bexbooksandstuff's review against another edition
4.0
This was such a great YA fantasy story. Full of action, suspense and exciting supernatural characters.
Quinn is our main protagonist and the story is told from his perspective. At the beginning of the tale he discovers that he is in fact half demon, which he is not very happy about. I really enjoyed his characters development and his internal struggle with what was happening to him. It was interlaced with the fact that he was a teenager and so had a lot of teenage angst and worries which was a nice touch as the younglings were attempting to fight evil and save the world!
There were lots of lovely side characters with different powers. I enjoyed that the team or 'spook crew' was made up of people with completely different supernatural abilities it made them seem like a teenage band of the Avengers! They were a great band of misfits who all worked well together and shared a great bond. I also loved the grannies! What a fabulous team of guardians they had watching over them!
Throughout the story there was the expected teenage angst, crushes, humour and sarcasm which was enjoyable to read and kept the action entertaining. It was fun to read about a group of heroes who were still at school and still had the teenage dramas to deal with!
Overall I really liked this book and am certainly hoping for more adventures of the spook crew. I think they have many more battles ahead of them, and I'm sure there will be more characters to help them to be discovered.
Quinn is our main protagonist and the story is told from his perspective. At the beginning of the tale he discovers that he is in fact half demon, which he is not very happy about. I really enjoyed his characters development and his internal struggle with what was happening to him. It was interlaced with the fact that he was a teenager and so had a lot of teenage angst and worries which was a nice touch as the younglings were attempting to fight evil and save the world!
There were lots of lovely side characters with different powers. I enjoyed that the team or 'spook crew' was made up of people with completely different supernatural abilities it made them seem like a teenage band of the Avengers! They were a great band of misfits who all worked well together and shared a great bond. I also loved the grannies! What a fabulous team of guardians they had watching over them!
Throughout the story there was the expected teenage angst, crushes, humour and sarcasm which was enjoyable to read and kept the action entertaining. It was fun to read about a group of heroes who were still at school and still had the teenage dramas to deal with!
Overall I really liked this book and am certainly hoping for more adventures of the spook crew. I think they have many more battles ahead of them, and I'm sure there will be more characters to help them to be discovered.
smilesgiggle's review against another edition
4.0
Quinn discovers his powers as puberty hits - accidentally. He can run like a superhero. His neighbor who has always care for him and his mom is a demon nanny. Who arranges meets with his dad - a demon king.
By the way, his best friend Eve is also half angel.
Together they draw quite the crew - a witch, vampire, werewolf and a simple human. Together they learn of their strength, especially Quinn.
When Eve is kidnapped for her healing blood, they must all bring their powers together.
Oh Eve special friend - a ghost of a young girl whose family had been cursed.
Humor. YA dark fantasy. Great read.
By the way, his best friend Eve is also half angel.
Together they draw quite the crew - a witch, vampire, werewolf and a simple human. Together they learn of their strength, especially Quinn.
When Eve is kidnapped for her healing blood, they must all bring their powers together.
Oh Eve special friend - a ghost of a young girl whose family had been cursed.
Humor. YA dark fantasy. Great read.
pages_of_devin's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
hans_cosy_corner's review against another edition
1.0
DNF
I’m sorry, I tried. I can see why people loved this book, but for me, it was a flop. There’s so much going on that nothing lands, you don’t have time to take it in. It’s action after action, a la the final season of game of thrones, or the final Star Wars film. You don’t ever worry for the characters, or laugh with them, before you’re being ushered to the next plot point.
There’s also something I can’t avoid talking about here, and the reason I won’t be posting a true review to my Instagram - because I know how this is going to sound, and I know how it would be taken. This book was too reminiscent of other books. I had just come from a Percy Jackson read when I started this, and there’s a line really early on about how mrs D, who has hooves for feet but at this point he doesn’t know, walks like she’s in pain; but you’ve never seen anyone move faster when X happens. This is almost word for word a line from the first Percy Jackson about Grover - a character there to protect our half god MC who hides his hoof feet behind a disability.
There’s a vampire family who live in the town because it’s shaded, and cloudy. The dad is a dr at the local hospital; who saved the mum from dying of an awful illness by turning her. Sounds a little familiar.
