My kindle kept marking this as read before I was done, but now I really am. So settle down already, kindle!

People not familiar with the Rough Passages universe might want to pick up the short story collection before tackling this novel, as it introduces several of the characters. Reading this certainly put me in the mood for a Rough Passages reread!

Herkes is a talented writer and her characterization and world building are A . My favorite characters of hers are in different series (Carl and Parker), but my favorite setting/premise is this one. How could a middle aged lady like me resist a world where middle age brings the potential to rollover into extraordinary powers? Herkes has left no stone unturned developing this idea—public reception, government regulation, family dynamics, jargon, slang, social justice, and religion. I loved it that the sky’s the limit for how rollover manifests, and Herkes provided a handy appendix about power classifications in case you get lost.

Characters are complex, and no one is 100% likeable (OK, maybe Amy and Heather). Grace, the main character, is prickly and damaged, and living in her head isn’t easy going, especially at first. But I was still firmly rooting for her, along with the rest of the gang of flawed characters whose internal struggles colored how they managed the larger conflicts in the book, not always making the right choices and coming across all the more real because of it.

The ending is a surprise that I would dare to say no one is going to predict.

Highly recommended. That goes for Rough Passages too! ( )