10+: The Bad Tuesdays 4: The Nonsuch King - Benjamin J Myers

Release Date: 05/05/11

BOOK BLURB:

Splinter Tuesday is hungry for power, and he has a daring plan to get it - if he can stay alive! His brother, Box, is fighting for his life on a distant planet. His sister, Chess, is learning to walk between the worlds. Only then will she be ready to take on the evil Twisted Symmetry - and win. But the Twisted Symmetry has plans of its own. Time is running out. Splinter, Box and Chess have never been in more danger.


REVIEW:

Whilst I’ve not always been as appreciate of the Bad Tuesdays as I perhaps should have been, the characters in this series really stand out making this an Urban Fantasy for the young reader to enjoy. They are fully rounded, they have some great characters flaws and above all else the author has taken the time to not only allow them to play to their strengths but also to figure things through their weaknesses. Add to this a decent pace, some memorable moments and a great overall arc, it is a story that will leave readers gasping for the next Tuesday outing. Great stuff.

10+: The Bad Tuesdays 3: Blood Alchemy - Benjamin J Myers

Release Date: 07/10/10

BOOK BLURB:

Chess Tuesday is on the run...And the deadly Twisted Symmetry isn't far behind. They've already hunted down and imprisoned her brothers, Box and Splinter. In a world where neither friends, enemies nor family are what they seem, trust is not an option. And Chess is about to discover that the truth may be more dangerous than she ever thought possible.


REVIEW:

To be honest with you, I’ve had a seriously hard time getting into this series and whilst I can appreciate the hard work as well as the writing talent of the author, I really couldn’t get a handle on the cast and as such felt alienated. Whilst a number of people may think that this is due to me jumping into this series part way through, it isn’t I picked up the first title and made my way from there.

All in it does build up the tension, it does give the reader an adventure and overall the reader may well get a blast from it. But for me, without being able to get a handle on the characters I get lost, confused and really don’t care which way it goes. With luck a future titles may well feature different characters in the Bad Tuesday series such as Box is a bit of an enigma that really needs more page time.