Review of Sting of the WASP
10 posts
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Sting of the WASP" by LC Lee.]
[I]Sting of the WASP[/I] by LC Lee is a crime thriller that follows a group of people who try to stop a secret organisation that is trying to wipe off other races of mankind they deem undesirable. This organisation is determined to fulfil its mission of bioterrorism and other means to cause mass murder, but some people want to stop them. The book had a good premise that unfortunately didn’t live up to its potential.
Russell Watters is hired by Beldon Laboratories, a place that fronts like a bio research centre, but underneath that is a company that is hell-bent on destroying the people they deem unfit for society, most of them people of colour. Russell Watters doesn’t know this when he starts working here. He is just someone who keeps to himself and wants to do what he was brought here to do in the first place. But he starts seeing things that he cannot ignore. He tries by all means to get the word out, but he quickly learns that it is not that easy, especially for a company as big and rich as Beldon Laboratories. Something happens to Russell that diminishes any hope of the truth getting out.
Daniel Paxton, a personal assistant to Senator Clayton Sandell, is someone who has potential, that he is not fully aware of himself. It happens that while doing the task that he enjoys, opening the mail for the senator, he comes across an interesting letter that makes serious allegations against a big laboratory. Daniel tries to get this to the senator’s attention, but the senator brushes it off, saying it is one of those letters he keeps getting that make unsubstantiated claims about this or that. But Daniel doesn’t let this go, no matter how much it costs him. He’s prepared to unearth the truth. What is he going to do, and who is he going to work with to chase the truth? Will the F.B.I. get involved, and if it does, which side will it work on? What about Homeland Services?
This was a novel that was centred around deep themes such as bioterrorism and racism. Especially after the world just recovered from the impact of COVID-19, the author wrote a book that was relevant to the times because there are a fair number of people who think this virus was released intentionally as a form of population control. The author drew from those lived experiences to write a novel that would feel real and relatable. The author made sure the book was suspenseful to capture the attention of the reader. I didn’t know whether the villains would succeed or not because most times the heroes of the story were just clueless, while the villains seemed to have everything in order. The villains had funds to move their plans ahead no matter what disturbances the heroes threw their way.
This made the characters feel real. They were able to fail in most places and succeed in others. The heroes were not without faults. They were filled with doubts and fears. I liked how the author showed how the bureaucracies between two agencies, like the Bureau and Homeland, sometimes can hinder justice because they were squabbling amongst themselves about territory and jurisdiction instead of working together towards a common goal.
What I disliked about the novel was the writing didn’t manage to grab my attention to the fullest. On some bits, my mind would wander off, and I would have to force myself to immerse myself in the words in front of me. The writing didn’t fully make me feel like I was there in the middle of the action. This was because of the pace. I found that it moved unsteadily quickly and I could not keep up. Another thing, from above, I praised the portrayal of the heroes, hailing them as realistic. However, I cannot say the same with the villains. I found them flat, predictable, and boring. They functioned as robots. At the end of the book, I still didn’t understand why they were willing to go to such great lengths to do what they wanted to do. I felt like more work was needed still to develop them.
I bumped across multiple errors that took away from the quality of the book. So, with all I have said, I rate this book three out of five stars. I think it is fair, taking into account what I have said above. The book could be done with another editing to improve it. The language was strong, which is why I would recommend the book, though not strongly, to mature audiences from young adults to above. People who love novels about conspiracy theories will love this one.
******
Sting of the WASP
View: on Bookshelves |
Russell Watters is hired by Beldon Laboratories, a place that fronts like a bio research centre, but underneath that is a company that is hell-bent on destroying the people they deem unfit for society, most of them people of colour. Russell Watters doesn’t know this when he starts working here. He is just someone who keeps to himself and wants to do what he was brought here to do in the first place. But he starts seeing things that he cannot ignore. He tries by all means to get the word out, but he quickly learns that it is not that easy, especially for a company as big and rich as Beldon Laboratories. Something happens to Russell that diminishes any hope of the truth getting out.
Daniel Paxton, a personal assistant to Senator Clayton Sandell, is someone who has potential, that he is not fully aware of himself. It happens that while doing the task that he enjoys, opening the mail for the senator, he comes across an interesting letter that makes serious allegations against a big laboratory. Daniel tries to get this to the senator’s attention, but the senator brushes it off, saying it is one of those letters he keeps getting that make unsubstantiated claims about this or that. But Daniel doesn’t let this go, no matter how much it costs him. He’s prepared to unearth the truth. What is he going to do, and who is he going to work with to chase the truth? Will the F.B.I. get involved, and if it does, which side will it work on? What about Homeland Services?
This was a novel that was centred around deep themes such as bioterrorism and racism. Especially after the world just recovered from the impact of COVID-19, the author wrote a book that was relevant to the times because there are a fair number of people who think this virus was released intentionally as a form of population control. The author drew from those lived experiences to write a novel that would feel real and relatable. The author made sure the book was suspenseful to capture the attention of the reader. I didn’t know whether the villains would succeed or not because most times the heroes of the story were just clueless, while the villains seemed to have everything in order. The villains had funds to move their plans ahead no matter what disturbances the heroes threw their way.
This made the characters feel real. They were able to fail in most places and succeed in others. The heroes were not without faults. They were filled with doubts and fears. I liked how the author showed how the bureaucracies between two agencies, like the Bureau and Homeland, sometimes can hinder justice because they were squabbling amongst themselves about territory and jurisdiction instead of working together towards a common goal.
What I disliked about the novel was the writing didn’t manage to grab my attention to the fullest. On some bits, my mind would wander off, and I would have to force myself to immerse myself in the words in front of me. The writing didn’t fully make me feel like I was there in the middle of the action. This was because of the pace. I found that it moved unsteadily quickly and I could not keep up. Another thing, from above, I praised the portrayal of the heroes, hailing them as realistic. However, I cannot say the same with the villains. I found them flat, predictable, and boring. They functioned as robots. At the end of the book, I still didn’t understand why they were willing to go to such great lengths to do what they wanted to do. I felt like more work was needed still to develop them.
I bumped across multiple errors that took away from the quality of the book. So, with all I have said, I rate this book three out of five stars. I think it is fair, taking into account what I have said above. The book could be done with another editing to improve it. The language was strong, which is why I would recommend the book, though not strongly, to mature audiences from young adults to above. People who love novels about conspiracy theories will love this one.
******
Sting of the WASP
View: on Bookshelves |
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