Book Review: Spark

Before starting Spark, the fourth book in the Swipe series by Evan Angler, I dug again on the internet to see if I could learn anything more about the mysteriously absent author. I found this teen vlog by Celestria (note: spoilers). I am 100% with her! Where in the world is Evan Angler? Why did he ditch the series before finishing it? When, if ever, will we get another installment? I also agree with her assessment of this fourth book. Just didn't care for it all that much. The first irritation was the shift from familiar to foreign soil and language. It grows tiresome when you cannot read multiple lines and must glean possible meanings from the context. 

This time around, the main character is a street urchin in al-Balat. Unlike Logan Langley and his friends, she never wormed into my heart or affection. The plot is confusing and endlessly weaving. It was hard to tell where things were happening when the setting shifted again and again. The Antichrist character didn't ring true to me. He lacked the expected charisma and strode to power on the coattails of luck. It seemed a weak attempt to weave together these disparate characters (Logan and the Dust, Commander Cylis, and Ali, some sort of savior figure). 

Moreover, the virtual reality and technological aspects of the story's development didn't entice me. I still would happily read a fifth or sixth book, should they ever appear, but feel less driven for answers now. Will Evan Angler ever reappear? Will his books resume where they left off? Did he merely run out of ideas and material or is he being held by D.O.M.E. (the Department of Marked Emergencies), desperate to get back to Beacon? Ha!

I enjoyed the series (what we get of it). You might, too, so check out my previous reviews of book one, book two, and book three.