Blurb from Goodreads
Seventeen-year-old Riven is as tough as they come. Coming from a world ravaged by a devastating android war, she has to be. There’s no room for softness, no room for emotion, no room for mistakes. A Legion General, she is the right hand of the young Prince of Neospes, a parallel universe to Earth. In Neospes, she has everything: rank, responsibility and respect. But when Prince Cale sends her away to find his long-lost brother, Caden, who has been spirited back to modern day Earth, Riven finds herself in uncharted territory.
Thrown out of her comfort zone but with the mindset of a soldier, Riven has to learn how to be a girl in a realm that is the opposite of what she knows. Riven isn’t prepared for the beauty of a world that is unlike her own in so many ways. Nor is she prepared to feel something more than indifference for the very target she seeks. Caden is nothing like Cale, but he makes something in her come alive, igniting a spark deep down that goes against every cell in her body. For the first time in her life, Riven isn’t sure about her purpose, about her calling. Torn between duty and desire, she must decide whether Caden is simply a target or whether he is something more.
The Almost Girl caught my attention with its futuristic cover of a beautiful kickass heroine, and a blurb made me believe this was a must-read.
After the fantastic first impression, the actual read left me with mixed feelings. This fast-paced read is certainly not boring, but I didn’t warm to the characters immediately.
Riven seemed intriguing at first, but I soon found her insecurities played out rather predictably.
I was expecting a lot from this read, so I felt particularly critical of the plot. The main story arc is compelling, but the scenes don’t always unfold smoothly, especially the school scenes which should come with a cliché warning label.
Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, I can turn back to the good bits. The fight scenes were wonderfully cinematic and Neospes was so much better suited as a stage for this story – the contrast with the high-school was marked. For the romantics, there’s a lot to keep you happy and to balance out the exploding, punching and stabbing.
My rating: 3 (Plot 3, Full Cast of Characters 2.5, Dialogue 2.5, Pacing 4, World Building 3)
Current rating on Goodreads: 4
My thanks to Strange Chemistry for this read, via Netgalley.
katjaweinert.com 
Well, you’ve certainly made me curious, with your very mixed review. I like futuristic tales, and I may check this one out.
Great review! Yeah, the blurb and the cover look superb; too bad about the cliches and stereotypes! I guess I might pick this up from the public libe, but I won’t add it to my own library quite yet 🙂
Oh I’ve been curious about this one, so it’s good to get your thoughts! It’s a shame about Riven – I can already sense that I might have the same issues there. But overall this sounds like an interesting read. I’m glad that the fight scenes were well done. Lovely review, Katja! 🙂
It sounds like this book has everything – from romance, to fight scenes to high stakes – to whet the reader’s appetite. Too bad you couldn’t quite connect with the mc. Great review, as always! 🙂
Strange Chemistry has been publishing some strong books lately! It’s a shame that the story was fast-paced, but that it was hard to connect with the MC. That last aspect is always THE part that decides if I fall in love with a book or not.