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Prudence Barnett is a hard worker and a chronic overachiever — traits which often lead the other kids at school to think she doesn’t know how to have fun. (But she totally does.) She just cares a lot about school, good grades, her future, and arriving on time. (What’s wrong with that?) Maybe it’s because of this that she’s quick to spot and cast judgment on the lazy, rude, and arrogant residents of her coastal town who don’t seem to care as much as she does. (Namely, Quint Erickson.)
Pru’s chance at karmic justice is granted when, after a karaoke accident, she wakes up with the sudden ability to cast instant karma on those around her. And Pru doesn’t hesitate to punish everyone she spots, be they public vandals or karaoke hecklers. There’s just one flaw with her new power … it always backfires when it comes to Quint, her slacker of a lab partner. Her complete opposite. Her mortal enemy.
The more truth Pru begins to uncover about Quint, though, the more she realizes how vague the line is between right and wrong, generosity and greed, virtue and vanity, and judgment and forgiveness.
I’ve been a fan of Marissa Meyer and her writing style and characters since I picked up the Lunar Chronicles years ago, so despite not being a big fan of contemporary, I decided to give Instant Karma a try. My thoughts? The book wasn’t bad, but it didn’t really wow me.
One of my biggest struggles was that I didn’t really care about Pru as a main character. I found her to be immature, narrow-minded and self-righteous, and even though I know that was to showcase her growth by the end of the story, it made me want to skip to the end so I could be done with the book.
In the end, though, it was definitely a cute contemporary, and fans of the genre will probably really enjoy the story, the enemies-to-lovers romance, and the cute sea creatures that attempt to steal the show.
Rated: Mild, for a few uses of mild language, a few uses of the name of Deity in vain, and one use of moderate language. Characters kiss.
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