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Rivals
What does it take to turn a brother against his sister?
Brent, Maggie and their father used to take hikes in the desert. It used to be fun. Until the day they found something... unearthly... and it changed them all forever. The thing that killed their father turned Brent and Maggie into something more than they had been. It made them stronger and faster. It made them superheroes... and celebrities.
It made them rivals. Archenemies.
The thing in the desert tore their world apart. And now nobody is safe...
Brent, Maggie and their father used to take hikes in the desert. It used to be fun. Until the day they found something... unearthly... and it changed them all forever. The thing that killed their father turned Brent and Maggie into something more than they had been. It made them stronger and faster. It made them superheroes... and celebrities.
It made them rivals. Archenemies.
The thing in the desert tore their world apart. And now nobody is safe...
235 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
14 people are currently reading
373 people want to read
About the author
David Wellington
74 books1,153 followersDavid Wellington is a contemporary American horror author, best known for his Zombie trilogy as well as his Vampire series and Werewolf series. His books have been translated into eleven languages and are a global phenomenon.
His career began in 2004 when he started serializing his horror fiction online, posting short chapters of a novel three times a week on a friend’s blog. Response to the project was so great that in 2004 Thunder’s Mouth Press approached David Wellington about publishing Monster Island as a print book. His novels have been featured in Rue Morgue, Fangoria, and the New York Times.
He also made his debut as a comic book writer in 2009 with Marvel Zombies Return:Iron Man.
Wellington attended Syracuse University and received an MFA in creative writing from Penn State. He also holds a masters degree in Library Science from Pratt Institute.
He now lives in New York City with his dog Mary Shelley and wife Elisabeth who, in her wedding vows, promised to “kick serious zombie ass” for him.
His career began in 2004 when he started serializing his horror fiction online, posting short chapters of a novel three times a week on a friend’s blog. Response to the project was so great that in 2004 Thunder’s Mouth Press approached David Wellington about publishing Monster Island as a print book. His novels have been featured in Rue Morgue, Fangoria, and the New York Times.
He also made his debut as a comic book writer in 2009 with Marvel Zombies Return:Iron Man.
Wellington attended Syracuse University and received an MFA in creative writing from Penn State. He also holds a masters degree in Library Science from Pratt Institute.
He now lives in New York City with his dog Mary Shelley and wife Elisabeth who, in her wedding vows, promised to “kick serious zombie ass” for him.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 28, 2017
Brent and Maggie Gill become something more than just a 15 year boy and a 17 year old girl when exposed to a strange substance that was found when they were on a desert hike with their father.
The resulting events after this exposure takes us into the realm of fantasy and a dark look into the fine line that separates good from evil. A line that once crossed becomes harder and harder to resist.
The resulting events after this exposure takes us into the realm of fantasy and a dark look into the fine line that separates good from evil. A line that once crossed becomes harder and harder to resist.
June 11, 2014
First, this book is certainly written for a YA crowd. Don't make the mistake of thinking otherwise. The designation itself doesn't make that a bad thing but there were certain things lacking in this story that had nothing to do with the genre.
I have been a fan of Wellington since Monster Island and I was looking forward to reading his take on teens with superpowers. With Rivals, what I got was something a little too short and underdeveloped. The plot was reminiscent of Chronicle without the emotional connection or any dynamic changes in the characters. Brent and Maggie, the brother and sister in this book, had the inklings of very well-thought out characters but they fell flat when it became apparent that they were slotted into roles from the beginning.
I didn't dislike this book. If anything, I wanted to like it more than I did. In the end, the story was telegraphed from the start with no real twists or turns. If the plot had been fleshed out more thoroughly and the characters a little better developed, then it would have been a really really awesome read.
I have been a fan of Wellington since Monster Island and I was looking forward to reading his take on teens with superpowers. With Rivals, what I got was something a little too short and underdeveloped. The plot was reminiscent of Chronicle without the emotional connection or any dynamic changes in the characters. Brent and Maggie, the brother and sister in this book, had the inklings of very well-thought out characters but they fell flat when it became apparent that they were slotted into roles from the beginning.
I didn't dislike this book. If anything, I wanted to like it more than I did. In the end, the story was telegraphed from the start with no real twists or turns. If the plot had been fleshed out more thoroughly and the characters a little better developed, then it would have been a really really awesome read.
