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The Prisoner of Cell 25
(Michael Vey #1)
by
My name is Michael Vey, and the story I’m about to tell you is strange. Very strange. It’s my story.
To everyone at Meridian High School, Michael Vey is an ordinary fourteen-year-old. In fact, the only thing that seems to set him apart is the fact that he has Tourette’s syndrome. But Michael is anything but ordinary. Michael has special powers. Electric powers.
Michael think ...more
To everyone at Meridian High School, Michael Vey is an ordinary fourteen-year-old. In fact, the only thing that seems to set him apart is the fact that he has Tourette’s syndrome. But Michael is anything but ordinary. Michael has special powers. Electric powers.
Michael think ...more
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Hardcover, 336 pages
Published
August 9th 2011
by Simon Pulse/Mercury Ink
(first published August 1st 2011)
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Mia Dogan
Its good but not really in the same class, Alex Rider and Jason Steed books are classics. They made a film and a TV series on Alex Rider.
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Start your review of The Prisoner of Cell 25 (Michael Vey, #1)

Oh, why why why why why why why why WHY did I read this horrible, cliche-ridden book? So I can give a bad review of it, that's why!

So, in brief, this book is about Michael Vey, a teenager that has electrical powers. Here's the cliche part: Michael Vey is a scrawny teen that's constantly bullied, his best friend's a nerdy loser, and the main girl in the story is the most popular and prettiest girl in school. Oh, she's also a cheerleader.
Michael soon finds out that Taylor, aka 'most popular an ...more

Michael Vey, The Prisoner of Cell 25, by Richard Paul Evans, is a fun fantasy with lots of funny and yes, stupid humor too. It is not like the Alex Rider or Jason Steed series and maybe not quite as good. The story lacks the emotion from the Jason Steed novels and the skill of Anthony Horowitz on the Alex Rider series. It is about Michael and his best friend Ostin. Ostin has his name because his mother mistakenly misspelled Austin, as in the Texas city Austin.
Michael was born with powers that ar ...more
Michael was born with powers that ar ...more

I actually quite enjoyed this book as a kid, which is why it is so disappointing to know that the author, Richard Paul Evans, has been accused of sexual harassment by several members of a Utah con in 2017. He has reacted to this accusation, as well as its rapid support by the kid lit community including authors Ally Condie and Shannon Hale, by informing the world of his feeling that the plight of white men in America is as bad as “Jews in Nazi Germany”. So yeah, getting a No from me.
...more

Feb 02, 2019
Tina ➹ the girl who lives in Fandoms
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
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4.25 Golden Stars
✓ Again, another series with Hero's name as the title!
✓ realistic characters
✓ awesome thrilling plot in our world
✓ with enough amount of fun
-------
✓ added to my favourite series
I totally enjoyed it.
I might not love short stories, because they are shorts! (& I felt it's bungled up, rushed & messily), but I love it when I can read a novel in one day! cause it meant it's so captivating that can hold you in place to finish it.
YA with occasional Middle Grade vibes
-
Written style: ★★★★ ...more
✓ Again, another series with Hero's name as the title!
✓ realistic characters
✓ awesome thrilling plot in our world
✓ with enough amount of fun
-------
✓ added to my favourite series
I totally enjoyed it.
I might not love short stories, because they are shorts! (& I felt it's bungled up, rushed & messily), but I love it when I can read a novel in one day! cause it meant it's so captivating that can hold you in place to finish it.
YA with occasional Middle Grade vibes
-
Written style: ★★★★ ...more

I was asked by Left Bank Books to check out this book. Man, I'm glad they pointed it out to me. Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 was an unexpectedly good read for me. I actually didn't read too much about the book, so all I knew going in was that it vaguely had to do with super powers.
Michael Vey seems to be an ordinary 14 year old, but we find out in the first chapter that he has a hidden power. To make matters worse, he has Tourette's, which makes him have the unfortunate habit of saying t ...more
Michael Vey seems to be an ordinary 14 year old, but we find out in the first chapter that he has a hidden power. To make matters worse, he has Tourette's, which makes him have the unfortunate habit of saying t ...more

