Book: Skeleton Key
Author: Anthony Horowitz
Rating: 5-6/10
Recommended Age: 10 - 16/17
In the third book of the series Alex has settled back into normal life when Crawley turns up asking for his help. Despite Alex's reservations it isn't even a proper mission and Alex is talked into it.A break in was found at Wimbledon but nothing was taken or added.He gets to spend a fortnight as a ball boy at Wimbledon whilst keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. And soon enough he See's a Chinese security Guard acting oddly , he follows the guard as much as possible and soon realises that the guard is watching the player whilst talking on a fake mobile but then he makes a basic mistake the guard realises he's being followed and tricks Alex into following him to a deserted part of the complex and then tries to kill him. Fortunately Alex survives but now the Chinese Triads are out to get him. He gets attacked whilst surfing with friends in Cornwall and almost drowns.
This turns out to be perfect for MI6 who use it as a new way to get him to accept a mission whilst they try to stop the triads killing him, he's left with little choice over a mission that seems to be just relaxing in the sun whilst C.I.A agents investigate a ex- Russian general Alexei Sarov on the island "Cayo Esqueleto" aka "Skeleton Key ". Something is wrong but as usual no one is giving Alex the full picture.
Worse the CIA Agents take a instant dislike to him,test him ruthlessly and the blame him for a meeting that went horribly wrong despite him saving Troy's life.
As the agents prepare to go in to the generals fortress of a house through a underwater cave everything goes bad. The agents disappear, Alex goes looking for them and gets attacked by a shark whilst simultaneously finding out why the agents didn't return then he got captured by the generals men.
Still in the dark over what's happening the General confuses Alex even more by offering to adopt him and have him as a son as he changes Russia and the world forever with the use of a single nuclear bomb.
what can Alex do to stop the plan as the seconds tick away to the end of the world?
Although the story line of this book is very good and certainly there are good ideas concepts and events through out i didn't find this book as gripping or exciting as the first and was actually bored in some places. That said it is still an ok book in a pretty good series so don't be discouraged from buying this and any others.
Hope you found this review helpful,
The Devonian Reviewer
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USA:
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Monday, 18 April 2011
Monday, 11 April 2011
BOOK REVIEW : H.I.V.E(Mark Walden)
Book: H.I.V.E
Author: Mark Walden
Rating: 5/10
Recommended Age: 10-14/15
Hive,the Higher Institute of Villainous Education, a school for the evil masterminds of the future.
This is the destination of the helicopter Otto Malpense and Wing Fanchu find themselves on, with no idea of why they are there or where there going, and no memory of the last few days they have no idea what's instore for them. They arrive at HIVE as part of the new intake of Alpha stream students. Life at HIVE promises to be interesting but they have only two thoughts: 1. were they really taken with permission?
and 2. they need to escape...
As the time progresses they find out what some people did to turn up here:
Laura, a computer genius,hacked into a military server and got some of the early warning planes ot monitor conversations on a mean girls phone.
Shelby,who's stuck up persona soon fades, is the infamous thief The Wraith.
and Otto himself masterminded a plan to bring down the prime minister after it threatened to close his orphanage.using a hypnotic teleprompter and his evil imagination.
these 3 and wing make up the escape group but it takes awhile for plans to be made and thier time is takne up most interestingly, from swing on grapplers over a cavern to being taught by a cat the 4 find themselves fitting quite comfortable i hive and it's bizarre situations which makes them all the more desperate to leave.
Using a hunch about the laundry, a self made e.m.p and a blueprint of the school they try to escape through the wardrobes into the laundry and out ot the submarine pen, with a few close calls and the help of HiveMind they reach the pen only to be horrified as the door open to reveal Dr nero the head of the school in a single room and the assasin Raven behind them.
Their escape attempt foiled they find the truth of what would of awaited them one their return and see how pointless it would be to leave.
And then what happens but a killer plant grown by the quiet boy Nigel has grown an astonishing amount and is threatening to destroy the school and everyone in it if it's growth isn't stopped, Laura and Shelby are stuck in an accommodation block as the plant creeps closer and closer but Otto and Wing are on the walkway above the main plant itself and the only way of killing it is a crazy plan,so crazy it might just work.
This book despite being only a 5 is a ok read. It is more of a setting the scene book but is still quite fun and the concept of a school in a volcano teaching kids evil is a good one. I would say this book would be a good book to read for someone who likes adventure and a change to the normal thoughts.
Hope you found this review helpful
The Devonian Reviewer
UK :
USA:
Germany:
Author: Mark Walden
Rating: 5/10
Recommended Age: 10-14/15
Hive,the Higher Institute of Villainous Education, a school for the evil masterminds of the future.
This is the destination of the helicopter Otto Malpense and Wing Fanchu find themselves on, with no idea of why they are there or where there going, and no memory of the last few days they have no idea what's instore for them. They arrive at HIVE as part of the new intake of Alpha stream students. Life at HIVE promises to be interesting but they have only two thoughts: 1. were they really taken with permission?
and 2. they need to escape...
As the time progresses they find out what some people did to turn up here:
Laura, a computer genius,hacked into a military server and got some of the early warning planes ot monitor conversations on a mean girls phone.
