Crash by Eve Silver

Series: The Game Trilogy (bk. 3)

Subjects: action, adventure, aliens, extraterrestrials, fighting, games, survival

Setting: Rochester, New York

POV/Tense: 1st person POV, present tense: Miki Jones

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 357 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: HarperTeen: Katherine Tegan

Summary/ product description: “A thrilling action/suspense novel for fans of The Fifth Wave about contemporary teens pulled in and out of an alternate reality where battling aliens is more than a game—it's life and death.

Miki’s life is falling apart around her. Her dad and best friend are lying in the hospital. The Game is glitching, making missions more frequent and more deadly. And someone close to her is waiting for the right moment to betray her.

Miki feels like she’s hanging on by a thread and the only thing keeping her tethered is Jackson’s hand in hers. Yet telling him how much she needs him, how much she loves him, feels like the biggest challenge of all. And if Miki really wants the missions to end for everyone, she’ll have to let go and be ready to fight when the walls between the Game and reality come crashing down. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned, it’s that she’s got a whole lot left to lose.

Crash is the pulse-pounding conclusion to the Game trilogy fans won’t want to miss.”

My Review:  Crash is the finale to The Game Trilogy. What started in Rush, continued in Push, now end in Crash. Everything crashes together. Miki, Jackson and their team are pulled into the game once again. Things are acting strange inside the game. Lagging and pixilation and things happening out of order. Once again Miki meets with Lizzie, Jackson supposedly dead older sister. She was caught in the game when she died. Lizzie says the game isn’t what it seems. That the Committee are not who they say they are and that the Drau might not be the enemy. There’s a lot more to the game than killing aliens to save the human race. I just love the twist/truth about the game. It’s something I suspected, but it’s still interesting. To avoid spoilers, I will just say read it and find out.

I love the character still. Jackson is amazing and will be one of my favorite YA guys, along with Tuck from Unearthly and Sam from Shiver. Jackson is Mr. Sexy, smirky, cocky and truly caring even when he acts like he doesn’t care. He feels guilty for Lizzie’s death, so that’s why he acts like a a-hole sometimes. He’s sarcastic and funny and he knows how to crack Miki’s serious attitude. Miki likes to be in control all the time. She’s had a lot of grief with her mother dying, but Jackson makes her feel happy. Luka is pretty interesting in a guy-friend way, and so is Tyrone, though he and Miki only see each other in the game.

I’d put this series right up there with The 5^th Wave by Rick Yancey and The Maze Runner by James Dashner. This series in unique and you should read it if you haven’t. I love the sci-fi elements. The aliens are interesting and different. They remind me of the angels in Angele Burn by L.A. Weatherly. Also kind of like In the After by Dimitria Lunetta. There’s action and and gaming stuff, so it’s like Eye of Minds by James Dashner too. I’m going to miss this series. I hope the author has something else in the works.

Cover Art Review: Why is it not metallic like the previous books? Glossy is boring. The cover design itself is amazing as always.

Push by Eve Silver

Series: The Game Trilogy (bk. 2)

Genera(s): Sci-fi Thriller/Romance

Subjects: action, adventure, aliens, extraterrestrials, fighting, games, survival

Setting: Rochester, New York

POV/Tense: 1^st person POV, present tense: Miki Jones

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 341 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover and soon in Paperback

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: HarperTeen: Katherine Tegan

Summary/ product description: “It’s either break the rules or die.

Miki Jones lives her life by her own strict set of rules, to keep control, to keep the gray fog of grief at bay. Then she’s pulled into the Game, where she—and her team—will die unless she follows a new set of rules: those set by the mysterious Committee.

But rules don’t mean answers, and without answers, it’s hard to trust. People are dying. The rules are unraveling. And Miki knows she’s being watched, uncertain if it’s the Drau or someone—something—else. Forced to make impossible choices and battling to save those she loves, Miki begins to see the Committee in a glaring new light.

And then the Game crosses a new boundary, pushes harder into Miki’s and her friends’ lives, and there’s nothing in the rules that can save them now.

