Insignia - S.J. Kincaid

Soon to be a trilogy, Insignia was honestly one of the greatest things I pulled off the Teen-Fantasy shelf at Barnes and Noble in a very long time. I found it during one of my B&N day trips where I had fully intended to go in and peruse. I saw the cover, opened up the novel, and read the summary on the jacket. My initial thought was, “It's another one of those books.” You know, the classic whether to save the world or not, spiel. So, I did what everyone does, I started to read the book right where I stood.

It is World War III and the enemy is winning. These days, war is no longer personal; it’s all digital and virtual. Government hardly exists and the world is broken into two major factions: the Indo-American Alliance and the Russo-Chinese Alliance. Mega-corporations drive the factions; everything is a commodity these days. Especially the war.

The corporations sponsor certain Combatants – soldiers in the war. The wars are fought in space, using machines. There is no actual loss of life. The Combatants are young, elite fighters, who wield the war machines in virtual space. There is only one public face to the soldiers, however. Elliot Ramirez is the handsome, charismatic, combatant who fights under the alias: “Ares.”

Our protagonist, Tom Raines, is miserable. For years, he has hopped from casino to casino with his unlucky, gambler of a father. Tom’s only purpose in life is to make sure they have a roof over their heads and food in their bellies. While his father loses money, Tom goes out and makes it. Scrawny, unattractive, and poor, Tom does what he does best: he plays video games. He is a skilled, brilliant gamer, and knows it. So, he takes to the arcades in casinos and earns his survival. He’s missed so much online school that his teacher threatens to contact social services. His father’s paranoia keeps them off the grid, which inhibits Tom from consistently attending his classes. Tom’s skill in-game and out-of-game as a con artist gains the attention of someone rather unexpected.

The 14 year-old draws the attention of a General. The man approaches Tom in an arcade after watching the boy complete a military simulation. He offers the struggling teen the chance of a lifetime: to become a Combatant. Tom’s father heatedly objects to the idea, skeptical of the corporations that drive society. Tom, however, can’t pass this opportunity up – his chance to be important. He would be a super-human war machine, with the tech skills he could only dream of. Tom finds himself at the Pentagonal Spire, an elite military academy, training to be a member of the Intra-Solar Forces. This new life has everything Tom could ever ask for, but at what cost? Was his father right to keep them off the grid?

Insignia is not just for techies, gamers, or boys. It’s fast-paced, witty, precise, hilarious, heart wrenching, and all around brilliant. I’m so excited to see what the second book has in store for us, not to mention the rest of the series! Insignia is very reminiscent of a much beloved book The Ender’s Game, but should be treated as its own, because the two are also very different. I absolutely loved this book. The entire story took me by surprise. Every single character seemed important in a specific way, which tickled me. No one felt superfluous.

I don't think I truly did the book justice. I really enjoyed it and thoroughly recommend it to anyone who wants a fun read. It’s quite the page-turner. I bought it after Chapter 1 and finished it as the sun was coming up that night. It was worth every minute.

Read more about the characters, backstory, and keep up-to-date on the series by checking out S.J. Kincade's own blog! It's quite fantastic!

Happy Reading!

-- Isabel

Months of Absence

Erm... Hello, Internet!

How are you? Well, I hope!

I'm well aware of my absence since Star Wars Day. While I fully intended to continue, I just lost some motivation. I felt as if none of it mattered - all in all, I got bored of myself. And then laziness clutched at that fault, clambered up, pitched a tent, and settled in. One of my best friends reminded me of my absence a little while ago, and I thought maybe I should make my way back.

Slowly, but surely, I intend to start posting reviews again. I realized that I've been posting about books I love or enjoyed, at the very least. I want to diversify that, so I will try to write about books I haven't enjoyed or hated (in some cases).

This will not be constant. I cannot assure you of a schedule or consistency. There will be lulls, silence, and for how long, I cannot say, but I can only say that there will be some. All I ask is patience. This is not only a blog of reviews, this is an archive of my literary history. It takes me time to remember what I liked or disliked, whether the plot truly belonged to the book I'm remembering, whether I enjoyed it at all, maybe if I even finished the book/series.

I wish everyone the happiest of Holidays. I hope to see more of you in future.

Happy Reading!
-- Isabel