Now, I love a good Easter egg, and I truly think that’s what this is. I am not, in any way shape or form, accusing this author of plagiarism, because that’s really serious and is not what I think is happening here - the book is really original, and you can tell it’s come from the heart. I do believe it’s Easter eggs for readers of similar books. But personally, I didn’t love it. Instead of being like ‘oh look the character is reading Percy Jackson, and is commenting that Grover really makes him think of mrs D’ I instead was left with furrowed eyebrows thinking ‘I…I know that line’ or like ‘ohh like the Cullen’s’
I’m sorry, I tried. I can see why people loved this book, but for me, it was a flop. There’s so much going on that nothing lands, you don’t have time to take it in. It’s action after action, a la the final season of game of thrones, or the final Star Wars film. You don’t ever worry for the characters, or laugh with them, before you’re being ushered to the next plot point.
There’s also something I can’t avoid talking about here, and the reason I won’t be posting a true review to my Instagram - because I know how this is going to sound, and I know how it would be taken. This book was too reminiscent of other books. I had just come from a Percy Jackson read when I started this, and there’s a line really early on about how mrs D, who has hooves for feet but at this point he doesn’t know, walks like she’s in pain; but you’ve never seen anyone move faster when X happens. This is almost word for word a line from the first Percy Jackson about Grover - a character there to protect our half god MC who hides his hoof feet behind a disability.
There’s a vampire family who live in the town because it’s shaded, and cloudy. The dad is a dr at the local hospital; who saved the mum from dying of an awful illness by turning her. Sounds a little familiar.
Now, I love a good Easter egg, and I truly think that’s what this is. I am not, in any way shape or form, accusing this author of plagiarism, because that’s really serious and is not what I think is happening here - the book is really original, and you can tell it’s come from the heart. I do believe it’s Easter eggs for readers of similar books. But personally, I didn’t love it. Instead of being like ‘oh look the character is reading Percy Jackson, and is commenting that Grover really makes him think of mrs D’ I instead was left with furrowed eyebrows thinking ‘I…I know that line’ or like ‘ohh like the Cullen’s’
sugaplumfairy28's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I really enjoyed this book. You are thrown straight in by being informed that Quinn is a half-demon. The whole book is mainly from Quinn’s POV. It is about his journey on finding out he is a half-demon and what is expected of him. Also navigating his new powers as well as normal teenage life which he does struggle with from time to time. He has a team by his side that you find out about throughout the book and have a great name ‘Spook Crew’. There is a lot of character development and relationships formed. They are all unique and bring something to the table. Fast paced and gripping, I wanted to know what was going to happen. There is quite a lot going on with characters popping in and out throughout the story. Gave me Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Twilight vibes with all the supernatural beings and elements of it all. Also nods to Charmed with the Book of Shadows. It doesn’t end on a huge cliffhanger but on questions and mysteries that need to be delved into further. Amazing start to the series.
dunfermlinereads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Book 1 of what looks to be an amazing series by Helena M Craggs and if this story is anything to go by then I know I’m going to love the others.
The first book introduces us to Quinn Carter, a half demon, and follows his journey upon learning of his new powers and heritage.
The story involves bonding with new friends who form The Keepers, a group of individuals who have been foretold to be protectors, bonding with his dad who he has never known, and learning to cope with his new powers and growing aggression.
Over the course of the book they become involved in a number of incidents making new friends and new enemies along the way.
A must read for YA fantasy lovers.
nic_readsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was such an entertaining read
I loved that we had a male main character and heard the story through his point of view. It made me realise that it is not often I read a book with a MMC POV throughout.
The narration from Quinn’s perspective was really interesting and pretty funny. It definitely helped bring the story along.
Aimed at young adults, it is an easy read with a captivating plot. I liked the characters and loved the inclusion of all the paranormal creatures.
I am definitely not the target audience for this book and it is definitely suited to a much younger age group but I still really enjoyed it and would recommend for younger readers
lilbookishdragon's review against another edition
The writing is in need of some serious editing and development. The story could be really interesting but it’s execution is just far too juvenile for me.
life_onthe_shelf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
4.0
I looked forward to reading the next chapter of this book every time I picked it up. There are loads of different fantasy characters like demons, angels, and ghosts (and more!). I'm a big fan of the romance subplot and kept rooting for Quinn to get the girl of his dreams, but I also really enjoyed how each member of the group helped to fight off different antagonists and how they used their powers. If you like something fun and fast-paced, you must pick up this book!