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The Academy Defenders
Lincoln Thomas thought he was a perfectly normal twelve-year-old until the night he slowed time to save his mom from a super-powered assassin. He learns he and his parents are part of a secret society known as the Guardians, real-life superheroes sworn to protect the world 's most important people. As the newest Guardian in the family, Lincoln is sent to the Atlas Academy to learn how to control his new powers. Between making new friends, battling bullies and mythical creatures, and trying to survive the academy 's combat training program, Lincoln discovers someone is plotting against the Guardians and whoever it is, they re getting help from the inside. It 's up to Lincoln and his friends to unmask the traitor, but before they can, an army of rogue Guardians attacks the academy.
Not all Guardians are good, and Lincoln is about to find out just how bad they can be.
EDITORIAL REVIEWS:
Atlas Academy is a place for fans of Harry Potter and X-Men, delivering action and exciting superpowers. - Tyler Whitesides, author of Janitors
Defenders is an adventurous tromp through superhero school that will keep you turning pages to the very end. Fasten your seat belt. This is one bus ride you won t want to miss. - David G. Woolley, author of The Promised Land series
Not all Guardians are good, and Lincoln is about to find out just how bad they can be.
EDITORIAL REVIEWS:
Atlas Academy is a place for fans of Harry Potter and X-Men, delivering action and exciting superpowers. - Tyler Whitesides, author of Janitors
Defenders is an adventurous tromp through superhero school that will keep you turning pages to the very end. Fasten your seat belt. This is one bus ride you won t want to miss. - David G. Woolley, author of The Promised Land series
326 pages, Paperback
First published May 31, 2012
3 people are currently reading
232 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 15, 2012
Since the author happens to be my husband, I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of the book:) I might be biased, but I have to say I loved it! I can't wait for the sequel and for others to get a chance to read it.
June 12, 2012
Book Info: Genre: Fantasy Reading Level: Young Adult
Disclosure: I received a free ebook ARC from Rhemalda (the publishers) in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: Lincoln Thomas is a typical teenager … or at least, he used to be. But then one day he awoke with the power to slow time, stop bullets mid-flight and turn his enemies into human popsicles. Now he’s a recruit at the Atlas Academy – a top-secret government training facility – learning to use his new powers to become a guardian and protect world leaders from dangerous assassins and evil conspiracies. There’s only one problem – someone’s out to destroy the guardians … and Lincoln. Lincoln and a few fellow recruits are the only ones who can stop him. If they fail, the power of the guardians will be used to crush the very people it now protects
My Thoughts: The main problem I had with the story was how Lincoln just walked away from his family, his life, all his things – everything – apparently without a second thought or concern. Atlas Academy must have major bucks – they provide clothing, food, shelter, computers, books, and each recruit has a private room with their own private bath. Having lived in college dorms, that’s unbelievable luxury! I have to wonder about how laundry is done, for instance; are the recruits responsible for their own laundry, or do they have someone to do that, too? It’s never really mentioned, but then I suppose most people don’t really care about those sorts of things. However, that said, I ended up loving the overall story.
Atlas Academy is very different from Hogwarts, but I still see some parallels with the Harry Potter world, especially the competition between the dorms at the annual Challenge. However, in Hogwarts no physical training is done at all – everything is by magic – whereas Atlas Academy heavily stresses physical training. I found the similarities and differences to be quite fascinating. I especially enjoyed the creatures, once they entered the story – I’d love to know what the panther-things were supposed to be; I’ve never heard of anything like what they are described to be.
There were a lot of characters, and I understand Robinson’s decision to keep things simple and just not get into some of them; at the same time, too often scenes felt unfinished because there were only one or two people mentioned by name or description and it felt like the rest of the crowd were store mannequins or something. I felt like either the scope should have been further diminished, to allow more of a focus on the people that were introduced, or further expanded to allow more information about some of the other people around them. But as that may be, the ones that were focused on were quite well-developed – plenty of mysteries and secrets yet to discover, but at least we had a feeling about who they were.
So, while my feelings on some aspects were mixed, overall I quite enjoyed the story and I think young adult and adult readers will both find something to love in this book. Fans of Harry Potter should like it, despite its differences; I personally liked it because of its differences. A great coming-of-age adventure fantasy.
