Review of OKiboyz: sophomore year.

[Runan]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "OKiboyz: sophomore year." by Marq Turner.]

---

4 out of 5 stars

---

Share This Review

---

‘OKiboyz: sophomore year.’ by Marq Turner is the second book in the OKiboyz series. You can read this book as a standalone. In this work of fiction, OKiboyz is a gang based at Kadena High School at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa. Sophomores Eric, Andy, Jimmy, and Donnie take over the leadership from their seniors Johnny, Eddy, Adam, and Elijah.

OKiboyz took over the KM gang’s territory after Marco Hannity (the KM gang’s leader) and his girlfriend were killed by the OKiboyz gang in the first book. Eric, along with Andy, Jimmy, and Donnie, recruit new members for their gang from among the freshmen. OKiboyz makes money from stealing, selling cigarettes, street fighting, the loan shark business, the sports book business, and selling CDs and DVDs. They are on friendly terms with the Brown Boys gang and their leader, Roberto Reyes. Roberto Reyes introduces OKiboyz and other gang leaders to Filipino mafia boss Amando Andreas. Amando offers the gangs access to his smuggling empire, which includes electronic goods, drugs, cigarettes, and guns. In exchange, he expects the gangs to give 25 percent of their profits. OKiboyz opted out of the deal, and this marks the start of the war between Amando and OKiboyz.

Eric is the narrator of this story, and the story unfolds as we follow Eric. In the midst of the war, Eric meets the love of his life, Katelyn, and a relationship ensues. The story has a decent amount of twists in the plot to keep the readers hooked throughout the story. The set-up of the story is unique, and I really liked it. OKiboyz gang members look after each other, and their bond is remarkable. Apart from Eric’s characterization, I felt the rest of the characters to be a tad bit underdeveloped. Eric and the rest of OKiboyz face a ton of obstacles. They cleared their obstacles without much struggle. I would have preferred if they faced difficulty finding clues to resolve their problems. For instance, Georgio informs Eric that officials will raid their nightclub beforehand. It would have been nice if the raid occurred without Eric knowing this information beforehand.

This book contains explicit sexual content, profanity, and gruesome murders. Exercise reader discretion. The editing of the book is excellent, as I found only a few minor errors. I rate this book 4/5. I deducted a point because of the reasons mentioned earlier. It is sad to see brilliant children going down the wrong path and endangering themselves in the process. This book reminds us that parents’ involvement in their children’s lives should be a priority. I recommend this book to those who enjoy crime and drug mafia stories.

******
OKiboyz: sophomore year.
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Korir Kipchumba Victor]

This seems to be an action-laden thriller. However, I'll pass it due to the explicit content as it can be disturbing at times for me. Thank you for the informative review!

[NetMassimo]

The first book of this series seemed like an intense crime thriller and this sequel confirms that impression. Despite the flaws you pointed out, overall it seems engaging, though not exactly my kind of story. Regardless, thank you for your great review!

[Runan]

This seems to be an action-laden thriller. However, I'll pass it due to the explicit content as it can be disturbing at times for me. Thank you for the informative review!

Thank you. I agree that this book’s explicit content may not be palatable for those who do not enjoy such content.

[Runan]

The first book of this series seemed like an intense crime thriller and this sequel confirms that impression. Despite the flaws you pointed out, overall it seems engaging, though not exactly my kind of story. Regardless, thank you for your great review!

Aptly said! This book is an intense crime thriller. It is definitely engaging. Thank you.

[Cara Wilding]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "OKiboyz: sophomore year." by Marq Turner.]

‘OKiboyz: sophomore year.’ by Marq Turner is the second book in the OKiboyz series. You can read this book as a standalone. In this work of fiction, OKiboyz is a gang based at Kadena High School at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa. Sophomores Eric, Andy, Jimmy, and Donnie take over the leadership from their seniors Johnny, Eddy, Adam, and Elijah.

Eric is the narrator of this story, and the story unfolds as we follow Eric. In the midst of the war, Eric meets the love of his life, Katelyn, and a relationship ensues. The story has a decent amount of twists in the plot to keep the readers hooked throughout the story. The set-up of the story is unique, and I really liked it.

This book contains explicit sexual content, profanity, and gruesome murders. Exercise reader discretion. The editing of the book is excellent, as I found only a few minor errors. I rate this book 4/5. I deducted a point because of the reasons mentioned earlier. It is sad to see brilliant children going down the wrong path and endangering themselves in the process. This book reminds us that parents’ involvement in their children’s lives should be a priority. I recommend this book to those who enjoy crime and drug mafia stories.

