It seemed like an ordinary day when Kyle took his rebellious best friend, Briana, to the lake. The trip would change his life forever. During that trip, Briana found a mysterious substance she became dependant on. She grew to be addicted. Kyle’s situation escalated quickly, the government found out and wanted answers. Especially if they got their own desired results. His choice between silence and singing like a canary might decide if Briana lives or dies (in more way than one.)
This book was short! I should say this first, my little warnings. Cussing (high side of mild), underage drinking, mentions of illegal substances (no duh) and a mention of nudity (interpret that how you will.) Know that none of those are focal points (besides the substance abuse) they are merely passing mentions or thoughts. I have to say, I’m not sure I would have picked this book up off the shelf at the bookstore to read just for fun. But, one thing it would be absolutely perfect for, is older reluctant reader. It’s a topic for older kids, but doesn’t have an intimidating size (It is just over 100 ebook pages, most books covering drug/substance abuses are over 300 or 400 pages.)
Just to be clear, the substance used in Wild Child is not a known substance, it’s entirely new to society (although, it’s a scientifically accurate as something unknown can be.)
One more thing I would like to highlight. The ending is in a format I have only seen one other time (in a book which is totally unspeakable in my mind.) I personally call it a Plateau Ending. For EXAMPLE:
CLIFFHANGER:
“Henry stared off the cliff edge, no one had ever lived to tell the tale but he had heard legends of people surviving. He had to try though, hundreds of lives depended on it. It was also his last option, so he steeled himself and jumped.
”
What does that tell you? It tells you that he jumped. It tells you that the character is definitely doing something life-altering or life-ending, and that you will almost certainly learn the results.
PLATEAU:
“Henry looked at the edge of the cliff in the horizon. He saw one possible option, so he started walking towards it.”
What does this tell you?
A plateau ending tells you that an unknown is happening. The story is still in action and the pinnacle point is yet to come. For all you know, there is a foot bridge to another cliff. Or, he was sampling looking for the closest spring of water and the spring just happened to be dangerously close to the edge. It also is a possibility that the author is finished with his story. A simple means of making sure the reader keeps on wondering (which I certainly did with this book.) If anything, you should read it for the unique ending. I am eager to see if there will be a sequel. (sorry, this review is REALLY long! I just had too much to say!)
Lilith (Wild Child #2)
Improvement. That’'s what this entire book told me. Wild Child had lots of action and a minimum amount of information (enough so you knew what was going on.)That’'s great (especially when you love action) but Lilith had a PERFECT balance of plot, and action. After a couple chapters, I thought ‘'yes. *fist pump of triumph* He'’s got the balance’ it was perfect. I recommend this series, I can'’t wait to see what happens next!
IQ is very unique, it has many entertaining aspects. IQ: Independence Hall has high tech gadgets, aliases, danger, death and espionage. This book followed Quest and his new step sister Angela Tucker as their lives turned from fun to frightening. Just as they had adjusted to life on the road with their parent’s band tour; Angela noticed that she was being followed. Their whole way of life unraveled when they discovered that their traveling RV mechanic (Boone) was a retired CIA operative and Angela’s mom, Malak, was alive. The problem with that was, Malak (a secret service agent) was declared dead years ago. Q and Angela were not the only ones who knew though, a huge terrorist cell knew; they weren’t going to rest until she was dead. They barely had enough time to grasp all this new information when an attempt on their lives was taken. Can they save her mom from the terrorists before it is too late? Or will they pay for her freedom with their lives?
Roland Smith has done a fantastic job at this realistic fiction book. Bravo is one word that comes to mind. It did a wonderful job of revealing terrorism in America without getting gory. However, the book is so realistic, that whenever Angela’s mom was mentioned (especially the way she died) I found myself reliving that awful morning, Tuesday September 11, 2001. Maybe it didn’t happen to you; maybe you didn’t see it on the news. For me however, the video was seemingly burned into my mind in slow motion. IQ is an excellent book (and I am looking forward to the sequel), but it is realistic fiction. If you were severely affected by terrorism or 9/11, maybe this isn’t the book for you. Or maybe it would be therapeutic to read about two teens fighting terrorism. This is for you to decide.
IQ: The White House
IQ: The White House hooks you with action and then blasts away like a rocket ship. It had more aliases more deception, and more secrets. It was bigger, better and more explosive, literally, stuff really explodes. Absolutely everything was dumped upside down and rearranged. Some pretty cool new characters came in to play. As always, one of the most fascinating things is how Roland Smith seamlessly engages political warfare and dynamics in the series. It appears so real, you feel like you might pick up the phone and ask the white house just what they plan to do with the huge ghost cell right under their noses. I waited over a year for this sequel and I am happy to say I was not disappointed