Sunday, March 18, 2012

Review: Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks


Evil Genius (Genius, #1)
Title: Evil Genius
Author: Catherine Jinks
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Date: May 1st 2007
Pages: 552
Genre: Young Adult, , Crime/Mystery 
Series: Genius #1
Source: Hardcover


Goodreads Summary:


Cadel Piggott has a genius IQ and a fascination with systems of all kinds. At seven, he was illegally hacking into computers. Now he’s fourteen and studying for his World Domination degree, taking classes like embezzlement, misinformation, forgery, and infiltration at the institute founded by criminal mastermind Dr. Phineas Darkkon. Although Cadel may be advanced beyond his years, at heart he’s a lonely kid. When he falls for the mysterious and brilliant Kay-Lee, he begins to question the moral implications of his studies for the first time. But is it too late to stop Dr. Darkkon from carrying out his evil plot?


An engrossing thriller with darkness and humor, freaks and geeks, Evil Genius explores the fine line between good and evil in a strange world of manipulations and subterfuge where nothing is as it seems.


Review:


I have had this on my TBR list for quite a while. A couple of years and just now found time to check it out. It was a good book. It was humorous read but also a very suspenseful read.


Cadel has been a genius all his life. He is adopted and his adoptive parents are not sure what to do with him. Cadel’s problem is he gets bored. Normal everyday stuff just does not keep his interest. He has skipped a couple of grades and really doesn’t have any friends. After being busted for hacking, his adoptive parents take him to a shrink and then enroll him in a private school. His shrink is a little off and doesn’t seem to have a problem with his hacking and nuisance crimes. He actually encourages them. Cadel graduates at a very young age and enrolls in a college that the shrink advises. That’s when things really start to happen. Before Cadel knows what’s going on he is thrown into a mess of murder, treachery, and lies.


I did have fun with this book; my only complaints are that I always saw Cadel as the 7 year old boy the book starts off with. By the end of the book he is 14 years of age but still acts and thinks (emotionally not mentally) like a 7 year old boy. I think he would have matured some. The other problem I had was the summary of the book states that book is about Cadel when he is 14; over half of the book is from ages 7-13. It seemed the beginning of the book was more for middle age and the end of the book for young adult.


I will however, continue to read the series because of the ending. The book ended on a very high note for me. There were some things in the book I could see coming but some were kept as surprises. The trouble never seems to cease for Cadel and I must finish the series to see how it all wraps up.


Rating: 







1 comment:

  1. I remember when my best friend bought this book. He STILL hasn't read it, but I think I might give it a go if he likes it too. After all if you and he both think it worth reading then it probably is. Great review.

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