There’s something electrifying about a fast-paced thriller for young adult readers. Danger lurks around every corner and impossible odds only fuel a teen hero’s resolve. YA action adventures feature exhilarating themes with dynamic characters, blended with coming-of-age emotions: loyalties are tested, trust is earned and courage is discovered. From rooftop chases to secret hideouts, these stories deliver both pulse-pounding thrills and characters you root for long after the final page. And when the action is delivered in the form a 14 year old schoolboy superspy, the adventure is going to be thrilling. You are about to meet Alex Rider in his first ever mission in Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz.
Everybody has heard of James Bond, the MI6 superspy. Now meet the teenage equivalent, 14 year old Alex Rider.
Alex lost both his parents in plane crash not long after he was born and lives with his uncle in Chelsea, London. His life is shattered when his uncle dies in a mysterious car accident. Alex doesn’t quite believe it was an accident as his uncle was so careful… and the bullet holes in the car tell a vastly different story. In his covert hunt for answers it leads him to the corridors of British Intelligence and MI6, where is recruited for a very secret and dangerous undercover mission as a schoolboy superspy venturing into a villains high-tech, high-security lair.
Overall, Stormbreaker is a thrilling, action-packed adventure about a seemingly ordinary boy who didn’t asked to become a spy and is now on a very dangerous mission. Alex Rider, MI6’s most unlikely recruit.
Starting his spying career by trying to solve the riddle of his uncle/guardian’s death he tracks down his car and ends up trapped in the boot just as it is about to go into the crusher. This kicks off the adrenaline-fueled Alex Rider series with a bang! This brings him to the attention of MI6 where he swaps school corridors for covert ops, chasing leads from Cornwall’s windswept cliffs to a high-tech villain’s lair. He has to go undercover to find out if there are any sinister motives behind a tech moguls philanthropic gift of brand new high-tech computers to every school in the UK.
With it’s short chapters and fast-paced action, the plot hurtles along with undercover training, near-death experiences and a showdown with the sinister tech magnate Herod Sayle. The story keeps up the momentum from start to finish, hooking in young YA readers into a thrilling adventure. With twists and turns along the way, and each twist landing like a punch, readers won’t want to put the book down. James Bond in teenage form!
But be warned, Alex Rider isn’t some confident, know-it-all superspy with skills and abilities that make him invincible. As a teenage boy he comes with his own insecurities and flashes of doubt make every firefight and gadget-fuelled escape feel earned. His dry wit under fire humanises the spy tropes, while secondary characters in the form of grieving MI6 handlers, duplicitous allies, and robotic henchmen add layers of suspense and intrigue.
I enjoyed reading it and think that is would be suitable for readers age 13+, it has non-stop excitement, but there are themes of danger, violence and death. Readers will devour chapter after chapter, making it a fast and exciting read.
An explosive start to the 13 book Alex Rider series.
Rating: 4.5/5
RRP: £14.99 (Hardback) / £7.99 (Paperback) / £5.99 (Kindle)
For more information, visit anthonyhorowitz.com. Available to buy from Amazon here.
