"They're two children among a billion--finding them is like finding a lost chopstick in China."
Today's book is Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25, by Richard Paul Evans. Technically, it is a YA or children's book, but the story can just as easily captivate the "grown-up" reader. Michael Vey is a fourteen-year-old kid with Tourette's syndrome. He lives an ordinary life with his mom in a little town in Idaho, spending his time playing video games with his friend, Ostin, and avoiding bullies at school. What only Mrs. Vey and Ostin know is that Michael can generate electricity, and contain it, like a human battery. When his mother is kidnapped, he and Ostin must rescue her. It will take wits, electricity, and the help of a girl named Taylor to get her back, but this is much more complicated than it seems. After all, Mrs. Vey is not the real target. Michael is, and the enemy is determined that he will not escape alive.
Evans does not have a very original concept here. The story of a young boy on a quest to save his mother, all the while learning to control an unpredictable superpower--let's face it; it's pretty cliché. But when Evans, as Michael, tells his story, it's hard to believe such a thing has been done before. Although the world-building is pretty basic, enough bones are there for the reader to place every scene in a realistic setting; much more detail is given to the people, and to those teens with electrical abilities.
The science, although impossible, is written in such a way that it makes sense. Partway through the book, Michael and Taylor--who also possesses electrical powers--discover why they were "born with" their abilities, and the explanation is convincing. Evans doesn't stick to the generic "I can shoot lightning at people" job, either. Every superpower is unique and feels original. There is a girl who can download information from computers; one who feeds off the electricity of others; and there is a boy whose electricity is on the outside of his body, so that he cannot touch water without enduring serious electrocution. Although many, if not all, of the abilities have been used before, Evans presents them in such a way that they seem real and new.
The plot of The Prisoner of Cell 25 is simple but engrossing, with plot twists that keep you on your toes at all times. Every character is unique and individual, with motives and ulterior motives to keep you guessing. Although there are moments when Michael loses faith himself, readers will find themselves rooting for him and his "Electroclan" of friends with every turn of the page.
The Prisoner of Cell 25 is about teenagers, and it follows that there is both action and romance. The primary weapon of choice for most of the characters, of course, is electricity, and although the author does not go into detail on the wounds there are people who cannot withstand bolts of lightning or surges of energy but do so anyway. And there is some minor romance, which is more of a schoolyard crush than anything.
Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 is a low-level read featuring realistic characters, plot twists, an expansive array of superpowers, and a diet revolving around bananas. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a story about damsels in distress, good versus evil, trust, and friendship. For all of these reasons, I rate this book at five stars.
Evans does not have a very original concept here. The story of a young boy on a quest to save his mother, all the while learning to control an unpredictable superpower--let's face it; it's pretty cliché. But when Evans, as Michael, tells his story, it's hard to believe such a thing has been done before. Although the world-building is pretty basic, enough bones are there for the reader to place every scene in a realistic setting; much more detail is given to the people, and to those teens with electrical abilities.
The science, although impossible, is written in such a way that it makes sense. Partway through the book, Michael and Taylor--who also possesses electrical powers--discover why they were "born with" their abilities, and the explanation is convincing. Evans doesn't stick to the generic "I can shoot lightning at people" job, either. Every superpower is unique and feels original. There is a girl who can download information from computers; one who feeds off the electricity of others; and there is a boy whose electricity is on the outside of his body, so that he cannot touch water without enduring serious electrocution. Although many, if not all, of the abilities have been used before, Evans presents them in such a way that they seem real and new.
The plot of The Prisoner of Cell 25 is simple but engrossing, with plot twists that keep you on your toes at all times. Every character is unique and individual, with motives and ulterior motives to keep you guessing. Although there are moments when Michael loses faith himself, readers will find themselves rooting for him and his "Electroclan" of friends with every turn of the page.
The Prisoner of Cell 25 is about teenagers, and it follows that there is both action and romance. The primary weapon of choice for most of the characters, of course, is electricity, and although the author does not go into detail on the wounds there are people who cannot withstand bolts of lightning or surges of energy but do so anyway. And there is some minor romance, which is more of a schoolyard crush than anything.
Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 is a low-level read featuring realistic characters, plot twists, an expansive array of superpowers, and a diet revolving around bananas. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a story about damsels in distress, good versus evil, trust, and friendship. For all of these reasons, I rate this book at five stars.
1 comment:
Sounds interesting. Might give it a read. You write so well, Grace. When are you going to write your own novel?
I'm sure you must have lots of story ideas!
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