Saturday 10 May 2014

Review: Disruption


Disruption by Steven B. Whibley

 
Title: Disruption
Series: none
Author: Steven B. Whibley
 
Published: Steven Whibley Books; 2014
340 pages, kindle edition
 
Source: Netgalley
 
 Description (from Goodreads):
 
At fourteen, Matt Cambridge has executed so many pranks-the latest nearly destroying his school-that his parents are out of discipline options. So his father pulls a few questionable strings to get his son into Camp Friendship: a camp that promises to strengthen the moral compass of today's youth. With a name like Camp Friendship Matt imagines three punishing weeks of daisy chains and Kumbayas.
 
Within minutes of arriving at the camp, however, Matt's nearly killed-twice. It doesn't take long for him to realize there's more to this picture-perfect place than meets the eye. What sort of summer camp has classes in forging passports? Why do they have endless fight training, and weapons drills, and what is with the hidden rooms?
 
Matt wonders if his parents realize they've enrolled him in what seems to be some kind of freakish, elite spy school. What Matt doesn't yet know is that Camp Friendship's ultimate purpose is far more sinister than he could possibly have imagined. With each dot he connects, he begins to understand that in the end he'll be left with two choices: pull the prank of a lifetime to escape this place... or die trying.


My Thoughts:

I think I am a little too old for this book. The story was grabbing, the characters were alright and the mystery wasn't the worse I've read, but I just couldn't get into it.

There were two main issues I had with Disruption:

1) The implausibility of it:

Personally, I found it a little too much of an Alex Rider wannabe. I mean, the CIA holding spy training camps? Well that isn't that unbelievable, I guess, expect the part where the campers are children.

Also, if these kids are supposedly "spies in training" how could they not realise that Matthew is lying about well, everything really? He isn't a very good liar - not in the slightest. Why is that only Rylee got suspicious? I would have been if I saw that he literally had no freaking clue what he was supposed to be doing and yet everyone else at the camp, including his teammates, were partially born and raised in these sorts of camps. Shouldn't they be able to tell if their Delta was a little suspicious - especially since he was meant to be the best of them?

Also the last challenge was taking it too far. Did he seriously think that these people would be okay with setting off fireworks in a subway station? I agree with them that's just lame really.

2) Matthew and his lie:

I was completely frustrated that not once did Matthew think to ask what the hell was going on? He is thrown into this camp where the very first thing they ask you to do, is run thrown a field bobby-trapped with land-mines - live ones that explode when you touch them. Does that not set some warning bells off in your head - especially after you have been injured and there are others, like Becca, walking around battered and on crutches? Shouldn't you be asking your teammates some questions - like what sort of camp is this!? I have never been to camp myself (we don't have them here anyway) but even I know that isn't a normal camp activity.

Also, how the heck did he get appointed Delta? How deep does his Dad's involvement in this shady Agency run - otherwise how the heck did he get in and all that stuff happen? Surely, these sorts of people don't make mistakes that enormous. Where are our answers?

Disruption was not up to the expectations I had set. I have to say that I am very disappointed. Maybe younger readers would appreciate this more? I am not sure, but I won't be hasty to recommend this regardless.

Note: a copy was provided courtesy of Steven B Whibley and CrushStar Multimedia LLC, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given or taken during this process.

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