This is the first novel to be published by authors Glen Zipper and Elaine Mongeon. Devastation Class was released in 2020. This is the 78th book I have completed in 2022.

Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence, I categorize this novel as R. After nine years of war with the Kastazi, the Earth Alliance has won a troubled peace. Little is known about the Kastazi or why they withdrew from the conflict. Several 17–18-year-old Alliance cadets and civilian students are aboard the Alliance Devastation Class starship California as part of their education.

At this most inopportune time, the Kastazi launch a sneak attack. Two cadets, JD Marshall and Viv Nixon, must take command of California if those aboard are to be saved. They desperately search for any other survivors of the attack. They only hope they can survive long enough to find others. In an act of desperation, the cadets are forced to risk everything and use the Blink Reactor to escape.

I enjoyed the 9 hours I spent reading this 349-page young adult science fiction novel. As with many young adult novels, this one has a handful of gifted teens thrust into extreme situations. They must step up to the challenge to survive. The story is alternately told from the first-person perspective of Marshall and Nixon. I enjoyed this novel and will be looking for sequels. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a rating of 4.4 (rounded down to a 4) out of 5.

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This was just alright. Unfortunately, I found there to be very little plot to this, at least at first. There was just a lot of action and no plot to really bring it all together. The twists were easy to spot and there was very little character development. The characters felt hollow. I struggled to really differentiate between one or another and it felt like there wasn't enough to really keep the story going. This was a decent novel, but I wish that there had been more character development between the characters.

This felt reading a Star Wars novel, complete with floating vessels, unlikely companions, and fierce villains! i enjoyed the writing and pacing but the ending was so strange? still, i enjoyed it!

This was a fun, engaging read. Fans of sci fi set in space will have fun getting to know the characters and exploring the plot.

WHAT!? What kind of ending was that!?

Lemme back up a sec. I have thoughts.

First impressions: Very Star Trek-ey. Down to the young cadet crew, their individual personalities and nationalities, oh--and the bad guy(s). I'm not mad about it, the concept just didn't strike me as hugely original. Also, apparently Blink allows cursing in their books. This is the second book from them I've read with it, so I guess it's a thing.

So, I'm still not clear whether this is intended to be the first in a series or not. I've looked it up and though I don't see any definite details about more books, if it's a standalone, there are issues.

Aside from the above issues, I actually enjoyed the book and it's fabulous as an audiobook! If you can get past the cliche of their character types, the individual people in the book were super likeable and overall, it definitely kept my interest listening to it. (I'll admit, I started reading it months before and didn't make it far, but picking it up again as an audiobook worked out wonderfully)

I don't think the space/ship terminology was overbearing and as a general rule, I had fun with this book. I wasn't really impressed with the "let's play God" elements, but I guess (or I hope?) we'll see where the author(s) take the books in the future.

But back to my original sentiment...What kind of ending was that!? 😂 I had no clue it WASN'T a standalone, so it definitely gave me some whiplash.

3.5 Stars for this one.

I received this book from the published via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I found the premise of Devastation Class really intriguing, but it is sadly plagued with a slow start and two-dimensional characters. Towards the end, it does pick up a lot, but I did consider stopping throughout the first half. It's still enjoyable, just a little flatter than it should have been. Additionally, in the e-galley, the formatting made it hard to determine whose POV we were in and to read the first sentence or two of each chapter.

From our main characters, we spend the most time with JD and Viv. I found JD quite flat and couldn't connect with why he didn't seem to want to be in the cadets anymore. But his arc gained a little traction, even if some parts of his storyline played out exactly as I predicted. Viv is slightly better, albeit dragged by unnecessary romance BS. She is interesting and fierce, and I struggled to see why she gave Julian the time of day.

All the characters are a little hard to connect with - they have no depth. I quite liked Bix but struggle to even really remember defining features of the rest (other than the pun for Ohno which is funny for about 1 second).

The overall twists didn't quite play out as I thought, but there's definitely some real predictability to it. All this said, I did quite like the elements around Nick and the blink drive. And the second half, where we see elements of politics are interesting, I think there's some real potential in what happens with that. As well as the more obvious parts around Fuller and whatever he's plotting!

It ends on quite the cliffhanger which means I'm likely to search out book two which will hopefully delve more into the politics and rebellion as well as the science. 3 stars.

this was a really good scifi novel, the characters were great and I really enjoyed reading this book. I'd be interested in reading more in this universe.

A story packed with self-discovery, action, tension, and great characters! Young readers will enjoy flying through this action-packed story!

