What if death were not the end, but just a detour? In The Bleed-Through Effect, A. A. DaSilva spins a story that bleeds through the cracks of time, memory, and reality itself. In short, this is prison-break meets parallel universe espionage, with a love story burning like gasoline in the background. At the core of the story is Jared Cardoza, a man who is trained to cheat mortality and wants to rewrite the past, even if it means making his own death a weapon. Across realities, his ex-wife Charlotte, a savant with more courage than sense, finds herself over and over again in Jared’s destructive gravity. As memory ‘bleeds through’ from alternate realities, both must confront secrets that go beyond death.

The Bleed-Through Effect by A. A. DaSilva is a mix of science fiction and psychological suspense. The pace is relentless, has tight chapters, and I could feel how the story almost danced between violence and tenderness, sometimes within the same breath. The author does not shy away from violence, especially in Jared’s character development. The science fiction elements – especially the jumping technology and its time-heart calculus – are well-developed, but do not overtake the story. However, what anchors this story are the emotional stakes between ex-lovers who once promised forever. The characters are well developed. Jared is portrayed as a calculating sociopath and a wounded son, while Charlotte, in contrast, can be seen as a trauma survivor who becomes an empowered woman. Even side characters like Sy, Mitch, and Gustav have their voices, adding layers to the moral ambiguity of the plot. The Bleed-Through Effect is not just about jumping across realities; it’s also about the destruction we could leave in each one, and the hope that one day we might find a home in one of the realities.

The Bleed-Through Effect by AA DaSilva begins with Jared Cardoza, a jumper capable of traveling between realities, and his abusive relationship with Charlotte. Jared and his father Mitch lead Quantym, a secretive organization involved in unethical jumping experiments and covert operations. Charlotte, also a jumper, discovers Quantym’s corruption and tries to escape Jared’s control with the help of Simon Donovan. Jared is imprisoned but continues to manipulate and threaten Charlotte, pressuring her to participate in dangerous missions involving alternate realities and “peripheries.” Charlotte struggles with trauma, recurring nightmares, and attempts to reclaim her autonomy while navigating surveillance. Simon supports Charlotte’s recovery and opposes Quantym’s influence. Meanwhile, Jared’s conflicts with Mitch and a secretive medical protocol add further complications. Charlotte’s efforts to evade control, resist Quantym’s operations, and survive Jared’s manipulations within a framework of alternate realities and shifting loyalties drive her forward.

The Bleed-Through Effect by AA DaSilva is the sequel in the two-volume Periphery series, and while it reads comfortably as a stand-alone, you'd be doing yourself a disservice by missing the first book. This is an excellent and uniquely well-crafted story with the perfect combination of science fiction technology with human experiences, feelings, and fears that come across as authentic. The writing is clear, which is great considering that there are a lot of moving pieces, and DaSilva keeps the plates spinning without ever making us dizzy. Jumping isn't a new concept, but DaSilva does make it fresh, especially through Jared, who is downright terrifying. I had a genuine sense of dread when he made a threat to “bend the world” around people if they refused to cooperate. As a female reader, it is impossible not to become viscerally connected to Charlotte because the psychology DaSilva employs is integrated deliberately, with great effect. The pacing keeps a consistent flow, and overall, this is a solid read that leans into control, identity, and survival, all conveyed in an entertaining series. Very highly recommended.