BOOK REVIEW:
3 STARS

I read this book a while ago, back in 2013. I didn’t like it at that time, too confusing, too unclear. Everything happened so quickly and I didn’t get time to process it. 5 years later, I decided to give it another chance.

For those who likes the PJO series, the plot will seem familiar – young boy and his friends with a task to save the world, cliché of course, but nonetheless, a favourite. However, I won’t be comparing to PJO much because it is an entirely different series.
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Four 12 year-olds, captured by the Karai Institute and given the task to find seven magic Loculi that were scattered around the world. With a special G7W gene that will kill them at the age of 13, these 4 Select have to receive treatment from the Karai in order to prolong their deaths. Only by retrieving the Loculi, they can be saved.

The story was written very descriptively. It was easy for the readers to imagine every event of the story, from how the characters felt to the surroundings of the places. However, it can be quite distracting from the story.
It was an entertaining read. The characters were introduced early on and there wasn’t much to them, if I were to be honest. There was no time for the relationship to develop between the characters. Within a few moments of Jack and the other 3 Select meeting one another, they have gotten super close and chummy. I guess the writer should’ve developed their relationships a little. I mean, when you’re facing a life and death situation, you should kinda get to know your allies and gain their trust a little.

The start of the book was interesting. There were a few plot holes about the story though, but of course, it wouldn’t affect the story much anyway. Towards the end, the story got a little messy. So many things were happening, so many descriptions, yet everything seemed so blurry.
I wasn’t particularly fond of the book, nor the characters. Like I mentioned, the characters were flat. It was all in Jack McKinley’s point of view but then again, it really seemed bland. Nothing much was revealed about them, but of course, maybe the author left it for the next book, Lost in Babylon.