Advance copy from NetGalley. 2.5 stars

I have loved everything I've read by Chris Wooding until this book. It wasn't horrible, but I never really got on board with the premise, and didn't ever feel invested in the characters.

Instead of this one, I would recommend picking up his Ketty Jay series or his graphic novel Pandemonium. I still plan to read his other books. The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray will probably be the next one I try, as it's been repeatedly recommended to me.

Didn't put me off Chris Wooding, but it wouldn't be what I'd recommend to anyone who wanted to see what he can do. ( )

My actual rating would have to be 4.5/5 stars. A book has to be fabulous in all aspects for me to give it 5 stars and this one fell short in one area. So with that being said, this book was still fabulous! It grabbed my attention right away and held it throughout the entire book. Action starts right away in the first chapter and literally does not stop until the last pages which is always a good clue that I will be giving it quite a few stars. The overall theme of this book is very interesting and the ending definitely leaves it open to the option for Wooding to have this as the start of a series.

Now for the one thing that fell a little flat for me - the character development, while it was there, felt fake and slightly unrealistic. Yes, everyone freaks out in times of crisis and yes usually there is an individual who will step up and take the roll of semi-leader, but Paul's roll as leader seemed contrived from time to time and Erika's character really pissed me off with her poor me, but I want to prove myself attitude. Really? I guess we can't love every character. I did however like the character of Adam and how he was able to shake his bully persona and become a semi-leader who fought to the bitter end. Overall though, 313 pages wasn't quite enough for the characters to be developed fully with the amount of crazy action that was jam-packed (rightly so, though) into this book.

Pre-teen and teenage boys would LOVE this book! This book has as much crazy action (any maybe more) than The Maze Runner and my students loved that book. Thank you Scholastic for this free book for my classroom. I'm glad I took the time to read it!

( )

I liked this twist on the zombie/infectious disease plot. ( )

Take a boy who is already feeling emotional isolation and drop him into a private school in a remote English countryside, add monsters, conflicted friendships, a bully and mix well.
This is the situation Paul finds himself in. His parents vanished in a South American plane crash and his aunt and uncle never wanted kids, so he's felt the double sting of loss and rejection. He's been polite and friendly at Mortingham Boarding school and has a crush on popular, athletic Erika, but she's not interested. Caitlyn, however has it bad for Paul and, as the fourth of a group of sisters, has always felt less than in everything. Erika thinks Caitlyn is her best friend, but the opposite is true, although well hidden. Adam is big and a bully because he's secretly afraid that any sign of weakness will cost him dearly. Quiet, very intelligent Mark realizes he's outgrown the nerd clique and wants new friends, but has no clue how to do so.
When most of the kids have gone home for the weekend, those remaining come under siege. It starts innocently enough with the discovery of an odd and very large beetle by the campus pond. Adam intimidates the boys who found it and after it's dropped, he steps on it. Paul retrieves the crushed insect and takes it to their science teacher who shows the class that this bug is really different. Under a microscope, it looks like it has transistors and silver wires integrated into its body.
Kids go looking for more of the odd creatures and the fun begins. A boy is bitten and hordes of the beetles start after the now terrified students. When kids and faculty members who have been scratched or bitten begin morphing into glowing-eyed, silvery monsters, those students remaining must put aside petty things and join together or die. They're trapped in the science building and every time they come up with a defense, the monsters quickly adapt.
What ensues is fast-paced and creepy-scary, typical Chris Wooding fare. He's able to take a small part of the world and spin it into something frightening and complex. He does it again in Silver. You'll want to set aside sufficient time to read it in one sitting because you won't want to put it down. ( )

When the students at Mortingham Boarding Academy find a group of strange, silvery beetles on school grounds they are excited, but when the beetles attack them and a mysterious virus starts spreading, a group of mismatched students must work together to survive. ( )