Brianna Jones is a nerdy biracial teen who dreams of bringing music to the world via orchestral instruments fashioned out of recycled materials. But she must keep her project secret from her half sister, whose mission in life is to destroy everything Brianna holds dear.Â
Marek Lakewood is one of the few guys who sees Brianna for whom she really is and has admired her from afar for years. But heâs never been a risk-taker, not since his father was killed on a black diamond ski slope.
When a physics project lands Marek in Briannaâs sphere, he finds himself taking bigger and bigger risks, and discovers Briannaâs life and aspirations are far more complicated than he ever imagined.
Steel Strings is a stand-alone contemporary romance and companion novel to the Chameleon Effect series.
Brianna Jones is a nerdy biracial teen who dreams of bringing music to the world via orchestral instruments fashioned out of recycled materials. But she must keep her project secret from her half sister, whose mission in life is to destroy everything Brianna holds dear.Â
Marek Lakewood is one of the few guys who sees Brianna for whom she really is and has admired her from afar for years. But heâs never been a risk-taker, not since his father was killed on a black diamond ski slope.
When a physics project lands Marek in Briannaâs sphere, he finds himself taking bigger and bigger risks, and discovers Briannaâs life and aspirations are far more complicated than he ever imagined.
Steel Strings is a stand-alone contemporary romance and companion novel to the Chameleon Effect series.
TEN YEARS EARLIER...
If I lived in a parallel universe, maybe I wouldnât have taken the bait. Maybe I wouldnât have found myself behind the wheel of a car, barreling down a hill, straight for a white pine. Maybe my life wouldâve been different.
I wish.
But this is my universe. My life. My problem.
Mom had parked her SUVâan early Christmas gift from Dadâat the top of the driveway, making it easier to load party supplies. Sunlight glinted off the shiny black paint and the vehicleâs tinted windows.
Except for a few icy patches, the sun had melted most of yesterdayâs snow off the tarmac, leaving behind a steep rectangle of blacktop. On either side, the landscape remained hidden under a layer of pure white, all the way down to the plowed street.
âLetâs drive!â my sister shouted. Two years older, she was always telling me what to do. Being my eighth birthday didnât win me any slack. If anything, it made her meaner. âRace you!â Deya launched herself toward the front passenger door.
With a squeal, I sped around to the driverâs side, party dress flapping. Clambering into the front seat, I slid into place and buckled up before she could shove me out of the victory throne.
Deya slithered into the front passenger seatâshe was still skinny back thenâand punched me in the arm, but the pain was worth it.
My day; my turn.
While I pretended to steer, she produced a key and slipped it into the ignition.
âWhat are you doing?â Messing with the key wasnât smart.
Mom would be ticked. Not that she ever got mad at Deya. Thatâs why my sister was so cocky. She got away with pretty much anything.
âWe need music if weâre going for a ride.â She turned the key and the console screen lit. âMm, letâs see.â
âPick something I like.â
She huffed. âUh, why?â
âBecause itâs my birthday.â
âNo, itâs my birthday, so I get to choose.â She mimicked a whine I wasnât making and pressed buttons until a pop station came on. âYeah,â she murmured, âI like this songâŚâ âChasing Pavementâ by Adele.
âIâm so sick of that one.â This time my whine was genuine. It was my birthday, and I shouldâve been allowed to choose. I reached for the tuner.
Deya swatted my hand. âYouâre supposed to be driving. Pay attention to the road!â She thumped me in the arm again.
âOw!â I turned my eyes back to the driveway.
âThis oneâs the windshield wiper.â Deya flipped a switch.
âStop. Itâs not raining.â I tried to work out how to turn off the wiper blades.
Meanwhile Deya had cranked the music until the bass shook the windows and door panels. She shouted something I couldnât hear, then jumped out and slammed the door.
Ignoring the wipers still sweeping the windshield, I stretched for the dial, but Adele faded out before I reached it. Something inside the SUV clicked to a double beat. I looked around, not sure what the sound meant.
Huffing, I turned back to the windshield. The driveway was moving.
No, not the drivewayâthe car.
Keri Hilsonâs âKnock You Downâ intruded, so loud it drowned out my shrieks.
