Review: While You Were Gone (Duplexity #2) by Amy K. Nichols

First, thanks to Knopf Books for Young Readers and Edelweiss for allowing me to read an egalley of this sequel to Now That You're Here.  The first book had an interesting take on the whole alternate universe idea, and I was interested to see how they continued with it in this book.  Although actually, it wasn't a sequel really, because it was what was going on at the same time as the first book, only in the other universe. 

It is basically the same main characters, Danny and Eevee.  Only this time we're in the world that the Danny we got to know in the first book was from, and we get to know the Danny from the world more like the one we live in.  This Danny has been dropped in a world where his parents are still alive.  And that right there is just like waking up in a perfect dream.  Things are definitely different in this world. Eevee is the governor's daughter, and she goes to a fancy school.  She ran into Danny at an art exhibit.  In this alternate world, the art that we are used to hearing about as the classic, famous works of art are forbidden.  And when Eevee found a book of them, she was caught by her nemesis, the daughter of her father's governorship competitor.  And now she's blackmailing her, and forcing her to help her get into the art school that Eevee had wanted to.  And what's worse is that all of Eevee's art for the school's application gets ruined in a fire, and now she has to start over as well. 

While Danny has his mom and dad back, and what seems like a happy family, there is something going on with his dad that he doesn't seem to know about.  He tries to keep his being from another dimension secret, and he does okay, until his best friend Germ figures it out.  Then he has to decide who he can tell, and who he shouldn't tell.  All of this leads into his figuring out that the new security system Eevee's dad is trying to get going is probably what is causing the two Dannys to switch worlds. Every time it is turned on, Danny can feel the other Danny trying to get back home. Of course this book basically ends where the other one did, only going a little farther as Danny and Eevee have to come to terms with the person they love being in the opposite world from where they are. 

I definitely enjoyed being back in this story.  I feel like while it had an ending, there is more that we need to know, more that I want to know.  I hope for another in the series, but don't know that there will be.  A good read. You get a little more science in this one, which was something I'd wanted in the last book.  So I was glad to read that.  Definitely a good read that I will recommend.

Review: Now That You're Here by Amy K. Nichols

First, thanks to Knopf Books for Young Readers and Edelweiss for allowing me to read an e-galley of this book.  I have to say that it wasn't a bad read.  I wasn't blown away by it, but it was a quick read because it did keep me wanting to know what would happen next. 

There are two main characters, Danny and Eevee.  Yes, that's how her name is spelled, although once in awhile they will spell it as Eve, and I'm not sure if it was really pointed out why, or if it made a difference when it was. That was one thing that bugged me.  But anyway, the chapters were alternated between the two characters' points of view.  The story starts with Danny.  Danny and his friend Germ are taggers, they like to spray paint and do graffiti, and currently they've got someone who is paying them to paint specific pictures or symbols, at certain locations.  In Danny's world there are cameras everywhere, watching everyone's every move.  And so they have to be careful about it so they don't get caught.  But Danny and Germ have determined that it is probably a certain rebel group that is behind them getting paid, so they've decided this will be the last time they do it.  Only there is an explosion this time, and somehow Danny lands in a strange world.  This world is where Eevee lives.  At first when Danny sees her, he thinks he knows her. But in Eevee's world, Danny is not someone she'd ever hang out. Eevee is a major science geek.  With her friend Warren, they do a lot of science projects with a teacher they call Mac.  It is this science stuff that may help Danny to get home, but may also cause problems for Eevee and Warren as they start noticing a van that seems to be following them, and their teacher starts being absent from school a lot.  Danny's life in Eevee's world isn't great.  Eevee's home life is okay, she has both parents, although they do have a strange living arrangement. 

There is a lot of good science ideas in this.  The ending leaves you  hanging, so it's good to know that there is going to be a sequel next year.  While this wasn't the best book on this topic, I did find it pretty interesting and entertaining.  Talk about parallel universes and EMPs and other current popular science topics made it a very perfect read for anyone interested in those types of issues these days.