Rachel C. (RachelACrawford) reviewed on + 22 more book reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing start to a new YA series..., November 4, 2010
I was so excited about this release and had high hopes for a YA novel written by Kathy Reichs, the author of the Tempe Brennan forensic anthropology book series for adults but I was very disappointed in this first outing. My focus when buying YA is to please savvy and enthusiastic readers who are high school age teens. The age of the protagonist female (Tory) in this book at 14 really bothered me and I felt was written a bit too "young" for the activities she became engaged in with her cohort of boys from the local prep school they all attended and from the island where they all lived. She was a bit of a "know it all" just like her great aunt seems sometimes to be to me in all of the "Bones" books I've read! Although there were attempts made to educate the readers about the science, it seemed like it was lecture rather than true teen interaction and dialog. Is anyone but me tired of these supposed "brainiac" kids who all happen to be friends and form a little club of sorts to outsmart adults and/or outwit criminals?
The story was somewhat preposterous as she and the boys (so stereotypical as the nerd, the klutz and the quiet, strong type -- Shelton, Hi and Ben) do a lot of breaking and entering and engage in some unbelievable research, snooping, and sleuthing in terms of what their searches find. Of course the parents are absent and clueless about what their offspring are doing. Their fellow students at the high school are also cliche -- the "mean girls", the jock, and the really cute rich guy who flirts with our heroine even though he has a gorgeous girlfriend. I found the suspension of disbelief required to be just too much. Even with their new found powers (derived from what exactly? a supervirus?), the narrative defied my ability to be entertained and mostly irritated me.
The plot moved along at a good pace but the entire story, even though identified as fantasy with paranormal elements, was implausible and predictable. No surprises here. Others have suggested that this book is a sort of science-based Nancy Drew -- but I disagree -- Carolyn Keene wrote a much more believable mystery stories with more finely nuanced characters.
Alas, it could have been a "smart" novel but it devolved into mediocrity and I'm sorry to say I won't be reading any more in what is sure to be a series. Perhaps OK for middle school but too "young" for secondary students or young adults.
I was so excited about this release and had high hopes for a YA novel written by Kathy Reichs, the author of the Tempe Brennan forensic anthropology book series for adults but I was very disappointed in this first outing. My focus when buying YA is to please savvy and enthusiastic readers who are high school age teens. The age of the protagonist female (Tory) in this book at 14 really bothered me and I felt was written a bit too "young" for the activities she became engaged in with her cohort of boys from the local prep school they all attended and from the island where they all lived. She was a bit of a "know it all" just like her great aunt seems sometimes to be to me in all of the "Bones" books I've read! Although there were attempts made to educate the readers about the science, it seemed like it was lecture rather than true teen interaction and dialog. Is anyone but me tired of these supposed "brainiac" kids who all happen to be friends and form a little club of sorts to outsmart adults and/or outwit criminals?
The story was somewhat preposterous as she and the boys (so stereotypical as the nerd, the klutz and the quiet, strong type -- Shelton, Hi and Ben) do a lot of breaking and entering and engage in some unbelievable research, snooping, and sleuthing in terms of what their searches find. Of course the parents are absent and clueless about what their offspring are doing. Their fellow students at the high school are also cliche -- the "mean girls", the jock, and the really cute rich guy who flirts with our heroine even though he has a gorgeous girlfriend. I found the suspension of disbelief required to be just too much. Even with their new found powers (derived from what exactly? a supervirus?), the narrative defied my ability to be entertained and mostly irritated me.
The plot moved along at a good pace but the entire story, even though identified as fantasy with paranormal elements, was implausible and predictable. No surprises here. Others have suggested that this book is a sort of science-based Nancy Drew -- but I disagree -- Carolyn Keene wrote a much more believable mystery stories with more finely nuanced characters.
Alas, it could have been a "smart" novel but it devolved into mediocrity and I'm sorry to say I won't be reading any more in what is sure to be a series. Perhaps OK for middle school but too "young" for secondary students or young adults.
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