Written by Fonda Lee
I was not sure I was going to finish the book at first. It was confusing and tedious in the beginning as the world was being introduced. I am glad I stuck with it as I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story takes place on a future Earth that is now a colony of an advanced alien species, the Zhree. The main character is Donovan, an Exo soldier tasked to help maintain peace. Exos are humans that have undergone a “hardening” process that gives them a defensive body armor, exocel, similar to the Zhree’s natural body defenses. After receiving a tip about a possible terrorist, Donovan and his partner Jet investigate. A mission, that at first seems meaningless, results in Donovan being captured by a girl, Anya, and some violent members of a group called Sapience, that is trying to overthrow the cooperating humans and free Earth from the Zhree. At times it is hard to really tell who is bad or good, and if there actually is a bad/good side. There were lots of plot twists and we get to see occupation, cooperation, resistance in a different light. By the end, I wanted to read the next book now and it won’t be out until the middle of 2018. If you like sci-fi and some moral dilemmas with action, some violence, and a small splash of romance, very small, you will probably like this book.
Review by Brad Butcher, Library Media Educational Technology Specialist, Evergreen Junior High
Rating: ★★★★½ (4.5 stars)
Interest Level: Grades 8 to 12
Exo
Written by Fonda Lee
Scholastic Press
371 pages
Release Date: January 31, 2017
A review copy was provided by the publisher.
