Mary-Allyn
Written on Oct 28, 2014
Tom is back for more action-packed adventure!
Now in his second year as a superhuman cadet-in-training, Tom's been promoted to a mid-level member of the elite training corps known as Camelot Company, or CamCo. As training intensifies and the moment arrives to impress the multinational corporations who will make or break the cadets' careers, Tom finds himself drawn into a power struggle that's more dramatic - and with far higher stakes - than anything he ever imagined. There are nefarious new enemies to outwit, old friendships that take on new faces, a romance that Tom is encouraged to betray, and an increasing desire on Tom's behalf to demand nothing less than 'justice for all' - even if he sabotages his own future in the process. But what will his idealism cost?
Filled with camaraderie, wit, action and intelligence, the second book in S. J. Kincaid's futuristic trilogy continues to explore fascinating and timely questions about power, politics, technology, loyalty and friendship.
- ISBN10 0062093029
- ISBN13 9780062093028
- Publish Date 2 July 2013
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
- Imprint Collins
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 400
- Language English
Reviews
inlibrisveritas
Written on Sep 20, 2013
Insignia was one of my favorite reads for the year so I was super excited to read Vortex when I won it…of course life and review books happen so it kept getting pushed back. Until I recommend Insignia to my boyfriend and he blazed through it and forced begged me to read Vortex with him. I want to touch on the fact that my boyfriend doesn’t like reading…in fact if he reads 1 book in a year it’s something worth noting, so the fact that he’s read both of these books back to back says something about it. It’s just that good.
I have no clue where to even start with Vortex, because it’s one those books where I just want to squeal and thrust the book at your face until you decide to read it…just to shut me up. Vortex is just as much fun as Insignia was, in fact it may be more fun. We get to see more of the Spire and more of the awesome technology everyone has access to, and we get to see more simulated battles…which I think might be my favorite techy aspect. Just the thought of being able to pop into a simulated situation and ‘live’ it like it’s truly real makes me want to tell scientists they need to hurry up. Of course there are downsides to technology and while we got to see some of it in Insignia we really get to see it in Vortex. We also get to see more of the Camolet Company combatants at work and we are introduced to a whole new host of people.
Tom is just as stubborn, reckless, and hilarious as before but I’m happy to say he experiences a lot of growth in this one. Tom is the kind of character that gives you a headache because you get hitting your forehead over the stupid stuff he says and does. I can’t even remember how many times I yelled, “Tom just shut up!” Needless to say he ‘kind of’ learned to shut up before I gave myself a concussion. Vik, Wyatt, and Yuri are also back! These four go through some tough situations together and I really love the strength of their friendships, even with all the name calling and crazy problems. Then there is Medusa. God I love this girl! She’s such a tough character with a vulnerablity that she tries to hid underneath all of that cool badassery. We do get to learn a bit more about her and even with her flaws displayed she never becomes a puddle of goo.
There is just so much I want to tell you guys about, but there would be so many spoilers that the review would be pointless. Needless to say I’ll be buying the third book when it comes out, even though we have quite the wait. If you haven’t read Insignia and you enjoy sci-fi books with awesome tech then I really recommend it!
Ashley
Written on Mar 30, 2013
3.5 Stars
Vortex didn't quite have the same magic for me that Insignia did. It was still a good book, it just didn't have me screaming and shrieking like an excited, insane girl. Vortex had a bit of a slower start and I didn't get fully sucked into the book until half way or 3/4 of the way through.
I kind of had a love/hate relationship with Tom in this book. He definitely came across very immature at times. It almost made me wonder, Was he always like this and am I only now noticing it? Or is this just a new thing in Vortex?
Tom could just be so arrogant, so cocky, and not consider the consequences of his actions. His teachers would specifically tell him, "Don't do this, it's dangerous." Then he would turn around and do it, and something bad would happen (as promised). Another example: now that he is no longer a plebe, he and Vik got together and chased the plebes out of the common room area so they could have it all to themselves, just because "they could". He just acted like an arrogant prick a lot of the time.
But on the other hand, I do really admire how he refused to suck up to the big corporate guys. Many of those guys were legitimately bad people, and I really appreciated that Tom didn't kiss their asses just for the sake of his career. Instead, he acknowledged that they were bad guys and didn't let them push him around, and didn't take any crap from them. He told them exactly what he thought of them, and it was awesome.
My other frustration was with Medusa; her relationship with Tom was like whiplash. It was an annoying cycle of: they're fighting, they don't talk for weeks, they make up, later in that conversation Tom screws it up and they fight again, they don't talk for weeks, etc. Rinse and repeat. As a result, it felt like Medusa was barely in the book and just popped in and out at seemingly random times. At least whenever Medusa did make an appearance she was kicking some serious ass.
Although the beginning of the book was only 'okay' for me, things really picked up at the end. The corruption and conspiracies finally started to unravel, driving some excitement into the story. There was more defiance, rebellion, and more "big reveals". Those were the bits I finally loved!
Overall, I guess Vortex had a stronger focus on the politics. We learn more about the corporations that sponsor the fighters and what stakes they have in the war. It's interesting information, but it wasn't always the most exciting.
I am a bit bummed that I didn't enjoy Vortex quite as much as Insignia, but it was still a pretty good book.