Future Imperfect

Title: Future Imperfect
Author: K. Ryer Breese
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Release Date: April 26, 2011
Received From: Publisher via Teen {Book} Scene

Summary:
Ade Patience can see the future and it's destroying his life. When the seventeen-year-old Mantlo High School student knocks himself unconscious, he can see days and decades into his own future. Ade's the best of Denver's "divination" underground and eager to join the heralded Mantlo Diviners, a group of similarly enabled teens. Yet, unlike the Diviners, Ade Patience doesn't see the future out of curiosity or good will; Ade gives himself concussions because he's addicted to the high, the Buzz, he gets when he breaks the laws of physics. And while there have been visions he's wanted to change, Ade knows the Rule: You can't change the future, no matter how hard you try.

His memory is failing, his grades are in a death spiral, and both Ade's best friend and his shrink are begging him to stop before he kills himself. Ade knows he needs to straighten-out. Luckily, the stunning Vauxhall Rodolfo has just transferred to Mantlo and, as Ade has seen her in a vision two years previously, they're going to fall in love. It's just the motivation Ade needs to kick his habit. Only things are a bit more complicated. Vauxhall has an addiction of her own, and, after a a vision in which he sees Vauxhall's close friend, Jimmy, drown while he looks on seemingly too wasted to move, Ade realizes that he must break the one rule he's been told he can't.

Review:

This book was very odd. The main character felt the need to give himself a concussion so he could see the future. I personally would NEVER harm myself so drastically just for that high. But I guess people do that sort of thing all the time so who am I to judge. That little aspect made parts of this book uncomfortable for me. The other part that was odd to me was his mother. She basically encouraged him to damage himself so she could see the future through him. I found this very disturbing and strange.

But beyond that it really was a brilliant idea. So different and fast paced. Vauxhall was a good addition to the story because without her the story really would have fallen apart completely. While I found her very annoying she was very, very important to the story’s development. I appreciated that because characters who don’t contribute to the main storyline drive me nuts.

While this book had its flaws in storytelling and in execution. It was overall a good book.