Caffeinated Breakdown of The Drafter
- World: In Harrison’s new world a small fraction of society has the ability to “draft” or move backwards in time changing history. Set in Detroit in the year 2030 Peri Reed is an agent for Opti, a secret government agency who uses drafters and anchors to handle covert operations for the government. The Alliance is a group determined to stop this agency. A drafter can revert time. However, there are limitations from range to length and it comes with risks. An anchor is the drafter’s partner. They help to stabilize the drafter and aid them in recovering lost memory. I found the concept intriguing and I liked that there were consequences for rewriting time.
- Plot: Good vs Evil, power plays, and financial gain made this thriller intense and thrusting our heroine into danger. Some in the Opti Agency are corrupt. These operatives are manipulating memories and performing unauthorized operations. Peri discovers her name on a list of corrupt operatives, and soon finds herself in danger. The plot was intense with twist and turns that had me holding my breath. An Alliance operative reaches out to Peri and she must decide whom to trust. Harrison fleshed out the world making the story feel plausible. The pacing and action scenes kept me on edge. With all the action, time shifts and suspense Harrison still managed to weave in humor and colorful characters. Deciding who the good guys were notched up the tension in this clever tale.
- Characters: Peri Reed in many ways is your typical kick-ass, take-no-prisoner heroine. She is the best of the best and has the stubborn, selfish, opinionated attitude that seems to be a package deal. She strides with purpose and is at times a little cocky. Thankfully she is not a whiner but she does struggle with listening. She tends to dive in headfirst with an "ask questions later" approach. Sound familiar? However, Harrison did a wonderful job of showing us her vulnerable and tender side allowing me to respect the operative and appreciate the woman. Jack is Peri’s lover and I found him to be a smooth talker. She depends on him and trusts him without question. Silas is an operative for the Alliance and the creator of a lot of the technology used. He hopes to save Peri and bring down Opti. Silas is a bit of a rebel but it extremely gifted from technical knowledge to his ability to work as an anchor.The man has problem working outside of the box and defying authority, in fact I think he kind of likes it. Other secondary characters from Bill, Peri and Jack’s handler, to Fran the leader of the Alliance and her kickass daughter added depth, a little humor and helped amp up the action. While the story was action packed, Harrison’s characters were fully developed with unique voices.
- Romance: The Drafter has very little romance although Peri does have men in her life. Hints, reveals and an interesting thread hint at a possible romance in this series.
- Caffeinated Conclusion: The Drafter delivered an exciting introduction to the Peri Reed Chronicles. The world and plot felt plausible and I easily became invested in the key players. The world of drafting and anchors had my geeky side smiling and the dangers that accompany it made me shiver. I felt the story was well paced with twist and turns that kept me engaged. Harrison added humor and banter creating a nice reprieve from the intense scenes. A few twists and revelations added to my overall enjoyment and the tale ended in such a way that it left me eager for the next installment.
Copy provided by publisher. This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer