Review: Fast-paced, sci-fi thriller
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 22, 2014
Chloe Johansson is a brave, smart 16-year-old. She’s already attends MIT, and when her dad goes missing, she doesn’t bat an eye in going to Switzerland, where he works at the CERN, in trying to help find him.The science fiction thriller pits Chloe as the central character from a first-person point of view, but we get into the mind of other characters as author Toby Tate uses a third-person point of view for the other characters. This jumping between POV felt a bit disjointed, but luckily it didn’t last long as the chapters were short and direct.Admittedly, I don’t know enough about the Higgs Boson to know if the science going on in the book is even plausible. It was one of those moments where I decided to let go and jump into the story, and I think readers will have to do that.The story puts the family on the run across the globe, chasing a being that could wreak havoc on the world if it takes control of the right person. Tate does a great of describing the settings of all the different places the family visits, but I wasn’t sure the globetrotting was necessary as we did find the characters on a plane often.I would have liked to learn more about some of the other characters as Tate put a diverse group together to fight the menace, but Chloe Johansson was a likable 16-year-old, who seems young enough to not understand the dangers she faced. Even while trying to save her father, and the world, she still finds time to think about the cute boy who just saved her family.There was a subplot that started at the beginning of the book where Chloe’s friend calls to tell her she is pregnant, but this thread isn’t picked up again until the very end of the book. If there are other stories about Johansson, perhaps it will be mentioned again, but I wasn’t sure what the point was other than put out a political opinion regarding options for teenage pregnancy. This subplot wasn’t involved enough to sway my feelings of the book.For those who like fast-paced, sci-fi thrillers, this is the type of book you would enjoy.**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **