Life isn't easy for Thomas Quicksilver, a boy with a scarred face. His classmates call him "Pucker" because of the way his burned skin looks. At age 17, Thomas has always been an outsider. But that's just the beginning.

Thomas and his mother are not from Earth. They are from a place called Isaura where his parents were Seers --- those who could see into the future. When Thomas was eight, his parents were stripped of their Seerskins, the skin that gives them seeing powers.

Thomas came home to find his father dead and his mother on the edge of death. In his shock, he sat frozen, as candles burned down to nothing and ignited the curtains in the kitchen. In his fear, he still didn't move. This is how he became Pucker.

Thomas and his mother, Serena, have been exiled to Earth by the Ministry for the past nine years. Both of his parents were members of a radical group that thought beyond the strict rules of the Ministry. Thomas believes this is the reason for the attack on his parents.

On Earth, Thomas and Serena make their way. Even though Serena is without her Seerskin on Earth, it doesn't matter. She can still see the future --- even more powerfully. Her visions become so overwhelming that she can no longer leave the house. And then she foresees her own death.

The only way to save his mother's life is for Thomas to go back to Isaura to find his mother's Seerskin.

The mission is not only dangerous, but challenges everything Thomas knows about himself. When he returns to Isaura as one of the Changed --- damaged people from Earth --- Thomas is healed of his hideous scars and finds himself with movie-star good looks and girls lined up to date him. With his new appearance and outlook on the world, he feels conflicted. Then he falls for Phaidra, a beautiful but strong-headed girl, and thinks he'd rather stay in Isaura with her than return to Earth as Pucker.

Author Melanie Gideon does a good job of mixing sci-fi with YA. Thomas's voice is very teen, and even though he's in two different worlds, he deals with universal issues like self-image, love and family responsibilities. PUCKER is a page-turner that is well paced and suspenseful. However, its resolution seemed a bit rushed and somehow did not live up to all the build-up.

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