Now an International Bestseller and Award-Winning Sci-Fi Finalist in the 2019 International Book AwardsThey 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 … 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 ont he streets for years. But after using it on her girlfrienda nd 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 doesnt’ 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.
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She has a power which means she only has to speak for someone to forget what they were doing. She is on the streets when she finds There Are others like her. It seems they want her not for her powers but who she was before she was on the streets. What do they really want? Can she prevent them using her? See if she can
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Sleepwater Beat, by Kathrin Hutson, is the first in the Blue Helix series. The first taste of this speculative fiction world immerses us immediately with an honest certainty. I read the sequel first–so each installment can and does stand on its own. Here, we follow Leo, a young woman raised in a world of pharmaceutical addiction and information overload. Told in alternating timelines of her past and present, we watch her go from a lonely childhood and street life to the tentative relief of a found family.
We encounter a detailed and real cast as Leo gets to know Sleepwater–the group of people who, like her, can change the people around them with just their words. Some “beats” bring entertainment or pleasure, others control and pain. Like its sequel, Sleepwater Static, Beat moves seamlessly through desperation, explosions, and despair. The thread connecting each of these pieces, however, is one of hope and faith in one another–and ourselves. Another winner: 5 out of 5 stars!
Oh my, the story started off running and never stopped! I can’t wait to read Blue Helix book 2. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys books about people with abilities.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The ability to ‘spin a beat’ is a pretty cool angle on abilities that I don’t recall seeing before this story. The characters were well built with solid relationships. Great world with a fun new twist. Overall a good read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Great Story!
This is a great story from beginning to end that kept me captivated and entertained. The writing and storytelling was enticing and keeps you wanting more. The character development is well thought out. There are lots of surprises and twists throughout making this an enjoyable read.
I struggled with the beginning of this story, it was at about the 50% mark before I really got hooked. I almost put it down and I’m glad I didn’t. A little bit sci-fi, a little bit dystopian and so close to reality it’s a scary. Well written and a thought out plot that once it takes off it doesn’t stop. Can’t wait to read the next book and see what happens with this group.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a 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.
This was the first time I had read a book by Kathrin Hutson and she has now been added to my favorite authors list. The book was engaging from page one until the end. The story draws you end, the characters ate fun and lovable. A great read and an author to look for.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a special talent where people would believe anything you say? Or you could make people feel a certain way? Pain? Sexual desire? Kill? Words are powerful. These are called beats.
Leo has a talent that people believe anything that comes out of her mouth.
Karl notices her talent and introduces Leo to Sleepwater, an underground world where there are others like her. Beat spinners. Things are not always as they seem. Little does Leo know her world is about to be turned upside down.
A great into to a new series. A unique dystopian story of mystery and suspense as government agencies try to track down these beat spinners to use as weapons. Dark and twisted events filled with emotions.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Riveting!
I was hooked from the first page and could not put it down. This is the first book I have read by this author but it will be the first of many. What a unique storyline! Kathrin Hutson vividly builds a world with a new twist on a dystopian society.