Richard W. Kelly

When a young man goes for his first job, his training experience turns more complicated then he originally imagined. After cracking a code that shows he has psychic abilities, he joins the military while a shapeshifter takes his place at home (very similar to the movie The Last Starfighter), and realizes that there is much more to the world (and the military) than meets the eye.

Let me begin with the good points: It is definitely a story that isn't overdone. While not 100% original, it was an original take on the high schooler with intense super-abilities that lead him to save the world, mostly because our hero isn't a "hero," as in superhero with a cape and secret identity.

I really enjoyed the idea of a shapeshifting doppleganger who prepares our hero's family for the new Drew. On the other hand, our shapeshifter is supposed to be of a higher rank than Drew, yet seemed to be utterly unintelligent in the situations he encountered while masquerading as Drew. For one thing, he made a lot of stupid mistakes. I was unsure if this was because it was a YA novel, and the author didn't think that the average YA reader would notice, or if it was because it was the "easy" way to move the plot along.

I was really intrigued by the initial puzzle that was set up to find Drew's psychic abilities, and I think the chapter titles are a test for the reader, but for the life of me, I haven't figured it out yet. I'm still trying...

Overall, the story was very entertaining, enough for me to in good conscience give it a solid 3 stars, edging towards a 4th. What keeps it from going to the next level, in my opinion, is the brevity of the story. There was so much going on in such a short time, that I think if the book had been about twice as long, it would have (potentially) been worthy of 5 stars. Most of my complaints surround the stupid mistakes made by most of the characters, and the lack of serious character development. Both of these problems could have been fixed by adding to the length of the book.

I look forward to watching the development of this author in the future.

I also recommend this book for an entertaining, somewhat mindless summer read... assuming you don't try to figure out the puzzle of the chapter titles!… (más)

Disclosure: I received a free copy of The Psi-Chotic Adventures of Drew Darby by Richard W. Kelly courtesy of the author, via GoodReads First Reads.

Drew Darby, an ordinary high school student with previously untested psychic powers, finds himself recruited into the U.S. Army's top-secret "Psi Ops" unit, and hurled head-long into a battle against the ultimate evil. Similarly to the Harry Potter novels, Drew's adventures of the epic scale are balanced between the usual challenges of a teenager, such as making friends and talking to girls. Since his missions are top-secret, Drew must maintain a double life so that even his parents don't suspect that he hasn't simply been working at his after-school job. Drew is a believable character that most pre-teens or early teens will relate to, and the novel is a fast-paced read, yet still gives thorough explanations of how Drew's psychic powers function. Some pieces of the story could have used further development; for example, far too many of the minor characters, including one of Drew's crushes, were not given names, which would have made the whole scenario seem more realistic.

Young fans of Harry Potter or Percy Jackson will enjoy reading The Psi-Chotic Adventures of Drew Darby, which will appeal to middle school students including those who are perhaps otherwise reluctant readers.… (más)