Disclosure: I received a free ebook ARC from Rhemalda (the publishers) in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: Lincoln Thomas is a typical teenager … or at least, he used to be. But then one day he awoke with the power to slow time, stop bullets mid-flight and turn his enemies into human popsicles. Now he’s a recruit at the Atlas Academy – a top-secret government training facility – learning to use his new powers to become a guardian and protect world leaders from dangerous assassins and evil conspiracies. There’s only one problem – someone’s out to destroy the guardians … and Lincoln. Lincoln and a few fellow recruits are the only ones who can stop him. If they fail, the power of the guardians will be used to crush the very people it now protects
My Thoughts: The main problem I had with the story was how Lincoln just walked away from his family, his life, all his things – everything – apparently without a second thought or concern. Atlas Academy must have major bucks – they provide clothing, food, shelter, computers, books, and each recruit has a private room with their own private bath. Having lived in college dorms, that’s unbelievable luxury! I have to wonder about how laundry is done, for instance; are the recruits responsible for their own laundry, or do they have someone to do that, too? It’s never really mentioned, but then I suppose most people don’t really care about those sorts of things. However, that said, I ended up loving the overall story.
Atlas Academy is very different from Hogwarts, but I still see some parallels with the Harry Potter world, especially the competition between the dorms at the annual Challenge. However, in Hogwarts no physical training is done at all – everything is by magic – whereas Atlas Academy heavily stresses physical training. I found the similarities and differences to be quite fascinating. I especially enjoyed the creatures, once they entered the story – I’d love to know what the panther-things were supposed to be; I’ve never heard of anything like what they are described to be.
There were a lot of characters, and I understand Robinson’s decision to keep things simple and just not get into some of them; at the same time, too often scenes felt unfinished because there were only one or two people mentioned by name or description and it felt like the rest of the crowd were store mannequins or something. I felt like either the scope should have been further diminished, to allow more of a focus on the people that were introduced, or further expanded to allow more information about some of the other people around them. But as that may be, the ones that were focused on were quite well-developed – plenty of mysteries and secrets yet to discover, but at least we had a feeling about who they were.
So, while my feelings on some aspects were mixed, overall I quite enjoyed the story and I think young adult and adult readers will both find something to love in this book. Fans of Harry Potter should like it, despite its differences; I personally liked it because of its differences. A great coming-of-age adventure fantasy.
June 24, 2012
I sat down to read this book and literally couldn't put it down until I had finished it. I would highly recommend it for kids and adults! It has all the elements of a good book: kids at school with a super power twist, quick and engaging action and a battle between good and evil. It has echoes of Harry Potter, Sky High, Percy Jackson, etc but the author manages to create his own wholly unique setting, powers, and heros. Fans of those books and movies will certainly like this one. One aspect I really liked was that in addition to rite training (magical control of the elements) the kids also have rigorous physical training at Atlas Academy. The kids have special abilities but they also have to work- hard! I also loved that though it is fantasy, it fits easily into modern day life and I could picture the Academy and jump right into the story without learning a whole new language for a new world and creatures.
The action was fast paced and exciting. While I loved the pace as I read, after I finished it seemed to highlight the only weakness. Throughout the story and especially at the beginning there were several major mind-blowing, life-changing, heart-wrenching events that Lincoln seemed to breeze though and adapt to without a hitch. I know he's a teenage boy and therefore might not be prone to being verbose, but I found myself wanting to get into Lincoln's head a bit more. At the same time- a lot of reflection or emotional reaction would have definitely slowed the pace and excitement. And a lot of the action took place in a very short amount of time when Lincoln could have died if he'd stopped to let reality sink in. So maybe all the anger, surprise, grief and bewilderment was coming after the shell shock wore off and life return to normal (as normal as it gets for a guardian in training) There were traces of these emotions throughout the book, especially at the end, just not quite enough. I would rather have too little than too much (take the 5th Harry Potter- it's realistic, but it's not much fun to read about angry Harry). I also think that the author's intent may have just been to tell an exciting adventure, and at that he succeeded. All in all it was by far the most gripping book I've read in awhile and I highly recommend it to readers of all ages. I hope there's a sequel coming soon. There are still many secrets to uncover!
