Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 — A Good Conspiracy and Imaginative Superpowers
by Erin Cowles
Michael
Vey has special powers, and he knows it. He's been trying to keep a
low profile in Idaho, but he can't keep his electric powers hidden
forever.
When
his crush, the popular cheerleader Taylor, discovers his powers and
reveals that she has her own brand of electrical superpowers, they
join Michael's brainy and non-electric friend Ostin in a search for
why they have these abilities. Their investigation sets a chain of
events in motion that leads to Michael's mother and Taylor being
kidnapped by the mysterious Elgen organization.
The
friends discover that there are other “electric”
teenagers out there, and Elgen is using diabolical means to try to
control them and the world.
The
best part of this book is the way Richard Paul Evans structured the
trio of main characters. In most adventure books I read, there is the
brave and skilled leader, the brainy romantic interest, and the comic
relief. Evans combines the brains and the comic relief in the form of
geeky Ostin, which gives him room to do something entirely different
with the female part of the trio.
Taylor's
integrity is her big virtue, and it is a refreshingly human
integrity. Sometimes her powers give her the opportunity to cheat in
certain situations, and she sometimes gives in to temptation.
However, she wants to do right. She feels awful when she makes
mistakes and works to do better the next time.
She's
empathetic and sticks up for the unpopular kids. She thinks about the
emotional costs to others of her actions. In a world of characters
with extraordinary powers and a villain that uses these skills for
personal gain, Taylor's conscience stands in stark contrast.
Sadly,
Evans used Taylor primarily as a plot device to teach us about life
in the Elgen Academy, but I'm interested to see how her skills fit
into the adventure now that Evans has gotten the world-building out
of the way.
The
language is squeaky clean, to the point of awkwardness at times.
There's no sex and the school parties are the kind of dry parties you
wish actually existed at your high school. However, the torture
elements and villains' sadistic love of inflicting pain would make me
pause before handing it to an elementary school child.
The
dialogue and character development are uneven, and it takes too long
for the story to build its momentum, but I think Evans is moving in
the right direction with this series. The sequel will have come out
by the time this review posts, so you'll only have to wait as long as
your library's hold list takes to see what happens next.
Read
this book if …
You
want to see a hero with a disability portrayed accurately and in an
empowered fashion (in addition to Michael's powers, he also has
Tourette's syndrome).
You
were a big X-Men fan as a kid and enjoy seeing how different
characters use their different superpowers.
You
can't wait for Rick Riordan's next adventure book to come out.
Erin
Cowles is a mother of two, living in the Washington D.C. suburbs.
Before motherhood, she used her masters in library and information
science in a law firm library. Now she uses it to find good books for
her family at her local public library. She teaches part time for a
SAT prep company, where she enjoys the challenge of making rather
dull subject matter interesting and making college a reality for her
students. During women's history month, she profiles Mormon women
that inspire her at ldswomenshistory.blogspot.com.
Erin
currently serves as a counselor in her ward's primary
presidency.