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emhamill's review
4.0
I always enjoy reading Taylor Brooke's books, because I know I'm going to be in for one heck of a ride.
Omen Operation is no exception. It reads a lot like video game fiction, but not in a bad way, because it's exciting and violent and gory and laced with Brooke's excellent prose. We meet our protagonists in a mysterious boot-camp environment where they train under the belief that they are the survivors of some kind of zombie apocalypse out in the real world. When they realize that everything they've been told is a lie, knowing the truth is more deadly than they could ever imagine.
Brooke's ability to keep us guessing what's real and what's fabricated makes for fantastic reading. Great poolside fare and the beginning of a series with a huuuuge cliffhanger, so hold on tight for the next installment.
Omen Operation is no exception. It reads a lot like video game fiction, but not in a bad way, because it's exciting and violent and gory and laced with Brooke's excellent prose. We meet our protagonists in a mysterious boot-camp environment where they train under the belief that they are the survivors of some kind of zombie apocalypse out in the real world. When they realize that everything they've been told is a lie, knowing the truth is more deadly than they could ever imagine.
Brooke's ability to keep us guessing what's real and what's fabricated makes for fantastic reading. Great poolside fare and the beginning of a series with a huuuuge cliffhanger, so hold on tight for the next installment.
leahkarge's review
4.0
OMEN OPERATION is a great, fast-paced start to this trilogy, giving the reader enough information to make them die in anticipation of the next book!
Read the full review on my blog!
Read the full review on my blog!
dani_reviews's review
4.0
See this review in its natural environment, Dani Reviews Things.
Disclaimer: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for a review, though this hasn't affected my opinion or the content of this review.Rating: 3.5 stars
Omen Operation doesn't start out well – in fact, it is rushed and confusing at the beginning, dropping the reader in what seems like it should be chapter 3 or 4. There is no time to get to know the characters or the life they're living before they're already off. About a third of the way in, however, the book starts hitting its stride, and the plot becomes a lot more engaging. Once I'd caught up with the story, the characters began to shine, with their own quirks and diverse back stories. I ended up enjoying this book more than I expected, and I recommend that potential readers try to stick through the rocky beginning to get to the action and excitement later on.
Best and worst
The best: Some of the fight scenes were brutal – both physically and emotionally so.
The worst: The beginning was all kinds of confusing and rushed, both plot-wise and character-wise.
First impressions
Ooooh, sounds like a zombie book! And I'm going through a bit of a zombie phase, especially with kickass girls who can fight back.
The cover is ok, though the girl's hair annoys me. It just doesn't look real...
Break it down
Who
Finally a book written in third person perspective! It was so refreshing after a series of first persons. That being said, it wasn't perfect. While it was written in third person, it still seemed to shift focus on different people, sometimes a few times during a page, leaving me to reread paragraphs when I realised "she" had swapped from one girl to another.
Bearing in mind that the main group of characters of the story had spent almost two years bunking in a cabin together and knew each other really well, the beginning was a bit difficult to read, partly because the characters had existing personalities and relationships that were just assumed rather than introduced to the reader. Once in the main fray of the plot, these traits relationships fleshed out, but they were just dropped on the reader at the start.
The central character of the story was Brooklyn, a high school senior when she was taken to the rural camp over a year before the start of the book. She was best friends with Gabriel, and the two shared a cabin with Julian, Dawson and Porter. As I got to know them, I began to like them each for their own reasons. Gabriel, for example, was unapologetically vicious, thrilled to fight and kill when she got the change; however, she was also incredibly loving and protective of "Brookie". Everyone ended up being BAMFs.
I want to spotlight the diversity of the characters in this story. The group of escapees varied in race and sexual orientation, but these details were slowly slipped into the story so as to let the reader know about them while not making a big deal about them. It was natural. Furthermore, an issue that I don't feel is represented enough in YA was mentioned: periods. And Brooke took it even further, sharing that one of the characters wasn't able to have her period due to medical reasons. YES. This is part of some people's reality, and it is so good to see it in a book!
P.S. It's confusing to write Brooklyn and Brooke, but I have a thing, ya know? I use authors' last names. I don't want to change. Don't make me change. Please. Just deal, k?
What
The blurb says that Dawson finds a letter, which spurs the group to take action. This happens right away, and there's no explanation as to how or why he finds the letter. It's like Brooke wasn't sure how to start the story, so threw something together that made even a sliver of sense. It's only once the group has left their camp and interrogated a certain someone that the story starts to come together and get exciting.
And it sure does get exciting after this threshold! Think hardcore fighting, running and life-threatening moments, with a dash of hippies and government conspiracy theories. After a start that almost made me want to quit, I was suddenly hooked in. Brooke was throwing all kinds of crazy at the gang, and it killed me to have to go to work and stop reading!
