This series is continuing strong, with Tom in ever more difficult and dangerous situations, but finally learning a more subtle defiance. I cheer for him, I despair for him, I can't wait to see what happens next. Fast-paced, chilling, and an all-to-believable corporate controlled future.
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#2is better than #1:
Vortex is great suspenseful sequel to S J Kincaid's first novel, Insignia. The same characters are in this one and true colors come out from everyone, and the team finds corruption in all counts if government. A great lead to the final book in the series ( )

Nice fast paced action cyber story. Bit of a techno Harry Potter but for more mature readers. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Interesting young adult science fiction novel that started out really slow but ended up being a very enjoyable read.

Opening Sentence: You’ve got to see this watch, Tommy.

The Review:

This story is set in a futuristic world where wars are all fought in space. To try to spare as many human lives as possible the government from each country have high tech droids fight each other in space. All the droids are controlled by an elite group of kids that have an internal processor implanted into their brains. Each person has been handpicked by their individual governments to represent their country.

15-year old Tom Raines is just starting his second year at Pentagonal Spire. He got through his brutal first year and now he is set to eventually become a CamCo, or in other words someone who actually gets to fight in the wars. This is the highest level the students can reach, but to make CamCo you don’t only have to have mad skills you also have to get a sponsor. It is very expensive to fund this war and no one wants to waste their time or money on someone that isn’t going to deliver. If Tom wants to advance his career he is going to have to betray everything he has ever believed in and try to suck up to the rich people he despises. Tom has always believed in being one step ahead of his competitors but he soon learns that not all his enemies are far from home. Will he be able to outwit some of the most dangerous people in the world or will his idealism cost him everything?

Tom was an extremely frustrating character for most of the book, but luckily by the end he got better. I admit he is a fifteen year old boy and boys at that age are reckless and immature, but he took it to a whole other level. Some of the choices he made were just blatantly stupid and that really annoyed me. Also, he is unbelievably stubborn. I get wanting to stick up for what you believe in, but there are rules set in place for a reason and just because you don’t like them doesn’t mean you don’t have to follow them. I was really glad that he does finally learn from some of his mistakes and eventually I rediscovered the Tom I loved from the first book. He is a born leader and too smart for his own good, but deep down he is a good person. By the end, I felt like he was someone I could respect and I hope that continues in the next book.

Vortex was a great sci-fi book filled with action and suspense, but it had a really slow start. It actually took me weeks to finish this book, because I just couldn’t get into it. I will admit that by about half way through the story it got way better and I am glad I ended up finishing it. I just felt that the first 150 pages of the book could have been condescended into like 50 pages and I wouldn’t have missed anything. But with that being said, once I was finally able to reconnect with the story I ended up really enjoying it. There is some really great humor in the story and I loved watching how all the characters developed. The plot ended up being very intriguing and the ending left me really excited to see how the story ends. While I didn’t love everything about this book, I would still highly recommend you give this series a try if you like young adult science fiction novels.

Notable Scene:

WHY DO I KEEP SEEING ANGRY GNOMES?

Tom managed a grin where he was dangling, his initial worry about an AI doomsday scenario fading away, replaced by glee that he’d gotten his reply. “You’re here! It’s so great you’re here!” he said to the air.

STOP sending gnomes. I mean it.

Tom laughed, giddy. The hand wasn’t crushing him, just giving him a scare. “Medusa, meet me online.”

I do not want to talk to you. Stop trying to contact me.

“Online. Once. Only Once. Hear me out.”

No. You don’t know what you’re doing, Mordred. Stay out of our system. If I see gnomes again, I will come back here and kill you.

“Nah, I don’t think so. You might kill me one day, but it won’t be over gnomes.”

You underestimate how annoying it is seeing them everywhere.

FTC Advisory: HarperTeen provided me with a copy of Vortex. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )

This is the second book in the Insignia series. It is a very well-written book that I couldn't put down! It has a lot of adventure and heaps of cliff hangers. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes science-fiction and war. This book is a favorite of mine because it kind of messes with you, and you have to try to wrap your head around the book. I think it deserves a very good rating.

The book starts where Insignia finishes off. Tom discovers that the Pentagonal Spire, where he and his friends are being trained as superhuman weapons, is filled with corruption. Tom looses all of his fingers to the freezing Antarctic whilst on a tour of the sponsors 'lair'. Tom discovers Medusa, a legendary war hero from the opposing side. Their relationship is a bit scattered. They talk, fight, talk , fight again, make-up and then don't talk again for many weeks. I don't really know what to think of the way Tom takes care of things. He defiantly has what it takes to be a great mastermind of war and programing though... ( )