Freaking Fast
by David Pereda
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GENRE: futuristic YA action/adventure
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BLURB:
The city is
Asheville, North Carolina, and the year is 2066. As renowned mathematician
Alexandra Martin travels in her self-driving car to assassinate the love of her
life, she reminisces about how they met and fell in love fifty years earlier in
middle school when she was a thirteen year old poor math whiz and he a wealthy
teenager. Alex recounts her struggles to be admitted to the best private school
in the county, her happy teenage years running track, and her close
relationship with three handsome and charming boys: Xavier, the intellectual;
Andrew, the golden boy; and Vitali, the suave foreigner. One by one, she visits
the three boys of her youth, now successful professionals in their sixties, one
of whom is her intended victim.
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EXCERPT
13-14
Girls 200m Race, Raleigh, North Carolina
2016
State Championships
I
turn for home and here I am, behind the KK twins again, like a piece of bologna
in a sandwich. Katosha is two meters ahead to my right, and Kashandra is half a
step behind her to my left. I don’t notice any of the other runners; I figure
they are all eating our dust.
My
heart sinks. I prepared so hard for this moment, eating the right foods, controlling
my weight, forcing myself to train every day, giving up all sweets, even my
favorite raspberry-filled chocolates, and for what? I’m going to lose.
My
stride slows, caused by my despair, and the KK twins gain a little more on me.
My dad’s voice booms inside my head. ‘Keep those legs pumping, Alexandra! Don’t
decelerate. You’re still in the race!’ My dad only calls me Alexandra when he’s
angry with me. His
words
give me a new surge of energy, and I pick up maybe a foot on the twins. We are
about ninety meters from the end. People in the stands are waving and
screaming. The sun is a ball of fire overhead, and the temperature is close to
one hundred degrees in Raleigh, but I don’t care. The three of us are breathing
hard. Katosha sounds like a tractor, full of energy and power.
My
father’s voice screams inside my head again. ‘Stride length and turnover rate,
Alex. Your stride is good. Your turnover rate is not. Move those legs faster!’
I
make a superhuman effort and try to move my legs faster. Kashandra and Katosha
do the same. I can hear the click-click-click of our spikes beating on the
steaming orange track like machine gun fire.
Down
we go: click-click-click. The finish line looms ahead. I can’t lose this race.
I will not lose this race. My immediate future depends on me crossing the
finish line ahead of everyone else, and that means Katosha and Kashandra, my
arch-enemies. They are also
competing
for the same prize I am.
Seventy
meters, sixty-five meters, sixty meters, the click-clickclick is even.
My
thighs are numb. I can’t move my legs any faster. I’ve reached my limit. I have
a stitch on my side, and my ribcage hurts…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
David Pereda is the
award-winning author of nine novels, including Havana Blues and However Long
the Night, as well as the Havana Series of thrillers featuring the dashing
Doctor Raymond Peters and the beautiful but deadly Cuban assassin Marcela. He
has traveled to more than thirty countries and speaks four languages. Before
devoting his time solely to writing and teaching, David had a successful
international consulting career with global giant Booz Allen Hamilton, where he
worked with the governments of Mexico, Venezuela, Peru and Qatar, among others.
A member of MENSA, David
earned his MBA from Pepperdine University in California. He earned bachelor
degrees in English literature and mathematics at the University of South
Florida in Tampa.
He lives in artistic
Asheville, North Carolina, with his youngest daughter Sophia, where he teaches
mathematics and English at the Asheville-Buncombe Community College. He loves
sports and is an accomplished competitor in track and show-jumping equestrian
events.
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3.75 stars
Freaking Fast by David Pereda is a combination of
futuristic science fiction and young adult fiction, centering around Alexandra
Martin (Alex). The story shifts from a vendetta set in 2066 to the genesis of a
relationship in 2016, complete with teen angst and the challenges of sports
competitions. Alex is a determined individual, as is demonstrated by her
actions in both decades. It is a characteristic that all of her opponents
should keep in mind.
This was an intriguing story that can be read as an allegory
with commentary on our current society, a young adult story (with warnings
about violence), or a speculation on life in the future. I thought it was a
little ponderous at first and wondered what I had gotten myself into, but I persisted
and enjoyed the wry voice of the young heroine as she struggles through the
expectations imposed on her that lead her to challenge a pair of athletes who
are remarkably similar to a famous tennis duo. The author captures the
awkwardness and joy of teen life while laying the foundation for Alex’s
character and describing her approach to challenges.
There are fun twists to the story and it is important to pay
attention to the clues being sprinkled in order to appreciate the elegance of
Alex’s decisions. I’m not convinced that this is totally appropriate for young
adults, given that a murder is being planned, but the obstacles that Alex
encounters as she takes up a new sport provide an opportunity to reflect on
racial and social issues. I like several of the secondary characters and wish
they were a little more developed even as I enjoyed getting glimpses of their
capabilities, and I’m still a little puzzled about some of the hostility that
develops so abruptly. This is a creative story with a thought-provoking ending.
A copy of this title was provided for review
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting me on your blog today and reviewing my latest novel, Freaking Fast. I will be checking in and out during the next week to answer any questions you or your readers may have about the book, writing in general, sprinting technique, flying cars--or my life as a writer.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your review!
ReplyDeleteThank you for introducing me to this book, it sounds like something I'd really enjoy reading!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteSounds good
ReplyDeleteWhen did you first get the idea for your book? I hope your book is a success. Bernie Wallace BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com
ReplyDeleteBernie, you always ask great questions. I wanted to write a novel about a young brilliant but poor and clumsy girl faced with a great obstacle that could impede her achieving her dreams of a top education. The entire book came to me when I thought of the opening line: "Today I'm going to kill the love of my life." I could see the girl in the future with her friends, how she and they had aged throughout the years,what all of them had become, how they lived, what their future looked like,and why she was going to kill "the love of her life." The novel just grew in two levels--the young sensitive teenager and her close friends, and the successful woman with multiple experiences who, inspired by the courage of another teenage girl, decides to take revenge on her father's killer. I took a lot of chances with this book because I wanted to push the envelope and do something original. I hope that answers your question.
ReplyDeleteGwendolyn,Kim, Nikolina, Victoria and Rita thank you for following my tour and for your support. It means a lot to me. I would love to know what you think of the book when you read it. Good luck with the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the tour and thank you for the opportunity to read about another great book. With so many readers in my family, always great to hear about more choices I think they'd enjoy reading.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment and your support, James. Good luck in the giveaway.
ReplyDelete