Set in the distant future, Earth’s Alliance forces have gone through a nine-year war with the vicious alien Kastazi race. The battle was hard fought and even though Earth won, things are not the same. The Alliance Devastation Class starship California heads out on a scientific exploration mission with a small crew of both officers and civilian students along with a small group of military cadets to see what is left in the universe. The cadets use this mission to prove their worth, especially JD Marshall and Viv Nixon, who both have high ranking parents in the alliance and know they are being watched closely. Their mission does not go as planned as they are ambushed with a second wave of Kastazi forcing JD and Viv to lead a mutiny and take over their ship when those in charge freeze at the most critical moments. They use all their skill and knowledge but quickly run out of options and activate the ship’s blink Reactor, a new technology that is supposed to send them a safe distance away. However, it takes them to a future even more dangerous than what they left.

While there was a quite a bit I didn’t totally understand in this book, there was also a lot I really did enjoy. The characters are engaging and fun to follow on their journey, the story is fun, exciting and a new adventure than most of what I have read before. The story does go back and forth between several different viewpoints, but it is done in a way that is easy to follow, broken up by chapters with the character’s name at the top of the chapter for whose view point readers are about to follow. Just when you think the story is wrapping up, another surprise shows up and ramps up the action. One thing is for sure, there was never a lack of tension that propelled the story forward. I loved the dynamic between JD and Viv, so much there that I can’t wait to see explored further. This is the first in a new series and I foresee it being a trilogy, this first part was wrapped up nicely while also leaving it on a pretty good cliffhanger for the reader to be itching for more. I will be grabbing the second as soon as it comes out to see what happens with these characters. I recommend this to readers that enjoy science fiction and characters that are fun and easy to follow.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

In the distant future, Earth’s armies and allied alien forces claim victory after a nine-year war against the Kastazi, a highly-advanced bug-like species. With the remaining survivors, military, and technology available, Earth and its allies now train classes of students and cadets to continue space exploration. Devastation Class focuses on seven cadets aboard a spaceship filled with war veterans and dozens of students; however, an unexpected second wave of Kastazi forces ambushes their ship and Earth, suddenly forcing the cadets to overthrow those in charge to ensure survival of everyone on board. Fans of Ender’s Game will greatly enjoy this new book from experienced screen writers/producers/directors Glen Zipper and Elaine Mongeon.

JD Marshall and Viv Nixon are cadets who have passed the grueling and highly competitive selection process to earn their titles and hopefully escape the shadows of their legendary war hero parents. Having grown up together since childhood and shared grief of parental loss due to the war, they share a unique bond that comes along with being in a military family. Their fellow cadets look to them for leadership, and the remaining 70+ students who didn’t make the cut resent them all for their status and perks. As one might have guessed, this is a recipe for conflict (hint: Devastation Class is an earned nickname).

While docked at an Alliance base gathering supplies, the cadets and students remain on the spaceship when they are suddenly ambushed by Kastazi forces. The only two higher-ranking individuals left on the ship panic and mentally break down. Consequently, JD, Viv, and the remaining cadets stage a mutiny to save everyone aboard. They narrowly manage to escape but pay a heavy price; the ship is severely damaged, lives are lost, and their escape route directs them to unfamiliar territory with no other Alliance forces in sight for direction or guidance. In addition to addressing disaster relief, they have to find answers.

Understandably, the surviving students in Devastation Class have no idea what happened. Plus, they don’t trust that the cadets are telling the truth about anything. Basically, JD and the crew have to wield authority over a group 10x their size who see no reason to follow orders. As the story continues, we learn that their escape was successful but they didn’t completely understand or even know the serious consequences involved. Once the reality sets in, they must grapple with the fact that there’s no going back and there’s little to no help to be found.

There’s so much more to this book than I can mention into a brief(ish) review. Zipper and Mongeon get major points for suspenseful and action-packed storytelling. The book delivers enough background to get us up to speed, with some foreshadowing sprinkled in as well. The cadets are truly on their own and must evade enemies both outside and within the ship. They must also mentally absorb the implications of their new reality. I shared their confusion and hopelessness, and had more questions than answers as I approached the end of the book.

One major setback to this story was the character building and development. We read the events from multiple points of view – JD, Viv, a fellow cadet Nick (who becomes a pivotal player) and Liko (a student who happens to be the son of a Kastazi sympathizer and a victim of bullying and ostracism). While this is a great tactic for building suspense and keeping the reader engaged, there was little to no distinction in voice among the characters. Basically, the only way I could tell who’s point of view I was reading was the chapter title with the name. I’m a sucker for character development, and the lack of it in Devastation Class was disappointing. Some readers might struggle with this flaw, but the suspense and action pulled me along just enough to look past it.

