Storm

The SYLO Chronicles #2

by D.J. MacHale

After a harrowing escape from Pemberwick Island, Tucker Pierce and his surviving friends—Tori, Kent, and Olivia—have finally reached the mainland, only to find that no one is left.

That’s not their only sickening discovery. Moments before they are attacked by another of the mysterious black planes, they investigate one’s wreck and are horrified to find that it bears the logo of the U.S. Air Force. This can only mean one thing: the United States is at war with itself—the deadly technology of the Air Force against the brute force of the Navy’s SYLO unit, which still holds Pemberwick Island and its residents captive.

Tucker must lead his friends to safety, but his head is spinning. How can the Air Force be perpetuating such genocide against not only its own citizens, but the world? What is SYLO’s role in this, and why did Tucker’s parents betray him by allying with SYLO, whose commander, Captain Granger, killed Tori’s father at point-blank range? And what did his mother mean when she told him to trust no one?

Tucker, Tori, and friends set off cross-country on a quest for answers and, for Tucker, vengeance. But as one highway gives way to the next—and one death-defying escape precedes another—Tucker soon realizes that “trust no one” doesn’t just mean the U.S. military.

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Mystery, Teen, Adventure, Post Apocalyptic

496 pages, Hardcover

First published March 25, 2014

About the author

D.J. MacHale is a writer, director, executive producer and creator of several popular television series and movies.

He was raised in Greenwich, CT and graduated from Greenwich High School. While in school, he had several jobs including collecting eggs at a poultry farm, engraving sports trophies and washing dishes in a steakhouse...in between playing football and running track. D.J. then attended New York University where he received a BFA in film production.

His filmmaking career began in New York where he worked as a freelance writer/director, making corporate videos and television commercials. He also taught photography and film production.

D.J. broke into the entertainment business by writing several ABC Afterschool Specials. After moving to Los Angeles, he made the fulltime switch from informational films, to entertainment. As co-creator of the popular Nickelodeon series: Are You Afraid of the Dark?, he produced all 91 episodes over 8 years. He wrote and directed many of the episodes including the CableAce nominated The Tale of Cutter's Treasure starring Charles S. Dutton. He was nominated for a Gemini award for directing The Tale of the Dangerous Soup starring Neve Campbell.

D.J. also wrote and directed the movie Tower of Terror for ABC's Wonderful World of Disney which starred Kirsten Dunst and Steve Guttenberg. The Showtime series Chris Cross was co-created, written and produced by D.J. It received the CableAce award for Best Youth Series.

D.J. co-created and produced the Discovery Kids series Flight 29 Down for which he writes all the episodes and directs several. His work on Flight 29 Down has earned him both Writers Guild of America and Directors Guild of America award nominations.

Other notable writing credits include the classic ABC Afterschool Special titled Seasonal Differences; the pilot for the long-running PBS/CBS series Ghostwriter; and the HBO series Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective for which he received a CableAce nomination for writing.

In print, D.J. has co-written the book The Tale of the Nightly Neighbors, based on his own teleplay and penned the poetic adaptation of the classic Norwegian folk tale East of the Sun and West of the Moon.

The book series: Pendragon - Journal of an Adventure through Time and Space marks D.J.'s first turn as a novelist. He plans for this series of Young Adult adventures to span a total of 10 books.

D.J. lives in Southern California with his wife Evangeline and daughter Keaton. They are avid backpackers, scuba divers and skiers. Rounding out the household are a Golden Retriever, Maggie; and a Kitten, Kaboodle.

Reviews

[Murf the Surf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part two of a YA trilogy

I'd really got hooked from the first book and enjoyed following up with number two. I believe I'll take a hiatus before the next one. I'm a bit lost as to who the retros are. Are they drug addicts that are exuding mind control, or are they (I think) aliens? There is an obvious love, hate relationship with SYLO. I don't want to spoil the book for anyone, so I'll reserve further opinion of this story line. Enjoy book one first of course, then this one next. I'd received this copy from the Palm Beach Library in eBook download because of my handicap you see. I strongly recommend one gets a kindle to read with as it makes a great tablet as well. They go for $50 right now for a seven inch. But do get the 16G upgrade for a few dollars more. Enjoy, Murf

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5* stars.
This book was awesome! Lots of action and plot twists… The romance though is confusing. Lots of going back and forth, and it was very annoying. Other than that it was an awesome book!