The action was fast paced and exciting. While I loved the pace as I read, after I finished it seemed to highlight the only weakness. Throughout the story and especially at the beginning there were several major mind-blowing, life-changing, heart-wrenching events that Lincoln seemed to breeze though and adapt to without a hitch. I know he's a teenage boy and therefore might not be prone to being verbose, but I found myself wanting to get into Lincoln's head a bit more. At the same time- a lot of reflection or emotional reaction would have definitely slowed the pace and excitement. And a lot of the action took place in a very short amount of time when Lincoln could have died if he'd stopped to let reality sink in. So maybe all the anger, surprise, grief and bewilderment was coming after the shell shock wore off and life return to normal (as normal as it gets for a guardian in training) There were traces of these emotions throughout the book, especially at the end, just not quite enough. I would rather have too little than too much (take the 5th Harry Potter- it's realistic, but it's not much fun to read about angry Harry). I also think that the author's intent may have just been to tell an exciting adventure, and at that he succeeded. All in all it was by far the most gripping book I've read in awhile and I highly recommend it to readers of all ages. I hope there's a sequel coming soon. There are still many secrets to uncover!
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March 20, 2017There was a definite Percy Jackson vibe to this book, so I can see it appealing to a similar audience.
Where the author excells is in his action writing. There's always something happening and it was intriguing to see the various characters interact.
About 3/4 of the way through the book, there is a point of view change. This might seem like it'd be kind of late to change POVs, but I thought it worked well. Also, there was one part at the end where I was genuinely surprised . I love it when books can actually surprise me.
Where the author excells is in his action writing. There's always something happening and it was intriguing to see the various characters interact.
About 3/4 of the way through the book, there is a point of view change. This might seem like it'd be kind of late to change POVs, but I thought it worked well. Also, there was one part at the end where I was genuinely surprised . I love it when books can actually surprise me.
September 14, 2012
i really really enjoyed this book!
the reading level was below what i was thinking. i originally thought it was going to be a percy jackson/early harry potter reading level but i think it was actually quite below that. but i still really enjoyed it.
the book follows the typical popular story line right now of an average kid gets side lined by some crazy family drama, discovering some hidden ability then gets shipped off to a special school for others with this special ability. the abilities in this world remind me of Nickelodeon's gravitas the last airbender in that they can manipulate the air, fire, water, earth and in this world a few others (time and gravity. sweet!). Lincoln meets his instantly unwaveringly loyal group of friends right off the bat (which is typical in other early reader books and don't we all wish real life was like that). link is told to study hard and not worry about the family drama, that the adults will handle it. but of course the drama comes to link and he and his friends are the ones that need to work everything out. link, unlike harry potter though, doesn't come off as angry and moody about being told to not worry about the drama. the book is "watered down" in a way of not having as much in depth detail as the harry books in describing the day to day lives at the school or academy rather. but this doesn't make the story boring or not enjoyable. the author does a great job at letting you know what link and his friends do during the day but getting to the good stuff fast while not making you feel like it is rushed or you missed out on something.
the book of course has an ending where small things are handled and figured out while other big things that were looming in the background still need to be handled. there must be others in the works and i hope they make it to print!
as a side note: by knowing the author personally it was fun finding things in the book that are unique to him. it made me chuckle.
great book taylor!
the reading level was below what i was thinking. i originally thought it was going to be a percy jackson/early harry potter reading level but i think it was actually quite below that. but i still really enjoyed it.
the book follows the typical popular story line right now of an average kid gets side lined by some crazy family drama, discovering some hidden ability then gets shipped off to a special school for others with this special ability. the abilities in this world remind me of Nickelodeon's gravitas the last airbender in that they can manipulate the air, fire, water, earth and in this world a few others (time and gravity. sweet!). Lincoln meets his instantly unwaveringly loyal group of friends right off the bat (which is typical in other early reader books and don't we all wish real life was like that). link is told to study hard and not worry about the family drama, that the adults will handle it. but of course the drama comes to link and he and his friends are the ones that need to work everything out. link, unlike harry potter though, doesn't come off as angry and moody about being told to not worry about the drama. the book is "watered down" in a way of not having as much in depth detail as the harry books in describing the day to day lives at the school or academy rather. but this doesn't make the story boring or not enjoyable. the author does a great job at letting you know what link and his friends do during the day but getting to the good stuff fast while not making you feel like it is rushed or you missed out on something.
the book of course has an ending where small things are handled and figured out while other big things that were looming in the background still need to be handled. there must be others in the works and i hope they make it to print!
as a side note: by knowing the author personally it was fun finding things in the book that are unique to him. it made me chuckle.
great book taylor!
August 4, 2012
The Academy Defenders tells the story of Lincoln Thomas, a 12 year old who just doesn't quite fit in. After getting into a fight at school he is sitting in the office when news comes that he has a family emergency and must go home immediately. Receiving the news that his grandfather has passed away begins his journey into a world that he can barely believe is possible.
