Customer Reviews

The Pack (Fantasy)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I just finished the Pack and loved it. The authors writing style made it easy to read and follow, and the storyline flowed wonderfully. The characters were well developed, and various realistic emotions were put in. I cared about what happened to the characters, and Shamira's quest to find her brother. One of the true signs of a good writer, is if they make you care about and side with their characters. Great book!

The Pack by LM Preston rocks, its pack great TEEN POWER. The character Shamira
is determined and excuse the term a real badass. The story was suspenseful and kept me on the edge of my sit. I actually looked forward to reading each and every chapter. If you want a GREAT read The Pack by LM Preston is the way to go.

Shamira is considered an outcast by most, but little do they know that she is on a mission. Kids on Mars are disappearing, but Shamira decides to use the criminals' most unlikely weapons against them--the very kids of which they have captured. In order to succeed, she is forced to trust another, something she is afraid to do. However, Valens, her connection to the underworld of her enemy, proves to be a useful ally. Time is slipping, and so is her control on the power that resides within her. But in order to save her brother's life, she is willing to risk it all.

I really enjoyed this book! There's action adventure and much much more! I loved Shamira's will and the way she went about doing things. She's a strong character and on top of that, I thought the world building was awesome... Very imaginative. This is a must read sci/fantasy novel! I'd definitely recommend it for all ages!

I was most impressed by the author's world building abilities. Mars felt real right from the beginning. To me, as far as world building goes, the challenge is not really creating the world as much as sticking to this world. Lm Preston did this masterfully.

The characters had a nice depth of emotion for this genre. Shamira and Valens both had person investments in their goals, weaknesses they learned from, and ties that created conflicts. I was easily pulled into rooting for them.

There was a lot of action scenes in this novel, and therefore, I gave it to one of my sons to read as well. I was curious to get his opinion, given he was in the target audience. Of course, while I knew he enjoyed the book, it is like pulling teeth to get a why! He did tell me that "the fighting moves were interesting" and he thought "her sword and weapons were cool." I knew the fighting would draw him in :)

Some unusual crimes require unusual solutions. "The Pack" tells of a future where the kids on Mars are being kidnapped, and it's up to Shamira to find the root of the matter, Her campaign to find them comes with many ideas, and an exciting fast-paced story, making "The Pack" a treasure for young science fiction readers.

By the year 2161, Earth is completely free of violence. Oh, there are still drugs, body organ theft and other "benefits" that the rich are willing to pay for, but if any problems arise, they just shut down travel to the planet! The Pack by LM Preston, who first captured everybody's attention with Explorer X - Alpha has just released her YA novel, full of an action-packed adventure that I totally recommend--hey, you don't have to be a teen to have fun reading about teen life! This book is definitely at 5+!

Mars is where it's at! Or at least it is the place to be if you are a criminal. Originally, it was supposed to be that the criminals selected to colonize Mars were to be working to change--to create a new life. However, there were some hardened criminals who figured out how to relocate, figuring they would be kings there!

And they probably would have succeeded, if this possibility had not been predicted...

Major technological advances had been made. Mars had been built and colonized by the government, who had created a world as close to Earth as possible, including the generation of oxygen and other elements to approximate the control of temperatures there. Mars was colder in general and lacked the "green" of Earth, but it held its own beauty for those that had been born there and could not look back in their lives to miss their home...

For in addition to the relocation of criminals, there were also civilians who had been asked to spend time there. And a special Security Force Elite had been created.

With a body that had been developed from birth to provide extra strength and superior abilities...

But now, something had happened, the children of the original Security Force Elite were being kidnapped and several of the adults had been taken. There had also been other civilians adults and children taken, but the panic began because it should not have been possible for anybody to "take down" the Elite Force.

The daughter of two of the top-level Elite had had enough and wanted to save the children!

Shamira was a special young woman and even her parents did not know the extent of her abilities. In order to save her life when she was a baby, doctors had used advances that had only been used on adults before. She survived, but had been blind since then. Surprisingly, this had caused other children to shun her as a child and she had withdrawn into herself, allowing only her family to be loved and close. But the only one with whom she truly felt she could be herself was her younger brother David.