[Logan Mendivil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Driven mad by what he has seen and experienced, Tucker Pierce loses his mind and goes Dahmer on his friends by eating every bit of them except for their clothes. Yes, the bones, too. Should I have said spoiler alert?

Kidding…

Storm by D.J. MacHale picks up directly where Sylo left off. Book two of The Sylo Chronicles was quite a bit more intense than the first one. Which was expected for a continuation of a dystopian type story. Things are going to turn out to be a lot more extreme than what they were experiencing on their tiny island as was already made obvious at the conclusion of Sylo.

The ragtag group of Pemberwick Island escapees goal was to let the world know what happened on their island but found out that the damage extended much further. Possibly the whole country. Possibly the whole world. They had already discovered that they found themselves in the middle of a war between the United States Navy (Sylo) and the United States Army who are utilizing a never before seen type of aircraft. 

They begin their cross country adventure. Commandeered a vehicle and raided Target and Walmart along the way. They have a new addition to the team named John and there are repeated debates on where they should head. Boston to find possible survivors? Nevada where a mysterious radio transmission is coming from? Florida to flee from the coming winter? (Cue Jon Snow)

They find themselves at a survivor camp that feels too good to be true where someone they thought they would never see again is located. They later find themselves at Fort Knox per a dying man's suggestion which has a dark secret.. and another person who they thought they were done with. Tucker is concerned about a possible traitor among the group and wondering if there is a good and bad side of this war as the Air Force and Navy clash. All this along with a revelation that a gate to Hell is being constructed. Just a name or are we about to get spooky? 

I would definitely recommend this book for those who enjoy dystopian tales, stories from the point of view of youth and those who read the first book of the series. I had some issues with the first book and the tone of the writing as it seemed to not give the targeted audience credit for knowing what's going on and used repeated explanations on things everyone already knows. Fortunately I didn't notice that issue here. I still would say read the first book because jumping in the middle of a series is always confusing. 

I never know how to end a review so *throws a pie at your face and runs away cackling*

[Lianne Mei · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just want the group to go to Nevada instead of taking all of these side trips. The first side trip they took was a trap. Which kind of tells you that the group should have just gone straight to Nevada. I also wish that Olivia would just go to Florida if she wants to or find a safe place and leave the group. I had a major issue with the romance going on in this book; does Tucker even care about Tori or not? Olivia is constantly getting in the way between Tori and Tucker and that annoyed me to no end. Olivia is supposed to be with Kent and Kent seems to think that Olivia loves him (then again Kent thinks that all girls are into him).Olivia also was adamant about leaving the group with Kent and going to Florida or New York or a safe place,she wanted no part in the whole mission.

I also felt that Olivia was using Kent so that she would never be alone and would have someone to travel with, since she was constantly seeking out Tucker. Tori made it even worse by confusing Tucker when she seemed to be into Kent instead of him. Throughout the whole story I wished that Tucker would tell Olivia that he is not interested in her and that he would go to Nevada already (Tori's idea) instead of stay in the shelter. This was a confusing plot to say the least because I never knew who was the good guy and who was the bad guy (I kinda knew who the bad guys were). I also was not that surprised by the fact that one of the members of their group would betray everybody.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

We picked up from the last cliff hanger of an ending & got going on a new adventure. A lot of interesting ideas & action that was squeezed into a lot of teenage angst. That's to be expected from a YA novel. There were some parts that really had my suspension of disbelief ready to snap, though. Still, it wasn't bad until the last quarter or so when it just got silly. And then it ended on another cliff hanger. Oy!

I absolutely detest the stupid secret keeping thing. The first book is founded on it & I hoped this one would explain why, but instead it pointed out why the secret wouldn't & shouldn't have been kept. And running into the same characters over & over in such diverse settings. Please!

I made it through the book so I'm giving it 2 stars, but I'm not sure I'll read the third. Don't think I can take it.

[Sully · Rating 1 out of 5]

This review is also posted at http://readingnookandcranny.blogspot....


