(4/5 stars)
The earth is in the middle of WWIII in Insignia, the first entry in S. J. Kincaid's fast-paced sci-fi adventure trilogy perfect for fans of Ender's Game.
The planet's natural resources are almost gone, and war is being fought to control the assets of the solar system. The enemy is winning. The salvation may be Tom Raines. Tom doesn't seem like a hero. He's a short fourteen-year-old with bad skin. But he has the virtual-reality gaming skills that make him a phenom behind the controls of the battle drones.
As a new member of the Intrasolar Forces, Tom's life completely changes. Suddenly, he's someone important. He has new opportunities, friends, and a shot at having a girlfriend. But there's a price to pay...
The planet's natural resources are almost gone, and war is being fought to control the assets of the solar system. The enemy is winning. The salvation may be Tom Raines. Tom doesn't seem like a hero. He's a short fourteen-year-old with bad skin. But he has the virtual-reality gaming skills that make him a phenom behind the controls of the battle drones.
As a new member of the Intrasolar Forces, Tom's life completely changes. Suddenly, he's someone important. He has new opportunities, friends, and a shot at having a girlfriend. But there's a price to pay...
There is so much wonderfulness going on in this book that I can't contain my geeky excitement. First off: sci-fi, sci-fi, SCI-FI! This is an awesome Sci-fi, action packed, dystopian book. Very Ender's Game-esque with it's own unique twist.
What I liked: There were lots of ups and downs and shocking character twists that kept me on my toes the entire time I was reading it. I never felt like time was being wasted--every second seemed to count and fly by. The technology is my favorite thing in this book. The idea of a neural processor implanted into your brain full of top secret information, unlimited intelligence, and a million potential simulations is equal parts terrifying and so cool that my inner nerd is geeking out and hoping it could be possible someday. Let's see, I also LOVED the female characters--it's hard to pick a favorite. Wyatt is awesome. She goes from super socially awkward and technologically savvy to a little less socially awkward and super technological genius status. Plus, her awkward crush on Tom is precious and awkward (I've used that word so many times but it just really fits her character, y'know?) And bless his heart, Yuri, though basically a character whose purpose is solely for comical relief wins my attachments in all forms.
What I didn't like: To me, the first one-hundred pages was info-dump after info-dump, making it really hard to read. I understand that the world had to be set up and explained, but it was daunting to get through. I also had a couple problems with our main character, Tom. He was selfish, reckless, a little bit annoying and he acted too much like... well, an immature fourteen year old boy. There were times when I wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake some sense into him. Hopefully, he'll mature more as the series goes on.
I cannot wait to see where this series is going to go, especially considering how Insignia ended. Somebody get me the next book, stat!
-Annie
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