- Publisher : Usborne Publishing Ltd (5 Jan. 2023)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 288 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1474984428
- ISBN-13 : 978-1474984423
- Reading age : 10 – 13 years
Genetically-modified teens try to bring down the organisation that made them, in this second action-packed installment in the 21% Monster series. The girl put her hands on her hips, cocked her head and answered: ‘My name is Aurora María Ash-Valero and I’m here to kick your butt!” Since Darren Devlin and Marek Masters joined forces, there has only been one thing on their minds – taking down XSP, the secret organisation that transformed them into genetically-modified superhumans. Even with 21% monster Darren’s incredible strength, and 19% alien Marek’s super intelligence, XSP is more than a match for them. But what if there was another survivor of XSP’s experiments? A tall, tough, athletic teen girl able to withstand sub-zero temperatures and track potential predators? A girl who’s 17% sabre-tooth polar bear, and out for revenge. Two’s company, but Three IS UNSTOPPABLE in this high-octane adventure, 21% Monster: Ice Giant.
My Review
Thanks to the publishers for sending me this book for the tour and the first book in the series so that I could read both. Thanks to Bee at Kaleidoscopic Tours for organising this tour.
The two main characters, Marek and Darren, after defeating the XCEL alien-cyborg-human monster, and returning to London, are a bit frustrated. Darren has been dealing with his stress by going out in to London to rescue victims of crime.
Marek has been attacking his enemies online, as he always does, but also keeping from Darren the news about Daisy being arrested. A successful hack gets Marek and Darren almost all of their enemies’ secrets. The discover that they are not the only Helix children still alive. They decide to help Aurora, a girl who is part sabre-tooth polar bear, who is being hunted by Xastris, their enemy. Things don’t go quite as planned.
Meanwhile, Daisy is being falsely imprisoned in Bleakmoor, the same prison Darren was held in. Her cellmate, Genie, is her newest friend. But she’s not all she seems.
Reaver, head of Xastris, known as ‘Uncle Nathen’ to both Genie and Marek, is determined to destroy all of the children. In the process he has to make a sacrifice of his own and manipulates everyone around him.
The plot is fun and barrels along taking the characters under the Atlantic, into the Rocky Mountains, across the Atlantic, back to London, and then to a secret island off the coast of Britain. New characters are introduced as the boys discover more about the organisation the made them and abused Marek. We discover that another child has survived and is hiding out in the wilds of North America.
We also see Daisy’s character developing beyond ‘big sister’, she is a character in her own right going through a horrible experience. She is struggling with the situation and finds a new friend in her cellmate, Genie. Genie has secrets of her own and struggles with her situation, feeling conflict between her knowledge of Daisy and Darren, and what she’s being told by ‘Uncle Nathen’ about Darren.
Nathen Reaver is a complex character; he is clearly the bad guy, but he still feels distress about having to kill Genie. He lies about the Helix children and specifically about Marek,, whom he appears to hate. His aims are slowly revealed in his interactions with other members of Xastris and in his internal dialogue.
This book is for 10 to 13 year old children. I think it’s aimed at boys in year 6 and 7. I might be wrong, since three of the main characters are girls between the ages of 12 and 16, although only one gets to fight, and they all need to be ‘saved’ in some way – from prison, from extermination, from the implants in her head – and the boys are there to save them from Xastris.
I found that a little irritating, but the girls do hold their own in their various adventures, against Marek’s bad behaviour and help Darren model empathy for him. Marek is forced to realise just how important Daisy is to Darren when he finds out about Genie, and the meaning of family.
I think the book can appeal to all children, if they can get past the cover which suggests it’s for boys. There is an annoying tendency in publishing to make books ‘for girls’ with a pink, yellow or pastel colour scheme, while books ‘for boys’ have darker, blue or green colour schemes. It’s daft and unnecessary gendering both colours and stories. That is a problem with publishing and not specific to this book.
Overall, this is an enjoyable adventure, with action and mild peril. I read it in an afternoon (on Christmas Day) so it’ll probably keep your 10-year-old quiet for a few hours.
Author Information
P.J.Canning has a PhD in Chemistry and works in Cambridge. He is married with three children, all of whom are brutal critics of his work. P.J. heard someone say “write about what you know”, but he prefers to write about aliens and monsters instead. 21% Monster is his first novel.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PJCanningauthor
Instagram: http://instagram.com/pjcanningauthor
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