Review of Battlefield by J.F. Jenkins

Synopsis: Cadence, JD, and Orlando couldn’t be more different from one another. Under normal circumstances, the three wouldn’t so much as say hi to each other if they could get away with it. Then an alien crashes through the roof of their local mall, and everything changes. Not only do the three teens gain new abilities, but they’re also chosen to help fight in an intergalactic war where the next chosen battlefield is Earth.

Reluctant at first, they change their minds when the fight hits close to home. Teenagers from school start to go missing, and some are dead. Together they must learn to work together and solve the mystery behind these disappearances before more lives are lost.

Review:   Battlefield is the first book in a new series about three teenagers whom after being approached by an alien discover that they have powers.  The teens are told that they have been chosen to fight in an intergalactic battle that is going to be taking place on Earth.  These teenagers who would never have run in the same circles pre-alien meeting, must put aside their differences to work together and save the teenagers from their school that end up missing or dead. 

I like that J.F. Jenkins didn't choose three characters that were already best friends.  I think it makes it more interesting to learn about the differences in their characters, their personal motivations, their personal struggles, and how they grow throughout the book.  I like Alanmendiquixanimackle, or Alan for short (whew! What a mouthful) but I also wonder what side he is truly on, after I began learning about Alona.  It doesn't really seem to have clear cut lines in some places.  I'm hoping to learn more about this in the second book, which I've already purchased for my Kindle.

I think the writing style was clean and easy to read.  The story was easy to follow and a quick read for me.  One critique I have is that I really couldn't tell you what JD looks like.  I don't really recall him being described and if he was, it was in a way that wasn't very memorable.  I had no idea that he was Hispanic until we meet his sister near the end of the book.  Cadence is described slightly better - but the only characters I really have a strong sense of what they look like are Orlando, Alan and Tait.  

I'm really hoping that the next book expands more on Orlando's parents - because I think there is fishy going on there.  

Overall, I give the book 4 stars.  I didn't notice many grammatical errors, and the pacing was good for me. I think this book would be better suited for younger teens, just based on the maturity level of  the teens in this book.  As I mentioned, I've already purchased book two, and will review once it's read.  Happy reading.

Author Info:

J.F. Jenkins lives in Minneapolis where she spends most of her time creating and plotting world domination – something that has been in the works for roughly 13 years.

In her free time she works as the local coffee wench and dominates the minions of the pixilated world on her PS3.

She’s also got a little man (J Walk) and a little man trapped in a big man’s body (J Dawg) to take care of along with her two fur babies Ushi and Tibu.

She is currently unrepresented by an agency. Email jfjenkinswrites@gmail.com with questions and comments.

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