A review by laughfactory
Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks

5.0

Genius. Sure, sometimes the writing is a bit on the dry side (somehow it seems a bit on the stilted side sometimes), but it more than makes up for it with a well-paced plot, numerous twists and turns, and engaging characters. It's also very well researched, with tons of cutting edge science and math to increase the believably factor. The main character is an evil genius in training (basically) and the things he learns and knows all seem very real. And I say that as a very technical/geeky guy who tries to keep track technology, and advances in science and math. The stuff which is discussed in this book isn't science fiction (as far as I can tell), it's just bleeding-edge stuff that's actually happening in the real world. And that makes this book riveting. Personally, I wasn't bothered by the fact that I couldn't understand every exchange between Sonja and Cadel (two of the main characters) because the whole point is that they're both super geniuses who are connecting on a special level unique just to themselves and a few other people in the world. In those instances the author does a great job of revealing the beauty (and indeed, magic) of those complex ideas, while also retaining the mystery of ideas so mind-blowing that they're beyond the ken of most of us. You'd have to be as brilliant as Cadel and Sonja to be able to tell me if the science in this book is real or just sci-fi. But I know enough that it sounds about right to me.

Anywho, I loved this book and my wife and I discussed it for hours after we finished reading it. Awesome. The second book was a little less refined, less awesome, but still entertaining. I'll provide a separate review of it.