More reviews at Rondo of a Possible World: YA Book Reviews
Oh man! Everything, just everything about this has me tingling up and down from excitement. The Michael Vey series is one of my favorite summer reads and I'm so upset that I have to wait for the sequel. But hey, the wait is worth it!
I know people are saying that this book could be the next "Harry Potter" but I think it shouldn't be compared to Harry Potter, not dissing Michael Vey but this story and Harry Potter are great in their own w ...more
Oh man! Everything, just everything about this has me tingling up and down from excitement. The Michael Vey series is one of my favorite summer reads and I'm so upset that I have to wait for the sequel. But hey, the wait is worth it!
I know people are saying that this book could be the next "Harry Potter" but I think it shouldn't be compared to Harry Potter, not dissing Michael Vey but this story and Harry Potter are great in their own w ...more

It started off so well. Cliché, yes; too much like Percy Jackson, yes. But it had potential.
Too bad the characters couldn't pull it off.
YA romance is filled with female MCs who have little to no personality - a vessel into which girls and women can project themselves for a vicarious romantic fling. Though for some reason it's never been quite as annoying, I've noticed that many male MCs are beginning to have this characteristic, as well, as a vessel for a vicarious adventurous fling. The only re ...more
Too bad the characters couldn't pull it off.
YA romance is filled with female MCs who have little to no personality - a vessel into which girls and women can project themselves for a vicarious romantic fling. Though for some reason it's never been quite as annoying, I've noticed that many male MCs are beginning to have this characteristic, as well, as a vessel for a vicarious adventurous fling. The only re ...more

I was amazed at how awful this book was. If you're reading this, I'll assume that you know the plot, either from the handy synopsis up top or from reading the book yourself, so I'll just go on.
Evans took a pretty cool idea- kids with electricity-related powers- and ruined it via poor writing and flat characterization. No matter what Vey was doing, the writing did not change. Kissing his longtime crush? Being tortured? Fighting to the death? This is what he sounded like. It was the written equiv ...more
Evans took a pretty cool idea- kids with electricity-related powers- and ruined it via poor writing and flat characterization. No matter what Vey was doing, the writing did not change. Kissing his longtime crush? Being tortured? Fighting to the death? This is what he sounded like. It was the written equiv ...more

The Michael Vey books have been hailed as the next Harry Potter or Hunger Games series. Let me spare you the suspense: they're not. But that doesn't mean that it wasn't good. I think if I were a middle schooler, especially a boy, I would eat these up. They are quick, unique, vampire and werewolf-free, and completely clean. But for me as an adult, I wouldn't say I felt like I HAD to get back and finish it.
I feel like he has a unique and fresh take on a suspenseful YA novel, fun characters, and g ...more
I feel like he has a unique and fresh take on a suspenseful YA novel, fun characters, and g ...more

I am clearly not the target audience for this (since I'm not a middle/high-grades boy), yet I still found it sufficiently compelling. If I had a middle/high-grades son, this would top the list of books I'd want him to read.
The MC is of lower socio-economic status and has a mental disorder (Tourette's) that is not brushed aside as a cute quirk. Well done, author!
There are multiple secondary (eh, maybe tertiary) characters of color, which is a step in the right direction, although some of the nam ...more
The MC is of lower socio-economic status and has a mental disorder (Tourette's) that is not brushed aside as a cute quirk. Well done, author!
There are multiple secondary (eh, maybe tertiary) characters of color, which is a step in the right direction, although some of the nam ...more

Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes!!!!! Shall I continue? This book is absolutely, positively. . . marvelous!

Haha! Yes, that gif needs to be here too. But seriously, the story, the characters, the writing style. . . it's just all so amazing and brilliant!
Michael
You know, since I kind of hate books with a first person writing to it, I tend to stay away simply because my experience with first person main characters has not been well. They're too cocky and seem to know better than ...more

Haha! Yes, that gif needs to be here too. But seriously, the story, the characters, the writing style. . . it's just all so amazing and brilliant!
Michael
You know, since I kind of hate books with a first person writing to it, I tend to stay away simply because my experience with first person main characters has not been well. They're too cocky and seem to know better than ...more

This book was recommended to me as something fun to read. I thought it was horrible.
The story included just about every stereotypical bad high school story plot point *spoilers below* - Michael gets stuffed in lockers by big bad mean bullies and the principal won't help him; he had a big crush on the prettiest cheerleader, who, voila, happens to also have special electric powers; his best friend/sidekick is a fat and socially inept genius kid; in the course of the adventure, he ends up befriendi ...more
The story included just about every stereotypical bad high school story plot point *spoilers below* - Michael gets stuffed in lockers by big bad mean bullies and the principal won't help him; he had a big crush on the prettiest cheerleader, who, voila, happens to also have special electric powers; his best friend/sidekick is a fat and socially inept genius kid; in the course of the adventure, he ends up befriendi ...more

