I first posted this review in November after I read INSIGNIA. I’m reposting now because it comes out in one week and I don’t want you to miss it!
Title: INSIGNIA
IT’S WORLD WAR III.
THE ENEMY IS WINNING.
WHAT IF THE GOVERNMENT’S SECRET WEAPON IS YOU?More than anything, Tom Raines wants to be important, though his
shadowy life is anything but that. For years, Tom’s drifted from casino
to casino with his unlucky gambler of a dad, gaming for their survival.
Keeping a roof over their heads depends on a careful combination of
skill, luck, con artistry, and staying invisible.Then one day, Tom stops being invisible. Someone’s been watching his
virtual-reality prowess, and he’s offered the incredible—a place at the
Pentagonal Spire, an elite military academy. There, Tom’s instincts for
combat will be put to the test, and if he passes, he’ll become a member
of the Intrasolar Forces, helping to lead his country to victory in
World War Three. Finally, he’ll be someone important: a superhuman war
machine with the tech skills that every virtual-reality warrior dreams
of. Life at the Spire holds everything that Tom’s always wanted—friends,
the possibility of a girlfriend, and a life where his every action
matters—but what will it cost him?Gripping and provocative, S. J. Kincaid’s futuristic thrill ride of a
debut crackles with memorable characters, tremendous wit, and a vision
of the future that asks startling, timely questions about the melding of
humanity and technology.
books that was really hard to stop reading at night to go to sleep-I never
wanted to stop turning the pages as it was a nonstop thrill ride in a virtual
reality, corporate-sponsored, dystopic future. At first, I was a little
intimidated by the world the author created – because there are some
corporations and sponsors and military terms that I wasn’t sure I would be able
to keep track of, but it ended up being surprisingly easy to follow. This is
definitely a plot-driven book, and at 464 pages, there’s a lot of plot. I was
worried I’d get to parts where I didn’t really care or they felt slow, but that
never happened! There was always some sort of action (either virtual or real)
that kept the pacing moving forward at a perfect speed. The descriptions of the
settings were perfectly done, and I especially liked all of the historical
(including mythological) references in all of the virtual reality training
scenarios. It was such fun to see how the characters interacted with these
simulations, and nicely provides some subtle history lessons for students
reading this book as well.
a fish out of water story (kind of in a Harry Potter way of discovering a new
“school” and people and how you’re changing because of it), corporate and
political intrigue, an awkward teen wanting to be accepted, friendship, power,
control, life or death fights, and the fate of multinational corporations and
alliances hanging in the balance (no pressure there!). The author wielded a
deft hand at balancing the action, technological, and teen
self-esteem/friendship elements of the story in a way in which none felt over
or underdone. There were also some great comedic moments to balance it all out
as well.
this book though. All the action and excitement and plot an author could add,
won’t make a difference if I don’t care about or like the characters. And in
this book, I loved the characters. I adore Tom and was rooting for him the
whole way, and the secondary characters who are his friends were so
entertaining. There were some great teen girl supporting characters as well,
and what I really liked was that they were actually some of the better computer
programmers. And Vik, as Tom’s roommate at the new school, provides great comic
relief in the midst of serious situations. INSIGNIA
is just an
exciting book, and a scary look at a future that might not be too far
off.
I absolutely loved it and can’t wait for more people to read it and
start talking about this fabulous debut! This
is a book that my students (especially boys) who are into gaming or
computers
will love. I will be adding it to my “you liked this, try this…” list
with BRAIN JACK by
Brian Falkner, TEEN,
INC. by Stephen Petrucha, and EPIC by Conor
Kostic. I’d also recommend it to those who liked DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth
(both books have the same editor at HarperCollins!). I’m so glad to hear this
one is going to be a trilogy because I can’t wait to see what happens after the
big finale of this one (but thankfully, no cliffhanger ending)! Make sure to
add this one to your list of July releases you’ll want to read!
