Projection

Gr 8 Up—In ancient Rome, wealthy woman Gemina and philosopher Plotinus breathe their souls into each other's bodies, observed for safety reasons by a mutual friend. The projection works perfectly, though their bodies suffer unintended consequences. Flash forward to present-day Delphi, California, where Gretchen and Jessica undertake the same exchange, and Ariel snaps a picture of the same-sex kiss and posts it as a snarky reveal. Though the premise has potential, this book fails to capitalize on many of the story lines. The murder of Gretchen's mother in order to get an anklet seems superfluous as it turns out to be unnecessary to the Plotinus Ability (and why not just steal it?). The exchanges can be hard to follow as the author uses the name and thoughts of one person while describing actions using the name of the other. The girls make little interesting use of their exchanges. They sleep, feign illness, or hide alone in a bedroom, with occasional conversations with a parent or boyfriend. A parent insists the police will not reopen the case, and a page later the same parent insists the police will not rest until they find the killer. Parents seem unaware of the "lesbian kiss" video, which had such repercussions that two girls left town. The 2000-year-old Oculus Society is never shown making use of the Plotinus Ability and easily agrees to cease using it. The most interesting parts include occasional flashbacks to Gemina and Plotinus and the surprise ending, but overall the book offers little to engage most readers.—Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX