DNF

This didn't work for me.
AT. ALL. ( )

Meh. Just could not get into it. Parking here for maybe later.

This was an engaging, action filled series starter. Even though it is told in flashback, I felt the tension building as Gideon told his story. Gideon is War, as in one of the four horsemen. The apocalypse isn't coming, but these guys are needed to protect something. As Gideon is telling his story, we are finding out as he does, what his purpose is. There feels like I could have used a big info dump. I'm sure Gideon would have liked that, too. The military man in him wants as much intel as possible. I did get frustrated with the lack of background knowledge. I feel like that was as much a device of the plot structure as it was storyline.

This one is good for both genders. ( )

Perfect for school visits this year. This is a story revolving around an 18-year-old army guy, with pretty much no swearing or sexy times and tons of action and intrigue. It's also got plenty of violence, but nothing worse or more graphic than any other YA. I really enjoyed the characters, although every so often I felt like some of the side characters fell into stereotypes rather than dynamic, fully fleshed people. This was particularly true with Marcus, which was frustrating since his character was such a foil to our narrator, but we get almost none of his story except bits that read like a central casting call for "young black guy with a troubled past."

Aside from that, I really enjoyed the framing device for the story, which made it almost impossible to put down once I'd started reading. It's not a perfect book, but it's hugely readable and I think will be really popular with our teens if they aren't put off by the cover. For a book written in such a realistic style, I feel like a military themed cover or a more abstract horse would have fit the story better. ( )

FROM PUBLISHER: For eighteen-year-old Gideon Blake, nothing but death can keep him from achieving his goal of becoming a U.S. Army Ranger. As it turns out, it does.
Recovering from the accident that most definitely killed him, Gideon finds himself with strange new powers and a bizarre cuff he can't remove. His death has brought to life his real destiny. He has become War, one of the legendary four horsemen of the apocalypse