Alien Blood

Mindwarp #2

by Chris Archer, C.J. Anders

Falling through the ice and facing certain death, Ashley Rose suddenly learns that she is a half-alien and capable of staying underwater indefinitely, but she also finds that she and others like her have been targeted for termination. Original.

Genres: Science Fiction, Mystery, Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens

144 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 1997

Reviews

[Alejandro Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back on the M’warp, and we have the best book of the series so far. Alien Blood edges on YA fiction at times for an array of reasons, some of which I thought I’d never see in this genre, especially the final reveal of the book—best what the fuck moment I’ve seen in a while. The climax is fat as fuck and delivers on everthing perfectly, the story progression (foreshadowing, reveals, plot, and so on) is basically perfect, and—my bias—yummy gross alien goodness.. can never get enough of it. Chris Archer’s unique writing flair only proves its worth more and more here, as he is very talented and “has a way with words” a folk say. Bravo. The intro’s dark turn was probably one of the best scenes of this series so far, the story is super fun and engaging, and I have basically no shortage of compliments. My only complaint for this entry—which I’m taking nothing off for since it’s greatly minute—is that there’s some crazy plot convenience, or rather lazy progression, as to how Ashley (the protagonist) figures out who wrote her a note she receives part way through the book. Again, very small but not enough for a bit deduction (like at most .1). Overall, 10/10. Damn perfect, great continuation. Excited to see where this goes as always. I’m jumping to book four next as I read the third back in September like a doofus. Anywho… uh… wonder if any knock-offs are called BrainDistortion, an obviously superior title.

[Joe Kessler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sequel is an improvement over the first book, but I'm still not yet loving the middle-grade 90s Mindwarp series on this adult reread. We've switched protagonists, and the new girl's plot plays out along similar lines to the boy's from the novel before: strange new powers on her thirteenth birthday, shapeshifting alien with jet-black eyes trying to kill her, the need to balance all that with her regular teenage school stuff a la the Animorph kids, etc. There's the shared feeling that this is a junior version of the sci-fi conspiracy thrillers of the day like Terminator 2 or The X-Files, too. And I appreciate that Ethan is around as a background character attempting to talk to Ashley throughout, although that crossover element will probably be more fun once they can really team up and compare notes later on.

Her abilities aren't quite the same as his -- more survival skills like rapid healing and superhuman senses than his instinctive weapons training and combat reflexes -- and that helps this from seeming like just a second-episode rehash. Yet it's too short to land with much impact, and it keeps its best piece, the reason for a few puzzling irregularities in the heroine's experiences, as a secret with a big reveal in the final pages of the text. I would much rather have read a story about her finding out right away and having to process that information than one that holds it back as a mystery like this. But hopefully, the subsequent volumes continue to improve as the broader narrative deepens.

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[Petra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Habe dieses alte Jugendbuch 1. Auflage 2000, sogar schon in der neuen Rechtschreibung, in einem Bücherschrank gefunden und es ist ein sehr spannendes Jugendbuch, Band 2 von einer Serie.
Jeder weitere Band handelt von einem anderen Jugendlichen, der, sobald er dreizehn Jahre alt wird, Veränderungen an sich feststellt. Mir hat dieses Buch sehr gut gefallen.

[Aelvana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ashley Rose would rather have her excitement in movies than real life. So when weird things start happening after her thirteenth birthday, she tries not to think too much about them. After all, what's wrong with being better at swimming, when she's on the swim team? But someone else has noticed her, too. Someone intent on wiping her out.

Like Ethan in the first book, Ashley is a just-turned-thirteen year old with a life. Hers consists of the swim team, a best friend, and a lot of movies. And just like Ethan saw his adventure through the lens of a comic, Ashley describes it all as the plot of a movie. But Ashley would rather have her movies on the silver screen. Someone actually trying to kill her freaks her out, and her attempts at getting back to normal life are deadlier than she suspects.

Despite the frequent movie analogies, there weren't as many references to specific movies as I would've thought. It's always general facts about movies, and not much comment about what she likes in a movie or why movies draw her so much. I also wanted to see her actually interacting with her friend a bit more, though given the plot I can see why it doesn't happen.

Overall this is good, although I liked Ethan better as a character than Ashley. The broader plot is slowly being revealed, and Ethan now has someone else in the same situation. I rate this book Recommended.

[The Children's]

JSF ARC