Reviews

Alexander X by Edward Savio

sonyayx's review

2.0

The first audiobook I listened to and finished. An exciting experience to listen to someone speaking for 9+ hours. However, I imagined a different storyline based on the prompt I had read at the beginning. The whole audiobook was filled with action but I was not that engaged. It is also written nicely and it's simple to understand, but I felt like the story was missing something deeper. Moreover, we did not learn anything that would resolve the conflicts discussed in the book, just barely, all of it might have been put into the second book. All in all, the concept excited me and the book made a nice company with calming storytelling, but it did not charm me in the end.

_belle's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted

3.5

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW

*Easy listen
*Likeable protag
*Pleasant narration
*Lots of action

I don't really have too much to say.. which is a first. It was fine. Enjoyable to listen to. 

karatechoptime's review against another edition

3.0

I listened to this on audiobook. I LOVE Wil Wheaton. However, it's another commitment to a series, and while I love the concept of this book, and it is fun and fast paced, I wasn't bowled over by it.

stewardofbooks's review

4.0

Fast-paced, funny and exciting, this book had me completely hooked right from the start. Alexander and his two closest friends are on the run from a dangerous man who wants to destroy the modern world. The catch; Alexander is 1500 years old and the villain has been planning this for centuries. I loved the first-person point of view and Alexander's dry humor. The narrator was brilliant. The author weaves history and the present together to create an intricate story with new twists every chapter. As Alexander fights for his freedom and his friends' lives, he is also forced to confront who he really is and he has to face his long past (with its secrets) and uncertain future in a way he never has before. He loves his friends, who have accidentally become wrapped up in the chaos, but how much should he really tell them? I will definitely be reading the sequels.

(listened to the audiobook on NetGalley)

vigneshs's review

3.0

I don't read this type of book always but the plot was intriguing to me and i was tempted to read this. I am happy that i made that decision.

The book deals with a man who is basically an Immortal who will age very slowly and is in High school now. The story is adventurous, mysterious and fast and action packed. Anyone who likes these genres with a touch of sci-fi will like this book.

stacyroth's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Alexander Grant may look like your typical teenager, but he has a secret – he is one of about 1000 people who age only one year for every 100 years he lives.  Every year, he moves to a new small town to avoid suspicion.  When a mysterious group tries to kidnap him, Alexander is forced to go on the run with his best friend and his crush, using the skills he has honed over the centuries to try to stay one step ahead of them. 

Wil Wheaton did a phenomenal job of narrating the audiobook!  I enjoyed the premise of the book, and the action kept me hanging on to find out what would happen next.  My only qualm with the book would be that Alexander seemed to find himself with an unbelievable amount of history-makers throughout his “childhood”.  Nevertheless, I can’t wait to pick up the next book in the series to find out what happens next! 

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book. 

stacey332's review

adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Alexander X is a young adult action adventure alternate history story that follows a 1500 year old guy, Alexander, who is an eternal (which means he ages about 1 day for every 100 that he's alive). Stuck with the body and mental capacity of a 15 year old, he is trying to keep his identity a secret and blend into normal teenage life until suddenly other eternals appear to have it out for him. What follows is an adventure full of dry humour, heart, and interesting historical factoids/speculations that I might recommend to fans of the Percy Jackson franchise who have slightly aged past that depending on their preferences for story structure.

Going into this story, I really didn't know anything about it other than that Wil Wheaton narrates it and I decided to give it a try based on that alone. While I really enjoyed Wheaton's narration (as always), I really struggled with the story structure and writing style of this book as it didn't suit my personal tastes at all. Essentially, this book throws you into action scenes where you don't have any understanding of character motivations or the larger context of why things are happening until the climax of the book so I found it really difficult to stay invested and feel tension with those elements missing until the end of the story. I also wasn't a fan of just how often the action scenes are interrupted by exposition throughout the entirety of the book as it really detracted from the momentum and the pacing for me.

I really felt as though the author was entirely focused on Alexander at the expense of other elements of the book and while he was interesting and multi dimensional, I found the side characters and villains to be quite lackluster and flat. I also felt that he was so centrally focused on in the narrative that some of the situations the author put him in (in the historical moments specifically) felt unrealistic and like he was unnecessarily injected into them. Everything seemed to be a little too easy or convenient for him and I wish that he had experienced more challenge and adversity throughout his adventures.

Finally, the use and exploration of Indigenous culture in this book just didn't sit right with me. I would be really curious to hear from an Indigenous reviewer on this book and will attempt to seek one out because there were things that felt inclusive and interesting at times (such as the invention and gameplay of lacrosse) but other things that felt insensitive or even offensive at other times (such as the suggestion that contrary to recorded history a tribe was hired to wipe out another tribe for European colonists).

As this doesn't play into my tastes, I won't be continuing on with the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Babelfish Press for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest review. 

redcolorada's review against another edition

adventurous funny informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

I listened to the audiobook version narrated by Wil Wheaton. This was a very fun listen. Lots of action, sarcasm, and an interesting plot. A whirlwind of adventure. Trying to explain this to someone, I said it was "An adventure packed, real world, young adult, martial arts, escape from the known and unknown, mystery, with a touch of The Martian type explanations of history from the main character (I think the history is a twist on actual US history. I'm not a historian so I'm not sure if there is more truth to the twists or not, but they are believable in the descriptions from the main character)." I was engaged and entertained the whole way. A few times the explanations got a little expansive but it adds to the main character and the reader's understanding of how he is so experienced and capable.

Spoiler

He has lived a very very long time

Spoiler

. I loved this story and will listen to the next audiobook which is narrated by Wil Wheaton also.

happily_undignified's review

adventurous emotional funny informative lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Alexander X by Edward Savio is an action packed adventure featuring almost-immortals and a fantastic fantasy meets reality setting. Alexander has been a highschooler for many, many years and has successfully hidden his identity - until now. When his secrets are exposed and he has to fight for his life, he unwittingly brings along his fellow classmates on a hilarious epic adventure. This story was narrated by the amazing Wil Wheaton and he does a great job bringing the characters to life. I enjoyed how the author balanced humor with action and the sidekicks were great additions to the story. 

aneides's review against another edition

3.0

An interesting premise--a small percentage of the population who age at 1/100th the rate of normal people, some of whom have, predictably, gone bad. I was, at first, intrigued.

But...

A 1500-year-old teenager who still, for some reason, acts, feels and talks--sniggers--like a teenager.

A really irritating sidekick.

A narrator who, somehow, has met a ridiculous number of famous historical figures (all the while appearing to be a kid) and--even more improbably--personally witnessed a staggering number of historical events. On the Titanic? Riding shotgun with Paul Revere? Gettysburg? Completely out of proportion even to the extended lifespan. (Explanation unconvincing.) The insider reminiscences of historical events felt gratuitous and a little gross.

Nearly constant ridiculous action-movie-type action at the expense of furthering a plot.

As far as I can tell, this book was not marketed as YA fiction. It should have been.