REVIEW: RIFT (CIPHER #2) by CINDI MADSEN

Series: Cipher #2

Category/Genre: Young Adult Paranormal

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: 9/13

Format: eARC

Source: Received from author for review
Rating: 4 stars

Summer Davis is a Cipher, a person chosen to help people resolve problems with their loved ones before they die. She’s just gotten her second job when weirder-than-usual things start happening. There seems to be a rift between her and the afterlife, and she’s seeing things she shouldn’t, including people who have already passed on. As she struggles to help her new assignment, Liam, make amends with his incarcerated father, she finds it hard to balance being a high school student, Cipher, and girlfriend.

Troy’s been nothing but supportive, but Summer can see her secret weighs on him, and she worries the more she tells him, the sooner he’ll decide he can’t deal with her freaky life. But when a murderer is thrown into the mix, and the girl he killed keeps asking Summer for help, she’ll risk everything to make sure the guy gets what he deserves.

Rift, the second book in Cindi Madsen's Cipher series, about a young woman who's inherited the job of helping the dying mend relationships before they die. In the first book, Summer learned what it truly meant to be a Cipher, and came to terms with how it would affect her life. And she won the boy. In Rift, Summer continues to help those who need her, but she's also dealing with just how much this phenomena disrupts her life and relationships. But not only does she have this to contend with, but a strange occurrence has her seeing the dead, and the balance between average teenager and Cipher is harder to maintain.

So though I don't often read paranormal books, I really do enjoy this series. Some of that is attributed to the fact that I see this series as Magic Realism, with the paranormal being a part, but not all of the story. I feel that Madsen has done a thorough, and interesting, job of creating the Ciphers.

What I really appreciate about Rift, and the whole series, is that the heart of the story, is a young woman who is trying to not only help those who need her, but is also balancing school, a boyfriend, friends, issues with her dad, among others. This is a story that I enjoyed, but I feel is the perfect fit for teens. Many readers have taken issue with the portrayal of teens in some of the popular paranormal romances. These issues have included passive heroines, controlling heroes, and an unrealistic or unhealthy portrayal of the lives of teens. But in the Cipher series, Madsen has done a very nice job of conveying healthy, honest, and realistic situations. Not only is Summer a Cipher, but she is also dealing with a friend in crisis. She has a boyfriend she loves, but is unsure about taking the next step in their physical relationship. Her dad is ready to become more serious with his girlfriend, but Summer is afraid her mother will be forgotten. I find stories like this, in which any teen can find something to relate to, to be invaluable. And the fact that Summer's story is so thoughtfully told makes it more so.

Rift was a very good addition to the Cipher series. As usual, Madsen's writing is very charming and fast-paced. I'm not sure at all what is going to happen next in the series, but I'm excited to find out.


Favorite Quotes:

 

  "Keep your shirt on." Liam looked at her and grinned. "Or don't."

  Summer smacked him. "Very funny. And just so you know, no  matter how excited I get, the shirt's staying on. Who really rips their shirt off when they get impatient?"

  The car behind them honked, and she glanced in the rearview mirror. "See. He's obviously impatient and his shirt's still totally on him."   ~eARC, 77%

 

 

  "I do love Kendall. You know how she can be. She's bossy and demanding, but she's smokin' hot, and she can be sweet when she wants to be. And dude, so many guys are jealous-- they'd kill to be in my place."

  "Well, if that doesn't mean you're in love, I just don't know what does."   ~eARC, 83%

Cipher Series

 

 

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About the author:

Cindi Madsen sits at her computer every chance she gets, plotting revising, and falling in love with her characters. Sometimes it makes her a crazy person. Without it, she’d be even crazier. She has way too many shoes, but can always find a reason to buy a new pretty pair, especially if they’re sparkly, colorful, or super tall. She loves music, dancing, and wishes summer lasted all year long. She lives in Colorado (where summer is most definitely NOT all year long) with her husband and three children. She is the author of YA books All the Broken Pieces, Cipher, and Demons of the Sun and adult romances Falling for Her Fiancé, Act Like You Love Me, and Cinderella Screwed Me Over.

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