DESERT FIRE, by H.M Prevost, is an action packed YA novel where teenager Nick Chevalier accidentally happens on some military secrets that make him a target for terrorists.
When a jet crashes into the desert near Abu Dhabi, only a stowaway manages to eject safely.
Nick, an aspiring journalist, has just moved with his mother and sister to the United Arab Emirates. When he sees the plane going down, his investigative juices start flowing. Grabbing a ride with a couple of Arab kids, they arrive first on the scene. Nick notices the plane's military markings and then finds a survivor. The man tries to tell Nick something but dies as Nick sees a charred American insignia on his miitary uniform. The other kids, scared of trouble, grab him as sirens wail and a helicopter appears. They escape.
Only later does Nick find the soldier gave him something. A mini CD that lands Nick in big trouble.
I had to suspend disbelief a lot. From the moment Nick, a newcomer and a Canadian, jumped into a Hummer with Arab kids he didn't know, I kept wanting to say, "Dude! Think this over! You're new here and don't even speak the language!" But he kept doing stuff like that so finally, I just went with the flow because the description of the country and its citizens made me want to keep reading. The author has obviously lived a long time in the Arab world and loves it.
Very nice read.
Showing posts with label YA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label YA. Show all posts
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Sunday, December 4, 2011
DUST
Excellent MG story. Eleven-year-old Robert is the only one who suspects the stranger in town is...not what he seems.
This story by Arthur Slade takes place in the Canada, during their Dust Bowl of the 1930s. I could almost taste the dust from Slade's descriptive writing. One day Robert's younger brother Matthew sets off to walk to town with his parents to follow a few minutes later. Matthew never reaches town. He's gone.
That same day a stranger appears who promises he can make rain. Only Robert and his Uncle Alden are skeptical. Robert's parents fall into line with the rest of the town and in the process seem to forget entirely about the missing Matthew and two other missing children. Then strange things begin happening...
Eerie, fascinating, compelling.
An easy read for adults and middle graders should enjoy it as well.
This story by Arthur Slade takes place in the Canada, during their Dust Bowl of the 1930s. I could almost taste the dust from Slade's descriptive writing. One day Robert's younger brother Matthew sets off to walk to town with his parents to follow a few minutes later. Matthew never reaches town. He's gone.
That same day a stranger appears who promises he can make rain. Only Robert and his Uncle Alden are skeptical. Robert's parents fall into line with the rest of the town and in the process seem to forget entirely about the missing Matthew and two other missing children. Then strange things begin happening...
Eerie, fascinating, compelling.
An easy read for adults and middle graders should enjoy it as well.
Friday, February 18, 2011
SWITCHED
I just finished Amanda Hocking's SWITCHED, the first of her Trylle Trilogy. I got it on my Kindle because I'd read how Hocking self-published her YA paranormals after failing to sell to a big publisher. In January, 450,000 copies of her books, mostly ebooks, of the nine she's written. That's pretty impressive considering they've been out there only since last March.
SWITCHED was 99 cents (I think most of her titles are 99 cents to 2.99) so I wasn't out much by trying it.
The storyline was good. It was about trolls and teenage angst. I can see where it would appeal to the younger crowd.
Wendy finds she's a changeling. Her troll mother exchanged her for a human when she was born. Unfortunately, after her father died, her human mother somehow realizes Wendy's not her child and tried to kill six-year-old Wendy.
When Wendy, bring brought up by her brother and aunt, approaches eighteen, a tracker - hunky mysterious Finn - is sent to bring her to the trolls' kingdom/compound in Minnesota. There she discovers she's - dah dah! - not just a troll. She's the princess troll.
But her homecoming is not welcoming, her mother is cold, and a princess can't make it with a tracker like Finn (they're almost at the bottom of the rankings for trolls). Worse, a renegade band of trolls comes after her for her - wait for it - powers!
The writing craft needed some work, but mainly the book needed a good editor.
Since trolls, zombies, and vampires have palled on me and since I'm no longer a teenager, the book didn't enchant. But it was a quick read and I didn't stop in the middle as I've been prone to do lately. Youngsters will enjoy it.
SWITCHED was 99 cents (I think most of her titles are 99 cents to 2.99) so I wasn't out much by trying it.
The storyline was good. It was about trolls and teenage angst. I can see where it would appeal to the younger crowd.
Wendy finds she's a changeling. Her troll mother exchanged her for a human when she was born. Unfortunately, after her father died, her human mother somehow realizes Wendy's not her child and tried to kill six-year-old Wendy.
When Wendy, bring brought up by her brother and aunt, approaches eighteen, a tracker - hunky mysterious Finn - is sent to bring her to the trolls' kingdom/compound in Minnesota. There she discovers she's - dah dah! - not just a troll. She's the princess troll.
But her homecoming is not welcoming, her mother is cold, and a princess can't make it with a tracker like Finn (they're almost at the bottom of the rankings for trolls). Worse, a renegade band of trolls comes after her for her - wait for it - powers!
The writing craft needed some work, but mainly the book needed a good editor.
Since trolls, zombies, and vampires have palled on me and since I'm no longer a teenager, the book didn't enchant. But it was a quick read and I didn't stop in the middle as I've been prone to do lately. Youngsters will enjoy it.
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