Book Review: Catalyst by S. J. Kincaid

Title: Catslyst

Series: Insignia #3

Author: S.J. Kincaid

Published: October 28, 2014 by Katerine Tegan (Harper Collins)

(Amazon / Goodreads)

Synopsis: S. J. Kincaid has created a fascinating dystopian world for Insignia, her futuristic science-fiction adventure series perfect for fans of Ender's Game. Earth is in the middle of WWIII, battling to determine which governments and corporations will control the resources of the solar system. 

Teen Tom Raines grew up with nothing, some days without even a roof over his head. Then his exceptional gaming skills earned him a spot in the Intrasolar Forces, the country's elite military training program, and his life completely changed. Now, in Catalyst, the explosive series conclusion, dangerous changes have come to the Pentagonal Spire, where Tom and his friends train. 

When a mysterious figure starts fighting against the evil corporations' horrifying plans, but with methods Tom finds shocking, he must decide which side he's on. With slim odds of success, is it even worth the fight?

This is a series that keeps getting better with each passing book. And while I really wanted to love this one because of some great parts, it still fell a little short for me. It did have great character development and an interesting Science Fiction world but some problematic plot and pacing.

My favorite thing about this series is the world that S.J. Kincaid has created. I've loved seeing her use of technology, virtual reality, and space travel as a way of fighting the next world war. In this book we get to spend more time exploring and learning about this world and it's technology. But what this book did really well is remind me about the fact that dystopia is a subgenre of Science Fiction. This book definitely had more of that political intrigue that you see in dystopia, the us vs. an oppressive government and/or business kind of theme. And what I loved about this book, and this series, is that unlike a lot of series the focus of the world has narrowed. On top of the fact that it really became about one villain, it felt very high-stakes and like a "we have to save the world" kind of story. I really enjoyed the smaller focus and single diabolical antagonist. It gave me something to root against.

But despite the fact that the focus of the world narrowed and I liked the high-stakes nature of the plot, it felt very muddled. This is the longest book in the series at 432 pages, and despite that I've breezed through 800 page books and read 1000 page books without batting an eye but these 400 pages felt like a chore at times. And maybe that was the plot and pacing was a bit of a roller coaster. Being the final book in a series there were tons of huge reveals but they were always followed by a period of slowdown. I think my major issue with the plot however, was that it felt like two or three very different major storylines shoved together. Sometimes it worked, and in the end it all did served a purpose, but while I was reading it felt a little jarring and confusing. 

My favorite part of this book may have been something that previously I did not like about this series, and that was the characters. This book had some amazing character development. I don't know how it happened but it was as if a switch was flipped and suddenly the characters were likable and I could empathize with them. The main character of Tom in particular had a great redemptive arc. He went from being a character who's choices I didn't understand to a character who made the tough decision for the right reasons. But he wasn't the only one. I found myself cheering for characters I had previously not liked and empathizing with characters that I previously found grating. S.J Kincaid did a great job of developing these characters just befor they were faced with serious adversity, further cementing my attachment to them. Maybe it was because over time they grew on me or maybe something specific changed, but in Catalyst I really loved these characters.

All in all this was a good ending to a series that I did enjoy. A lot of the things I didn't like about the series were not issues in this book and with a thrilling world, likable characters, and an action-packed plot it was a good read.

I give Catslyst by S.J Kincaid an 8 out of 10

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Borrow. The Insignia is an interesting Science Fiction series and is worth a read if you a fan of the genre or want to explore the genre more after reading books like Ender's Game and Ready Player One. It feels geared more towards a male audience but that's not really a bad thing. All in all an engaging and entertaining read.

Book Review: Vortex by S.J. Kincaid

Title: Vortex Series: Insignia #2 Author: S.J. Kincaid Published: (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: The impossible was just the beginning. Now in their second year as superhuman government weapons-in-training at the Pentagonal Spire, Tom Raines and his friends are mid-level cadets in the elite combat corps known as the Intrasolar Forces. But as training intensifies and a moment arrives that could make or break his entire career, Tom’s loyalties are again put to the test.  Encouraged to betray his ideals and friendships for the sake of his country, Tom is convinced there must be another way. And the more aware he becomes of the corruption surrounding him, the more determined he becomes to fight it, even if he sabotages his own future in the process.  Drawn into a power struggle more dramatic than he has ever faced before, Tom stays a hyperintelligent step ahead of everyone, like the exceptional gamer he is—or so he believes. But when he learns that he and his friends have unwittingly made the most grievous error imaginable, Tom must find a way to outwit an enemy so nefarious that victory seems hopeless. Will his idealism and bravado cost him everything—and everyone that matters to him?   Filled with action and intelligence, camaraderie and humor, the second book in S.J. Kincaid’s futuristic World War III Insignia trilogy continues to explore fascinating and timely questions about power, politics, technology, loyalty, and friendship

