Review: Quantum Coin by @ecmyers @Pyr_Books

Author: E.C. Myers
Title: Quantum Coin
Series: Coin #2
Publication: October 2,2012
Publisher: PYR
Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy
Source: Publisher for honest review
~Website

Ephraim thought his universe-hopping days were over. He's done wishing for magic solutions to his problems; his quantum coin has been powerless for almost a year, and he's settled into a normal life with his girlfriend, Jena. But then an old friend crashes their senior prom: Jena's identical twin from a parallel world, Zoe.

Zoe's timing couldn't be worse. It turns out that Ephraim's problems are far from over, and they're much more complicated than his love life: The multiverse is at stake—and it might just be Ephraim's fault.

Ephraim, Jena, and Zoe embark on a mission across multiple worlds to learn what's going wrong and how to stop it. They will have to draw on every resource available and trust in alternate versions of themselves and their friends, before it's too late for all of them.If Ephraim and his companions can put their many differences aside and learn to work together, they might have a chance to save the multiverse. But ultimately, the solution may depend on how much they're willing to sacrifice for the sake of humanity. . . and each other.

As I began reading Quantum Coin, I wondered how Myers would continue the story after book one, which seemed to end on a good note. Yet, this book picks up a year later and manages to rock the peacefulness that Ephraim has built with Jena, only one thing could unravel him completely. One word: Zoe, the girl from another universe comes bearing news of trouble in the multiverse. She's been tasked with bringing Ephraim to older Nathaniel to uncover the mystery of what's happening but after her grand entrance into the prom there is no way Jena will let that happen. Ephraim torn between saving the world and keeping his new life realizes that either way nothing will ever be the same. 

Zoe's my favorite character in this book, she has heart and she looks out for those she loves. I really am not on team Jena at all. The only thing Zoe and Jena have in common is physical and their love of books other than that they are totally different girls. With two girls vying for his attention and the possible end of the world, poor Ephraim has his hands full. Now, some versions of the characters including Ephraim are villains in their own way. They each have some motive that influences them to make bad decisions to get what they want but the outcomes may not be good for the multiverse. 

The pace of the writing kicks of fast right from the beginning and maintains it throughout for the most part as time in against them. The plot is good but the end was neatly tied up, so I'm not sure there will be another book. Myers has loaded Quantum Coin with emotional tension and Sci-fi elements that lovers of the genre will enjoy. Overall, a good book for boys. 

Fair Coin by E.C. Myers

Author: E.C. Myers
Title: Fair Coin
Publication:March 27, 2012 
Publisher: PYR
Source: Publisher

Synopsis
The coin changed Ephraim's life. But how can he change it back?
Sixteen-year-old Ephraim Scott is horrified when he comes home from school and finds his mother unconscious at the kitchen table, clutching a bottle of pills. The reason for her suicide attempt is even more disturbing: she thought she'd identified Ephraim's body at the hospital that day.
Among his dead double's belongings, Ephraim finds a strange coin--a coin that grants wishes when he flips it. With a flick of his thumb, he can turn his alcoholic mother into a model parent and catch the eye of the girl he's liked since second grade. But the coin doesn't always change things for the better. And a bad flip can destroy other people's lives as easily as it rebuilds his own.
The coin could give Ephraim everything he's ever wanted--if he learns to control its power before his luck runs out.

Thoughts:Ephraim is a typical teenage boy pining for the girl he has a crush on just take notice. One day he returns home to discover his mother has attempted to kill herself in the aftermath of thinking him dead and believing she had lost him, well so she thought. He manages to save her in time but remains baffled by the mistaken identity and the wallet that looks just like his own. While going through his "deceased" self's belonging he comes across a unusual coin that he later discovers grants wishes when he flips the coin. He just never expects the outcome, depending on whether it lands on head or tails, things can get better or...worse. He learns that there is so much more to the coin than he realized, it's unpredictable and dangerous. Ephraim must uncover the secrets of the coin before he loses everyone he loves, forever.

Ephraim is naive and innocent to a fault. He just wants the best life possible with the girl of his dreams but as he keeps wishing, other people's lives begin to unravel. The person most changed by the wishes is his best friend, Nathan, who seems creepy scary each time. In Ephraim's original life, Nathan already has stalker tendencies but as the shifts take place he becomes more aggressive and a bit sadistic. Ephraim can be frustrating because it takes him several times to realize that no one else remembers the life before his wish, so they all think he's crazy. I think this book ending well, so I'm curious how the author will continue this story. There is a love story but no love triangle, but the way the author handles the love interests will appeal to readers of this genre. Overall, this is an intriguing book with an unusual yet unique concept. The writing is good as are the characters and it's so nice to have another book with an interesting male lead. This is a good read that I recommend to anyone that likes sci-fi and fantasy books.