Where & when
How do I tell you about the setting without giving too much away??? Ok, ok... The book starts out in an undisclosed camp in the woods, somewhere in the United States. As for time, Brooke was a modern-day, normal high school senior when she was first attacked, a year and a half before the book opens. The gang then escapes the camp and drives off into the real world...where what they find and what they've been told doesn't match up.
How (was it written)
So I've already told you that pacing was a massive issue in the beginning. As per my own usual neuroses, I can also tell you that there were some errors in here, including confusing of words like "wary" and "weary", or "you're" and "your". I'm sorry, but I can't help it. These things bug me!
Aside from the technicalities –which should have been picked up by an editor and not really the fault of Brooke– the writing did manage to gather itself into an exhilarating ride that kept me going!
Why (you should read it)
Honestly, if you can get past the first third of the story, I can tell you it gets actually quite exciting. If you like governments being naughty, science experiments going wrong and fast-paced action, all with some fairly good characters (once you get to know them), then I think you'll like this!
I'm genuinely eager to read the next instalment!
dwarrowdams's review
4.0
The premise was intriguing and the plot fast-paced, but the character development was definitely a weak point, especially with so many prominent characters.
Still, this is definitely one of the better YA dystopias I’ve read and I definitely plan on picking up the sequel.
Still, this is definitely one of the better YA dystopias I’ve read and I definitely plan on picking up the sequel.
cdownes's review
4.0
Really interesting book and characters.
I loved that they were all over the place with their emotions and relationships. There wasn't a straight line as far as the eye could see which I think was perfect in the genre and the market.
Certain parts of the book had me wading through wondering what was happening but I think generally this was very strong and I look forward to the next book in the series.
I loved that they were all over the place with their emotions and relationships. There wasn't a straight line as far as the eye could see which I think was perfect in the genre and the market.
Certain parts of the book had me wading through wondering what was happening but I think generally this was very strong and I look forward to the next book in the series.
pixiejazz's review
4.0
**I was given a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review**
The Omen Operation is a young adult novel with sci-fi elements. The cover and synopsis both intrigued me, so I figured I'd give it a shot and see what the book was all about. Also, the girl on the cover reminded me of Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow. Just throwing that out there.
Ok, so, when the book first starts out, it just kind of jumps right into things. There's no real backstory or anything to lead up to where things start. It just...happens. I did find that a little confusing. I kept thinking to myself, "What is going on and why is this happening?" I mean, it's good that you're left trying to figure things out from the get-go, but at the same time, I would've liked a little bit more to sort of ease into what was going on. That would have been nice.
Plot-wise, other than what I mentioned above with the beginning, the story is intense and moves along at a really nice pace. You just sort of fly through the pages, eager for more. Eager to discover what's going on and why things are the way they are. It's post-apocalyptic and science fiction thrown together, and I loved it.
Like the synopsis says, you've got this group of kids holed up in this camp, training and preparing themselves in case the virus that wiped everyone out spreads... or worse. But then a letter shows up and things get turned upside down. These kids have been lied to, but not just about the virus. The world may be normal, but the kids are not.
I found myself enjoying the togetherness that the characters had going for them. Brooklyn is a great character who knows something is amiss, but she also wants to protect her friends while on the hunt for the truth. Gabriel, her BFF, is also a likeable character. I just got a little confused by her name. I kept wanting to call her Gabrielle, since Gabriel is more masculine a name. But that may just be me nitpicking.
Porter is a character you love, then hate, then love again. He's got secrets, but also good intentions. With him, he's kind of in-between when it comes to your feelings about him.
The other characters in Brooklyn's group, while not unforgettable, didn't really have a huge impact on me. I liked them well enough, but they didn't leave much of a lasting impression.
And, of course, you have your bad guys, who are known as ECHO. I won't say anything more about them, though. Just know that you will dislike them very much.
The writing, and imagery formed from that writing, suck you into another world and leave you breathless as you travel with Brooklyn and her friends in search of the truth. It's thrilling, page-turning, edge-of-your-seat excitement. You won't want to put it down.
Overall, I rate The Omen Operation four very well deserved stars, and I am definitely looking forward to the sequel! Highly recommend!
The Omen Operation is a young adult novel with sci-fi elements. The cover and synopsis both intrigued me, so I figured I'd give it a shot and see what the book was all about. Also, the girl on the cover reminded me of Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow. Just throwing that out there.
