Book Review: The Angel Experiment

Synopsis

After the mutant Erasers abduct the youngest member of their group, the “birdkids,” who are the result of genetic experimentation, take off in pursuit and find themselves struggling to understand their own origins and purpose.

Comments

It’s nice to see this genre of book have a girl as a main character, however, I kept forgetting she was a girl. Any sort of “feminine” voice is fairly non-existent. Content (aside from some of a disturbing nature) likely okay for down to 12.

Language

Level 1 [?] and multiple uses of ‘God’ as exclamation. “I shot him the bird.”

Sexual Content

A teen girl kisses a teen boy.

Drugs/Alcohol

Description of flying at higher altitude as “thin and light, like champagne”. Beer keg used as toy at zoo. A homeless teen was kicked out of MIT because he has schizophrenia and won’t take his medication. He claims that the meds (Thorazine, Haldol, Melleril, and Zyprexa) suck and that people just want to keep him quiet.

Violence/Disturbing

Littlest ‘birdkid’ is kidnapped and taken back to the horrible scientists at the “school”. Max has flashback remembering how awful the school is, the torture that went on there, the fear of the kids and animals there. A place where “death came as a blessing”. Boys build bombs (allusion to info off the Internet). Grownups (scientists) willfully hurt kids, and no one defends them. Multiple detailed fight scenes. Teens use guns against each other. Teens kill/attempt to kill each other. Some of the mutant kids at the school are “horrible failures” and are babies with their internal organs on the outside of their bodies.

Social/Family

One of the kids is blind, a result of experimentation by the scientists. “I guess if I were more of a fembot, it would bother me that a blind guy six months younger than I am could cook better than I could.” Kids have lots of questions about their families, where they came from. One birdkid’s mom was a teenager, and he is disgusted, “She was probably a crack addict or something.” Some anti-social thoughts regarding school, authority. Girl is bullied.

Religion/Spiritual

Mention of Ca-balah! a Gypsy Fortune-telling game on a display, as well as an Ouija board. “thank God” Max describes flying as ‘like being God’. ‘like sticking pins in a Max-doll’ A kid wonders who they are praying to-God? ’sadistic spawns of Satan’