Gretchen and Jessica are best friends in middle school. They are popular and young and mostly carefree until Gretchen's mother is murdered. That act launches both girls, and their classmate Ariel, into a frenzy filled with soul-swapping and ancient Roman philosophies.

PROJECTION is not the story I expected, but it is still a story I enjoy. The story begins with Gretchen and Jessica both in middle school, about to be in high school. Their characters are pretty typical of girls that age: boy crazy, jealous, and ready to grow up. While normally I don't enjoy that, their actions prove to be necessary and logical for later parts of the story. The second half of the book takes place with Gretchen, Jessica, and now more inclusive with Ariel, 2 years later when they are in high school. I like the age change more, but both halves are valuable to the story. Risa Green does a great job of making both ages natural and connectable.

The Plotinus Ability is different and surprisingly simple. When soul-trading comes in, I expect a complex and in depth system behind it. This ability didn't have that, but I am mostly glad it didn't. The focus in PROJECTION is on family and friendship bonds and staying true to yourself while figuring out who yourself is. Green gives brief flashbacks of when the ability is first discovered, and it gives a nice contrast to the present day story. I like the journey this ability spurred the characters to make.

I don't love this story, but I do like reading it. It doesn't keep me up at night, but it does get me thinking about just how important being yourself is and how you truly never know someone's life until you have literally walked in their shoes. Though it doesn't leave me dying for more, the level of thought-provoking it has is plenty enough to make an enjoyable read.