Author: D.J. MacHale
Series: The SYLO Chronicles #1
Publisher: Razorbill
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Format: Hardcover, 407 pages
Release Date: July 2, 2013
Source: Mid-Columbia Libraries
Rating: 3.5 Stars
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Synopsis
from Goodreads:
Does Tucker Pierce have what it takes to be a hero
when the U.S. military quarantines his island?
Fourteen-year-old Tucker Pierce prefers to fly under the radar. He’s used to navigating around summer tourists in his hometown on idyllic Pemberwick Island, Maine. He’s content to sit on the sidelines as a backup player on the high school football team. And though his best friend Quinn tells him to “go for it,” he’s too chicken to ask Tori Sleeper on a date. There’s always tomorrow, he figures. Then Pemberwick Island is invaded by a mysterious branch of the U.S. military called SYLO. And sitting on the sidelines is no longer an option for Tucker, because tomorrow may never come.
It’s up to Tucker, Quinn, and Tori to uncover the truth about the singing aircraft that appears only at night—and the stranger named Feit who’s pushing a red crystal he calls the Ruby that brings unique powers to all who take it. Tucker and his friends must rescue not just Pemberwick Island, but the fate of the world—and all before tomorrow is too late.
#1 New York Times bestselling author D.J. MacHale brings his brilliant plotting and breathless pacing to SYLO, the first in this ultimate end-of-the-world adventure trilogy.
Fourteen-year-old Tucker Pierce prefers to fly under the radar. He’s used to navigating around summer tourists in his hometown on idyllic Pemberwick Island, Maine. He’s content to sit on the sidelines as a backup player on the high school football team. And though his best friend Quinn tells him to “go for it,” he’s too chicken to ask Tori Sleeper on a date. There’s always tomorrow, he figures. Then Pemberwick Island is invaded by a mysterious branch of the U.S. military called SYLO. And sitting on the sidelines is no longer an option for Tucker, because tomorrow may never come.
It’s up to Tucker, Quinn, and Tori to uncover the truth about the singing aircraft that appears only at night—and the stranger named Feit who’s pushing a red crystal he calls the Ruby that brings unique powers to all who take it. Tucker and his friends must rescue not just Pemberwick Island, but the fate of the world—and all before tomorrow is too late.
#1 New York Times bestselling author D.J. MacHale brings his brilliant plotting and breathless pacing to SYLO, the first in this ultimate end-of-the-world adventure trilogy.
My
Review:
This is a high-action, high-intensity book. It was
nonstop from start to finish. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. My
heart was racing and my mind was spinning trying to figure out what was going
on.
The book takes place on Pemberwick Island. Life is
pretty normal until a high school football player drops dead for no apparent
reason. Then things get crazy. A mysterious branch of the military, SYLO,
invades the island, placing it under quarantine for some unknown virus. No one
is allowed on or off the island. But it is beginning to become more and more
apparent that the quarantine is just a story. People are being taken prisoner.
Strange black ships are flying around in the sky, bombing things, and don’t forget
the strange red crystal, a substance that turns people into super humans. The
people of Pemberwick Island have been shut off from the mainland. They’re not
even getting news feeds and the phone service has been completely eliminated.
The main character, Tucker, is trying to figure out
what is going on. Tucker was okay. There wasn’t really anything wrong with him,
but he didn’t make a huge impression on me. In fact, none of the characters
really stood out to me. They just all had kind of flat personalities with the exception
of Tucker’s best friend, Quinn. He was by far my favorite character. He’s smart
and not afraid to put himself out there. Normally I don’t like a book that has
mediocre characters, but the plot made up for it a bit in this one.
This is definitely a “boy” book. And what I mean by
that is that it’s packed with tons of nonstop action, talks a lot about
football, and doesn’t have a super steamy romance. There’s a crazy naval battle
at the end that had me biting my nails. This would be a great book for any teen
boys looking for recommendations. Or if you’re a girl who happens to like
intense action and government conspiracies. I’m one of those girls.
Nobody knows what’s going on in the entire book,
including you, the reader. I was sitting there trying to put the puzzle pieces
together the whole time. I didn’t succeed. There was just too much going on. At
times it got confusing, but I stuck with it because I felt like the end result
was going to be worth it. But then it wasn’t. We find out nothing in this book.
I understand that it’s the first book in a series, but I expected to get a bit
more. It was really disappointing and I almost felt cheated. I had just spent
however many hours reading the book and then we just barely scraped the surface
of what was happening. And it really sucked, because up until the end, I was
really enjoying it. And now I just don’t even know what to think.
I honestly don’t know if I’ll be continuing the
series. I just feel too betrayed. Maybe I’ll get over it eventually and
continue on, but right now, I’m going to move on to other books and stop
thinking about this one. Happy reading all!
Hmm...I hate books where we find out nothing (although it's not as bad if the series is done). The nonstop action sounds good, but this is one I'll probably pass on. Thanks for the honest review! ~Pam
ReplyDeleteYeah, I would pass on it. I was just so frustrated about it. And I feel like every day that passes, my rating goes down. The more I think about it, the more frustrated I get. Boo.
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