Official Review: Aegis Incursion by S.S.Segran

[TheMusicalMuse]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Aegis Incursion" by S.S.Segran.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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A plane crashes in 1948. Several passengers barely escape drowning. In present times, a delivery man stumbles upon more than he bargained for and barely escapes death in the ensuing car chase. Meanwhile, there are five teenagers in Montana suffering from amnesia. These events may seem obscure, but as "Aegis Incursion" progresses, they weave together in an intricate web that will often have you exclaiming at "aha" moments.

Did I mention these are just the events from the prologue? Hang on to your seatbelts!

At the beginning of the book, we meet Jag, Kody, Mariah, Teegan, and Aari, five young people who set out on a road trip to rediscover themselves after struggling through a year of amnesia regarding the events of the previous summer. On the trip, they hear snippets from the news about a blight on the world's crop harvest that even the experts are struggling to explain. Little do the five teens know that the destroyed crops are just the beginning of a global domination plan...a plan that somehow includes them. Their memories--flashes of a summer spent with a tribe of enlightened beings who taught them to hone their innate abilities--return in bits as they near their California destination, and just in time, too! What follows is a tale of kidnappings, espionage, escapes, and subterfuge as the main characters use their super abilities to chip away at the evil corporation that continues to haunt their paths as it quests for a new world order. Along the way, the teenagers meet several people who train them not only to use their powers wisely but to prepare themselves to fulfill the Aegis prophecy. Said prophecy appears in the first book of the Aegis League series, "Aegis Rising", but the second installation actually reads very well as a stand-alone novel. I had not read "Aegis Rising" before I began its sequel, but I had very few problems following the storyline.

This book is packed beginning to end with intense, heart-pounding action, but the author also uses witty dialogue and short, descriptive passages to imbue her writing with a natural rhythm. Her two greatest strengths--pacing and organization--make this a young adult thriller that's hard to put down. She tells the story from many perspectives, and at the beginning of each chapter, she switches to a new scene or person. Because of this organization, the book reads like a puzzle. You get bits of information at each step, and the closer you get to the end of the book, the more of the big picture you can see. Her cryptic style of writing, employed specifically to keep the reader guessing, would actually be off-putting if it weren't for her incredible sense of timing. She perfectly balances the high-octane action scenes that keep the story moving forward with shorter, dialogue-free explanations to entice her audience.

The intended audience--namely, advanced young teen readers up to older teens--would easily connect with her cast of main characters. Jag, Kody, Mariah, Teegan, and Aari weren't created in a writer's vacuum to have impeccable speech and perfect responses. They talk like today's teenagers talk, with incomplete sentences, slang, and a lot of sass. Though their struggles tend to be wilder than those facing today's average young adult, their responses are realistic. They show emotion. They act impulsively. More importantly, they accept each other unconditionally, a theme that resonates strongly with the current generation of young adults. My one complaint about the characters is the lack of a stand-out leader. The author uses omniscient third person perspective to give her readers a more personal view into each of the main characters at some point in the book, and her cast of supporting characters is well-developed too. However, in mainstream YA literature, the major selling point is the one character that readers latch onto. I'm talking Harry Potter, Katniss Everdeen, or Tris Prior. While the main characters of "Aegis Incursion" are all likable and unique, there is no stand-out character that ties the whole story together.

Besides that, my issues with this book are few and far between. I'm amazed at how well revised and edited the final copy is. I could count grammar and spelling errors on one hand...and this is a story told in four parts! Occasionally, I ran into a few descriptions or conversations that could have been shortened or eliminated from the story without drastically affecting the plotline, but overall, this book was a thrilling read from start to finish. The more I read, the more impressed I was with the writing style, the organization, and the research the author put into her book.

If Daniel Silva and Rick Riordan had a love child, it would be the young S. S. Segran. With the intensity of an adult spy thriller and the relatable characters that teenagers enjoy, "Aegis Incursion" takes YA Action, Adventure, and Fantasy to a new level. All I can say is, "When is the movie coming out?!" I heartily recommend this book and its precursor "Aegis Rising" and rate it 4 out of 4 stars.

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Aegis Incursion
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Like TheMusicalMuse's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Rachaelamb1]

Wow that certainly does sound action packed! So would you say this book falls into the dysotopian genre or is it more modern day/futuristic?

[TheMusicalMuse]

It's definitely modern day. It's written so it could actually occur today. The author used a lot of technology references that are really up-to-date, so it's quite clear that she envisioned the story happening in the here and now. The fantasy comes in with the kids using and developing their powers; the reality comes in the fact that something like this isn't too incredibly far-fetched for today's society.

[debo9967]

Amazing review! The book sounds really action packed and engrossing.

[TheMusicalMuse]

@debo9967 Thank you! I really LOVED this book, and the pacing never really slows down. It's definitely worth a look. I got dinged on my review for recommending the first book of the series without having read it, but I would recommend the series just based on this book.

[PashaRu]

Thanks for a well written review! Great analysis of the book. Sounds like an interesting story.

[TheMusicalMuse]

@pashru Thank you! That's high praise coming from you. I'm a big fan of your reviews and writing style.

[PashaRu]

@pashru Thank you! That's high praise coming from you. I'm a big fan of your reviews and writing style.

Thank you, you are too kind. I enjoy your reviews as well, and I think that you have quite a distinctive voice and a great ability to analyze and express your thoughts with unique, interesting language. Your reviews are always intelligently written and enjoyable to read.

[bookowlie]

What a great, insightful review! You really made the book shine. I like the way you described the author's style as what a love child of Rick Riordan and Daniel Silva would be like. It gave me a good understanding of what the author's writing style is like.

[TheMusicalMuse]

@bookowlie Thank you! I'm a fan of both Daniel Silva and Rick Riordan, so you can imagine how gripping I found this novel. After a slew of average or subpar fiction, this was a refreshing change for me.

[aegis]

Thank you MusicalMuse for your thoughtful and well written review of Aegis Incursion. It captures the substance and spirit of the novel really well. I couldn't help laughing out loud at the love child comment . I am honored to be mentioned in the same sentence with Daniel Silva and Rick Riordan. Thank you. I will be happy to send you a review copy of book three, Aegis Evolution, when it comes out next year.

Cheers,
Shirin Segran

[TheMusicalMuse]

Haha! I just told my husband, "It's the author! The author commented on my review!" Reviewing your book was my pleasure. You are a remarkably organized writer, and I loved the sass (and occasional snark) in your writing. The phrase in the prologue "gossip percolating along the line" made me so happy! You use excellent vocab in unconventional ways, and it makes for fun and intellectual reading.

Okay, I'm going to stop gushing now. I would love to review the next book in the series, but I don't know what the rules are about authors and reviews having direct contact. That would have to be something I talk to Scott about.

[aegis]

Thank you for your kind words I guess we'd better stop chatting then, or at least until we hear back from Scott.

Cheers,
S.S.

[Momlovesbooks]

Your review makes me want to get the first book
in the series AND this one! It sounds entertaining
and action-packed. I'm hoping it is something my
kids might want to read, too.