A review by fantasybooknerd01
The Crossover Paradox by Rob Edwards

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

4.0

 WITH THE CROSSOVER PARADOX by Rob Edwards, we return to the Justice Academy for his fun and energetic tale of Grey and the gang.

However, things are not exactly fun and frolics as Grey enters his second year at the Academy. One of the things that has altered quite drastically is that the gang has kind of gone their own separate ways. Sevenfourthirty is shacked up with some new Brontom students, Pivli is finding her own path after being imbibed with powers, Dex is off doing her own thing and Grey's possible love interest returns with a new boyfriend in tow.

Not a good start, but as the way of all stories, things become far more complicated from there when a beloved member of the teaching team is murdered and Grey is seen as the main suspect for her death. Not only that, the murdered teacher is related to a member of the gang, and this has a massive impact on the dynamics of the gang. 

As we are more established in this second outing, it is nice to return to this world of educational cosiness and satisfying to return to the characters that Rob Edwards introduced us to in the first book The Ascension Machine (I mean, it's only been a week, but I did miss them!)

There are new trials and tribulations for the gang, in particular Grey who, as the rest of the group have gone their own ways, feels more and more isolated as he enters the second year, and subsequently experiences a growing feeling of disconnect from the Academy and his friends. On top of that, his current predicament compounds his isolation as he comes under suspicion. 

The book feels a little more insular than The Ascension Machine, and instead of zipping about the galaxy most of the action takes place in the Justice Academy, and the setting works well to highlight how cut off Grey feels. 

At times, especially with the murder and investigation, it feels more like a cosy mystery as Grey and his companions look for clues and information. However, it swiftly changes direction when secrets from the past are discovered. and puts the whole of the academy in danger.

The Crossover Paradox builds on the story of Grey in this second outing for the unknown boy. He is still as clever as ever and is also his usual charming self throughout the book.There is some character growth in the story, even if at times he does return to type and runs away from his problems. In addition we get the introduction of new characters, which all add to the story and move it along. Not only are there new heroes (mainly in the form of Apogee), but there is the introduction of new villains to add to the mix.

In addition to this, there are the clever nods to the superhero mythos mixed with excellent characterisation and fast paced writing that bounces along keeping the reader turning the pages. 

With The Crossover Paradox, Rob Edwards has expanded the universe really well. It's an excellent story that is accessible to both younger readers and older readers like me.