Going Wild #2: Predator Vs. Prey by Lisa McMann

My name is Charlie, and I never knew my dad worked on a secret project before becoming a teacher. It was related to the bracelet that gives me the powers of five animals, but it was terminated when Dr. Victor Gray started getting dangerous ideas. He was creating hybrid soldiers, and now he's kidnapped my dad to work on the project again. To make matters more complicated, my friend Maria had a bracelet too, and she started looking like a howler monkey when she got stressed. It was kind of hard to hide that from her mother. Luckily, my mom remembered an emergency letter my dad wrote ten years ago, and it put us in contact with his former colleague, Dr. Quinn Sharma. It's nice to now be working with someone who knows what's going on, but do we really know what Dr. Gray is up to? And how are we supposed to stop his squad of hybrid animal soldiers?

You should read the first book in the series, but this sequel is much more interesting and adventurous. The first book was set in Charlie's new middle school, but this one fully embraces the conflict surrounding the bracelets. It seems Dr. Gray plans on making more bracelets, but what he plans to do with them is unknown. The plot is impossibly realistic, as the bracelets give the wearers animal abilities. No one can fly, and no one has x-ray vision. However, Charlie's bracelet knows when she needs the strength of an elephant, the speed of a cheetah, and the healing powers of a starfish. Charlie's friends have their own bracelets with different abilities, and complications develop. Maria's problem is especially unpredictable and causes her a lot of stress. Middle school is hard enough without a problem like this. The most important question involves another friend named Kelly, as she lies about her bracelet. Why? What is she up to? The use of animal abilities makes the powers impressive and relatable. We're familiar with the abilities, but the characters and readers will still have trouble identifying the animals. Overall, I'm enjoying the series and hope to read Clash of the Beasts soon. 

Jinxed #1 by Amy McCulloch

My name is Lacey, and all I want in this world is to become a companioneer for Moncha Corp. I know I have a special talent for working on bakus, robotic pets created by Moncha, and I've worked extra hard to get the best grades. Carter gets angry when I beat him in school competitions, but I'm okay with that. I was shocked and devastated when I got a rejection message from the elite Profectus academy, but I later received another message saying I was accepted. Strange, but I'll take it! I've learned that baku battles are the most important thing going on at Profectus. I didn't buy a level-three baku like everyone else; I found Jinx at the bottom of a ravine. I totally repaired his mangled body and got him working. However, I know there's something very different about him, as he's more independent and can think for himself. I must keep this to myself, because I don't know what will happen if Jinx's owner ever finds out.

This book was more than I expected. The author built a world based on our addiction to technology and our love of pets. Moncha's image was so stellar that it was predictable that something was wrong with them. If it's too good to be true, it probably isn't. The actual antagonist wasn't clear for most of the book, but there were clues for readers to focus on. Carter was Lacey's main antagonist, and he got especially vicious as the book went along. The baku battles were at the heart of Profectus, but it was surprising how readily the characters embraced them. I mean, their baku companions could be destroyed and become unrepairable. Teams received points if they could fix bakus back to 90% of their functionality by the next day. Jinx was the most entertaining character, as his actions were unpredictable. The robotic cat seemed to have an unspoken mission, and he often scampered away from Lacey. Other students and faculty thought she couldn't control her baku, which technically was true. The underlying problems at Moncha were revealed around the plot's climax, and it will be interesting to see where the sequel goes. I've already started reading Unleashed and recommend you give the series a shot.

Psi Chronicles #3: True Son by Lana Krumwiede

My name is Taemon, and there must be a way to bring peace between Deliverance and the Republik. I thought removing psi from Deliverance would help, but General Sarin of the Republik fears we'll ally with the nation of Nau against them. The people of Deliverance have no weapons, and I'm the only one left with psi. I will use it according to guidance from the Heart of the Earth, but I won't use it to kill any humans. The Republik sees us as traitors, and Gevri is especially angry with me. He blindly follows his father's orders and will use his dominion to attack others. The conflict between our nations began when the prophet Nathan created Deliverance. However, the Republikites don't understand that his actions actually saved their nation. My hope is the Heart of the Earth and the truth can unite us once again. 

Once again, for some reason, I waited eight years to read the conclusion to this trilogy. Geesh, I hate when I do that! The plot pits an ultimate conflict between a nation of pacifists against a military invasion. Taemon has the internal conflict of knowing he can use psi to end the hostilities, but he won't use it to harm others. The problem becomes more complicated, since the people of Deliverance pressure him to use his abilities to protect them. In contrast, the Republik sees Taemon as a dangerous threat and doesn't believe his words of peace. Taemon has an additional conflict with the general's son that boils down to a feeling of betrayal. The son wants his father's approval but begins to question his father's motives and strategies. Taemon travels into the forest to commune with the Heart of the Earth. He hears the voice in his head but begins to wonder if it truly exists. Has Taemon been following the guidance from his own ideas? Although my specific memories are fuzzy, my past posts seem to show I enjoyed the previous two books a little more than this one. However, the series comes to an entertaining and satisfying conclusion, and I recommend you give it a shot. 

Going Wild #1 by Lisa McMann

My name is Charlie, and I hated when my family moved from Chicago to a small town in Arizona. However, the biggest change had nothing to do with the move. I found a box addressed to me in the garage, and I thought I'd found a cool athletic band. You know, the ones that track your heartbeat and calories burned. I didn't notice anything strange until I attended soccer tryouts. The other girls said I was running super-fast, and it helped me score a goal. I was feeling great until I was kicked in my knee, and I was certain my leg was broken. It swelled up to a huge size and was all kinds of shades of purple and blue. Imagine my surprise when I woke up the next day, and my knee was back to normal. I didn't know what was going on with my body, and it terrified me. I couldn't control what my body was doing.