His mother takes him into a secret room in their house and reveals that his family is part of the group known as the Guardians. This group has existed since Ancient Egypt protecting the people the deserve their protection. In order to allow them to their jobs they use special powers that give them an amazing range of abilities. Lincoln's journey starts when he manifests a power while his mother is in danger making it necessary for him to be trained at The Academy. Thanks to his new friends Lincoln is able to fit in at The Academy fairly quickly.
I really enjoyed this book immensely. A lot of the YA stuff I have been reading lately has ended disappointing me with either themes that I thought were a bit to adult for the intended audience or just a general weakness. This book did not have either issue. I really liked the characters and the way that Lincoln has a strong supporting cast. There are some comedic moments and there is even a bit of a developing relationship, but it is kept at a good level considering the characters are 12-13 years old.
If you are a fan of YA fantasy or have a child/niece/nephew/whatever who is pick up a copy of this book. It is not a decision that you will regret.
His mother takes him into a secret room in their house and reveals that his family is part of the group known as the Guardians. This group has existed since Ancient Egypt protecting the people the deserve their protection. In order to allow them to their jobs they use special powers that give them an amazing range of abilities. Lincoln's journey starts when he manifests a power while his mother is in danger making it necessary for him to be trained at The Academy. Thanks to his new friends Lincoln is able to fit in at The Academy fairly quickly.
I really enjoyed this book immensely. A lot of the YA stuff I have been reading lately has ended disappointing me with either themes that I thought were a bit to adult for the intended audience or just a general weakness. This book did not have either issue. I really liked the characters and the way that Lincoln has a strong supporting cast. There are some comedic moments and there is even a bit of a developing relationship, but it is kept at a good level considering the characters are 12-13 years old.
If you are a fan of YA fantasy or have a child/niece/nephew/whatever who is pick up a copy of this book. It is not a decision that you will regret.
February 18, 2013
When I first started reading T.J. Robinson’s book, I found myself comparing it a lot to Harry Potter - there is a secret school, different houses, a story about the founders, evil in unexpected places and special powers. However, The Academy Defenders does stand out on its own.
The Atlas Academy is a special school for kids with powers, who are trained to become Guardians - people who protect powerful men and women in the world. Lincoln comes into his powers at age twelve when he and his mother are attacked in their home. He finds out then that both his parents are Guardians and that there is a secret school where he will learn to use his powers. Link is an extremely strong Guardian with the advanced ability to control the elements (or rites). The story follows him as he navigates his new powers and makes new friends. When their school is under attack, Link and his friends must band together to help defend their school.
I think fans of the Percy Jackson, Harry Potter and X-Men series will enjoy this story. Once I got over the initial introduction to a magical world I was able to enjoy the story. It was a bit slow in the beginning (mostly due to all the world building and introductions), but halfway through the novel it found its perfect pace. There were a few twists in the end that I didn’t see coming and I enjoyed those, however, I don’t think I will continue the series - perhaps I’ve just had enough of magical schools and special powers for a bit. I’m sure in a few years I might change my mind, after all, it was a good read.
The Atlas Academy is a special school for kids with powers, who are trained to become Guardians - people who protect powerful men and women in the world. Lincoln comes into his powers at age twelve when he and his mother are attacked in their home. He finds out then that both his parents are Guardians and that there is a secret school where he will learn to use his powers. Link is an extremely strong Guardian with the advanced ability to control the elements (or rites). The story follows him as he navigates his new powers and makes new friends. When their school is under attack, Link and his friends must band together to help defend their school.
I think fans of the Percy Jackson, Harry Potter and X-Men series will enjoy this story. Once I got over the initial introduction to a magical world I was able to enjoy the story. It was a bit slow in the beginning (mostly due to all the world building and introductions), but halfway through the novel it found its perfect pace. There were a few twists in the end that I didn’t see coming and I enjoyed those, however, I don’t think I will continue the series - perhaps I’ve just had enough of magical schools and special powers for a bit. I’m sure in a few years I might change my mind, after all, it was a good read.
August 10, 2012
Rating: 3.5
I got this through a Goodreads giveaway.
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First things first- the moment I saw the cover, I wasn't sure if I really wanted to read it. It's not a really attractive cover, in my opinion.
