Series: The SYLO Chronicles #1
Author: D.J. MacHale
Release date: July 2, 2013
Publisher: Razorbill
Genres: dystopia, myster, action
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THEY CAME FROM THE SKY
parachuting out of military helicopters to invade Tucker Pierce’s idyllic hometown on Pemberwick Island, Maine.
They call themselves SYLO and they are a secret branch of the U.S. Navy. SYLO’s commander, Captain Granger, informs Pemberwick residents that the island has been hit by a lethal virus and must be quarantined. Now Pemberwick is cut off from the outside world.
Tucker believes there’s more to SYLO’s story. He was on the sidelines when the high school running back dropped dead with no warning. He saw the bizarre midnight explosion over the ocean, and the mysterious singing aircraft that travel like shadows through the night sky. He tasted the Ruby—and experienced the powers it gave him—for himself.
What all this means, SYLO isn’t saying. Only Tucker holds the clues that can solve this deadly mystery.
LOOK TO THE SKY
because Pemberwick is only the first stop.
Review: I'm not really sure what to say about SYLO. I enjoyed it a lot and it's written well; but it's definitely not my favorite book by MacHale. I've read all of his published books and he's one of my favorite authors but a lot of this book goes way over my head. At the beginning of the book, we're thrown into a football game. I don't know anything about football - and I read through it - but it felt a lot like walking through a maze with someone leading the way. I know we're going to get to the end but I have no idea how we're going to get there or how long it's going to take. Actually, a lot of the book felt like that. Fortunately, it's fast paced and keeps you at the edge of your seat even if it's a bit predictable. Unless you haven't read MacHale's books before, then I'm guessing it's a little bit less so.
The characters are easy to identify with. For me, at least. The main character, Tucker, is your regular not-so-talented teenager. He kind of floats along and doesn't take any real initiative. He'd much rather sit back and enjoy his time than take risks and put his neck on the line for anything. Even joining the football team was because he'd be the backup of the star player and wouldn't get noticed because he'd be on the bench. I deal with this sort of problem myself, so it was easy for me to read about. However, MacHale writes Tucker ranting and whining about this situation at least once every few chapters and it gets really tiring about halfway through. To me, this is the only major flaw in the book.
Overall, I'd recommend it if you want something easy, quick and entertaining to read. Definitely not a priority. (Also read a little about football, golf course and boat terminology before reading or you'll get lost some of the time!)
Rating: 4.5/5 stars.
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