Insignia by S.J. Kincaid: Review

 

RATING: 5/5

 

SUMMARY:

 

The earth is in the middle of WWIII in Insignia, the first entry in S.J. Kincaid’s fast-paced sci-fi adventure trilogy. 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...

 

REVIEW:

 

 

I won this book in a contest last year, and it has sat on my shelf since. Then when I saw that pitchdark.com was doing a read-along for the book, I decided to participate. And I am so glad I did

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INSIGNIA starts with a bang and doesn't let up in the slightest. It takes place during WWIII, but there is no fighting on Earth. With superior technology, the countries at war take the fighting to other planets in the solar system. But the enemy is winning.

 

That is where Tom Raines comes in. Tom is a short, awkward, acne-covered kid who just happens to have an extreme talent for video games. When the government takes notice of his skill, his life is turned upside down.

 

This book reminds me of the premise of Ender's Game. The government's secret weapon, just like Ender was. The story was very sci-fi, and I loved that a lot.

 

So much action! There was never a dull moment. Even if there wasn't a physical battle going on, there was a mental one between the kids.

 

These kids were awesome. From Wyatt, to Elliot, to Vik, they all had their special talents and personalities that made the story unique. I loved them all!

 

Tom was a great main character. He's witty, sarcastic, and really relatable. He is a typical teenage boy, with typical teenage boy insecurities. He was awesome, and it was refreshing to read from a boys point of view.

 

The world SJ Kincaid created was INCREDIBLE. The author went into so much detail about the spire and the wars, which was really interesting. Normally I would find this boring, but it was so cool to learn about the world. I found it so cool!

 

The ending was great, although pretty sad. I cannot wait to read the next book!

 

Action-packed, snarky, and all around awesome, INSIGNIA is not one to miss!

 

CONTENT: Pretty clean. some boyish thoughts, and video game violence are the only issues.