Vortex reminded me why exactly I usually don't like the first book in a trilogy. That sounds like a weird thing to say when you're discussing the second book in a series, but despite a lot of the same issues that  had with Insignia returning in Vortex, I liked it much more. It still had a great futuristic world and unlikable characters that led to all kinds of different conflicts but here the plot was much more exciting.

One of my favorite things about this series is the world that S.J. Kincaid has created. She has taken two of my favorite things and put them together in something that is interesting and exciting, boarding schools and space. The "Hogwarts in Space" comparison continues in this book as our characters learn about how to be "intersolar combatants" and how to use all kinds of crazy technology. But then again, they are technology. But what I realized about this book is that S.J. Kincaid masterfully shows this world to you instead of telling you about. She doesn't insult your intelligence by explaining every detail about writing code, fighting in a robotic suit, or the virtual reality they use to play games and fight actual wars. It's like you are in on the secret. And the great thing too is that despite these being really complex things you can still perfectly visualize them. But it's your imagination that is able to fill in the details, not the authors. And that kind of world-building combined with an interesting futuristic world is what I liked most about Vortex.

But what I liked the least in Vortex was the characters. They are just not my personal favorite types of characters. I mentioned in my review of Insignia that I felt like most of these characters had serious "dudebro status" and that was definitely the case again here. And I know that the attempt is to be humorous and joking but for me it didn't work. And I have a pretty lowbrow sense of humor, I mean I laugh when people say "duty." But here it just made the characters unlikable and at times incredibly frustrating. Like most YA novels there is an element of a coming-of-age story. The characters are figuring out who they are and who they want to be. But in this series it feels like those two things are completely at odds. With the main character, Tom Raines,in particular there was a bit of a redemptive arc but then he went and did something to completely alienate him to me. And while Kincaid did a good job of explaining exactly why he did that (something that usually makes me respect a character for their tough decisions) I found myself frustrated with him again.

But once again the antagonists in this series really redeemed things a lot. They are seriously sinister. It seems like everyone is against this guy. Sure he has his group of friends backing him up but there are all kinds of students and teachers at the school fighting him at every chance they get. There are also all kinds of outside forces that he has to work against. From the Russo-Chinese alliance to a host of multi-national corporations whose power he seems to threaten. But it's sort of this weird thing where Tom is up against these conflicts that are clearly diabolical and at the same time he seems to be alienating these forces in a way that it kind of makes sense that they would treat him that way. That isn't to say that he deserves, but he isn't making it any easier. A weird thing happens in this book for me. I want the heroes to succeed but not because I like them. I want them to succeed because of what they represent and what would happen for others if they did. I have almost no empathy for them as individuals but I have a lot of empathy for their plight.

And despite another book with slower pacing, the plot in Vortex was much more exciting for me. The book had tons of thrilling action scenes and even a few shocking twists. Meanwhile the general plot of the series is really taking shape and become intricate and complex. It felt much more high stakes and more cohesive. Despite the fact that I enjoy the numerous antagonists and conflicts in the book it does tend to make things muddled and confusing at times. And while Vortex did have it's moments, I think it did a much better job at setting up how all of this can and will conclude. Vortex had much more of the dystopia feel than the previous book. It seemed to be much more a critique on society and included a desire to tear down the status quo to benefit those who have been taken advantage of. And because of this fact and the more thrilling plot, I am pretty excited to see how this all ends.

I give Vortex by S.J. Kincaid an 8.5 out of 10

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Borrow. This book is not for everyone. It will probably most appeal to a very specific audience of teenage boys who love reading Science Fiction. Or maybe Science Fiction fans in general. If you are looking for a book with a creative and futuristic world and don't mind unlikable characters than check this book out.

