A review by jdglasgow
Wrecked by Joe Ide
5.0
If Goodreads allowed half-stars, I think I would rate this 4.5, but as-is I had to give it the full five. I’m with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on this one: I think it’s quite possibly the best of the three IQ books so far.
This book ditched the interspersed flashbacks of the previous two, a device which certainly had the potential for becoming tiresome. The plot of Wrecked is therefore much more straightforward, focusing instead on changing perspectives (Isaiah, Dodson, Grace, Sarah, and the cadre of ex-cop/ex-military baddies one by one) rather than jumping around in time.
This entry has some of the coolest action sequences. The fake-out when Walszac and Co. drop off the million dollars in particular is spectacular. I also have to call out the junkyard battle, in which TK gets in on the action.
It’s got some classic IQ brainstorming moments, too. When he has to locate Grace’s kidnapper, it recalls the chase scene that opened the first book. His plan for catching Walszac off-guard (by strategically hiding a can of pepper spray) is also brilliant.
WRECKED also does a great job of humanizing Isaiah. His stop-and-start romance with Grace feels very much appropriate for this character who perceives himself as out of step with the world at large. Oh, and I wanted to mention too that this book deals more frankly with the role that race and racism must play in Isaiah’s life, which I’m glad to see because the prior books felt a little artificial in how they shied away from those discussions.
The bad guys are truly loathsome: I think they’re far more compelling than the primary baddies in the earlier books. And this book does a great job of upturning your expectations, right up to the end with a final “twist” which, in retrospect, should have been kind of obvious.
I do sort of feel there the subplot about Chester Babbitt isn’t the strongest, and an even more minor subplot about performing a favor for Manzo with the help of the junior high science club seems entirely superfluous. What I can say in favor of the Babbittt plotline, though, is that it provides an excuse to bring back Junior, whose verbose way of extrapolating is resolutely exemplary (which is to say: it’s a lot of fun).
I’m tempted to request Hi-Five from the library immediately and jump right into it because I find the IQ books so enthralling, but at the same time I don’t want to run out of books in this excellent series, so I may try to hold myself back a bit. I can guarantee I won’t be able to hold out long, though. I’m very eager to find out what happens next.
This book ditched the interspersed flashbacks of the previous two, a device which certainly had the potential for becoming tiresome. The plot of Wrecked is therefore much more straightforward, focusing instead on changing perspectives (Isaiah, Dodson, Grace, Sarah, and the cadre of ex-cop/ex-military baddies one by one) rather than jumping around in time.
This entry has some of the coolest action sequences. The fake-out when Walszac and Co. drop off the million dollars in particular is spectacular. I also have to call out the junkyard battle, in which TK gets in on the action.
It’s got some classic IQ brainstorming moments, too. When he has to locate Grace’s kidnapper, it recalls the chase scene that opened the first book. His plan for catching Walszac off-guard (by strategically hiding a can of pepper spray) is also brilliant.
WRECKED also does a great job of humanizing Isaiah. His stop-and-start romance with Grace feels very much appropriate for this character who perceives himself as out of step with the world at large. Oh, and I wanted to mention too that this book deals more frankly with the role that race and racism must play in Isaiah’s life, which I’m glad to see because the prior books felt a little artificial in how they shied away from those discussions.
The bad guys are truly loathsome: I think they’re far more compelling than the primary baddies in the earlier books. And this book does a great job of upturning your expectations, right up to the end with a final “twist” which, in retrospect, should have been kind of obvious.
I do sort of feel there the subplot about Chester Babbitt isn’t the strongest, and an even more minor subplot about performing a favor for Manzo with the help of the junior high science club seems entirely superfluous. What I can say in favor of the Babbittt plotline, though, is that it provides an excuse to bring back Junior, whose verbose way of extrapolating is resolutely exemplary (which is to say: it’s a lot of fun).
I’m tempted to request Hi-Five from the library immediately and jump right into it because I find the IQ books so enthralling, but at the same time I don’t want to run out of books in this excellent series, so I may try to hold myself back a bit. I can guarantee I won’t be able to hold out long, though. I’m very eager to find out what happens next.