Sally Slick and the Steel Syndicate

Sally Slick and the Steel Syndicate 
by Carrie Harris
Young Centurians, book one

Publication date: December 23, 2013

Every hero has a story. This one starts with a girl and a racing tractor. Sally Slick knows she's meant to be more than a Midwestern farm girl. What she wants more than anything is to be an inventor when she grows up-and she has the custom-built racing tractor to prove it. But good girls in 1914 don't go off to the city in search of adventure. Everything changes when Sally's big brother comes back from Chicago with a robot in hand and mobsters on his heels. With the help of her friend, wannabe hero Jet Black, Sally will risk everything to protect the people she loves. Those big-city bad guys are about to get a giant wrench thrown right into their plans. (description from Amazon.com)

Let me just say, I kinda want to BE Sally Slick when I grow up. No really, she's that cool.  This is a girl who can do it all.  Maybe she's not the greatest at some of the "girly" stuff, but her loyalty, caring, and good intentions overshadow what could be perceived as faults in 1914, and luckily Sally has a family that appreciates her for herself.  Especially when her special "talents" save the day. 

In the best sort of "pulp" fiction-y way, Sally's oldest brother gets mixed up with a Chicago mob led by a man with a metal face.  The Steel Don, looking to create a robot army to rule the city, ends up trying to recruit Sally to work for his organization because her mechanical skills are just that good. With her trusty sidekick, Jet Black, by her side, though, Sally is unstoppable and a shrapnel-throwing stink bomb, the very first jet-pack, and several other awesome invention-laden prank-style evasionary tacticts later, this teenage phenom saves the day.  

When Sally actually feels bad for doing what she can do, afraid her mother and brothers will frown upon her actions, she finds the exact opposite.  Happily, they embrace her awesomeness, AS THEY SHOULD, and her mother says something that really stuck with me:

"Darling, you have time enough to figure out what kind of woman you're going to be. Whatever that is, I'll be proud. And I'm proud of my girl now, because she's a hero to me." 

Amazeballs. I love it. No smart shaming here. Kudos to Carrie Harris and the other authors who are truly embracing female characters with skills.  Similar to my favorite character of all time, Tamora Pierce's Alanna, Sally Slick is a girl that I think could tackle any problem set in front of her.  I cannot wait to read her next adventure in Sally Slick and the Miniature Menace, coming in 2014.  

Full disclosure: Review copy received from Author

Insignia

Insignia
by S. J. Kincaid

The earth is in the middle of WWIII. The planet’s natural resources are almost gone, and the war is being fought to control the assets of the solar system. The enemy is winning.

The salvation may be Tom Raines. Tom doesn’t seem like a hero. He’s a short fourteen-year-old with bad skin. But he has the virtual-reality gaming skills that make him a phenom behind the controls of the battle drones.

As a new member of the Intrasolar Forces, Tom’s life completely changes. Suddenly, he’s someone important. He has new opportunities, friends, and a shot at having a girlfriend. But there’s a price to pay... (description from Amazon.com)

Have you enjoyed books like Ender's Game, Epic, Feed, or Ready Player One? Did you love the movie "Starship Troopers?" Are you excited to see "Ender's Game" on the big screen this November? Then this is another GREAT book choice for you!

This book may be on the longer side, but you would never know it once you start reading. It is fast-paced and will totally suck you in. I couldn't stop reading once I started! The characters are interesting, the world is startling familiar, yet believably futuristic, and as soon as I finished I requested the second book.

Video games. Giant fighting robots. Evil corporations.
Mind control. Devoted friends.

A winning combination.

Full disclosure: Purchased on my Nook

Alienation

Alienation
by Jon Lewis
C.H.A.O.S., book two
Publication date: Jan. 3, 2012

After his parents were killed in a car accident, Colt McAllister was drawn into a world he thought only existed in comic books-one where mind control, jet packs, and flying motorcycles don't even scratch the surface.

Along with his best friends Oz and Danielle, Colt is now training at the secret Central Headquarters Against the Occult and Supernatural academy. But strange accidents seem to follow him. . . even with the security of the school grounds. What first seems random soon turns deadly. But who is targeting Colt?

As the alien invasions increase in frequency and force, C.H.A.O.S resources are taxed to the limit and they're forced to utilize the new recruits. In the midst of battle, Colt will discover some startling revelations . . . about himself, his friendship with Oz, and why he has been chosen to defeat this alien attack against earth. (description from Amazon.com)

This book read just like a good science fiction movie. Lewis writes in short chapters and though it is science fiction, it's not SO out there technology-wise that you have to get used to it. There are aliens, there are robots, and there is a cool military training academy. There are car chases, there are explosions, and there are simulation training programs.

There are best friends, supportive family members, and there is attempted murder. This book is exciting, fun, and has some great relationships in it. Which is good for Colt, considering someone is most certainly trying to take him out! His friends are there to support him, his new classmates respect him, and he has both family and other responsible adults in his life to keep his as safe as possible.

When Colt finds out why he has some amazing reflexes, why the aliens really want him, it's crucial that he keeps these relationships going... I'm very excited to see what happens in the next book, now that his secret is "out" within his circle...now that he knows his destiny.

Full disclosure: ARC received to review for VOYA