While SYLO was nothing special, it at least ended on an interesting premise that allowed Storm to improve upon which MacHale delivered in the first novel. Unfortunately, Storm was even worse than SYLO and by the time I reached page 230, I could stomach it no longer. I hate leaving books unfinished, but I have been battling with Storm for the better part of four days. I kept waiting for Storm to impress, but instead it continued to go downhill.

While the writing and dialogue in SYLO seemed rather juvenile, Storm was even worse. There are parts of this novel that felt like a ten-year-old wrote the story. Perhaps that comes from adults trying to write young adult stories and overcompensating, but the writing degraded so much that it actually became laughable. The entire fight they have over Boston versus Nevada was absurd as well. I double checked on a map, but I was pretty sure to start that Boston was north of Nevada anyway (which it is). This part irritated me to no end, and it was far from the only bone I had to pick.

The characters never developed, Olivia was so obnoxious I was hoping someone was going to pop her in the face. And the "love triangle" between Olivia, Tori and Tucker was just as annoying. Kent and Joni were annoying too, which did not really leave one single likable character in the novel. The entire plot is so far fetched and underdeveloped that it was hard to follow (SYLO, army, navy, air force)... and where the heck are all the people? Even though they were on an island for all of SYLO, you still would have thought they would have had an inkling of an idea of what had happened.

I tried to enjoy this series, but I couldn't stomach it. It was definitely written for preteens and not for teenagers and older people who enjoy reading in the young adult genre.

[Karen’s Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's really late and I just stayed up way past my bedtime because I couldn't put this book down! My heart is pounding and I have no idea how I'm going to be able to calm down enough to sleep. Wow!

In Storm, Tucker, Tori, Kent, and Olivia, along with a new character, Jon, who they meet at the beginning, take off across country traveling from city to city to try to see if anyone's left and to find the truth of SYLO.

They get much more than they bargained for! And although a few questions are answered, the biggest glaring answer is still to come in yet another major cliffhanger! If I would have had to wait for each book to be published, I would have had to throw my book across the room! I'm off to grab Strike, book 3, and I hope the final book since I have no more.

Excellent apocalyptic tale!!

[K.D. Brunt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Storm is book two of the SYLO Chronicles and it picks up moments after book one ends. Tucker, Tori, Olivia and Kent have finally escaped Pemberwick Island only to find the mainland blasted and deserted. In this book, the foursome wander through the remnants of the US, finding survivors and trying to solve the mystery of what happened and who are the real enemies. Along the way, they bicker and fight amongst themselves over what their objectives should be and gradually they piece together the enormity of what has happened while they were quarantined on the island. A climatic showdown with the bad guys occurs at the end, which raises as many questions as it answers.

Fans of Sylo, book one, will definitely want to read this book. It retains the fast action pace of book one and the characters continue to evolve and develop. Overall, the story was not quite as good as book one for me. Now that the group is on the mainland, the story becomes a somewhat predictable post-apocalyptic road trip that will seem very familiar. But it’s done well and the characters are interesting, particularly Tori. By the end of the book, we learn a little about what is really going on, but not much. We’re still in the dark about a lot of things and as a result we’re left struggling a bit to buy into the premise that most of the world’s population has been eradicated for reasons that are murky at best.

[Rhonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast read.

From beginning to end this book kept my attention. It was written in a manner that made it quick and easy to read. It would be a great book for middle school students to read or anyone that enjoys reading action packed stories that have no offensive topics or language. This is the second book in a trilogy. Book one was just as good and I am excited to start reading the 3rd one.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally finished this. It fell short of my expectations for a D.J. MacHale book. I wanted more actual plot and less confusing, unnecessary love triangle. Or quadrilateral or whatever was happening here.

Review to come.

[Rebecca Hodge · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little bit darker/more depressing than the first one, but it’s the second book in an apocalyptic trilogy, so that’s to be expected. Still good though and same quality of writing as the first.

[Annabelle]

Lots of plot twists, more interesting than the first book was.

