Review: Bunker 10 by J. A. Henderson

genre: young adult

The Pinewood Military Instillation is going to blow up. We know that, because it happens in the first chapter - and then, the story takes us back in time to discover how we got to that point. And while Pinewood is full of soldiers and contractors, obviously, it is also the home of 7 genius-type children, and the book is told from their point of view.

I cannot decide whether I liked this or not.

I liked the mind-bending nature of it, to a certain point, in a Maxtrix-y, Ender's Game-y sort of way. But sometimes, it was almost TOO much. In my mind I was saying, "blah blah blah" sometimes because it felt kind of...made up. Maybe I just couldn't suspend my disbelief enough for certain parts because other times, I really was interested and engaged. It was much more about plot than character - maybe that was the problem. I didn't know these genius kids well enough to believe they could do the things they could do. Also one of the characters was so completely caricatured I couldn't take him seriously at all.

At any rate, I think some people could really enjoy this, especially those who enjoy science fiction or military type books written for young adults. It is an intense thriller with a "kid power" message (somewhat gory, for a young adult book). It just wasn't 100% for me.

book 8 for the 2010 Young Adult Challenge