Jack, Erika, and Ian have been good friends since childhood and headed out to the desert outside of their small Arizona town to blow off some steam. They got far more than they bargained for! Before long, they are swept up in an alien-human hybrid science experiment that has some very determined people wanting to keep it quiet.
The action is well paced with a little comedy and some important conversations between characters. Erika was my favorite character; she has drive, is very easy to relate to, and gets stuff done that is plot-relevant. She’s also still a believable teen and makes realistic mistakes.
Tex, also known as H.A.L.F. 9, is also fun. He’s doing his best to figure out his world, abilities, and who are his allies versus enemies. Since he’s a living experiment brought up in a super secret desert facility, his limited experience makes him a little naive (understandably). I also like he has one big weakness – H2O. Yep, even the smallest amount of moisture can limit his abilities.
Jack and Ian provide some comedic relief here and there. Now I do have one quibble with this story and it involves these two guys. One of them is Erika’s boyfriend and the other has been Friend-Zoned and definitely wants to be something more. So we have this potential love triangle in the making and I’m not big on love triangles where there’s competition for one person’s affection. Then there’s Tex who has some feelings stirring for Erika and he’s not sure what they are nor what to do with them. So it could end up being a love quadrangle…. and that’s just silly. If Erika was the only female character in the story, then this would be a huge turn off for me. Luckily, we have some other ladies.
Commander Sturgis is a villain I love to hate. She’s driven, intelligent, condescending, ruthless, and a little petty. This H.A.L.F. project is her baby and her backers are eager to see what kind of living weapon she has wrought with this alien DNA. There’s also Electo, another alien DNA experiment. She has that potential to be a villain that later redeems herself. A very interesting character!
The plot ramps up and up to the point where Erika and her friends may well lose their lives. Things do indeed look grim for them but they keep their wits and pull together. I was definitely on the edge of my seat for the last two hours of the story. The end does leave us on a cliffhanger but Book 2 and Book 3 are already out so I can continue the story right away. 4/5 stars.
I received a free copy of this book.
The Narration: Andrew Tell did a really good job with this book. His voice for Erika was believably feminine and his voices for Jack and Ian sounded like teen boys. He also had a distinct voice for Tex with proper, careful grammar and all. I loved his angry Sturgis and his creepy Electo. 5/5 stars.