Shelby,who's stuck up persona soon fades, is the infamous thief The Wraith.
and Otto himself masterminded a plan to bring down the prime minister after it threatened to close his orphanage.using a hypnotic teleprompter and his evil imagination.
these 3 and wing make up the escape group but it takes awhile for plans to be made and thier time is takne up most interestingly, from swing on grapplers over a cavern to being taught by a cat the 4 find themselves fitting quite comfortable i hive and it's bizarre situations which makes them all the more desperate to leave.
Using a hunch about the laundry, a self made e.m.p and a blueprint of the school they try to escape through the wardrobes into the laundry and out ot the submarine pen, with a few close calls and the help of HiveMind they reach the pen only to be horrified as the door open to reveal Dr nero the head of the school in a single room and the assasin Raven behind them.
Their escape attempt foiled they find the truth of what would of awaited them one their return and see how pointless it would be to leave.
And then what happens but a killer plant grown by the quiet boy Nigel has grown an astonishing amount and is threatening to destroy the school and everyone in it if it's growth isn't stopped, Laura and Shelby are stuck in an accommodation block as the plant creeps closer and closer but Otto and Wing are on the walkway above the main plant itself and the only way of killing it is a crazy plan,so crazy it might just work.
This book despite being only a 5 is a ok read. It is more of a setting the scene book but is still quite fun and the concept of a school in a volcano teaching kids evil is a good one. I would say this book would be a good book to read for someone who likes adventure and a change to the normal thoughts.
Hope you found this review helpful
The Devonian Reviewer
UK :
USA:
Germany:
Friday, 8 April 2011
BOOK REVIEW: Point Blanc (Anthony Horowitz)
Book: Point Blanc
Author: Anthony Horowitz
Rating: 7.9/10
recommended age: 12+
This is the second book of the Alex rider series by Anthony Horowitz.
In this book reluctant teenage spy Alex Rider is drawn into another mission for MI6 after getting arrested for dropping barge filled with 2 drug dealers and their drug plant into a police conference hall about how they were winning the war on drugs,which is a good bit of ironic humour at the start.
So MI6 need him to infiltrate a school in the french alps for troubled kids of rich and powerful parents, to do this he must spend a few days living with David Friend and his family(Friend being a rich supermarket owner). But Fiona Friend takes a instant dislike to Alex and the disruption to her easter holidays and whilst he's there her and her friends shoot at him with shot gun, taunt him and almost get him and Fiona run over by a train. it is only Alex's quick thinking that saves them. Then right at the end of his stay Alex has to shoot her with a tranquiliser dart to stop her telling the assistant director of the school the truth.
Now alone and with one of his gadgets used already he must enter the eerie school and find out just what's happening. With only 7 kids, over 30 armed gaurds and 2 floors out of bounds Alex is going to have his work cut out finding info and when he does it will amaze and disgust him.
sending out a rescue signal to MI6 he gets captured and looks set to die and where are MI6. he realises he must break out and ski down a mountain a night before the principle kills him in his sick experiment.
Then lead in a SAS team to rescue the kids and stop the plan working.
Will he make it?,Where are MI6? and what's happenig to the kids at the school?
Read this book to find out
This is one of my favourite books of the series with all the twists and turns, the action and mystery and Alexs struggle against a madman makes this a thrilling read and I would recommened this books and the series to most people. it's hard ot give a good opinion with out ruining the story but the suspense and ingenutity in the story is just great.
Hope you found this review helpful,
The Devonian Reviewer
UK :
USA:
Germany:
Author: Anthony Horowitz
Rating: 7.9/10
recommended age: 12+
This is the second book of the Alex rider series by Anthony Horowitz.
In this book reluctant teenage spy Alex Rider is drawn into another mission for MI6 after getting arrested for dropping barge filled with 2 drug dealers and their drug plant into a police conference hall about how they were winning the war on drugs,which is a good bit of ironic humour at the start.
So MI6 need him to infiltrate a school in the french alps for troubled kids of rich and powerful parents, to do this he must spend a few days living with David Friend and his family(Friend being a rich supermarket owner). But Fiona Friend takes a instant dislike to Alex and the disruption to her easter holidays and whilst he's there her and her friends shoot at him with shot gun, taunt him and almost get him and Fiona run over by a train. it is only Alex's quick thinking that saves them. Then right at the end of his stay Alex has to shoot her with a tranquiliser dart to stop her telling the assistant director of the school the truth.
Now alone and with one of his gadgets used already he must enter the eerie school and find out just what's happening. With only 7 kids, over 30 armed gaurds and 2 floors out of bounds Alex is going to have his work cut out finding info and when he does it will amaze and disgust him.
sending out a rescue signal to MI6 he gets captured and looks set to die and where are MI6. he realises he must break out and ski down a mountain a night before the principle kills him in his sick experiment.
Then lead in a SAS team to rescue the kids and stop the plan working.
Will he make it?,Where are MI6? and what's happenig to the kids at the school?
Read this book to find out
This is one of my favourite books of the series with all the twists and turns, the action and mystery and Alexs struggle against a madman makes this a thrilling read and I would recommened this books and the series to most people. it's hard ot give a good opinion with out ruining the story but the suspense and ingenutity in the story is just great.
Hope you found this review helpful,
The Devonian Reviewer
UK :
USA:
Germany:
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