[TylerG · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the Air Force wipes out ¾ of the world’s population, a group of surviving friends are looking for vengeance. The title of my book is Storm and the author is D.J. Machale. I read this book because I read the first book, Sylo, and decided to finish the series.
In the book, the characters have just escaped Pemberwick Island, only to find that the cities have been brought to rubble by the mysterious planes with the Air Force logo. The characters are now looking for some revenge against the people who took their life away. The plot of the book is that, after a group of the military hunt down Tucker, Tori, Olivia, and Kent, they need to get Tori help for the bullet in her arm. They find a hospital with survivors and hear a radio message calling out to the survivors hoping to join in an uprising against the people who killed ¾ of the world’s population. It is up to this group of friends to start the rebellion against Sylo and the Air Force. The conflict of this book is that the Air Force has wiped out three-quarters of the world’s population and the survivors want revenge. They come up with a plan to destroy the Air Force’s weaponry with miniaturized C-4. The main character is Tucker Pierce, an average 14 year old boy who is out for vengeance against the Air Force for killing most of the world’s population. Some supporting characters are Tori Sleeper, Kent Berringer, and Olivia.
In the end of the book, Tucker and Tori manage to take down the massive, stingray-like plane, and thousands of others. After that, they head off with Captain Granger to his safehouse on Pemberwick Island. This vengeance plan wasn’t brash, it was cold and calculated. That is why this part is so meaningful, because the effort it took to write this part really paid off in my mind. In conclusion this book made a great read for people who love this genre. It was interesting in most parts and had many twists to keep you entertained. The author said, “I can’t imagine anything being worth the pain and destruction this war has already caused.” This rings true as a question that means so much and speaks across boundaries. This quote perfectly expresses the main character’s feelings about how the war affected the lives of the world. My favorite part of this book is when Tori and Tucker are trapped inside the massive, stingray-like ship, and have to blow it up before it destroys the entire city of Los Angeles.
This book is a good read but the inconsistent pace makes it so one second you’re warp speed and the other at a snail’s pace. This book failed to intrigue me throughout and still does a mediocre job in the ending.This book is somewhat similar to the apocalyptic story of A Matter of Days. If you are into action-like scenes and a tragic betrayal story, then this book is for you.

[Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm only here for Kent Berringer, even though he's a rich spoiled edgelord who most likely would be a Trump supporter omg yet despite that is the only one who actually has semblance of character development bc Tucker is so irritatingly stupid and self-righteous (even for a 14 yo get real) and Tori is so tiresome with her gaslight gatekeep girlboss. The story is kinda ok and the book isn't a horrible sequel but DJM keeps rehashing his most known tropes and plot twists (fake deaths, resuscitations, flip flopping attitudes in his characters etc.) Like I'm a long time DJM reader and I like his storytelling and Pendragon means so much to me that I excuse a lot of questionable stuff he does but being honest the book has a lot of problems (typos and continuity issues like changing Captain Granger's name out of the blue??) Mainly nothing major is revealed and when it is it's just crumbs. There's also a lot of problematic and insensitive writing here and there e.g. Kent being racist for funsies. Though Kent and the Paiute Elder's exchange was funny somewhat bc at least DJM had the presence of mind to make the Paiute Elder a sarcastic king. Still, it bothers me that DJ MacHale couldn't be bothered to give the Elder a name or have one of the kids ask him. Also, I was so caught up in the exchange between Kent and the Paiute elder that I failed to see how brainless the elder's conclusion about the evil that's befall them and who's behind it is, I'm sorry! Like I've said in my notes, sometimes there's no escaping a white man has written this bc how can a Native person find it hard to believe humans would destroy each other when they've experienced first hand the colonizers wrath and hatred? But still, I'm invested in this trilogy and I wanna know what's the deal with the Retros, how they got their name, and how did SYLO came to be so I'll definitely read book 3, where everything will be info dumped to hell.

[Jonathan H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Storm by D.J. MacHale, the 2nd book in D.J. MacHale's SYLO Series, is about Tucker and his friends’ journey from Maine to Nevada. One the way they will search for survivors, tries to avoid SYLO and “The Retros”, and will face betrayal from one another. I think the author’s main message is that you can’t trust strangers and to choose the path that you truly feel is right. Do not just do what your friends are doing and don’t let anyone persuade you into doing things you do not want to do. The author is trying to influence are society by sending us a message to not trust strangers and not to make assumptions.

