Sunday, January 31, 2010

Explorer X-Alpha Review

Author: LM Preston
Release Date: February 7, 2010
Pages: 366
Publisher: Phenomenal One Press
Most Appropriate For Ages: 9+
Where I Got It: Author and publisher in exchange for my honest review

Explorer X-Alpha wasn't my favorite book....

The plot was very intriguing, but it did tend to drag. I usually don't read about spaceships type sci-fi (as apposed to, say, the Uglies series), but the plot wasn't bad at all and I think it will definitely keep kids entertained. One thing I didn't quite get, was why the kids kept beating each other up? It seemed very sudden and out of character at some points.

I never connected with the characters at all. They were strong but I just never loved any of them. Sometimes, I would get confused because of two similar names (Dakota and Damien) who also had semi-close personalities.

I've heard some heavy criticism on LM Preston's writing, but I never thought it was that bad. I thought that the dialogue was kind of stiff, and that could be one of the reasons that I never connected with the characters, but overall LM Preston's writing was good. She especially shines during action scenes.

So Explorer X-Alpha wasn't the book for me. But I'm definitely not it's targeted audience, either. I'd probably recommend the book to younger boys and sci-fi fans.


  1. Great review...I've wondered about this one because I've heard a lot about it, but I'm not sure it's for me :)

  2. I feel the exact same way about this book. Sci-fi isn't my favorite, and this book wasn't the best, but it wasn't horrible. Stiff dialogue, unrelatable characters, you said it all. And I definately agree with what you wrote about her writing during the action scenes. Those were always my favorite parts.

  3. I definitely agree with your review. I did love the action scenes, though! (but the dialog really bothered me)

