Book Review: Solid by Shelley Workinger

Solid revolves around a group of teenagers who have just been told they were the victims of a mad scientist using his Army rank as a cover up for experimenting on pregnant soldiers’ wives. Once the news leak to the press, the Army decides to group the teens in an isolated Summer Camp in order to figure out exactly how the genetic experiment has affected them.

This is how and where we meet Clio. Along the way she meets new people and makes new friends including Jack, the boy who wins not only her attention but also her heart. And as it turns out, they all do have some special abilities. But there is more. There is something the Army is not telling them.

BOOK SPECS:

Number of Pages: 237

Format: E-book

Genre: YA Romance, Science Fiction

Tropes: Secretive Laboratory or Base, Mad Scientist, Humans with Superpowers

SHORT REVIEW:

I really enjoyed this book. Told on Clio’s point of view, Solid is incredibly easy to read and Workinger’s, or should I say Clio’s, wit is really entertaining. The characters are also very engaging and you end up having quite a few soft spots for them.

HEART RATE:

SMUT SCORE:

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FULL REVIEW:

Plot & Characters

The prose has a nice flow and the romance and drama unfold slowly. However, towards the end you just get hit with an avalanche of events and revelations. This is when I felt the end was ever so slightly rushed. Knowing this is a series, I was not expecting the who-did-what to come about so easily, or that the ever so skilled and trained Army personnel would just spill it all when questioned by a group of teens.

The other thing that didn’t quite work for me was the parents. Personally, if I found out my daughter was the victim of something like that, there would be no chance in hell I would let them take her away from me. I also would not be impressed with not being able to talk to her if I did consent to her going.

Having said all that, the characters are interesting and Clio's voice is really witty. So it's still a really good read.

Smut & Romance Score

As this is YA, there is no smut. But there is romance and I'm curious to know what happens to Clio and Jack on the sequel.

Writing

Although I pinpointed a couple of holes in the plot, the things I wasn’t quite convinced about are not enough to keep me from reading the next episode. Settling, the second book in the Solid series sounds even more intriguing. So watch this space for a review of it.

OUT OF CURIOSITY: 

Workinger is the daughter of a soldier herself.

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