February 7, 2013
Awesome read! 5 full stars. If you are looking for an action-packed, super-hero Young Adult book than pick this up.
I was locked into this story from the first pages. The brother-sister hero-villain dynamics was captivating.
As the story progressed I was able to understand why each of the characters changed so much from the same experience.
I felt for the siblings as they attempted to remake their lives.
The combat scenes were intense. I mean I found myself saying "Ouch! Thats gotta hurt!"
While I feel that this book is a young adult book, some of the combat scenes might be a little violent for early teens, but remember these are super-heroes who do not get hurt easily and it's not anything more graphic then a Saturday Morning Cartoon.
It was so fun to read this book, that I encourage all of you who like the TV series Heroes to pick this one up today.
I was locked into this story from the first pages. The brother-sister hero-villain dynamics was captivating.
As the story progressed I was able to understand why each of the characters changed so much from the same experience.
I felt for the siblings as they attempted to remake their lives.
The combat scenes were intense. I mean I found myself saying "Ouch! Thats gotta hurt!"
While I feel that this book is a young adult book, some of the combat scenes might be a little violent for early teens, but remember these are super-heroes who do not get hurt easily and it's not anything more graphic then a Saturday Morning Cartoon.
It was so fun to read this book, that I encourage all of you who like the TV series Heroes to pick this one up today.
November 12, 2012
I really enjoyed this story. David Wellington takes a not so original idea and creates a great story out of it. It reminds me a little with the movie Chronicle where some teenagers (in this instance 2 teenagers) get exposed to something (possibly of alien origin) and get super powers. With a title of "Rivals" it's obvious one will be the villain and one will be the hero.
I liked the main characters of Brent and Maggie. The side characters worked out pretty well too. The plot was interesting and did give a realistic feel on how things could go if something like this would happen.
No real complaints for this story. Overall a good solid entertaining story.
I liked the main characters of Brent and Maggie. The side characters worked out pretty well too. The plot was interesting and did give a realistic feel on how things could go if something like this would happen.
No real complaints for this story. Overall a good solid entertaining story.
February 4, 2013
It was okay, I suppose. I just didn't really get into the story, you know? It is the kind of book that has one point, but doesn't develop over the course of the story. It just had reoccurring scenes, mainly. Now, I'm not really into the whole "superheroes" thing, so that is probably one of my reasons for not loving it. The only reason I bought it was because it was free on Amazon, so for a free book the quality wasn't bad. I just had a hard time connecting with the characters and storyline. It was good writing though, nice style, and I semi-enjoyed it, so I thought it warranted a three star in the end. It is probably close to a two, or a two and a half though.
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February 11, 2016What does it take to turn a brother against his sister? Brent, Maggie and their father used to take hikes in the desert. It used to be fun. Until the day they found something... unearthly... and it changed them all forever. The thing that killed their father turned Brent and Maggie into something more than they had been. It made them stronger and faster. It made them superheroes... and celebrities. It made them rivals. Archenemies. The thing in the desert tore their world apart. And now nobody is safe...
February 8, 2013
This would probably be a great read for a younger teen. I downloaded it because it was free and I thought superheros could be fun. It was a great idea, but never really grabbed my attention and didn't seem really flushed out.
February 25, 2013
As a grown up, it is a fun, quick read if you need something to get your blood moving a little bit.
March 27, 2013
This book would make an amazing TV show.
May 6, 2013
Grabbed this as a free book on amazon and was surprised. It held my attention and I liked the way the kids took different paths. Would recommend.
January 20, 2014
Good v. Evil
This was a great story. Very entertaining and the story did not drag on. Very well written and enjoyed the characters in this story.
This was a great story. Very entertaining and the story did not drag on. Very well written and enjoyed the characters in this story.
May 1, 2014
I was hoping for a little more superhero, but a story about siblings dealing with tragedy with a little powered flavor was still worth the read.
September 3, 2016
Not a badly written yarn, but without much going power. I wasn't overly thrilled and didn't find the ending to surprise or entertain overmuch.
February 16, 2013
Had to take a break from sappy chick lit...this was definitely in the opposite direction!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews