Title: Ultraviolet Catastrophe
Author: Jamie Grey
Standalone
Publish date: September 24th 2013
Buy it from: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Smashwords | Kobo
Source: ARC received from author
Goodreads summary:
Quantum Electrodynamics. String Theory. Schrödinger’s cat. For sixteen-year-old Lexie Kepler, they’re just confusing terms in her science textbooks, until she finds out that her parents have been drugging her to suppress her outrageous IQ. Now Branston Academy, a school run by the world’s most powerful scientists, has tracked her down and is dying for her to attend – as a research subject.
She takes refuge at Quantum Technologies, a secret scientific community where her father works as a top-notch scientist, and begins her new life as girl genius at Quantum High. But the assignments at her new school make the Manhattan Project look like preschool – and Lexie barely survived freshman algebra.
Her first big assignment – creating an Einstein-Rosen bridge – is also her first chance to prove she can hold her own with the rest of QT’s prodigies. But while working with the infuriatingly hot Asher Rosen, QT’s teen wonder, Lexie uncovers a mistake in their master equation. Instead of a wormhole, the machine they’re building would produce deadly ultraviolet rays that could destroy the world. Now Lexie and Asher have to use their combined brainpower to uncover the truth behind the device. Before everyone at Quantum Technologies is caught in the ultraviolet catastrophe.
Song in my head: Radioactive by Imagine Dragons
Review:
I so enjoyed my reading of Ultraviolet Catastrophe by Jamie Grey.
Jamie Grey has a writing style that flows easily. Ultraviolet Catastrophe is a quick read with a fun premise and it’s positively rife with nerdy references and humor. When the main character, Lexie, mentioned owning a TARDIS cookie jar, I about fell over. And the references don’t end there. With a cast of characters that are born to genius and excel at science, the references fit.
Especially when they come from Asher Rosen, who makes nerdy T-shirts look damn good. Guys, I crushed hard on Asher. He has a bunch of one-liners that made me giggle, he’s smart, and he’s gorgeous. He’s a little cocky and has a reputation as a being sort of a ladies’ man, but somehow it works– he doesn’t come off as a douchenozzle.
I really loved the development of his relationship with Lexie. Instant attraction is obvious, but most of the time Lexie is pretty level-headed about her crush, which I appreciated. They develop as friends first– albeit flirty friends. I also enjoyed the side characters as well, such as Max and Zella– though Zella threw me off a bit. She can’t seem to decide if she wants to be nice to Lexie or not.
And I really enjoyed the fact that an important plot element in Ultraviolet Catastrophe was Lexie’s relationship with her parents– most notably her dad. Because of the decisions her parents made in order to protect her, her relationship with her father is a distant one, and even more fragmented over the revelations of her past.
As for Lexie herself, she was a fun character– despite her genius, she’s easy to relate to and funny. At times, I felt like we rehashed her anger with her parents a little too much– and sometimes reacts in a way that made me want to roll my eyes. HOWEVER, did she feel like an authentic teenager in those instances? Most def.
The science of the book was fairly easy to follow. Some explanations made my eyes gloss over, but I suspect that’s years of disengaging in science courses at school at work, rather than Grey’s writing. Lexie’s evolution from her drugged genius to bonafide genius seemed a bit inconsistent at times, most notably in the beginning, but Ultraviolet Catastrophe recovered from that stumbling block as the plot progressed.
Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the mystery at play– someone is sabotaging Quantum’s Einstein-Rosen bridge, and it’s plotted extremely well– including the climax and resolution. I can say no more! You’ll have to read Ultraviolet Catastrophe by Jamie Grey for yourself and find out. ^_~
Need a second opinion?
“This book has an interesting premise, a fast paced, solid story and some great characters.” –Fiction Fare
“There are not enough words to tell you how much I enjoyed this.” –KK Hendin