I really liked the book’s theme of never leaving a teammate behind, but the contradicting theme, don’t trust anyone. When Tucker tells all of his friends that they need to travel together and not spit up he shows the theme of contradiction, but when he realizes on of them might be a traitor he goes off on his own, leaving his friends behind. I really liked the characterization of this book. There were many hints about the characters leading to many different conclusions. For example, Tucker didn’t know if Olivia was a traitor or an ally. MacHale wrote some hints to help the reader find out if she was a Retro. MacHale wrote about how she was a visitor to Pemberwick Island when the war broke out. Many traitors went to Pemberwick before the start of the war to infiltrate the soon to be SYLO’s headquarters. Then in the end when she takes a bullet for Tucker, her lasts words where “I’m sorry Tucker”. I thought the pace of Storm was much better than SYLO. It went very fast and it always had you on your toes. There was always a surprise lurking around the corner. Just when you think Tucker and his friends are safe something drastic will happen. Overall, I thought this book lived up to its expectations.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Storm is the rare sequel that is even better than the first novel in the series, and even more rare, it is so exciting and suspenseful, it leaves the reader anxious for book 3. Tucker, and his small gang of escapees from the annihilating battle between the navy and the air force on Pemberwick Island, are on the run. They have no idea what they will find on the mainland, where they are going or what they are going to do, but they are united in their desire for revenge on Sylo, the group they believe is responsible for the deaths of their friends and families. As they travel across the country, surviving near-death contact with the killer drones and finding groups fighting back, they, and the reader, believe some of the questions from book one are answered: What is going on? Who are the bad guys? How do you stop them? But every time a key question seems to be answered, author MacHale, sets up a pivotal event that makes it appear Tucker was deceived again. Even as he decides no one is trustworthy and his goal futile, he persists in his campaign of revenge. The nail-biting crisis and climax will have readers holding their breath.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

D.J. MacHale-Storm

I have a lot of the same complaints with this book as I did with Sylo. The intensity was missing, some of the phrasing was awkward and wordy, and the characters just aren't likable enough.

Again, this story has such a fantastic concept with these great opportunities to capitalize on it and MacHale seems to miss them completely. When you mix in the botched attempt made to write in a love story.... it's just not that great. The attempt at romance really bothered me. It just doesn’t seem to fit with the story that’s already being told, it doesn’t add good content to the books, and I felt like it was all pretty cringe worthy.

I have the give the book credit for the last roughly 90 pages. The intensity picked up and the writing came across much better. It felt so much more authentic, and allowed me to bond with a few of the characters. I know I said it after Sylo and was let down, but maybe there is hope the third book continues in the same vein that Storm ended.

For more book reviews from me, click here!

[Kris Irvin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt like a lot of things about this book didn't really make sense. There were very few answers given. And it was frustrating that the characters kept getting into difficult situations constantly. At a certain point, it became more like "really? again?" rather than adding suspense to the story. And this book definitely suffered from Middle Volume Syndrome. Too long, not enough substance, and the characters kind of started to really grate on me. Particularly Tori and the main character's infatuation with her. Gag.

[Tessa in Mid-Michigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the first one, this book is pretty exciting and engrossing. However, also like the first one, there are serious flaws. Timeline issues pop up throughout--one time it's been weeks since it all started, the next chapter it is just reaching two weeks. Also logical flaws, as in saying wildlife are gone when the attacks have only been on cities. Another cliffhanger ending.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book in a trilogy often falls short of the vibrancy of the first, but that is not the case here. I was every bit as riveted. I loved what MacHale did with the issues of trust and loyalty, as it becomes less and less clear who is on which side.

[Grant Baugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was alright, but nothing spectacular. I'll be finishing the series, and there weren't any problems with the writing style or anything. There was just a lot of love-triangle stuff and problems caused purely by the group not communicating with each other, which I always hate.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars // 87%
Now that the pacing problem is out of the way, you can finally appreciate how much detail MacHale puts into his plot. No scene is irrelevant to the bigger picture and there are so many threads of plot elements the story is a complicated knot of creepiness and thrill.

[Dillan K · Rating 4 out of 5]

*If you haven’t read this book or the first book in the series, be aware that there are many SPOILERS in this review.



