Shenie's Book Review—Drake Peters: One Minute to Midnight by Kingsley Benjamin

Description: 

When a spaceship crashes into his schoolyard, Drake Peters not only discovers that aliens exist but they have been here all along.

Drake is a Mind—one of a select few with superhuman abilities who must join the fight for control of Earth. He is brought to Clover Academy, where a faculty of extraterrestrials teach him how to control his powers and develop into a future leader of humanity. There he meets Ripley, a volatile but brilliant engineer, Ivy both the looks and the muscles, and Encel a talented but naїve leader. Together they are put through a series of physical and mental challenges that push them to the edge, and beyond, in order to reach their potential. 
But as they join the battle for control of Earth's future, the question for Drake is—which side is he on?

Shenie's Review:

*Note: I received this book for free in exchange for my honest opinion.



DRAKE PETERS: ONE MINUTE TO MIDNIGHT was a very creative and intriguing story with likeness to Orson Scott's, ENDER'S GAME. However, I felt the beginning of the story was a little rushed, and my interest wasn't fully piqued until Drake went to Clover Academy. The trials he and his teammates faced there were brutal, almost as if the Game Makers from the HUNGER GAMES had conjured them up. Unlike the HUNGER GAMES, the trials that Drake and his team faced had them working together and the tribulations they faced weren't used for ill intent. Rather, the purpose of these trials were to hone in on and discover hidden superpowers that certain members of the team, including Drake himself, possessed.

Although reading about Drake's school life at Clover Academy was very entertaining, I felt that the main threat of the story, the space agent that caused Drake to become a MIND, wasn't focused on enough until the very end of the story causing it to feel a bit anticlimactic. Even so, this is an enjoyable read for anybody who likes young adult science fiction.


Verdict: ☕☕☕

Available on Amazon

About the Author:

Former British Army soldier and graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Kingsely now lives and works in Darwin, Australia with his wife Nicola. When not writing books, he works as a Project Manager in the Civil Engineering industry, building roads across the Northern Territory. 
He is a mad football fan from the North East of the UK and enjoys a good drink. If you asked him what his favourite author was he would say Terry Pratchett, without missing a beat. If you haven't read any discworld novels, then put this book down, slowly back away and go read one - you won't regret it.