Sleepwater Beat #book 1 by Kathrin Hutson
Description…..
They say the pen is mightier than the sword. In Sleepwater’s world, words are literally more powerful than bullets.
Leo could always make people believe anything she says—really believe. When her chest burns and the words come from her mouth, her targets’ eyes glaze over, they forget their own thoughts, and they’ll do anything she says. It’s what keeps her alive after being on the run and living on the streets for years. But after using it on her girlfriend and her dad’s drug dealer, it’s also what got her here on the streets in the first place.
Then Sleepwater finds her. When Leo discovers there are others out there with similar powers, scattered across the country, she can’t say no to the underground organization. After all, what’s a little sit-down with the only people who may ever understand her? What she doesn’t expect is to be thrust into Sleepwater’s guerrilla war, hunted by government agencies, and used as a weapon. Worse than that, she might be more valuable not for what she can do but for who she was before they found her.
My Review ……
Leo can persuade people to see things her way, convince others they didn’t see it, or that they imagined it a different way. Living on the streets has taught her a few things, suspicion is one of them. So when a random man takes her in, she readily accepted the offer. (I was surprised she wasn’t more resistant, but could a spinner be making her mind up?)
To be honest, I think Leo was looking for a connection, maybe even someone to care about her.
And when she gets a job spinning stories and illusions, Leo thinks she’s found a home…..
We do jump from past to present a lot, and it does take a little getting use to. But persevere, it’s well worth the read. I think it’s more of a thriller, the other “beat spinners” are hiding something, so it makes me wonder what they are really planning.
They seem to know more about Leo than they are letting on.
The way I see the beat spinners are a type of hypnosis, the suggestion is in their voice, they can weave you into the story, so you think you are there.
This reminds me of the X-Men, people that are different from humans, in hiding from the rest of the world, scared to show their true selves. (But it didn’t use to be like that, now it’s illegal)
But they also need to hide, wealthy people wants them as “pets”, to show their abilities in clubs and private homes, the spinners are forming resistance groups, targeting drugs companies (this is one of the reasons why Leo leaves home) there are a few surprises that kept me reading. The ending didn’t stop on a cliffhanger, but it does leave a few unanswered questions.
it is dark, Leo has had many knock backs in her life, her mother abandoning her, her father dying of an overdose, living on the streets. So I did understand where she was coming from, always wary, always angry. Sleepwater gave her another chance at a normal life, but she had to earn her way in, and I did find that a little hard going (it seemed as the rest of the group were always laughing behind her back)
But there is something going on in the background, I get a feeling that the death of her father, the drug he was using and the Sleepwater beat spinners are all connected. You’ll have to read the book to see if I’m right😉
I liked how all the people seemed to be lost, and Karl and Bernadette were bringing them all together. Each person had a different ability, no one seems immune. The voice seeps inside your soul and the mind brings it into focus.
I think this borders on adult rather than young adult. There are a few moments in the book I felt aren’t suitable for the market it’s aimed for.
But I did enjoy it, and I’m looking forward to reading the next one.
🦋
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