4 out of 4 stars
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Fight for the Blue Planet by Derek Corney is an engrossing science fiction novel filled with adventure, action, and exploration. Throughout the narrative, readers are taken on a perilous mission in which they encounter different alien life forms and planets on the far reaches of the galaxy as well as advanced technologies.
One thunderous evening, Timmy, Adam, and Salma are visited by a mysterious entity who warns them about Earth’s impending destruction by an alien species known as the Targ. The Targ are an advanced extraterrestrial civilization infamous for plundering planets of all their natural resources. The kids also learn that they have been chosen to fight alongside another alien species who also aim to protect their planet from the Targ. Is that their only motive for summoning the kids? Is everything really as it seems? Will the kids and the friendly aliens succeed in their mission against the Targs and save Earth? Finally, will they all survive the high-risk mission and return home in one piece?
One of my favorite things about this novel is that the adventure begins early on, which had me excited to read the rest of the book. What’s more, the excitement for turning pages never wavered as the author’s creativity, imagination, and well-paced plot held my attention from beginning to end. Another aspect I appreciated is that the author incorporated just enough science to explain the way the technologies worked and the different super abilities of the characters. The inclusion of science added to the believability of the narrative.
The novel is well-written and has an important underlying message that is very much relevant to today’s world. The author’s excellent yet seemingly effortless writing style vividly sets the scenes and paints a clear picture of the characters and their actions. Additionally, the main characters are well-drawn and easy to like. In fact, within the first few chapters, I found myself drawn to some of the characters and quickly gaining a sense of attachment to them.
I particularly enjoyed the element of suspense and the unexpected plot twists skillfully weaved into the narrative. I also enjoyed the intense battle scenes filled with tension that kept me on the edge of my seat.
This is a highly entertaining and compelling read for its target audience (older kids); after all, two of the human characters (kids) in this novel are eight years old and the oldest kid is twelve years old. Certain elements of the story reminded me of the Spy Kids movies. All in all, this is an amazing book that parents will enjoy reading with their kids. Readers of all ages (especially teens and young adults) may also enjoy this one as much as I did.
The book appears to be professionally edited; I only noted about a handful of errors, such as a missing pronoun, misspelled word, and incorrect use of a past tense verb. Though using the dialogue tag ‘said’ instead of ‘asked’ when posing a question is a stylistic choice, every time the author used ‘said’ instead of ‘ask’, it stood out to me (taking me out of the story) because I personally have a major preference for ‘ask’. Nonetheless, this is an impressive debut novel that I’m happy to rate 4 out of 4 stars. This is a must buy for anyone with older kids who enjoy adventure, action, and stories that feature aliens and superpowers.
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Fight for the Blue Planet
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