Frozen Secrets (Europa Academy, #1)

by Myles Christensen

• ISBN10: 1951454014
• ISBN13: 9781951454012
• Publish Date: 25 January 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Moon Zoom Press
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 318
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of Frozen Secrets through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Frozen Secrets is Myles Christensen’s debut novel, and it is a space adventure perfect for anybody looking for a little bit of an escape from reality. This science fiction novel is especially perfect for young adults and younger, as it is very approachable.

Max Parker is one of those kids who is both brilliant and has a knack for getting into trouble. That makes him a handful, even on Earth. But now he and his best friend, alongside their families, are about to go on their biggest adventure yet.

They’re going to one of Jupiter’s moons. Along the way, there are plenty of exciting things to behold, and a fair amount of mischief to find. Including, but not limited to, uncovering and solving a case of sabotage – or something much worse.


“His brain had barely registered the idea that he was about to die, when the safety line brought his free-fall to an abrupt end.”


Frozen Secrets was a fun and fast-paced read. It easily ate the time as I devoured the pages, following Max and friends as they got themselves into trouble and saved the day. This science fiction novel had a sound plot, and used facts from real science to support what was an intriguing plot. It was the perfect combination.

Looking back on it, I feel like this novel really is perfect for anybody curious about science fiction or just looking for a nice and light escape. As I mentioned above, it is highly approachable, both to a younger audience and to people less experienced in the genre.

Max and his friends were exuberant, which sounds like it should be exhausting, but it was actually quite fun to read about their adventures here. It seemed like they were constantly running around or diving into this or that – which you can imagine resulted in a fair amount of chaos, given that they were in a space station.

While the plot was interesting, I honestly think it was the balance of humor and pacing that really sold me on this novel. There was always something to laugh at, or at least to make me smile or chuckle. Okay, there might have been an indulgent eye-roll or two, but it was all in good fun. It made for a really amusing read, and given how many dark novels I’ve been reading lately, I really appreciated that.

Frozen Secrets was everything it advertised. It was light and fun, yet full of science and space travel. Max and his friends really are quite talented at getting into trouble, so let me tell you that description did not oversell there. I’m looking forward to seeing what other novels and plots Myles Christensen comes up with next.

For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub]

Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. This book is available now.

Funny story: I couldn’t find this book one afternoon. I looked in all the usual places that I “lose” things, but I still couldn’t find it. Guess where it was? In the hands of my sixth grader, who was very interested in reading it. That’s a pretty high recommendation for the book just right there. I have a feeling he’ll be curled up with it soon.

This book follows Max and his best friend Jonathan. They’ve just moved with their families to Europa, as part of a colonization. The two best buds manage to get themselves into trouble on a pretty regular basis, but their usual hijinks give way to the possibility of real trouble when they notice that things seem a little off. What did they stumble on? More importantly: will they survive?

Max was a fun character to read about. Trouble follows him, but he’s not a bad kid. He was actually really sweet. Both he and Jonathan were very believable and- I’m sure- easy for middle-graders to relate to. Their relationship was a joy to read.

This book is full of action, very rarely pausing to explain things. This is perfect for someone like my son, who is able to glean any background information that is included among other things that are happening, and prefers his stories to be action-packed. There’s never a dull moment.

Frozen Secrets is the beginning of what I think will be a highly enjoyable series. If you’ve got a middle-grade/YA reader who likes sci-fi, this is not one to miss. Keep this book in mind if you’re looking for something fun to give as a gift.