ARC Review: Quicksilver

Title: Quicksilver
Author: R.J. Anderson
Genre: YA, Sci-Fi
Expected Release: March 1, 2013

See it at Goodreads


Back in her hometown, Tori Beaugrand had everything a teenaged girl could want—popularity, money, beauty. But she also had a secret. A secret that could change her life in an instant, or destroy it.

Now she’s left everything from her old life behind, including her real name and Alison, the one friend who truly understood her. She can’t escape who and what she is. But if she wants to have anything like a normal life, she has to blend in and hide her unusual... talents.

Plans change when the enigmatic Sebastian Faraday reappears and gives Tori some bad news: she hasn’t escaped her past. In fact, she’s attracted new interest in the form of an obsessed ex-cop turned investigator for a genetics lab.

She has one last shot at getting her enemies off her trail and winning the security and independence she’s always longed for. But saving herself will take every ounce of Tori’s incredible electronics and engineering skills—and even then, she may need to sacrifice more than she could possibly imagine if she wants to be free.


It’s really tough for me to decide if Quicksilver was better than Ultraviolet or not. Oh my. I’m at a loss of words here really. These two books. The love. The feels I get from them. Yeah…I just speak a bunch of gibberish and fan-girling awe over how much I really love this set. So, you’ll have to excuse me here.

If you weren’t around the blog at the time, I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of Ultraviolet in summer of 2011. It took me by surprise. That book not only became one of my favorite books that year, but one of my favorites of all-time. And by now, most have already figured out I’m not a big fan of science fiction books. It takes a lot to get my attention in that genre. Well, Ultraviolet took the cake on that.

After an exciting interview with Ms. Anderson later that year, I learned there was going to be a sequel/companion novel, and I’d been waiting since with so much excitement. I never thought waiting was going to drive me so crazy. Haha! Then finally, FINALLY, I had my chance to read it after almost a year and a half of waiting. Thank you so much to Ms. Anderson and Carolrhoda Lab for the e-ARC and the opportunity to read and review.

Let me just take a moment to gather my brain together again. All my words are jumbled up. Reviews like this are so hard to write!

This book. THIS BOOK.

In Quicksilver, the readers are getting a glimpse at Tori instead. Allison isn’t in the picture too much here since this is Tori’s story, and it takes place months after Ultraviolet’s events. I admit, at first I was wary of this, but then it just worked. It was stunning. I loved it. Quicksilver is intense and in your face. I admit that I totally “eeped” out loud at some reunions. Laughed out loud. Gasped. Teared up. I couldn’t stop reading once I started reading.

The writing… Ahhh… the writing. I know why Ms. Anderson has climbed her way toward the top of my list of favorites. She can write. Her words provide stunning visuals and makes you feel exactly what the characters are feeling. There’s plenty of twists and turns, and your mind will be left spinning in amazement.

I may not know which of the two is my favorite, but I do know Quicksilver still wowed me as much as the first did. I also know there will never be a day I turn down reading a book by Ms. Anderson. Every book she writes will be on my shelf. Absolutely stunning.

If you’ve read and enjoyed Ultraviolet, you really don’t want to miss out on Quicksilver.