Zipper and Mongeon have an impressive background in on-screen entertainment; Elaine Mongeon is an award-winning filmmaker who wrote and directed the short films Good Morning for Warner Bros. Pictures and Swiped to Death for Hulu and the Sundance Institute. Glen Zipper produced the Oscar-winning documentary Undefeated and the Netflix series Dogs, in addition to the HBO series What’s My Name | Muhammad Ali. Their extensive experience in film production undoubtedly helped them create an entertaining novel – however it might be the reason for their struggle with character development in this particular medium. Nevertheless, since Devastation Class is their debut novel and is set to become a trilogy, I’m confident they will improve with the sequels, in addition giving the readers (i.e. me) what we want in terms of finding out what happens next.

Escapism at its best. A story to loose yourself in. Realistic? Nope. Entertaining absolutely. Looking for something different full of twists and thrills check it out Happy reading!

Look at that amazing cover, people. Drink it in.

I don't have very much to say about this. It's fun, it's interesting, the characters are good, but it takes a long time for anything to happen - the book's half over before the things described in the blurb happen - and the 'twists' are pretty obvious. It took a while before I figured out the different groups and what was going on, too, but the explanations do eventually come.

I did enjoy this. It's a good read, and I'm looking forward to reading the next book when it comes out to see what happens next. Hopefully now that all the set up is out of the way, things will progress faster. To be fair, there was a lot to get set up and ready in this one, so maybe it was unavoidable. I'd love to see this televised! I think it could be a great show. It's very cinematic.

A good read; I recommend it to fans of sci fi or teen dramas.

I liked the way this one sounded and it was okay. I enjoyed the characters, but I did get confused at times. It seemed like the narrator kept switching or maybe I’m just crazy.

Some people have called this a YA Star Trek and I can totally see that, but it held its own. I mean NOTHING can compare to Star Trek!!

This is one of those book you will just have to decide for yourself. I would like to know where the next book is going with the way this one ended!

*Thank you to Netgalley and Blink Publishing for a digital copy of this book.

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

Short chapters make Devastation Class a quick read. Unfortunately, I DNFed pretty early on from the stilted dialog. I've seen some reviews compare it to Star Trek but I can't say for sure as I've never seen it. 🙈 Maybe give it a try and decide for yourself? It's just not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Blink for another review opportunity. I wish I had enjoyed this one more.

The book needed more depth. The characters were not developed enough. The plot was fast paced although the theory behind the science was never explained to believable.

Thank you so much for sending me a copy of this book. I thought this was a really quick fun read and i would definitely recommend.

This book wants to be YA Star Trek with enough action to get a movie deal, but instead it is just boring. The plot 'twists' are so predictable, and there are so many of them that I just stopped caring. The characters represent standard tropes like the girl who likes explosives and therefore called Ohno. Other girls die pointlessly because the authors could not make the story go forward any other way. The only main female character feels hollow, but I won't pin that on her being female, all other character feel that way, too. Every chance for real character advancement, or actual, heart-felt drama are thrown down the drain.
In addition, we have the pseudo-techie stuff that is not researched, but a careless weaving around of tech-sounding words.

At first, all I could think about was how much the book resembled star trek. As I kept reading, more and more it felt unique and interesting. The characters were well developed and I found myself wanting to keep reading every time I had to put it down. My only issues were that some of the characters were hard to tell apart based on their perspectives, and that the ending left a lot unsaid. It wrapped up too quickly and answered all the wrong questions. Still, it was a fun and short read that I hope the author continues.

I received this book as an ARC and fell in love with it in the first few pages. But about 60% in the story turn a turn and I completely fell out of the book. I really wanted to love it but I just could not get back into it. I kept pushing through because I really love the characters but it was just a disappointing way to end a great concept.

I really liked the sound of this story - space cadets involved in a mutiny who have to work to save humanity. The plot was really fast and action packed, but the characters were really underdeveloped. I didn't engage with them at all and it made it quite difficult to keep going!

Unfortunately, the book didn't manage to hold my attention and I found it hard to get to the end.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This review has been posted to Goodreads and will be submitted to Amazon after release.

Though not exactly revolutionary, there's a good premise here, just sorely needing a better execution. The first half of the book is mostly info-dump, but the lore and the universe still feels lacking in depth. The characters' voices are hard to distinguish, making it difficult to follow along with the shifting narrations; more often than not, I'd forgotten whose perspective I was reading from, and had to backtrack to figure it out. Too often there were large chunks of dialogue exchange but without any speech indicators, so I felt a little lost, unable to determine who was talking. Some of the twists were predictable, but the ending felt entirely too rushed, and the entire time it was difficult to empathize and root for any of the characters since they felt very hollow.

As a base concept, it isn't bad; as a novel in its current form, it's just not very good. I feel like this could work well on-screen (in a series, where there's more room to develop the characters and build a universe), but in order to work as a book, it needs a lot of work.