Ok, so, when the book first starts out, it just kind of jumps right into things. There's no real backstory or anything to lead up to where things start. It just...happens. I did find that a little confusing. I kept thinking to myself, "What is going on and why is this happening?" I mean, it's good that you're left trying to figure things out from the get-go, but at the same time, I would've liked a little bit more to sort of ease into what was going on. That would have been nice.
Plot-wise, other than what I mentioned above with the beginning, the story is intense and moves along at a really nice pace. You just sort of fly through the pages, eager for more. Eager to discover what's going on and why things are the way they are. It's post-apocalyptic and science fiction thrown together, and I loved it.
Like the synopsis says, you've got this group of kids holed up in this camp, training and preparing themselves in case the virus that wiped everyone out spreads... or worse. But then a letter shows up and things get turned upside down. These kids have been lied to, but not just about the virus. The world may be normal, but the kids are not.
I found myself enjoying the togetherness that the characters had going for them. Brooklyn is a great character who knows something is amiss, but she also wants to protect her friends while on the hunt for the truth. Gabriel, her BFF, is also a likeable character. I just got a little confused by her name. I kept wanting to call her Gabrielle, since Gabriel is more masculine a name. But that may just be me nitpicking.
Porter is a character you love, then hate, then love again. He's got secrets, but also good intentions. With him, he's kind of in-between when it comes to your feelings about him.
The other characters in Brooklyn's group, while not unforgettable, didn't really have a huge impact on me. I liked them well enough, but they didn't leave much of a lasting impression.
And, of course, you have your bad guys, who are known as ECHO. I won't say anything more about them, though. Just know that you will dislike them very much.
The writing, and imagery formed from that writing, suck you into another world and leave you breathless as you travel with Brooklyn and her friends in search of the truth. It's thrilling, page-turning, edge-of-your-seat excitement. You won't want to put it down.
Overall, I rate The Omen Operation four very well deserved stars, and I am definitely looking forward to the sequel! Highly recommend!
simonlorden's review
3.0
I received an ARC through through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Read on my blog.
All I knew about this book going in was that it had a bisexual MC, and there’s maybe a female love interest. In reality, the four core characters in this book are all bisexual (two guys and two girls), and they are involved with each other in all kinds of combinations – so, the bisexual female MC has both a female and a male love interest who are both bisexual themselves. (Edit: According to the author, one of the guys is actually panromantic demisexual.)
While there are no central nonbinary characters, there is a small acknowledgment that bisexuality isn’t only about being attracted to the binary genders, so that was nice. As I said, Brooklyn is both into Gabriel (female) and Porter (male) and Gabriel is dating Dawson (male) who Porter is also into, but I’d hesitate to call it real polyamory – although that might be where the series is heading. I’m curious to see how these relationships evolve in the next book(s).
As for the plot… honestly, I don’t have much to say that wasn’t already in the blurb. Half the big secrets were already revealed in the first chapter, which felt a little soon, I would have preferred more time in the camp maybe. Then something happened to my favourite character around halfway in that just made me stop caring about the book, and if not for the last chapter, I probably wouldn’t have rated it above 2 stars.
All in all, this was an okay read and I certainly appreciate the amount of queer representation, but it felt very much like the beginning of something, like an introduction, and I don’t think it’s particularly enjoyable without the rest of the series.
Read on my blog.
All I knew about this book going in was that it had a bisexual MC, and there’s maybe a female love interest. In reality, the four core characters in this book are all bisexual (two guys and two girls), and they are involved with each other in all kinds of combinations – so, the bisexual female MC has both a female and a male love interest who are both bisexual themselves. (Edit: According to the author, one of the guys is actually panromantic demisexual.)
While there are no central nonbinary characters, there is a small acknowledgment that bisexuality isn’t only about being attracted to the binary genders, so that was nice. As I said, Brooklyn is both into Gabriel (female) and Porter (male) and Gabriel is dating Dawson (male) who Porter is also into, but I’d hesitate to call it real polyamory – although that might be where the series is heading. I’m curious to see how these relationships evolve in the next book(s).
As for the plot… honestly, I don’t have much to say that wasn’t already in the blurb. Half the big secrets were already revealed in the first chapter, which felt a little soon, I would have preferred more time in the camp maybe. Then something happened to my favourite character around halfway in that just made me stop caring about the book, and if not for the last chapter, I probably wouldn’t have rated it above 2 stars.
All in all, this was an okay read and I certainly appreciate the amount of queer representation, but it felt very much like the beginning of something, like an introduction, and I don’t think it’s particularly enjoyable without the rest of the series.
sadie's review
4.0
This has a ton of action, a tiny bit of love (and polyamory!), and a cliffhanger that actually leaves off in what seems to be the logical place. Gimme book two, plz.
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