The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans

The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It took me a while to get into this book, but I'm not sure why. It just felt like the introduction to the characters in the high school setting took a long time, but in the end it seemed proportionally correct to the rest of the book. While I like the action at the end, it did feel like they basically just let Hatch go at the end. Characters that desperate would have not hesitated to take him out. But that is how it goes when you are trying to set up a series, and an extended revenue stream. It was very Hollywood of Evans.

I like the concept of electric children as a way to mix sci-fi and fantasy. While it follows scientific laws we all have some understanding of, it takes the form or role of magic powers. I like the mix. I do think that Evans needs to watch the 'dark' aspect of the story. Describing torture is kind of a hard core thing, and while I get that YA books are getting darker, there are limits, depending on your audience. For example, Harry Potter had the cruciatus curse, but I don't think it wasn't really used in a descriptive scene until the fifth book.

While I don't think this is the best book I've read from this genre, I'm looking forward to seeing where this saga goes. He has me for at least one more installment.