Have you read Vortex? What did you think? Have you ever read a book where you didn't like the characters but you still wanted them to succeed? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Book Review: Insignia by S.J. Kincaid

Title: Insignia Series: Insignia #1 Author: S.J. Kincaid Published: July 10, 2012 by Katherine Tegan Books (HarperCollins) (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: "Insignia expertly combines humor with a disarming and highly realistic view of the future. The characters are real, funny, and memorable. You won't be able to put this book down."—Veronica Roth, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Divergent and Insurgent The earth is in the middle of WWIII in Insignia, the first entry in S. J. Kincaid's fast-paced sci-fi adventure trilogy perfect for fans of Ender's Game. The planet's natural resources are almost gone, and 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. . . .

Insignia is another one of those books that I did really enjoy but I'm not entirely sure why. My first pass at this review really reflected those feelings. I didn't know what to say. But then getting my thoughts together it all seemed to make sense. Insignia is an action-packed adventure with a creative futuristic world, and despite some really unlikable characters the sinister antagonists redeemed some of the poor qualities of the protagonists making the story all the more interesting.

Except replace magic with technology or space

Without a doubt, however, I loved the world of this book. It's definitely a "Hard SciFi" kind of read with a crazy futuristic world. There was out of this world technology including computers embedded in the characters minds and a virtual reality landscape that was creative and engaging. I had heard it referred to "Hogwarts in Space" and yes, it did have those elements. I'm always a sucker for coming of age stories set in boarding schools, especially if there is a creative twist on the setting and that is exactly what Insignia did. I mean it's a military boarding school for teenagers who are learning to fight virtual wars in space. Plus there was this interesting future that the author created. It wasn't the "earth is destroyed so we have to live in space" kind of future, it was like the Cold War in space, or a virtual reality game. Actually kind it was kind of both. I know that all sounds confusing but it made perfect sense when reading the book.

Plus Insignia did have some of the most unique characters but that wasn't necessarily a good thing. I don't normally mind unlikable characters but this book was a return to something that used to happen to me all the time, where I liked the book despite not really liking the characters. And that includes the main character, Tom Raines. He's was an odd combination of a reluctant hero and a more traditional hero. He's got all the willingness and drive to be a hero but not much of the skill. Sure he's resourceful, quick-thinking, and creative but for when he's at his best when he surrounds himself with people who are better than him. Despite the fact that there were some great strong female characters, there were also a lot of characters had serious "dudebro status" (if you know what I mean). They were often misogynistic know-it-alls without many redeeming qualities.

These rather unlikable characters also led to some even more unlikable antagonists in this book. Yes, I meant to put an s on the end of that. There is more than one extremely sinister force trying to keep our hero down. It's one of the few things Tom has going for him, he's the lesser of more than two evils. First there is the Russo-Chinese alliance, the foreign power that he and his countryman are battling. Then there are some forces at the school including an extremely vindictive student and a teacher who is doing some less than savory things to Tom. And finally, a shady company that is taking advantage of society and trying to use Tom for their own personal gain. Seriously, there is so much conflict in this book. Sometimes these many sinister forces are all working against Tom and sometimes there are working against one another. It all makes things extremely confusing, and this may come as a surprise, but that's one of the best things about this book.

All these conflicts made for a really interesting plot that was not only chock full of thrilling action and adventure but was strangely very character-driven. The conflict made for some really interesting internal and external struggles for Tom. He doesn't know who to trust because honestly everyone is pretty bad. He is forced to make some really tough decisions throughout this book and it leads to a really unique character arc. And that arc was expertly embedded in the plot of this book. His decisions lead to a conclusion that is both logical and unsettling. And it was all tied not only to Tom's coming-of-age story but also his role as a tool for the Cold War style battles.

I would say, however, that Insignia is not for everyone, it will probably appeal to a very specific audience. For one thing it definitely seems to be geared more towards teenage boys. Unlike a lot of other young adult novels, there is a shippable romance in Insignia but it takes a backseat to more humorous and heroic moments. But for me, I found that refreshing. I didn't miss the love triangle or the pining at all, despite the fact that I did want the ship to sail. And despite the fact that I would shake my head at the less than open-minded attitudes from a lot of the characters I did also laugh, a lot, and there does seem to be a lot of room for growth. This is the first book in a series and I'm interested to see how things continue.

I give Insignia by S.J. Kincaid an 8 out of 10

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Borrow. If you are a fan of Science Fiction or books like Ender's Game and Ready Player One then check this book out. Despite some rather unlikable characters Insignia has a fascinating futuristic world and some engaging conflict with some truly sinister antagonists.

Have you read Insignia? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and of course, HAPPY READING!