Story Description:
“My name is Michael Vey and there’s something you don’t know about me, something that scares people more than you would believe. It’s my secret – and it’s part of the story I’m about to tell you.”
To everyone at Meridian High School, Michael Vey is just your average, ordinary fourteen-year-old. But Michael is anything but ordinary – in fact, he is electric.
When Michael’s best friends, Ostin Liss and cheerleader Taylor Ridley, make an accidental discovery, the three of them learn ...more
“My name is Michael Vey and there’s something you don’t know about me, something that scares people more than you would believe. It’s my secret – and it’s part of the story I’m about to tell you.”
To everyone at Meridian High School, Michael Vey is just your average, ordinary fourteen-year-old. But Michael is anything but ordinary – in fact, he is electric.
When Michael’s best friends, Ostin Liss and cheerleader Taylor Ridley, make an accidental discovery, the three of them learn ...more

I think that your reaction to the summary of this book will be the best judge of whether or not you are going to like this novel. As I was first reading it, phrases like "It's my story," "but Michael is anything but ordinary," and "Michael will have to rely on his wits, powers and friends if he's to survive," stuck out at me. Not in a good way. In fact the whole summary screamed, "I'm an ordinary book." And it was.
Richard Paul Evans has written many best-selling novels for adults, and this is hi ...more
Richard Paul Evans has written many best-selling novels for adults, and this is hi ...more

I've had both adults and teens recommend this book to me, so I ordered a copy for the library. I really want to give this book 5 stars, but I just can't. Where, oh where, was your editor Mr. Evans? He/She should have really caught some of the flat dialogue in the first part of the book.
You see, I have this thing that I dislike with some books. If the writing seems to stop a smooth flow, my brain gives a little "hitch" (for lack of a better word). In other words, my brain jerks a little bit, and ...more
You see, I have this thing that I dislike with some books. If the writing seems to stop a smooth flow, my brain gives a little "hitch" (for lack of a better word). In other words, my brain jerks a little bit, and ...more

Ugh, got to about the last 75 pages and just didn't really care. So much the all action, no depth of
and the just-one-damn-thing after another of
and just a comic book mentality of evil empires.
Okay, so it's not subtle. I'm usually pretty good at "boy books"--even liked
but not
. Like in this one: it just seemed so much for the game-obsessed and short-attention span, I-want-to-read-a-movie, not-think set of 12-15 year olds that I just couldn't find my inner tween-teen boy, eve
...more


Okay, so it's not subtle. I'm usually pretty good at "boy books"--even liked



Jul 11, 2021
Kadi P
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Kadi by:
Audrey
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5-stars
A fantastic concept that was well-executed from start to finish. It was surprisingly unexpected at every twist and turn with a stellar electric ending (oh come on, you know I had to get at least one electricity pun in here).
The protagonist was something of an underdog whose traits were a fantastic way to represent Tourette’s syndrome and show some great character diversity. In fact, all the characters were impressively diverse and often there were more to them than met the eye, requiring you to ...more
The protagonist was something of an underdog whose traits were a fantastic way to represent Tourette’s syndrome and show some great character diversity. In fact, all the characters were impressively diverse and often there were more to them than met the eye, requiring you to ...more

Richard Paul Evans ruined Christmas for me one year. I sat in the corner of the living room, reading The Christmas Box and cried. In fact, I was in a rather obsessive mood and considered how it would look if I disappeared for a couple of hours and drove to the cemetery to see if the grave marker really existed. How much of this story was true? Then I calmed down enough to just be ticked off at him for making me cry. I hate contrived tragedies which is why I never watch Little House on the Prairi
...more

Wow. The first part of this book was absolutely horrible. It seemed like the author was trying to be really cool, and instead it was a collection of the worst similes, metaphors, writings, and genuinely unfunny jokes EVER. All the characters were so freaking stereotypical, you probably could have made them cardboard cutouts and I wouldn't have noticed the difference. Every line, every trick in the book was played, making this very uninteresting. And while I was reading, I was strongly reminded o
...more

