Review of Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans and US giveaway of one of his books SIGNED!

I'm so excited to introduce the next book! I literally just finished it an hour before writing this post. Before I get to the book, I'd like to take a few moments and gush about how awesome Left Bank books, our local bookstore, and the library system are in St. Louis! The reason I know about this book is because I'm an affiliate of Left Bank Books, and they asked if I wanted to publicize this book and author since Richard Paul Evans is going to be in St. Louis IN PERSON for a signing on Monday, September 23rd at 7pm at the St. Louis Public Library, Central Library, 1301 Olive St. Yup, guys and gals, that's TOMORROW!

Anyway, because Left Bank Books is just that amazing, they told me they'd be willing to do a giveaway for a signed copy of one of his books. In response, I was like, welllll, I've never read any of Richard Paul Evans' books so why don't I go to the St. Louis County Library and see if they'll get me a copy. While they didn't have a copy in their library, I requested it, and 24 hours later, the book was ready for me to pick up! That's what I call service!

Then for the double win, I read the book, and it's terrific!

Goodreads Book Description: My name is Michael Vey, and the story I’m about to tell you is strange. Very strange. It’s my story.

To everyone at Meridian High School, Michael Vey is an ordinary fourteen-year-old. In fact, the only thing that seems to set him apart is the fact that he has Tourette’s syndrome. But Michael is anything but ordinary. Michael has special powers. Electric powers.

Michael thinks he's unique until he discovers that a cheerleader named Taylor also has special powers. With the help of Michael’s friend, Ostin, the three of them set out to discover how Michael and Taylor ended up this way, but their investigation brings them to the attention of a powerful group who wants to control the electric children – and through them the world. Michael will have to rely on his wits, powers, and friends if he’s to survive.

My Rating: Somewhere between 4 and 4.5

My Review:  As mentioned above, I was asked by Left Bank Books to check out this book. Man, I'm glad they pointed it out to me. Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 was an unexpectedly good read for me. I actually didn't know too much about the book before reading it, so all I knew going in was that it vaguely had to do with super powers.

Michael Vey seems to be an ordinary 14 year old, but we find out in the first chapter that he has a hidden power. To make matters worse, he has Tourette's, which gets him in trouble since he says the wrong thing at the wrong time because of it. His powers are a secret, however, so he is forced to suffer in silence. When the prettiest girl in school approaches him, Michael realizes that maybe it's not so bad being him after all. The two of them and Michael's best friend Ostin (yes, his mother mispelled the name of the Texas capital) band together to try to figure out the mysterious origin of their powers. They discover deeply buried and explosive secrets (pun completely intended), and Michael has to decide between what is right and what is easy.

Okay, so I totally ripped off a promo for a movie or something. Not sure which one that phrase came from (maybe Spiderman?), but just let it suffice to say that I totally didn't make that up by myself. Anyway, what makes this book is the characters. We've all read books about kids with secret powers-- it's been overdone. How many books similar to the X-men have we all read?  But Michael is hysterically funny and has a unique voice, which completely makes this book succeed. Add a feisty, cute love interest and a hilarious, sidekick best friend who is smarter than everyone else combined (including the adults), and you get a terrific, fast paced read. 

This book doesn't reinvent the wheel, and I'd like to see more growth in the main character, which is why it didn't get a perfect score, but this is only the first book, and it sets up the next two in style. 

Overall, a terrific and fun read, and I can't wait to pick up the next book in the series. 

Now, enter to win a book from the Michael Vey series signed by Richard Paul Evans (US only)! Winner gets to choose which book!

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