A review by onemanbookclub
The Boy from Reactor 4 by Orest Stelmach

3.0

How about a mixed bag? I'm trying to decide what I can say about The Boy From Reactor 4. I mean, I didn't really love it, but some parts were really cool. The chase across Siberia was exciting. The mystery was fun and ended with an unexpected twist. Going into Chernobyl was fascinating, as was Kiev and Russia. I enjoyed getting a new perspective on history, and idea that I was learning the true story behind the Chernobyl disaster was great. Unfortunately, the weird things were hard to ignore. The bad guys had too much baggage--they were too distracting instead of evil and menacing. They nearly stole the story. The rotten and unnecessarily foul language was a huge turn off, as was the completely out of the blue sex scene that was so far out of character I wondered if I'd somehow jumped into a completely different book.

Usually I'll find a way to love a good story enough to overlook the negatives. I'm really trying, but I'm afraid The Boy From Reactor 4 isn't one of those books. But who am I to say? Maybe you'll see things differently. That's the thing about a mixed bag....there's going to be something for everyone!