Chapter by Chapter

SYLO by D.J. MacHale was one of those books that I was totally pumped to read!  Can you imagine being stranded on an island, segregated from the rest of civilization?  No communication with the outside world, and basically being quarantined on an island with no possible exit.  And being told that it’s because people are dropping dead, and they don’t want the cause of these deaths to spread?

That’s basically what happens to Tucker, the other residents of Pemberwick Island, and vacationers.  One day, all is well and everyone is enjoying a great game of football, or a day on vacation, and the next minute, a whole feel of US military, who go by the name SYLO, invades the quiet island leaving this island not so peaceful and quiet.

But after Tucker and his friends witness a singing, shadowy type aircraft fly overhead, not only do they fear for their own safety, but the safety of their friends and family as well.  It appears that SYLO knows just what it is they are dealing with, but they are not too keen on sharing the information they have.  So Tucker and his gang take it upon themselves to solve the mystery of the singing aircraft, the reason for the appearance of SYLO, and what exactly the mysterious red crystals are that have washed up on their shores.

Like I said earlier, SYLO was a read that I was totally looking forward to.  I was ready for sci-fi goodness.  But what I was hoping for didn’t exactly meet my expectations.  Don’t get me wrong!  There were many parts in the book where I was completely engrossed and couldn’t tear my eyes away.  But then there were points where the story dragged for me, and I was having a difficult time in continuing with the book.

I will admit, there is quite a bit of action found within the pages.  Author, D.J. MacHale, does a great job in catching the reader’s attention.  Dangling just enough bait to suck you in, and don’t even get me started on the cliff hanger of an ending.

Even though this book had me tempted to put it down and not finish, the ending basically sealed the deal for me in wanting to find out what will happen next.  And even though there was no definite confirmation that there is anything to do with aliens (more like guesses and what if’s), there was enough left to keep the reader wondering if there was, in fact, some sci-fi action happening.

The characters found in SYLO were wonderfully written and all had their own individual personality.  Readers will have one they, I’m sure, will find a connection to.  There was a lot of humour found as well!  Whether it be conversations between the characters, or even the inner monologues, I did find myself chuckling quite a bit.

And yes, there were some emotional parts in SYLO for me to.  Okay yes, I’ll admit it!  I did tear up.  How could I not!  I can’t tell you what happened, nor disclose who it involved!  It would give away some of the build-up in the beginning to midway of the story.  But you’ll know what I mean when you get to it!

All in all, SYLO by D.J. MacHale was a decent read.  Although my main argument would have to be the pacing in some parts of the story, I for one am looking forward to the second installment in this book.  I need to know what exactly is going on!