This book set the groundwork for the rest of the series. Most of the story described Charlie's efforts to survive middle school after manifesting some enhanced abilities from a mysterious bracelet. I expected her to become the super hero her friend expected, but she spent most of her time trying to figure out how to control the powers. They popped up unexpectedly and didn't always end positively. Consequently, most of the book felt less like a speculative fiction and more like a regular middle grade fiction where the main character just wanted to fit in. The bracelet saved a couple abilities for later, so this provided a little more suspense to the story. The mystery of the bracelet was introduced early on, but it wasn't explained until the last fourth of the book. I can't say I fully understood the premise of the problem, and some events were less "believable". The sequel will clearly address the conflict surrounding the bracelet head-on, as the antagonists made a late appearance in the plot. I'm curious to see where the story goes, so I've already reserved a copy of the sequel Predator Vs. Prey. Give the series a shot. 

Seven Wonders #5: Legend of the Rift by Peter Lerangis

My name is Jack, and I only have a few more months to live. All of us Selects will die on our fourteenth birthdays if we can't find a way to reunite all seven Loculi. Each one enhances an ability, the Loculus of healing has been very handy, but they must be destroyed in order to correct history. Unfortunately, the followers of Massarym and Karai are fighting over the fate of the Loculi, and my friends and I are always caught in the middle. We must travel to the last two Wonders of the World, collect the last two Loculi, and travel through the rift to an ancient world. Hopefully, we'll save Aly and end this curse that's been killing Selects for centuries. Recent events give me hope that we'll be successful, but there's still a nagging feeling that something unexpected will complicate things. 

I enjoyed this conclusion to the series, but I wish I'd read the previous book more recently. It'd been six years, so I'd forgotten most of the past events. However, this book contained plenty of action, mystery, and suspense to carry the plot without knowing past details. Jack was leader of the Selects and displayed the uncertainty of being thrust into that position. His decisions were complicated by new revelations about characters and past events. This all created tension and suspense to keep the plot interesting. It was a bit unusual that the touch of a Select was necessary to activate the Loculi. Imagine several kids holding hands and touching the Loculus of Language to understand what someone else was saying. It made sense, but it was strange. It was also unusual that there wasn't a clear antagonist for most of the book. The main conflict was like fulfilling a quest to return the Loculi through the rift, but there wasn't an actual bad guy until the book neared the end. Overall, I really enjoyed the series and recommend you give it a shot. You'll probably appreciate it more than I did, because you'll read all the books straight through. You won't wait six years to finish the series!

Nightmare Academy #3: Monster War by Dean Lorey

My name is Charlie, and I must do something about the monsters invading earth even though I've been exiled from the Nightmare Academy. No one else has a chance of defeating the Fifth, but it may be beyond my abilities too. I'm the only Double-Threat fighting against her right now, since Pinch turned his back on humans. The Headmaster says my only hope of defeating the Fifth is to retrieve the Sword of Sacrifice from the Smith in the Netherforge. This weapon can kill any nether creature, but we don't know the sacrifices required to get it. The Director is determined to Reduce my friends and me, but no one will believe the truth about what he did to the Guardian. My only hope of saving all humanity is to retrieve the Sword of Sacrifice.

You should read the previous two books first, since this one concludes the trilogy. Theodore was Charlie's best friend, and he added an element of levity and humor to the plot. His boasting masked his fear and insecurity, but he always stepped up when he was most needed. Despite his presence, this book had a more serious tone to it, as people were dying to a formidable army of monsters. Main characters experienced dramatic sacrifices in order for Charlie to receive the magic sword. Theodore had an ongoing conflict with his father, the General, as his father didn't provide him with any love or support. Living up to parent expectations can be a huge problem. The plot jumped around quite a bit, since Theordore and Charlie could open portals to almost anywhere in the world or the Nether. It could have been confusing, but it all made sense. My biggest issue was with the trilogy's conclusion. Yes, the conflict was pretty much lessened, but it wasn't resolved. The author admitted this at the end and said there was more story to tell. However, this was written in 2010, and I haven't found a continuation of the plot.

A Dragonborn Novel #2: Fireborn by Toby Forward

My name is Cabbage, but don't ask me why my mentor, Flaxfield, gave me that wizard name. Something strange is now happening to Flaxfield's spells, and we've realized it's from wild magic. Even our simplest spells turn to flames that burn out of control. He was once almost killed when a harvest spell engulfed him in a blazing inferno, but strangely, I walked right through the fire to save him. I'm able to summon a magical cat that eats the runaway flames, but Flaxfield isn't sure how I can do that. We know the wild magic originated with a girl named Bee, but her mentor stole her ability to wield fire. He was never a very good wizard, and now he's changed. He's turned into something that's dangerous. Somehow, we must figure out a way to combat this new kind of magic.

This book is part of the Flaxfield Quartet, although my local library listed it as A Dragonborn Novel. I reread my review of the first book from eight years ago, and I was confused. I wrote, and the synopsis on Goodreads confirmed, that Flaxfield died, so how was he a main character again in the second book? Another reviewer said the story in Firstborn preceded the first book, but that wasn't made clear anywhere. The rules of magic weren't shared, so I didn't understand how the spells worked. That was important, because the whole conflict was based on magic that was out of control. Finally, I've always had a problem with books and multiple settings, and at one point, this book had five settings. A couple of them weren't necessary and didn't add much to the plot. It became distracting and made remembering events trickier when reading over many sittings. Overall, I enjoyed the story about an apprentice wizard and his mentor battling an out-of-control magic. The author included a few surprises to characters that made the book even more interesting. I liked the concept of this book, but the ending wasn't satisfying. The conflict was stopped, for the time being, but it was clearly not resolved. It will need to be taken care of in a future book.