Wednesday, February 19, 2014

SYLO by D.J. MacHale Review


Book Nerd Review by Chloe

Does Tucker Pierce have what it takes to be a hero when the U.S. military quarantines his island?

Fourteen-year-old Tucker Pierce prefers to fly under the radar. He’s used to navigating around summer tourists in his hometown on idyllic Pemberwick Island, Maine. He’s content to sit on the sidelines as a backup player on the high school football team. And though his best friend Quinn tells him to “go for it,” he’s too chicken to ask Tori Sleeper on a date. There’s always tomorrow, he figures. Then Pemberwick Island is invaded by a mysterious branch of the U.S. military called SYLO. And sitting on the sidelines is no longer an option for Tucker, because tomorrow may never come.

It’s up to Tucker, Quinn, and Tori to uncover the truth about the singing aircraft that appears only at night—and the stranger named Feit who’s pushing a red crystal he calls the Ruby that brings unique powers to all who take it. Tucker and his friends must rescue not just Pemberwick Island, but the fate of the world—and all before tomorrow is too late.

#1 New York Times bestselling author D.J. MacHale brings his brilliant plotting and breathless pacing to SYLO, the first in this ultimate end-of-the-world adventure trilogy.



Tucker's small world is rocked off it's axis when a secret branch of the US Military (SYLO) invades and puts the inhabitants of Pemberwick Island in quarantine. This is a day after Tucker and his friend, Quinn, see a exploding shadow. Quinn recorded all the news reports on Pemberwick. By watching the clock on the news reports, Quinn discovers that the “Live” news isn't actually “Live” at all!

Tori, a friend of Quinn and Tuck, makes Quinn and Tuck follow her because on the backside of her house are strange mirror-like pieces of black metal. Her house is near the place where the shadow went Boom!! Tori and Tuck go to the police and then the WiFi goes dead. No one can call them and they cannot call other people. There is a mob of angry people because of the lack of WiFi. Quinn is there and he riles up the crowd as Tucker watches the chaos. Soon after the mob, one of the parents goes missing. Quinn and Tori want to run away to be safe, even though running away could also be unsafe. In the end, they decided it would be worth a shot to run away at night. They think will make it when shadow-planes come along with a jet fighter. The shadow-planes vaporize most of the planes and also the boat that Quinn is on. Tucker and Tori get taken to the SYLO base.

Will Tucker and Tori escape SYLO base? Will they be reunited with Quinn? Will Pemberwick Island ever be the same?

The plot of SYLO is very intriguing. It's like 300 pages long, but it does not seem like it because the story moves very fast. I couldn't put the book down. Quinn was my favorite character because he was so funny, like when he told Tucker you can tell a lot about people by the way they tie knots.

If you like fast paced adventure, exciting storylines, and entertaining characters then read SYLO!


You can purchase SYLO at the following Retailers:
       

Photo Content from D.J. MacHale

D.J. MacHale is a writer, director, executive producer and creator of several popular television series and movies. As an author, his ten-volume book series: Pendragon: Journal of an Adventure Through Time and Space became a New York Times #1 bestseller.

He was raised in Greenwich, CT where he had several jobs including collecting eggs at a poultry farm; engraving trophies and washing dishes in a steakhouse…in between playing football and running track. D.J. graduated from New York University where he received a BFA in film production.

His film-making career began in New York where he worked as a freelance writer/director making corporate videos and television commercials. 

D.J. broke into the entertainment business by writing several ABC Afterschool Specials. As co-creator of the popular Nickelodeon series: Are You Afraid of the Dark?, he produced all 91 episodes. D.J. also wrote and directed the movie Tower of Terror for ABC’s Wonderful World of Disney. The Showtime series Chris Cross was co-created, written and produced by D.J. It received the CableAce award for Best Youth Series.

D.J. created and produced the Discovery Kids/NBC television series Flight 29 Down. He wrote every episode and directed several. His work on Flight 29 Down earned him the Writers Guild of America award for Outstanding Children’s Script and a Directors Guild of America award nomination.

Other notable television writing credits include the ABC Afterschool Special titled Seasonal Differences; the pilot for the long-running PBS/CBS series Ghostwriter; and the HBO series Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective for which he received a CableAce nomination for writing.

In print, D.J. also authored the supernatural Morpheus Road trilogy; a whimsical picture book The Monster Princess; and The SYLO Chronicles, a thrilling sci-fi trilogy. He also wrote Voyagers: Project Alpha, the first of a six book science fiction adventure.

D.J.’s newest book series is The Library, a spooky middle-grade anthology about a mysterious library filled with unfinished supernatural tales, and the daring young people who must complete them.

D.J. lives in Southern California with his wife Evangeline and daughter Keaton. They are avid backpackers, scuba divers and skiers. Rounding out the household is a spoiled golden retriever named Casey and an equally spoiled tuxedo cat named Jinx.
        
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