Invasion- ♥♥♥♥

The opening day sat really weird with me. I get point. Lewis was trying to give you a peak into the world he created, and showing you Colts whole family not only knows, but is kind of a big deal. For me, it just came across as bulky and unnecessary.

As soon as Colt got the news about his parents I felt like the connection was formed. Seeing him frantically call his parents was heart wrenching. The funeral, meeting Dani, and his first two weeks in Arizona solidified that for me.

I also want to point out how happy I am that there seems to be no romantic feeling between Dani and Colt. No hidden "I've loved you my whole life." It shows them as really good friends that understand each other. The kind of friend that feels like family, like home. I like how well they work together, and even how they fight. When they disagree with each other it comes across as real. There isn’t a quick resolution, but at the same time there aren’t any long time grudges.

I'm not sure how I feel about the budding relationship between Colt and Lily. I really didn't like her at first. She seemed shallow and vain. It didn't take long for me to change my opinion on that, but still... I don't think I like them as a couple. She added a layer of complication I wasn’t a fan of. I’m not against Colt dating, I just don’t like Lily for him.

I also have mixed feeling about Oz and Dani. While I think they would be cute together, and having some pretty entertaining banter, I don't think it would be good for the dynamic between Colt and Dani and Colt and Oz. Two of his closest friends dating would be a blessing and curse. Which most likely means that is exactly what’s going to happen.

The plot felt very weak to me. That or there were too many smaller things happening that took away from it. I had to sit and think about what held my attention the most. I decided it was the other worlds. We don't see most of that. There are tiny bits and pieces, but they are scattered around so much it’s hard to keep them all straight. There seemed to be a heavy focus on Colts past, and I don't think that was necessary. It was something else that was bulky.

I'm not even sure how I would go about fixing it if I could. Smaller arks should be cut and put somewhere else, lose some of the history and bulk up on information about the world, and maybe give us more on the academy. I’m not sure though. Maybe if the book was longer it would give more time to each ark, then it wouldn’t feel so cluttered and chaotic.

I did like it, and I am interested to see how Colts demands play out. I respected the hell out of him for wanting to bring Dani. I'm also interested to know more about the academy and what happens there. I can only hope some things (like the Undarian in the tank) prove to be relevant. If that incident doesn’t come up as something important soon that will just be another instance of something that didn’t make sense to me.  I’m pretty excited for the rest of the series though!