Insignia

Insignia by S.J. Kincaid
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book. LOVED it. Set in the not-so-distant future, World War III has finally arrived, and instead of destroying planet Earth, the human race has found a way to make war without human sacrifice.

Or so they think.

The planet has been separated into different governmental factions that control the earth’s remaining natural resources, and they’re at odds against one other. The whole world is literally fighting, but the battles now take place in space or on other planets. War is still war, however. Tom, a fourteen-year-old gamer genius, is stuck finding money and random hotel rooms wherever he can with his gambler father until the day that the government notices his incredible reflexes and quick thinking. Now that wars are fought with machinery light-years away, they need the best of the best to control those androids and ships. And that’s just the first couple of chapters.

I couldn’t put this book down, it was such a thrill ride. It reminded me a little of a cross between Ready Player One and the Artemis Fowl series, probably more for the teen crowd than tween. Loved the protagonist, loved the premise of the story. It was fun to watch as Tom learned how to be in the military, futuristic-style, and discovered what it was like to make real friends, complete with typical embarrassing teenage moments.

An excellent read and a major page-turner. In fact, I may have a new favorite YA author to add to my Rick Riordan and Eoin Colfer list. Looking forward to reading the rest of this series!