Push is the sequel Rush fans will be screaming for.”

My Review:  Push was a great sequel to Rush. I enjoyed plunging back into the world of The Game. The characters are awesome. The aliens are creepy and mysterious. There’s a lot of mystery and things yet to be revealed. I still enjoyed Rush better than Push, but that’s because it was the introduction.

I love Jackson. He’s one of my favorite love interests/lead guys. Our narrator, Miki, is awesome too. She’s always trying to be in control and strong for all the troubles in her life. She’s worried about her dad’s drinking problem and her own panic attacks. Plus, Miki knows kendo. She’s awesome with a sword.

Carly is Miki’s best friend. Miki feels like they might be growing apart, mostly because Miki’s been occupied with the Game and lying to Carly, but in this but they come back together. Miki even buys cupcakes, and eats one despite her beliefs on healthy eating. I love when friendship plays a big role in books. Romance is great, but characters that you would want as your friend are even better.

I kind of wish more happened in this book, though. I loved in for the characters and the sci-fi, but the plot didn’t really speed up till the end. There are a lot of side issues beside the Game. Realistic teen issue, like alcohol abuse, depression and anxiety. Honesty was also important. Miki hated how Jackson wasn’t telling her what Committee had told him.

It’s hard to compare this book to other books out there. If you have not read Rush or Push, then just know that it’s about fighting aliens, but it’s not dystopian. It’s set in contemporary Rochester, New York and the characters are pulled into a “game” or a mission in another plane/dimension and they have to kill the Drau aliens. It’s pretty hard to explain, so if that sound cool, then read it.

Cover Art Review: I love this cover so much. The letters are like glass, but in bright neon colors. It’s just amazing and metallic. I totally bought these books for their covers.

Domination by Jon S. Lewis

Series: The C.H.A.O.S. Trilogy (bk.3 )

Genera(s): Sci-fi/Adventure

Subjects: aliens, action, genetic modification, government agencies, friendship

Setting: A school, Washington D.C., an alien world

POV/Tense: 3^rd person POV, limited: Colt McAlister

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 266 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover or Paperback

List Price: $14.99/$9.99

Publisher: Thomas Nelson (the Christian Imprint of HarperCollins)

Summary/ product description: “THEIR GOAL IS SIMPLE: TOTAL DOMINATION.

With six arms and jaws that can snap a man in two, the warmongering race of aliens known as the Thule has conquered every planet they’ve attacked.

And now their invasion of Earth has begun.

Humanity’s only hope springs from a mysterious Thule legend about a Betrayer, who they believe will rise up and destroy their people. The American government tried to manufacture their own Betrayer by injecting children with Thule blood but time after time the experiment failed . . . until Colt McAlister.

A decade later, Colt is a 16-year-old cadet at the CHAOS Military Academy where he’s training to defend mankind. But he’s afraid that the alien blood may be turning him into a Thule—and he’s beginning to suspect that fulfilling his role as the Betrayer may cost him everything.

Experience a cosmic battle filled with high-tech gear, gateways to other planets, and ultimate stakes. Not everyone will survive. But heroes will rise up and step into their destiny in this earth-shaking conclusion to the C.H.A.O.S trilogy.”

My Review:  Out of all the books in this series, this is the one I enjoyed the most. For some reason I didn’t like the second book. It just didn’t hold my interest. The first book was pretty good, but this finale was great. The characters were fun. It was very much like a comic book or cartoon, like Ben 10. Fighting aliens, and super hero stuff. I would definitely recommend this to teens who like movies like Men in Black or Mavel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. The author actually wrote for Marvel Comics.

Even though this book is published by a Christian imprint of Harper Collins, it’s not preachy. There’s a few religious things mentioned, like Colt repeating a bible quote. The book is basically a lot of sci-fi action. There’s a theme of friendship and working together. There’s a lot of meaningful stuff, but it’s mostly fun. I’d even recommend this to middle school age, maybe ages 10 and up, because it doesn’t contain swearing.

I found it interesting how the Thule blood affected Colt. His eyes turned gold and he got busts of anger, and his skin couldn’t be penetrated. He fought Thule and felt like a freak for the changes he was going through. I wish there was a part in which he became a monster and then reverted back, but that never happened sadly.

My favorite thing about this book was the part where Colt had to put on a show to revive the Phantom Flyer. It reminded me of Captain America when Steve would perform for the soldiers and the people during WWII. I loved how pop culture was mentioned. Like Lady Gaga, Scarlett Johansen and Robert Downing Jr. Even though this is more like a parallel world to ours, it had contemporary pop culture.

It was a pretty fast read. Easy reading level. Fun and light. I recommend getting the trilogy for your teen or yourself, especially if you are a fan of superhero movies and Marvel. Or just love books with aliens.

Cover Art Review: The cover is pretty good for the subject, but it would be cool if the characters were fighting aliens on it.

Rush by Eve Silver

Series: The Game Trilogy (bk. 1)

Genera(s): Sci-fi Thriller/Romance

Subjects: aliens, games, adventure, action

Setting: Modern day Rochester, New York and various other places

POV/Tense: 1^st person POV, present tense: Miki Jones

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 361 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover and now in Paperback

List Price: $17.99/$9.99

Publisher: HarperTeen: Katherine Tegan

Summary/ product description: “So what’s the game now? This, or the life I used to know?

When Miki Jones is pulled from her life, pulled through time and space into some kind of game—her carefully controlled life spirals into chaos. In the game, she and a team of other teens are sent on missions to eliminate the Drau, terrifying and beautiful alien creatures. There are no practice runs, no training, and no way out. Miki has only the guidance of secretive but maddeningly attractive team leader Jackson Tate, who says the game isn’t really a game, that what Miki and her new teammates do now determines their survival, and the survival of every other person on this planet. She laughs. He doesn’t. And then the game takes a deadly and terrifying turn.”

My Review:  There needs to be more books as cool, awesome and unique as this one. Rush was everything I could ask for and more. When the game was first introduced in the book, I wasn’t sure what to think of it. It seemed too strange, but then you find out more about the aliens and the sci-fi stuff. Things get really interesting. And then there’s Jackson. The hot, sunglasses wearing love interest of the story.

The narration is well done. Miki’s voice and unique personality in not like any of the Mary Sue’s out there. Miki is part Japanese and has strange indigo-blue eyes. She’s into kendo and manga and like being in control of her life, so she eats healthy and likes to run. He mom died of lung cancer; her dad has a drinking problem. She’s ends up in the game after she tries to save a little girl from a car, and ends up injuring herself to near-death. Luka, a guy from school, gets hit too trying to save her.

The game has rules like a video game, but it’s all for real. The aliens they battle are real. The stakes are real. If you health bar turns completely red, you die in the game and the real world. The aliens are the Drau (not sure how to pronounce their name). They’re pale and white with mercury silver eyes and can suck the life force out of people when they look them in the eyes. They don’t like the dark because the planet they’re from was always sunny. These aliens seem more unique than the stereotypical grays, reptilian, or insect-like aliens. The aliens do not come in peace. They want to take over the world.

I was happy to find a really good romance in this book. It’s not the central focus, but I love how it develops. Jackson seems like a jerk at first. It’s secretive and always wears sunglasses that hide his eyes. Miki manages to fall for him without ever seeing his eyes. It was not insta-love. Jackson was cocky and told her half-truths and didn’t smile very much. Miki made him smile, though. Jackson reminds me of Jace from the Mortal Instruments series.

I recommend this book if you enjoyed Insignia by S.J. Kincaid, Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris, or books with aliens, like The 5^th Wave by Rick Yancy. If you play video games or love watching alien invasion movies. I really am happy I finally read this book. The sequel, Push, comes out on June 10^th.

Cover Art Review: I loved this cover since I first set eyes on it. I love the color and the letters that look 3-D and neon bright. I love that it’s metallic.