Dissonance by Erica O’Rourke is a science-fiction/romance book. Delancey Sullivan, also known as Del, is a Walker. Walkers can “Walk” between dimensions. Every time someone makes a decision in our world, the “Key World,” a new world is formed where another version of the person (called an “Echo”) chooses a different path. Then all of those create different branches, and so on. The Walkers’ job is to find any mistakes with the Echoes or in the alternate dimensions. If one is found they “cleave” the world, destroying it. Del loves Walking, but hates cleaving. Walking calms and relaxes her, but when a world is cleaved she can’t help but feel bad for all the lost echoes, even though everyone says that they are just shadows, not real. When Del accidentally cleaves a world, however, everything goes downhill. She’s expelled from Walker school and is not allowed to go on Walks by herself. When Del starts running into her crush, Simon, every time she Walks with her sister, she thinks it’s just a coincidence. But when he starts seeing things through his Echo and appearing even more, Del realizes something is up. Working with her grandfather, sister, best friend, and Simon, she figures out that the Walker government is not as perfect as seems.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes science fiction, romance, or suspense. Dissonance is well written and impossible to put down. The characters are relatable and full of depth. All the little details weave together to make a great story. The ending leaves some questions and room for a sequel, but isn’t overly frustrating and answers most questions. Dissonance isn’t O’Rourke’s first book, and hopefully it won’t be her last.
Words of Wiser 