I'm glad I read this book though, since I liked it more than I thought I would. The beginning seemed really fast-paced and sudden, kind of like a let's-get-to-the-action sort of thing. (Maybe it was to mimic what it would really be like to have your world changed in an instant, but still...)
Everything in the middle went along at a good pace and it was fun to read. I thought the crush-on-the-girl-at-first-sight was kind of annoying at first, but since there wasn't a big deal made of it, I got used to it. (It helped that there wasn't anything stupid, like conflicts or misunderstandings).
Near the end, there were all kinds of surprises, including a few deaths that didn't really sit right with me (the deaths felt random or hastily planned, in a way).
I liked how even though there were some cliches (bully, love interest, main character is so unique, etc.), it was balanced out by things not so cliche (bregons, gravity control, fighting as a group).
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tldr; I would definitely read the rest of the series.
[edit] The cover has been updated, but it seems more like a comic book cover than an regular fiction book cover. It still wouldn't make me want to read it, but it's better than the previous one.
I got this through a Goodreads giveaway.
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First things first- the moment I saw the cover, I wasn't sure if I really wanted to read it. It's not a really attractive cover, in my opinion.
I'm glad I read this book though, since I liked it more than I thought I would. The beginning seemed really fast-paced and sudden, kind of like a let's-get-to-the-action sort of thing. (Maybe it was to mimic what it would really be like to have your world changed in an instant, but still...)
Everything in the middle went along at a good pace and it was fun to read. I thought the crush-on-the-girl-at-first-sight was kind of annoying at first, but since there wasn't a big deal made of it, I got used to it. (It helped that there wasn't anything stupid, like conflicts or misunderstandings).
Near the end, there were all kinds of surprises, including a few deaths that didn't really sit right with me (the deaths felt random or hastily planned, in a way).
I liked how even though there were some cliches (bully, love interest, main character is so unique, etc.), it was balanced out by things not so cliche (bregons, gravity control, fighting as a group).
---
tldr; I would definitely read the rest of the series.
[edit] The cover has been updated, but it seems more like a comic book cover than an regular fiction book cover. It still wouldn't make me want to read it, but it's better than the previous one.
November 11, 2012
This was a good story once I stopped my own negativity because it was so similar to Percy Jackson and Harry Potter. If the reader hasn't read those series before picking this up, they'll like it without experiencing the hang-ups I had with it. I'll be sure and read the next book in the series. I went from thinking I'd give this book just 1 star... through 2 stars... and then up the the 3 I finally gave it. It really grew on me and it ended strong.
This book desperately needs better cover art. I looked at the cover artist's website and all the examples there are better than this cover. I know we aren't supposed to judge books by their covers but this art is so distractingly bad that students in our library are blowing off this book. I'm glad I can now tell them it is worth their time to read it.
The art on the inside of the book was very good and appropriate for the story.
This book desperately needs better cover art. I looked at the cover artist's website and all the examples there are better than this cover. I know we aren't supposed to judge books by their covers but this art is so distractingly bad that students in our library are blowing off this book. I'm glad I can now tell them it is worth their time to read it.
The art on the inside of the book was very good and appropriate for the story.
September 13, 2012
The academy defenders was a really awesome book. It had lots of action, friendship, and lots of sadness. The book started with a teenager who had lost his brother in a fire and lost his grandpa from drowning in a pool. Lincoln starts knowing the truth about his parents and knows about his powers. since he know about his powers he goes to an academy full of people who have super powers an learns his training there.The training there was hard but he improved. Then somebody raided the academy and Lincoln has to save it. The book has a really good ending. you should read it.
January 5, 2012
There's nothing average about Lincoln Thomas, nor is there anything average about "The Academy Defenders." With brilliant writing appealing to all audiences, T.J. delivers the first book of the best series since Harry Potter. Join Lincoln as he fights to solve the mystery behind his grandfather's death and how it connects to the threat on the academy where Lincoln is training to be a Guardian. Pick it up, and you won't be able to put it down. At least I couldn't....
June 5, 2012
Pretty enjoyable read. The beginning of the book was a bit fast for me, but for the middle school kids,it was perfectly paced. My 10 yr old and I had a blast reading it together. We will def be purchasing any sequels since the ending rocked.
January 7, 2012
I can't wait to read this book! I'm a big reader and this one sounds like a page turner.
December 1, 2012
Really liked it! Lots of action :) Cant wait for book 2.
November 10, 2012
DO YOU HAVE A SECOND BOOK?!
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