Kill Switch: By Chris Lynch

KILL SWITCH

SUMMARY

(Before reading the summary, read the review, as I advocate for not reading the summary and instead just buying the book.) 


All Daniel wants to do is spend one last summer with his grandfather before he moves away for college and his grandfather’s dementia pulls them apart. But when his dear old Da starts to let things slip about the job he used to hold—people he’s killed, countries he’s overthrown—old work “friends” show up to make sure he stays quiet. Was his grandfather really involved in a world of assassinations and coups, or are the stories just delusions of a crumbling mind? On the run from the police (and possibly something worse) before he has time to find out, Daniel may have to sacrifice everything to protect his grandfather from those who would do him harm.

REVIEW

Don’t read the back of this book, just buy it and enjoy the ride.

If you read the back of this book, you’ll give away some of the shocking secrets and ruin some of the beauty that comes from learning these secrets firsthand.

That said even if you do read the back of the book, it’s still worth buying.

Kill Switch is shocking and well written.

That sums up the book pretty succinctly, and explains why you should go out and buy it right now.

The connection between Daniel and his grandfather is just as beautiful as the metamorphosis of the characters is staggering. Even though the book is short it is defiantly worth the time and money. Chris Lynch just does such a fantastic job creating gut-wrenching situations in the most common places, while at the same time keeping the reader at the edge of their seat because of the shocking truths learned along the way.

All in all, the characters are beautifully written, the plot touching and invigorating, and the evolution of the characters and consequences from this evolution just knocks the air from your lungs leaving you shocked and dumbfounded. A must read for anyone, period. 

RATING

9 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers


Published: April 17, 2012


Price: $16.99

Emperor Mollusk versus the Sinister Brain: By A. Lee Martinez

Emperor Mollusk versus the Sinister Brain

SUMMARY

Emperor Mollusk.

Intergalactic Menace. Destroyer of Worlds. Conqueror of Other Worlds. Mad Genius. Ex-Warlord of Earth.

Not bad for a guy without a spine.

But what's a villain to do after he's done . . . everything. With no new ambitions, he's happy to pitch in and solve the energy crisis or repel alien invaders should the need arise, but if he had his way, he'd prefer to be left alone to explore the boundaries of dangerous science. Just as a hobby, of course.

Retirement isn't easy though. If the boredom doesn't get him, there's always the Venusians. Or the Saturnites. Or the Mercurials. Or . . . well, you get the idea. If that wasn't bad enough, there's also the assassins of a legendary death cult and an up-and-coming megalomaniac (as brilliant as he is bodiless) who have marked Emperor for their own nefarious purposes. But Mollusk isn't about to let the Earth slip out of his own tentacles and into the less capable clutches of another. So it's time to dust off the old death ray and come out of retirement. Except this time, he's not out to rule the world. He's out to save it from the peril of THE SINISTER BRAIN!

REVIEW

Are you looking for a book that is funny?

Full of action?

What about full of witty, well written characters?

Well Emperor Mollusk versus the Sinister Brain is the book for you then.

EM v. SB is fun, exciting, and really full of interesting and likable characters. How could a person not like a book that includes time travel, giant gelatin monsters, law suits in Atlantis, exploding spaceships, and talking dinosaurs. Of course, besides these wilder ideas, the background for the series is fun and incredibly imaginative, as there is a different species of alien on each planet, and almost all of them hate Emperor Mollusk.

Of course while I loved the fun that Martinez had in making this imaginative universe and situations, I also was very impressed by his characters. Readers get to see the transformation of the Emperor as he goes from evil scientist to renouncing his Empire on Earth, (don’t worry I didn’t give anything away, he starts out renouncing Earth and readers see why through flashback chapters.) Of course, besides the charming and utterly fantastic Emperor, Snarg was a ton of fun to read about. Snarg is the Emperor’s pet ultrapede, and key line of defense against attacks as this ultrapede is as vicious as it is hilarious in its kitten-like attitude around the Emperor.

All in all Emperor Mollusk is a great book. It’s funny, full of interesting and fun characters, and is jam packed with action. Exactly what you’d want in a light read.

INFO

Publisher: Orbit

Published: March 5, 2012

Price: $19.99

The Troupe: By Robert Jackson Bennett

THE TROUPE

SUMMARY

Vaudeville: mad, mercenary, dreamy, and absurd, a world of clashing cultures and ferocious showmanship and wickedly delightful deceptions.

But sixteen-year-old pianist George Carole has joined vaudeville for one reason only: to find the man he suspects to be his father, the great Heironomo Silenus. Yet as he chases down his father's troupe, he begins to understand that their performances are strange even for vaudeville: for wherever they happen to tour, the very nature of the world seems to change.

