Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Cosola
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Opposites attract and karma is served in cute teen romance.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 12+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
In INSTANT KARMA, Prudence Daniels not only strives to overachieve at everything in her life, she has no patience for anyone who slacks off or slows her down. She's partnered with easy-going Quint Erickson for a major school science project, and she gets her first ever C. She blames Quint and pushes to redo the project over the summer. This leads her to volunteer at the local marine animal rescue center, which is owned by Quint's mom. Before she starts working at the rescue center, she slips and hits her head, and afterward discovers she has the power to dole out karmic retribution just by wishing it on people. Much to her frustration, Prudence's newfound power of karmic justice doesn't work on Quint. In fact, when she tries to hex him, it backfires on her. Prudence and Quint work together at the rescue center for the summer, arguing and irritating one another, but they eventually let down their guards and see the good in each other. Prudence's big plan for redoing their school project involves fundraising for the rescue center, which leads to some big plot twists and turns as she learns more about the financial problems they're having. Prudence also learns that her new powers are not without undesirable consequences.
Is It Any Good?
This heartwarming romance is cute and fun, but it's overly long and gets bogged down in too many side plots. Instant Karma is best when it illustrates how people can learn from each other, grow, and become more empathetic. Prudence's a tough character to like for much of the book. She's argumentative, rigid, and judgmental. Even though she learns how to deal with these issues, she's hard to take a lot of the time. The notion of a person who's so judgmental getting the power of bestowing karmic justice on others is interesting. Prudence revels in it at first, but she eventually learns that all actions have consequences, and some of those consequences can be serious. The romance angle works well enough. Prudence and Quint have the classic opposites-attract vibe going on, but their squabbles get old, as they have the same arguments over and over. Author Marissa Meyer includes lots of detail on the workings of the marine animal rescue center. It's a fascinating part of the book and will be informative for lots of readers. Overall, this story is built for lovers of sweet, light romance, if they can look past the long, twisting, unnecessary side plots.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Prudence's sudden powers in Instant Karma. How do you feel about stories of people with superpowers? Is it a fun fantasy? How do superpowers affect a character's reality? Can they do more damage than imagined?
If you were to have a special power, what would it be and what would you use it for?
How well do you take criticism? It's an important part of learning and growing as a person, but it is often hard to hear. Is it something you need to work on?
Do you make assumptions about people you don't know well? Have you ever judged someone and then changed your mind after you learned more about them?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Romance
- Topics : Friendship , School ( High School ) , Animals ( Ocean Creatures )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Feiwel & Friends
- Publication date : November 3, 2020
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 12 - 18
- Number of pages : 400
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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