Tucker Pierce - a 14-year-old boy originally from Pemberwick Island, Maine - has lost everything. His parents betrayed him, his best friend is dead, and he had to run away from his home to survive. Even worse, he suspects that there is a civil war going on between the Navy and the Air Force. With nowhere else to turn, Tucker and his 3 friends - Tori Sleeper, Kent Berringer, and Oliva Kinsey - set off to find answers, each of them with a different agenda of what they will do when they find them.
D.J. MacHale’s Storm is the second book in the Sylo Trilogy, the first book being Sylo. MacHale begins this exciting novel right where the first book ended, on the coast of Portland, Maine. Storm mainly follows the story of a group of high schoolers that were separated from their homes and families after the Navy invaded their home on Pemberwick Island. In this book, the teens are constantly facing new threats and challenges that they must overcome in order to survive. This constantly gives the book a thrilling quality, which makes it hard to put down. This can mainly be attributed to D.J. MacHale’s strong character cast.
The main protagonist, and arguably the most important character in the book, is Tucker Pierce. Tucker is a high school sophomore that played on his high school football team. In the first book, MacHale depicts Tucker as a juvenile and naive person. This is made clear by the fact that his nickname on the high school football team is “rook” throughout the first book. This definitely changes in the second book. As Tucker matures, he takes a leadership role among his group of friends, and everyone else looks up to him. Despite him being a role model to the rest of the group, he does have his flaws. Because of everything he has lost, Tucker seeks revenge over all else and it is his driving force. MacHale’s choice to make Tucker vengeful adds complexity and tension to the story and plot. This tension is very evident between him and Tori Sleeper towards the end of the book. Tori Sleeper is also a Sophomore in high school from Pemberwick Island. She is a very quiet and serious character who, like Tucker, loves Pemberwick Island. MacHale introduces Tori to the S.Y.L.O. trilogy in the first book, where she and Tucker decided to leave the Island together to tell the world about the invasion of their home. This is where MacHale first introduces chemistry between Tori and Tucker. The chemistry between them deepens in Storm, but it struggles to grow into something more than friendship due to the other two protagonists in the story, Olivia and Kent. Olivia Kinsey is introduced in the first book as a stunning blonde girl in her senior year of high school. She was visiting Pemberwick island when the invasion occurred, which is how MacHale ties her into the group of Pemberwick Island natives. Olivia is an unpredictable person. At times, she can be as helpless as her physical appearance would suggest, but at others, she can step up and do what needs to be done. She can also be very manipulative, a character trait that MacHale uses to create tension in the story. This tension is caused by her interfering in the relationship between Tucker and Tori, while also trying to maintain one with Kent, who is the fourth and final among the group of friends. Kent Berringer is a high school senior as well, but unlike Olivia, he is from Pemberwick Island. Kent goes to the same high school as Tucker and even plays on the same football team. At the beginning of Storm, Kent retains his smug demeanor from the first book. He constantly picks on Tucker and acts like he is better than everyone else. Despite this, he looks to Tucker for leadership in times of need and becomes a more humble character as the book progresses. MacHale uses Kent as a roadblock for Tucker to surpass, and their rivalry is evident throughout this story. MacHale’s strong character choice leads to a compelling story with deep chemistry between characters, which is something that not many Young Adult Fiction books can do in a sincere way.
Another factor that contributes to this novel’s ability to keep a reader’s attention is MacHale’s writing style. MacHale is a very descriptive and detailed writer, which allows him to narrate the story in a way that makes the reader feel as if they were in the book. This helps to establish a connection with the reader, making it even harder to put this book down. He keeps his readers enticed through every line of his writing, often incorporating themes such as family and closeness into a dialogue or thought in order to give it a deeper meaning; his writing has many layers to it. This may seem repetitive to some, but it also conveys the thoughts of the characters in an apocalyptic situation accurately.
All in all, I definitely recommend this book. From its cover, it may be assumed that Storm is just another cheesy Young Adult novel, but D.J. MacHale manages to give it layers so that it appeals to all crowds and age groups. This book takes the reader on a rollercoaster of emotion, that everyone should experience.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading DJ MacHale now as adult I find his writing style a bit cringy. Definitely enjoyed his books more in high school. Still the plot made this book worth the read and kept me engaged enough that I want to finish the series.

[Annie Huang · Rating 2 out of 5]

reminds me of the walking dead, but without the zombies. lol

[Hanna Scanlon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know they're teenagers and this is a YA book, but do they really have to act like teenagers? I didn't really like any of the characters for most of the book.

