Walter Jury

You're looking at a girl who can't read a science fiction book without being half bored to death. I don't know why! I just never seem to be able to concentrate enough to grasp what's actually going on. I think sci-fi isn't the genre that "clicks" with me.

However there was something about Scan that definitely clicked with me. Tate's father has always trained him to be "prepared". Prepared for what, exactly? Tate never knew. Until the day his father is shot and Tate discovers that an alien show more invasion is taking place.

What I liked about this story is the fact that everything seemed so believable. There was nothing I couldn't grasp, and it was honestly very interesting. The alien concept was so different than what I'm used to. You hear "alien" and think of creatures with giant heads and green skin. Here we get a whole different take on what "aliens" are.

Tate is a character that I really really liked. He was smart in every sense of the word, and yet he didn't brag about it. He didn't feel presumptuous when he said he could speak more than 10 languages. I really liked that about him. Tate is so imaginative and inventive when it comes to survival. He made a weapon out of oranges. ORANGES! I really loved every second where he would create new weapons and inventions in desperate situations.

"When you touch something, your skin leaves behind all sorts of stuff- amino acids, isoagglutinogen, potassium, and a bunch of other compounds. [...] All it took to gather the fingerprint was a lightbulb, some foil, a bit of superglue, this strip of tape, and some vodka."

I also really enjoyed his relationship with Christina. We finally see the relationship through his eyes. For once we don't need to second guess what Tate's real feelings are, because we know that he really cares for her. His relationship with Christina never seemed "in the way" of anything, which I also loved to see.

What I didn't expect was to see such a well-developed relationship with his mother. It's common in YA to see absentee parents, so when I actually saw Tate's mother playing such a big part of the story, I was pleased. His relationship with her at first is really estranged. Once they start getting to know each other and actually speaking to each other and conveying how they feel, you could actually see a real mother-son bond forming. It was so nice!

This book is definitely action-packed and I really could not put it down until the very end. There were lots of twists, turns, and surprises that just left you in awe. I cannot wait for the next book, since this one left me with a really significant cliffhanger.

A digital review copy of this book was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I also own a physical copy which I won in a giveaway show less

You're looking at a girl who can't read a science fiction book without being half bored to death. I don't know why! I just never seem to be able to concentrate enough to grasp what's actually going on. I think sci-fi isn't the genre that "clicks" with me.

However there was something about Scan that definitely clicked with me. Tate's father has always trained him to be "prepared". Prepared for what, exactly? Tate never knew. Until the day his father is shot and Tate discovers that an alien show more invasion is taking place.

What I liked about this story is the fact that everything seemed so believable. There was nothing I couldn't grasp, and it was honestly very interesting. The alien concept was so different than what I'm used to. You hear "alien" and think of creatures with giant heads and green skin. Here we get a whole different take on what "aliens" are.

Tate is a character that I really really liked. He was smart in every sense of the word, and yet he didn't brag about it. He didn't feel presumptuous when he said he could speak more than 10 languages. I really liked that about him. Tate is so imaginative and inventive when it comes to survival. He made a weapon out of oranges. ORANGES! I really loved every second where he would create new weapons and inventions in desperate situations.

"When you touch something, your skin leaves behind all sorts of stuff- amino acids, isoagglutinogen, potassium, and a bunch of other compounds. [...] All it took to gather the fingerprint was a lightbulb, some foil, a bit of superglue, this strip of tape, and some vodka."

I also really enjoyed his relationship with Christina. We finally see the relationship through his eyes. For once we don't need to second guess what Tate's real feelings are, because we know that he really cares for her. His relationship with Christina never seemed "in the way" of anything, which I also loved to see.

What I didn't expect was to see such a well-developed relationship with his mother. It's common in YA to see absentee parents, so when I actually saw Tate's mother playing such a big part of the story, I was pleased. His relationship with her at first is really estranged. Once they start getting to know each other and actually speaking to each other and conveying how they feel, you could actually see a real mother-son bond forming. It was so nice!

This book is definitely action-packed and I really could not put it down until the very end. There were lots of twists, turns, and surprises that just left you in awe. I cannot wait for the next book, since this one left me with a really significant cliffhanger. show less

When I first started this book, I was not sure what to think. But I had heard good things about Sarah Fine's writing so I kept reading. I was not disappointed.

SPOILERS AHEAD

This was a fantastic book! The beginning was slow and I kept thinking "is this book about wrestling/boxing?" which, frankly, did not interest me. However, it quickly changed and I was very glad.

So basically, humans are being wiped out but not all of them know it. The H2 have invaded Earth but most of them do not realize show more that they are not human now that a few generations have gone by. However, less than a quarter of the population is human.

Tate stole a piece of equipment from his father's lab but has no idea what it does, all he knows is that it either shows a blue or red light (or orange but we don't know what that color means yet). Then all of a sudden he's running for his life, fighting his teacher, trying to save his girlfriend, trying to save his dad, his dad dies, Tate and Christina are running for their lives, Tate reconnects with his mom, Christina gets shot, they go to a safe house which turns out to not be safe, they escape, they get the scanner back, and now they are on the run again. Now, add a ton more action to that and you will have the book.

While that description makes it seem very straight forward and simple, it's not. There are many twists and turns in this book which keep you on the edge of your seat and not wanting to put the book down for a minute.

Tate is a good kid and he is trying his best. He had no clue what his family truly was or that there were aliens. All he wanted was to make his dad proud of him and to make his girlfriend, Christina, happy.

I have so much empathy for Christina. At the beginning of the book, she was the ideal girl. Now she finds out that she is actually an alien and that, while Tate still loves her, his family doesn't want them together because they want to keep the family line "pure". Even after she has risked her life multiple times to save his, his mom doesn't completely accept her for something that she cannot control. Which is a common theme throughout history.

This is a very great book! It is engaging and adventurous. The characters are easy to understand and relate to. It was easy to understand and follow and was never boring, except for the very beginning in my opinion.

5 stars! Can't wait to read book 2! show less

This is a really fun book that teens would like. I read it (even though I'm way older than the intended reader) because it looked interesting. This has lots of action and feels very much like a movie. This is best for older teens because the main character swears a lot and there's a lot of sexual innuendo and situations. If only those things were tamed down, I would let my 13 yr old son read it because he would LOVE this story. But he'll have to wait a few more years. The main character has show more lots of chemistry knowledge and makes bombs out of the strangest things, which is a lot of fun. And the gadgets are interesting. All this makes a great book, just wish it were more appropriate for younger teens. show less