The music banged the walls and my eardrums. I couldnât think.
âDeya! How do I stop this thing?â
I was eight years old. I didnât know where the emergency brake was; I didnât know there was such a thing.
Our driveway was straight and steep, and directly across the street stood an enormous pine.
âThat old treeâs gotta be two hundred, easy,â Dad once said.
A swish of brown moved across the rearview mirror, but there wasnât time to work out what it was.
I wrenched at the door; it wouldnât open. My hands shook as I groped at the buttons, trying to find the lock release, while panic had turned my fingers numb.
I pressed a switch and the window slid down. Triumph. âHelp!â
My head spun, but there was no one in sight.
Stop the car, Brianna! Stop the car!
I slid down the leather seat, tried to reach the pedals with the tips of my red-sequined party shoes, but my legs were too short and the seatbelt held me back.
Iâd buckled up like I was supposed to, like Dad always told me. Great thinking, Brianna.
With a cry, I pulled at the door again. One of the buttons had to unlock it.
The car rolled, picking up speed like a log on a water coaster heading for the big splash. Except this was going to be a big Crash!
Then I saw them, an older lady pushing a purple stroller along the sidewalk. She was feet from the bottom of the drive.
If I didnât stop the car, Iâd hit them.
âLook out!â I wailed.
The lady froze as the car barreled toward her on a collision course.
âLook out!â I screeched.
That last shout revived her. Blinking, she jumped backward, pulling the stroller with her.
I looked the other way and screamed. A blue van zoomed along the street.
The SUV streaked across the road right in front of the other vehicle. Brakes squealed. I shrieked.
The shiny black hood of Momâs new SUV met the massive silver-gray trunk and buckled. I felt the shock wave, heard the crunch and the airbagâs explosion. My head snapped back. White flashed before my eyes, followed by stars which morphed into an endless midnight sky.
I woke with a groan, eyes fluttering. I didnât want to open them, but blinking canât be helped when youâre swimming in and out of consciousness.
Mom stood outside the shattered driverâs side window, body stiff, staring at me.
My quivering lips were stilled by cold fear.
I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing the shattered glass and crumpled metal would disappear.
A breathless voice stuttered, âIs sh-she all right?â
Cautiously, I opened my eyes.
Mom drew a sharp breath that whistled between her teeth. âYes.â There was no relief in her voice, only fury.
No great surprise. Iâd destroyed her new car and almost run down a kid in a stroller and an old lady.
And I couldnât explain why. I couldnât say anything.
So I remained silent.
âSteel Stringsâ by Alex Hayes
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This being my first book off of the Reedsy bookshelves, "Steel Strings" was a good choice overall to start my journey with!
This was an enjoyable and fast-paced book, perfect for those looking for a one-sitting read for those looking for that literary getaway. Alex Hayes does a wonderful job of bringing life to Brianna Jones and Marek Lakewood, the two protagonists, by employing switching first person point-of-view chapters.
Having not read Hayes' Chameleon Effects series, I was hoping I would be able to follow along and form the same connect with the characters one would expect from a stand-alone novel. There were some scenes of hidden significance (Easter eggs) that did little to further the plot of "Steel Strings" but, I suspect, were linked to her main series. Nevertheless, this did not rob me of any enjoyment to this novel which stood on its own two feet.
Hayes' character development shines through the dialogue and writing style, bringing out the vibes of teen romance I haven't felt in years and also the plights of the main protagonist, Brianna, who I rooted for throughout.
However, I do feel there were certain plot points that could have been explored further to create a better connect between the characters and myself, the reader. Juggling elements of music, love and family all together, some aspects were lacking in weight to another, making the read feel a little imbalanced and the ending rather rushed.
Although good, I didn't feel like it delivered the excitement and thrill indicated in the synopsis and I felt a little let-down toward the end on how the story had progressed. In this sense, the novel did not 'knock my (figurative) socks off'.
However, as a light breezy read, "Steel Strings" promises to entertain and enthral. I also believe readers of the original series would enjoy the novel a step further and encourage them to give it a read and discover the aforementioned Easter Eggs for themselves!