[Liz Friend · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story: It's the US Navy (also known as SYLO) against the "Retros": an unseen enemy that's taken over the Air Force, obliterated 3/4 of the people on the planet, and started what seems to be a second Civil War. On their own, with the RETROs' deadly black fighters on their trail, Tucker, Tori, Olivia and Kent start a frantic cross-country journey to find and get their revenge on whoever's behind all this. But first they have to face betrayal from within...

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG-13; Violence R; Sexual Content PG; Nudity PG-13; Substance Abuse PG; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (genocide, murder, death of a close friend) PG-13; overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: Another second-of-three volume that spends most of its time incrementally moving the story forward without actually coming to a resolution. Still, there's lots going on here that will keep readers (especially boys) engaged, which is something to cheer all by itself!

Annotation with spoilers: The story opens with the four Pemberwick Island kids in Portland, Maine, realizing that the entire population of the city has been wiped out. Going to a hospital for supplies, they find a doctor and a young orderly who survived the attack--they were in the basement when it happened, and for some reason, the death ray doesn't penetrate that far down. By way of the orderly, Jon (who's 3-4 years older than the rest of them) they head a radio broadcast that lets them know survivors are congregating in the desert outside Las Vegas. Torn between seeing what's happened in nearby Boston and heading out directly for the desert, they finally go with the closer location and set out with Jon in tow. Very soon, they're found by a group that claims to be running a survivor's shelter at Faneuil Hall, but it doesn't take long for Tucker to get suspicious about what's going on there--enough so that he and Tori sneak back to their vehicle and follow a bus taking a load of workers to what used to be Fenway Stadium but now has some strange construction going on.

Inside the ballpark, they run into the evil Mr. Feit (surprise! not dead in the attack on Tori's father's rebel group after all) who admits that the group at Faneuil Hall are being fattened up to eventually be fed The Ruby and then used as slave labor to build this strange aluminum, golf-ball shaped structure that's going up on the former baseball field. Luckily for one and all, a SYLO attack comes just after they've gotten this information and destroys the building. The kids head back to Faneuil Hall, rescue Jon, Kent, and Olivia, and head out right in front of an attack by the USAF group (who clearly aren't going to be needing slaves in the near future, and so have no plans to keep feeding them).

The kids again decide to go to the desert to find the other survivors, and they start driving, staying in hospitals (which tend to be open, have beds, and even still have running water for showers). However, at their next overnight location, they find a desperately ill old man who was getting an MRI in the basement when the attack came (his orderly ran off to find his family, leaving the old guy alone). Right before dying, he tells them that his son worked for the military and that the son had called right before the attack, asking his dad to come to Fort Knox KY so he'd be "safe". The old man presses his and his wife's wedding rings into Tucker's hands and asks him to deliver them to his son--so of course now, Tucker feels obligated to go south. Additionally, he thinks there must be something to find out about Fort Knox.

And he's right! They get to Fort Knox and discover a veritable graveyard of the almost alien-looking, hi-tech black USAF planes around the Fort - evidently SYLO is under attack as well, and not the bad guys, as the kids originally thought. Tucker comes to realize that his old nemesis, Colonel Granger, is also not only not dead, but is right there inside the Fort. Tucker steals Tori's gun and sneaks out that night, intent on breaking into Fort Knox and assassinating Granger. But when he actually does come across the Colonel, the old guy gives him information that lets him know that, whatever Tucker thinks the Navy/SYLO guys have done, they're fighting the group that has managed to wipe out 3/4 of the world's population. Among other things, Granger lets him know that it appears one of his group of friends is in fact an infiltrator (which Tucker, in turn, refuses to believe at the moment). Of course, this information is delivered right before the Retros (Granger's name for the group) stages an attack on the base, so Tucker uses the chaos to escape from the Fort, pick up his friends (who are pretty mad at him for sneaking off, especially Tori) and high-tailing it to the desert AT LAST!

They are met on the outskirts of Las Vegas by a sort of motorcycle posse that separates and questions them all, before letting them in to see the bosses--aka The Chiefs--of the operation. All told, there are not quite 700 survivors who have made it to Las Vegas and are determined to do something to fight back. The information the kids bring is extremely valuable, but just as The Chiefs are deciding what to do with it, Tucker discovers their traveling companion, Jon Purcell, talking into a cell phone and quite obviously giving out information on their whereabouts and coordinating some kind of attack. Turns out that Jon is a mole, having been recruited by the guys at Faneuil Hall, and they can expect an airstrike soon. The Chiefs are forced to scramble to come up with a plan that gets everyone out of town while at the same time inflicting some damage on their enemies.

