The Mutant's Apprentice
by Sam Posey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Mutant's Apprentice / B003CV7TUS
Nick has been in and out of more foster-homes than he can count on both hands AND feet. He's not a bad kid, in fact he's a pretty good one, but the Department of Children Services just keep moving him, every few months he is assigned to a new family, and always in an out-of-way place. And then there are the long blackouts he has, and the strange hallucinations - Nick isn't sure if those are normal or not.
An intriguing hook and interesting premise, this excerpt delivers a great deal of mystery and pathos. Readers are sure to feel sympathy for Nick, and it is touching that he truly doesn't know what is or isn't normal, simply because he has had so few experiences with 'normal' in his short life. Particularly intriguing, besides the supernatural events, is the behavior of the DCS - the constant spying, frequent relocations, and isolated placements seem to point to the fact that they know he is something special...but are they aware of his abilities or responsible for them?
If I could make one suggestion it would be that the opening switch between the phone call and the foster placement is a little disorienting. I was confused when people around town knew Nick already and he and Kevin had a relationship, until I realized that time had skipped forward a bit when I wasn't noticing (kind of like it does with Nick, I guess). You might try to call that out a little more clearly. Overall, though, I enjoyed this excerpt.
NOTE: This review is based on a sample excerpt of this book provided through the ABNA contest.
~ Ana Mardoll
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