I held off writing a review of this book because, well, if you can't say anything good, don't say anything at all, right? Well, bullshit. I very much wanted to like this book, and the fact that I wanted to like it made me give it 3 stars when I might have given 2. My problem wasn't so much the main character, who is a guy we've all seen before but whose lack of originality I can get over. My problem is the villains. The head bad guy comes straight from Austin Powers' Dr. Evil, but he's not funny
...more

My little brothers and their friend are reading this series so I decided to join the party!! Woohoo!! I read this years ago and never planned on reading it again but it was my only audiobook and i didn't want to die of boredom at work. So Michael Vey it is! It's actually a pretty fun book.
I was getting some slight maze runner vibes...i don't know why. Maybe cuz I just finished maze runner. They're not even that similar. But big corporations trying to "improve" the human race but are actually ki ...more
I was getting some slight maze runner vibes...i don't know why. Maybe cuz I just finished maze runner. They're not even that similar. But big corporations trying to "improve" the human race but are actually ki ...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

This is the best book EVER! It is by far the best book I have ever read. It is very entertaining but can be very suspenseful at times. I was never really into science fiction books until I found this series. It also is really funny. I finished this book in two days because I couldn't stop reading. Please read this AMAZING book!
...more

Oct 09, 2015
Colleen Houck
added it
What an awful, horrible villain! Love the whole idea of electric powers and the wide variety of abilities the kids display. Really cool stuff. Really like Michael as the hero. He's relate-able. I could easily imagine him as my brother. His best friend is awesome too.
...more

This book was one of my all-time favorite books I have ever read. On a scale from one to ten I would rate it a nine. One of the things I loved about the book was how descriptive Richard Paul Evans was. Every scene I could paint a picture in my head with every movement of the characters to the setting behind them. My favorite part was when they over-ran the Elgen Academy and let the prisoners go. With Richard Paul Evens descriptive words I could see the whole thing happen in my head. Another thin
...more

In this book there was a day when 17 electric children were born. They were all separated and raised as normal children. There are 2 electric children that live in the same city in Idaho. There is a man in LA California, named Hatch, who is trying to gather all the electric children and take over the world. Micheal and Taylor are trying to escape from Hatch and release the rest of the children. Hatch and his apprentices go to Idaho and kidnap Micheal's mom, and Taylor Ridley. Micheal and his bes
...more

Wow! What a good start to a series, I haven't read a sci-fi book in SO.LONG! And I'm glad I read this one! The best part about this story has to be that all the kids' powers are unique but related specifically to electricity. I picked up this series because the synopsis reminded me loosely of the Gone series, but even in the Gone series the children had a variety of powers. I think having it focused on electricity made it even more unique in a way.
I absolutely adored the clumsy side romance bet ...more
I absolutely adored the clumsy side romance bet ...more

Wow why did I pick this book......oh yeah because it had 2P's on the cover for a challenge. This book so much like high school. I thought I was back and I did not like it! Michael is so whinny that I couldn't take him seriously and Taylor was the cheerleader taking in the nerd.
This book was just to much for me, I think it is differently geared toward the younger crowd. ...more
This book was just to much for me, I think it is differently geared toward the younger crowd. ...more
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When Richard Paul Evans wrote the #1 best-seller, The Christmas Box, he never intended on becoming an internationally known author. His quiet story of parental love and the true meaning of Christmas made history when it became simultaneously the #1 hardcover and paperback book in the nation. Since then, more than eight million copies of The Christmas Box have been printed. He has since written ele
...more
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Michael Vey
(7 books)
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“Mr. Vey, you cannot be stuffed into a locker without your consent." Dallstrom said, which may be the dumbest thing ever said in a school. "You should have resisted. That's like blaming someone who was struck by lightning for getting in the way.”
—
56 likes
“If you passed me walking home from school, you probably wouldn't even notice me. That's because I'm just a kid like you.
I go to school like you. I get bullied like you. Unlike you, I live in Idaho.
Don't ask me what state Idaho is in––news flash––Idaho IS a state.
~Michael Vey”
—
45 likes
More quotes…
I go to school like you. I get bullied like you. Unlike you, I live in Idaho.
Don't ask me what state Idaho is in––news flash––Idaho IS a state.
~Michael Vey”