Small groups are sent out with individual explosive devices, which they're going to attach to the sea of black USAF planes sitting on the tarmac at no less a location than Area 51. The kids get in, all right, and start setting the charges, when they discover that which had not been seen earlier: the Mother Ship of all bad planes, ten times the size of the regular black fighters, and armed with a weapon that is probably the one that takes out entire buildings (and possibly even cities) in one blow. Just as Tori and Tucker set out to try to sabotage it, they're discovered by guards there, and one of them shoots at Tucker. It's only Olivia's jumping in front of him--sacrificing her life for his--that keeps Tucker in the picture. But Kent is so angry the girl he loves is dead that he wants to kill Tucker in revenge (saying it's Tucker's fault for forcing Olivia to come on the mission). They can't get him to listen and move forward to help them, so they run into the hangar without him.

The two T's are able to get inside the plane to plant their final two explosives--but as they're doing so, the two-man crew comes aboard and they take off, obviously heading over to wipe out Las Vegas, and then probably on to do the same thing in Los Angeles. The kids decide they have to stop it, so T&T attack--only to find out that one of the crewmen is Feit. In the end, they're able to force the plane back down and get off it before it explodes. As it does, something catapults out the top of it, and then the weapon inside acts as an igniter for all the rest of the small planes on the field--and it's only because Kent has come back for them in the dune buggy that they're able to outrun the flames.

Soon thereafter, a SYLO chopper lands and out comes Colonel Granger, congratulating and offering to help them. They indignantly refuse, until Tucker's mother also gets off the chopper and begs them to listen to her and hear the entire truth at SYLO's Catalina Island base. The kids finally agree. They're in the air, passing the Western verson of the gigantic silver structure like the one that was destroyed in Fenway Park, when another huge aircraft comes out of it and starts after them. They're hit! Guess they didn't finish off the Retros after all...that will have to wait for book three!

[Landon Battle · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off I really enjoyed the second book of the SYLO Chronicles STORM. I liked it because D.J. Machale does a great job in establishing the characters and their backstories. Also I like how the book goes along with the entire Sequels. The author does a great job with filling in the details you may have missed. D.J. Machale has a great imagination when it comes to storytelling.

D.J. Machale has a great sense of direction when it comes to telling the story. He leaves you at the end of each paragraph wondering what is going to happen next and with suspense. I liked the theme setting and the plot because. In the main part of the story everyone was just enjoying their days on Pemberwick Island when SYLO comes in and messes everything up by imprisoning them.

This story has a lot of twists and turns and a lot of suspense. The story kinda gives off the futuristic end of the world kind of scene. Also with things that you would never expect to happen like the Airforce fighting the Navy. All in all I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend this book and authors other books to someone else who enjoys fantasy. that is why Im giving this book 5 stars

[Waldo Covarrubias]

Over the break, I read Storm by D.J.Machale and I really enjoyed it. I decided to read this book because someone recommended Sylo (First book of the series) and I liked it so much that I read the second book of the series, Storm. This book was great because it had lots of action like explosions, life and death situations, courageuos momements, and battles that are very interesting and suspenseful which make you want to read more and more of the book. This could be better if there were less unnecessary information and if the book cut right into the chase of things instead of giving more details than needed to understand what is happening in the book. I think that readers that like adventurous, action packed, and suspenseful books should read this because this book has numerous parts that will appeal to readers that like a good action book.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spoiler Warning for Book One, proceed with caution.
What was really neat about book two in the Sylo Chronicles series was the fact that so much of the beginning took place in Massachusetts. Being a Mass girl, I recognized all of the locations that the characters visited. Granted, they did continue on, but it was fun while it lasted. Storm picked up immediately where Sylo left off. I love the way MacHale tells a story. When you think you have something figured out, he throws a curveball. Again, I found myself aging up the characters to older teens than they are presented as, but that’s such a minor detail. Over all, this was another fun read and this series has me itching to check out MacHale’s other work.