Because there is a secret within Silenus's show so ancient and dangerous that it has won him many powerful enemies. And it's not until after he joins them that George realizes the troupe is not simply touring: they are running for their lives.

And soon...he is as well.

REVIEW

The Troupe is unlike any book I’ve read in a long while. It is subtle yet gripping in the way that Bennett weaves this intricate tale of a vaudeville performer looking for his father, only to discover a truth far greater than he ever could have imagined.

The characters were imaginative and deep. As each strikes home in the readers mind with such a level of clarity and strength that they resonate hours after the last page is turned. Of course, besides these characters just being well written, they are also complex with back stories and events that truly caught me off guard and surprised me.

This level of surprise is similar to the plot of the book. The Troupe appears to start off slow and methodical, introducing only enough odd and interesting tidbits of information to string the reader along. But as the story progresses these tidbits of information and peculiar occurrences begin to add up, accelerating the story and upping the level of intrigue until, like a musical crescendo the story reaches a climax that will engross the reader with a level of excitement that can only be described as shock and awe.

All in all The Troupe is magical. It is filled with excitement, intrigue, and will captivate readers to the final pages. But most importantly it is a beautifully written work of art that will grip your heart with its final chapters, leaving your misty eyed and melancholy as you are both happy to have read this work as well as sad to see it finish. All in all a great book.

RATING

8 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Orbit

Published: February 21, 2012

Price: $13.99

Infamous: By Sherrilyn Kenyon

INFAMOUS

SUMMARY

The world has fallen in love with Nick Gautier and the Dark-Hunters.

Now Nick’s saga continues in the next eagerly anticipated volume...

Go to school. Get good grades. Stay out of trouble. That’s the mandate for most kids. But Nick Gautier isn’t the average teenager. He’s a boy with a destiny not even he fully understands. And his first mandate is to stay alive while everyone, even his own father, tries to kill him.

He’s learned to annihilate zombies and raise the dead, divination and clairvoyance, so why is learning to drive and keep a girlfriend so dang hard? But that isn’t the primary skill he has to master. Survival is.

REVIEW

While not as breathtakingly addictive as the first book in the series, Infinity, Infamous is still so delectably addictive that I spent the following two days after I picked it up unable to do anything else but read it.

Infamous like the previous books in the series is a rollercoaster ride of adrenaline pumped action. Unlike the zombie attack that Nick had to deal with before, or the killer coach, this time Nick has to deal with even worse enemies and issues including; killer insects, felony charges, and last but certainly not least, his father. While these attacks and enemies don’t seem as scary as a full on zombie attack, killer werewolves, or even getting shot, let me assure you this is one of the tightest situation Nick has ever been in

Not only are the enemies great, but the magic and powers reach a new peak. This is the first book in the series we really get an inside look at Nick’s powers and what he can become. Kenyon does a great job creating engaging powers that leave an air of mystery as to what will happen to Nick’s future. She explains how things can change from the future readers have seen, and really open up the series to a new set of possibilities.

All in all Infamous was fun and exciting. Its high level of adrenaline pumping action was exactly what I was looking for and it met expectations handily. All in all a great new addition to the series.

INFO

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Published: March 13, 2012

Price: $18.99

Curveball The Year I Lost My Grip: By Jordan Sonnenblick

CURVEBALL THE YEAR I LOST MY GRIP

SUMMARY

Sometimes, the greatest comebacks take place far away from the ball field.

Meet Peter Friedman, high school freshman. Talented photographer. Former baseball star. When a freakish injury ends his pitching career, Peter has some major things to figure out. Is there life after sports? Why has his grandfather suddenly given him thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment? And is it his imagination, or is the super-hot star of the girls' swim team flirting with him, right in front of the amazing new girl in his photography class?

REVIEW

I’ve been a fan of Jordan Sonnenblick for years, ever since he wrote Drums Girls and Dangerous Pie. In my opinion, he’s one of the best non-genre YA writer out there. His books are ALWAYS filled with fantastic characters, touching stories, and are incredibly well written.

That being said, Curveball The Year I Lost My Grip, is no exception to Sonnenblicks other great books. In fact, just liked the characters in Sonnenblick’s other books, the protagonist Peter, his best friend AJ, and his grandfather are all fantastic characters. They are relatable, realistic, and likable. Of course besides being fun characters to read about they also grow in realistic yet significant ways. No character is two dimensional, and each had enough spark and life to them that they could have their own book written about them if Sonnenblick had wanted.

