Tunnel Vision Blog Tour {Review and Giveaway}

I'm thrilled to have the Tunnel Vision Blog Tour stopping by today with my Review and a Giveaway...

Tunnel Vision

by Susan Adrian

1/20/15

St. Martin's Griffin

Romance and action come crashing together when a teenage boy with incredible powers is brought to the attention of the government.

Jake Lukin just turned 18. He's decent at tennis and Halo, and waiting to hear on his app to Stanford. But he's also being followed by a creep with a gun, and there's a DARPA agent waiting in his bedroom. His secret is blown.

When Jake holds a personal object, like a pet rock or a ring, he has the ability to "tunnel" into the owner. He can sense where they are, like a human GPS, and can see, hear, and feel what they do. It's an ability the government would do anything to possess: a perfect surveillance unit who could locate fugitives, spies, or terrorists with a single touch.

Jake promised his dad he’d never tell anyone about his ability. But his dad died two years ago, and Jake slipped. If he doesn't agree to help the government, his mother and sister may be in danger. Suddenly he's juggling high school, tennis tryouts, flirting with Rachel Watkins, and work as a government asset, complete with 24-hour bodyguards.

Forced to lie to his friends and family, and then to choose whether to give up everything for their safety, Jake hopes the good he's doing—finding kidnap victims and hostages, and tracking down terrorists—is worth it. But he starts to suspect the good guys may not be so good after all. With Rachel's help, Jake has to try to escape both good guys and bad guys and find a way to live his own life instead of tunneling through others.

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Susan Adrian’s Tunnel Vision pleasantly surprised me with how quickly and easily it swept me away into a thrilling tale full of supernatural powers, mystery, secret government projects, sweet romance, and fun action.

Eighteen year old Jake Lukin just wants to survive senior year, get into Stanford, play tennis, and maybe date Rachel...you know, normal stuff. But Jake is far from normal. He possesses the ability to touch an object and “tunnel” his way into that person’s head, sensing their location, thoughts, intentions, and actions. He promised his now dead father that he’d never reveal his secret, but Jake screwed up, and now he’s forced to work with DARPA, a US government agency. Jake doesn’t mind tunnelling to save people and stop bad guys, but he quickly learns that maybe the good guys are the bad guys too. With the help of gorgeous Rachel and his grandfather, Jake just might escape DARPA’s clutches and uncover long buried secrets.

Tunnel Vision is a fast-paced, smartly written story with a fascinating premise, likable hero, and enthralling storytelling. Susan Adrian mixes genres, with a little bit of mystery; thriller; and supernatural combined together to create a refreshing and captivating plot. The world Susan Adrian creates is a complex and layered one, with clever world-building. From mysterious men in suits, the steely DARPA agents, cryptic messages from Jake’s grandfather, and several twists; turns; and revelations, Tunnel Vision has such a thrilling and intense vibe. I found Jake’s tunneling ability to be super intriguing and wonderfully explored.

Jake is a funny, likable hero who, other than his ability, isn’t annoyingly special or talented. There’s something very relatable about him. Tunnel Vision is told from his POV and I mostly enjoyed being inside his head. I love Jake’s relationships with his little sister and grandfather. With the DARPA agents, Susan Adrian does a great job of creating characters that really straddle that line between good guy and baddie. The romance (which is really not much more than a cute flirtation and some smooches) between Jake and Rachel is sweet, and she’s likable enough, but I wasn’t wowed or moved by this aspect of the story.

I was, however, far more impressed with the unexpected twists, turns, and revelations throughout the book. The action, mystery, and thrills kept me on the edge of my seat and made Tunnel Vision quite unputdownable.

My Final Thoughts: With a plot that grabs hold and doesn't let go, smart storytelling, and a endearing hero, Tunnel Vision is an exciting, addicting read.

MY RATING

4/5 yummy cupcakes

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Susan Adrian is a 4th-generation Californian who somehow stumbled into living in Montana. She danced in a ballet company and worked in the fields of exotic pet-sitting, clothes-schlepping, and bookstore management. She’s settled in, mostly, as a scientific editor. When she’s not with her family, she keeps busy researching spy stuff, traveling, and writing more books.

Susan is represented by Kate Schafer Testerman of kt literary (kate@ktliterary.com). For film/television rights she is represented by Jon Cassir of CAA. She is a member of SCBWI.

Win a hardcover copy of Tunnel Vision!

Thanks to St. Martin's, I have one copy for one winner.

details

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-ends 2/6

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