But then David was kidnapped also! And as Shamira roamed the streets trying to find out about all of the children and where they might be hidden--and during times her parents were working, she met Valens, whose sister had been taken. A hate-love relationship developed, Shamira hating the way Valens would not leave her alone, since she knew she could take care of herself. But then, after David was gone and he shared that his sister was also gone, she realized that it would take more than her own strengths to find them!

And The Pack was formed!

In addition to The Pack by LM Preston being an excellent action-filled adventure, there is a very comforting underlying story about friendship, parental guidance--and love. You can't beat those additional qualities for a YA book!

Prestonwrites/creates "stories of young people who overcome unbelievable odds." In my opinion, they are some of the best around to help our children understand and live in today's world!

G. A. Bixler

Shamira is blind, but that doesn't stop her from hunting down the bad guys that are kidnapping kids all over Mars. The bad guys have even started kidnapping members of The Security Force, which is near impossible. Shamira may have to start to trust people if she is going to bring Monev down. She doesn't know if she's ready for it, but she knows she doesn't have a choice.

I really enjoyed this novel for the first few chapters. After that, whoever was editing this book seemed to take a mini-vacation, since the writing just went downhill. The idea of the story was really good (kids being kidnapped on Mars leads to other kids forming an underground uprising) but that is where it stops. There are a lot of editing mistakes, but nowhere on my copy does it say that this is an uncorrected proof, so I'm assuming this is what people who buy it will see. There was a lot of dialogue and it seemed forced most of the time. The kids didn't speak like kids and some of the lines seemed to come from adult romance novels. Some of the action scenes tell us they were action-y instead of actually being action-y. The love interest in this book bordered on obsessive, he was pretty odd. Really though I had high hopes for this novel when I began, but was quickly and thoroughly disappointed again and again. Maybe someone else will enjoy this novel, the bottom line is I didn't and I can't recommend it.

First Line:
"She often walked this way home listening for all the familiar sounds."

Favorite Line:
"It was night out, but it made no difference to Shamira, for she lived in the dark most of her life."

Shamira is an unusual teen, in that she lives on Mars and does not remember anything about Earth. She is also unusual because she is blind, but does not want to undergo a surgery that will give her back her eyesight.

Her parents urge her to get the procedure, but she likes to rely on her instincts and her other senses, which she uses to fight criminals. When kids start disappearing on Mars and Shamira's brother's life is in danger, she is forced to take matters into her own hands

THE PACK is a great sci-fi novel with a strong and fearless female main character. Shamira is a unique character, which makes her story intriguing from the beginning. And it's more than a traditional science fiction tale, because it incorporates elements of drugs, violence, and adventure.

Those who love dystopian fiction will also be drawn to the conspiratorial nature of a society spinning out of control and a corrupt authority.

Reviewed by: YA Librarian Elizabeth

This review is for the Kindle version.

Take a hefty dose of action and adventure with a feisty heroine who is blind, but also has unusual powers. Add a touch of romance. Stir in missing kids. Season with the exotic planet of Mars. And what do you have? A must read novel, of course.

Author L. M. Preston's novel for young adults, The Pack, contains all of these ingredients and more. Because she's blind, most people believe sixteen-year-old Shamira is helpless. Little do they know the powers burning inside her that she barely can control. When her younger brother, David, is kidnapped, like other children of the Security Force Elite parents on Mars have been, Shamira will need all her strength and cunning to rescue them.

The Pack is a story about family, bravery, and overcoming evil. The characters are well developed, each with his or her distinct personality. Shamira is a realistic heroine with faults as well as good points. Her love for her brother is a tender part of the story amid the fighting and grittier part of the story. This novel will appeal to both boys and girls who enjoy a good read with a protagonist they'll be cheering for to succeed.

Beverly Stowe McClure, author of YA historical novel Caves, Cannons, and Crinolines

Armed with not only unique powers, but also with the love of family, Shamira leads a team of teens to rescue her brother and other children who have been kidnapped on Mars. This sci-fi for YA jets along, full of action and humor and pathos and even a bit of romance. Both girls and boys will enjoy this book from LM Preston. Highly recommended!