Runan, I don't know why I was initially so shocked to see these boys in their sophomore year of high school involved in these activities—perhaps I should have just felt more disappointment! I can imagine any gang would have a decent amount of bonding; reading about these young members would be interesting. This review has me wondering: Where are their parents? Did the story mention these kids' relationships with their parents? While I am definitely a big fan of crime and mafia stories, I admittedly have a bit of a cringe factor when it comes to kids (even adolescents) with this material. I enjoyed reading your review, and I appreciate you sharing your thoughts on this book with us! Until next time...

[Nwansimdi Mercy Someze]

The twists and the bond within the OKiboyz gang add layers to the narrative. Your point about the underdeveloped characters and the desire for more challenges to enhance the plot's complexity makes sense – adding unpredictability can indeed engage readers further.

[Runan]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "OKiboyz: sophomore year." by Marq Turner.]

‘OKiboyz: sophomore year.’ by Marq Turner is the second book in the OKiboyz series. You can read this book as a standalone. In this work of fiction, OKiboyz is a gang based at Kadena High School at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa. Sophomores Eric, Andy, Jimmy, and Donnie take over the leadership from their seniors Johnny, Eddy, Adam, and Elijah.

Eric is the narrator of this story, and the story unfolds as we follow Eric. In the midst of the war, Eric meets the love of his life, Katelyn, and a relationship ensues. The story has a decent amount of twists in the plot to keep the readers hooked throughout the story. The set-up of the story is unique, and I really liked it.

This book contains explicit sexual content, profanity, and gruesome murders. Exercise reader discretion. The editing of the book is excellent, as I found only a few minor errors. I rate this book 4/5. I deducted a point because of the reasons mentioned earlier. It is sad to see brilliant children going down the wrong path and endangering themselves in the process. This book reminds us that parents’ involvement in their children’s lives should be a priority. I recommend this book to those who enjoy crime and drug mafia stories.

Runan, I don't know why I was initially so shocked to see these boys in their sophomore year of high school involved in these activities—perhaps I should have just felt more disappointment! I can imagine any gang would have a decent amount of bonding; reading about these young members would be interesting. This review has me wondering: Where are their parents? Did the story mention these kids' relationships with their parents? While I am definitely a big fan of crime and mafia stories, I admittedly have a bit of a cringe factor when it comes to kids (even adolescents) with this material. I enjoyed reading your review, and I appreciate you sharing your thoughts on this book with us! Until next time...

Thank you, Cara. You asked a very important question. Where are their parents? Their parents are military personnel who are busy with their work. Also, the interactions with the family are limited, and the story concentrates more on the gangs’ feud and the romantic relationship of the protagonist. It would have been nice if the author delved deeper into the family dynamics rather than just mentioning them. I hope the author explores family dynamics in his next novels, as it can add layers of emotion to the story.

[Runan]

The twists and the bond within the OKiboyz gang add layers to the narrative. Your point about the underdeveloped characters and the desire for more challenges to enhance the plot's complexity makes sense – adding unpredictability can indeed engage readers further.

We seem to be on the same page about challenging plot points. Thank you for your remarks.

[Cara Wilding]

Thank you, Cara. You asked a very important question. Where are their parents? Their parents are military personnel who are busy with their work. Also, the interactions with the family are limited, and the story concentrates more on the gangs’ feud and the romantic relationship of the protagonist. It would have been nice if the author delved deeper into the family dynamics rather than just mentioning them. I hope the author explores family dynamics in his next novels, as it can add layers of emotion to the story.

Runan, I did suspect that the parents were military based on the location; however, I didn't want to assume! Being a military brat as well as a military retiree made me immediately wonder how kids from such structured families could get on this path (I acknowledge it is fiction, though). It would certainly be interesting to read about it. I hope there is more family dynamic in his next novel as well! Again, thanks for such an in-depth review and for responding to my question! Until next time...

[Runan]

Thank you, Cara. You asked a very important question. Where are their parents? Their parents are military personnel who are busy with their work. Also, the interactions with the family are limited, and the story concentrates more on the gangs’ feud and the romantic relationship of the protagonist. It would have been nice if the author delved deeper into the family dynamics rather than just mentioning them. I hope the author explores family dynamics in his next novels, as it can add layers of emotion to the story.

Runan, I did suspect that the parents were military based on the location; however, I didn't want to assume! Being a military brat as well as a military retiree made me immediately wonder how kids from such structured families could get on this path (I acknowledge it is fiction, though). It would certainly be interesting to read about it. I hope there is more family dynamic in his next novel as well! Again, thanks for such an in-depth review and for responding to my question! Until next time...

Oh yes, it completely slipped out of my mind. My apologies. Your profile clearly mentions it. You did mention here that, coming from a structured military background, it is highly unlikely for the kids to stray from the path. But, drawing parallels to this story with your experiences, have you ever heard of such incidents with military brats whose parents are on the move to different countries along with the kids?