Of course besides having fantastic characters the story itself was interesting and well written. Curveball speaks on a number of important issues. It touches on losing the thing that most defines you, rediscovering who you are, viewing life through another’s eyes, and even the struggles of Alzheimer’s disease. Of course, it does all of this while maintaining a speedy pace and while creating an interesting love story.

All in all Curveball is a fantastic book. It’s well written, the story is engaging, and the characters superb. Another homerun from the king of YA fiction.

RATING

9 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Published: March 1, 2012

Price: $17.99

Goblin Secrets: By William Alexander

GOBLIN SECRETS

SUMMARY

A boy joins a theatrical troupe of goblins to find his missing brother.

In the town of Zombay, there is a witch named Graba who has clockwork chicken legs and moves her house around—much like the fairy tale figure of Baba Yaga. Graba takes in stray children, and Rownie is the youngest boy in her household. Rownie’s only real relative is his older brother Rowan, who is an actor. But acting is outlawed in Zombay, and Rowan has disappeared.

Desperate to find him, Rownie joins up with a troupe of goblins who skirt the law to put on plays. But their plays are not only for entertainment, and the masks they use are for more than make-believe. The goblins also want to find Rowan—because Rowan might be the only person who can save the town from being flooded by a mighty river.

REVIEW

While aimed at a bit younger audience than I usually like this Goblin Secrets was full of interesting characters and makes for a entertaining book.

Rownie’s a fun and brave protagonist perfect for the target audience. Hi’s transformation over the book acts as a great coming of age/strength story that kids will love. Of course besides being a great actor Rownie is determined, strong, and quick witted. All in all a fantastic underdog.

Of course while I liked Rownie, Graba and the Mayor make fantastic antagonists (Graba very much reminded me of a combination of Ursula from The Little Mermaid and a number of the characters from Spirited Away). They are gruesome combination of parts, take advantage of the weak, and are just despicable.

Speaking of combination of parts, I thought it was an interesting creation to make people part machine, but I would have liked an explanation as to why it was that way, or why goblins were not that way. Basically I wanted more back story.

All in all I thought it was a fun book for its age group. It has a likable protagonist, despicable villains, and an interesting world full of goblins and half machine half human creatures. In a word FUN.

INFO

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Published: March 6, 2012

Price: $16.99

Starters: By Lissa Price

STARTERS

SUMMARY

In the future, teens rent their bodies to seniors who want to be young again. One girl discovers her renter plans to do more than party--her body will commit murder, if her mind can't stop it. Sixteen-year-old Callie lost her parents when the genocide spore wiped out everyone except those who were vaccinated first--the very young and very old. With no grandparents to claim Callie and her little brother, they go on the run, living as squatters, and fighting off unclaimed renegades who would kill for a cookie. Hope comes via Prime Destinations, run by a mysterious figure known only as The Old Man. He hires teens to rent their bodies to seniors, known as enders, who get to be young again. Callie's neurochip malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her rich renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, even dating Blake, the grandson of a senator. It's a fairy-tale new life . . . until she uncovers the Body Bank's horrible plan. . . .

REVIEW

When I read the synopsis on Starters originally I wasn’t sold on the book. I thought it seemed a little too into the romance and relationship and couldn’t see where the story was going to go.

Then I read one of Price’s e-books that tied into the book, and liked the characters (especially Michael) and thought it was engaging. So I figured why not give Starters a shot.

I’m very glad I did.

Starters is a really good book. Price does a good job building this post apocalyptic world where the only humans left are the very old and the very young. I found myself being sucked into the story, and found to my dismay that before long I had reached the end of the book (it was also to the dismay of my work as I realized I hadn’t done anything except read that day, because I just couldn’t put the book down.) The book is not short, it was just that engaging.

Callie is a great protagonist, she’s strong, smart, and determined, while at the same time not infallible. This combination makes for a relatable protagonist that readers will find themselves rooting for. Michael is a character that I really liked in the short story I read, but I didn’t feel like he had any real presence here in the actual book. I’m hoping more short stories and possibly Enders, the next book in the series, features Michael more prominently, as I feel he’s a fantastic character that has a lot of potential that I don’t believe was given his fair share in the first book.

Of course, besides characters, the book is well written and full of much more action than I was expecting. I really was caught off guard by the abrupt changes that occurred in the story, caused by some of the blackouts and whatnot, but I have to say it was very well done and made for very interesting twists to the story.

Speaking of twists, if for nothing else than readers should read Starters just for the last page. I was shocked when I read it and can’t wait for the next book to come out.

All in all a great start to a exciting new series.

RATING

8 out 0f 10

INFO

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Published: March 13, 2012

Price: $17.99