’s also by far the best in the series. I enjoyed the first book. The sequel was kind of boring and jumped around too much. This book is set in Oregon (Portland mostly, which is where Grimm is set!) and the characters are much more interesting and the dialogue is a lot funnier. I really enjoyed the references to pop-culture (or nerdy retro stuff) and literature.

I really enjoyed the new character, a thirteen-year-old named Jade. She had a crush on Hawk. Hawk is probably my favorite character. I would love to have a little brother whose super smart and could hack thing. Hawk is like Cody from Unremembered by Jessica Brody. Hawk likes real books and old movies. Usually you’d think a hacker would like only techie stuff. Dylan also like sci-fi movies.

My favorite thing about this series is probably the Pulse abilities. Telekinesis sounds like an awesome ability. Especially since Faith and Dylan can use it to fly. It’s also dangerous if used recklessly. This book also references old technology and our current technology and compares it to their futuristic technology. The tablets they use sound very cool. This book is not a true-dystopian, but it sometimes feels like one. The idea of the entire population of the US being concentrated into two states feels a little claustrophobic. It was done to help the environment supposedly, but it’s a bit extreme.

Now that this series is over, I hope that Patrick Carman has something else in the YA sci-fi/fantasy department cooking. I recommend this series to fans of Shatter Me, Blackout by Robison Wells and Darkest Minds.

Cover Art Review: I like the city illustration and the mountain floating in the air. It’s actually a scene in the book, so even better.