Meg Cabot gets really ambitious with BEING NIKKI, the second book in the Airhead series, which features corporate conspiracies, advanced technology, and hidden motives. However, the pacing was clumsy, which made for a less-than-satisfying reading experience.
BEING NIKKI introduces a whole array of new complicating elements. While these eventually move the plot along to its ambitious point of corporate conspiracy, the first two-thirds of the book did very little for that point. I constantly found myself shaking my head in disbelief at the number of confusing layers wrapped up in one another that did not contribute to the point of the book. The characters were, for the most part, annoying and no different than they were in the first book.
The ending I admit is pretty cool, but it places high expectations on the third book in the series to wrap all the different threads up. I will probably finish reading this series, as BEING NIKKI ends on such a horrifying note that I can't help but demand to know how it ends, but I highly doubt this will go on any list of books I'd recommend to people. The series lacks somethingâ¦maybe heart?
Reviewed by Jennifer Rummel for TeensReadToo.com
Emerson Watts - in Nikki Howard's body - returns to Nikki's home from a photo shoot to find a stranger waiting for her in the apartment's lobby. He reveals that he's her brother - when she thought she was an orphan. It's hard enough trying to keep up with the world, but now her brother drops a bomb on her. Their mom is missing.
Em/Nikki doesn't know what to think of this information. She doesn't remember her mother or her brother. Plus, she's got a sneaking suspicion that Stark Enterprise might know more than they're saying. Nikki already suspects Stark of bugging her apartment. Who's to say they haven't gone farther?
She's made a deal with her brother to help find their mother. In a moment of weakness, she confides in Christopher. He's willing to help her find her mother - for a price. In exchange, he wants a login and password for Stark Enterprise. Em/Nikki gets caught up in a plot to ruin the company she works for while trying to uncover the mystery surrounding her mother's disappearance.
A little science fiction blended with both mystery and romance equals a great series. The secrets uncovered in BEING NIKKI will leave the reader eagerly awaiting RUNAWAY - a sign that Meg Cabot rocks yet again.
