The Undercurrent

Description

Eighteen-year-old Julianne De Marchi is different. As in- she has an electrical undercurrent beneath her skin that stings and surges like a live wire. She can use it-to spark a fire, maybe even end a life - but she doesn't understand what it is. And she can barely control it, especially when she's anxious. Ryan Walsh was on track for a stellar football career when his knee blew out. Now he's a soldier - part of an experimental privatised military unit that has identified Jules De Marchi as a threat. Is it because of the weird undercurrent she's tried so hard to hide? Or because of her mother Angie's history as an activist against bio-engineering and big business? It's no coincidence that Ryan and Jules are in the same place at the same time - he's under orders to follow her, after all. But then an explosive attack on a city building by an unknown enemy throws them together in the most violent and unexpected way. Paula Weston, author of the much-admired Rephaim series, returns with a standalone work- a near futuristic thriller that is utterly and undeniably thrilling. Great writing, heart-burning characters, probing questions about where technology is taking us - and a plot that zips and zings like an electrical current itself. This is a great young-adult writer at the peak of her powers.

Paula Weston is a Brisbane-based author. She has more than twenty years' experience as a professional writer - first as a print journalist and then as a government communication and media specialist. She co-owns a writing/design consultancy.

'Late for dinner, late for work, late late late. Thanks so much, Paula Weston. I picked up Shimmer and forgot everything else.' Adelaide Advertiser 'Superbly written, action-packed fiction with interesting, brilliantly flawed characters.' Fictional Thoughts 'Some books you crave. You keep returning to the cover art and re-reading the blurb, you stalk the authors' Twitter, Tumblr, Goodreads profiles in the hopes of gleaning morsels of information...you count-down to release day. Paula Weston is something special indeed.' ALPHA reader 'A fast-paced, sensational ride, which screams "read me".' Scott Moore, South Australian Weekend Review 'The Undercurrent has everything you could possibly ask for in a YA novel-illegal human experimentation, military groups for hire, companies with hidden agendas, government mismanagement of environmental threats, romance, X-Men-style abilities, a nuanced mother-daughter relationship and non-stop action and intrigue. The characters are endearing and believable, the romance meaningful without being saccharine and the plot races along with impeccable timing...The Undercurrent is a worthy companion to beloved Australian speculative novels such as The Sky So Heavy by Claire Zorn and John Marsden's Tomorrow series.' Books + Publishing