Genius Squad

Genius #2

by Catherine Jinks

Now that the Axis Institute for World Domination has been blown up; the founder, Dr. Phineas Darkkon, has died; and Prosper English (who enrolled Cadel in the first place) is in jail for myriad offenses, Cadel Piggott has round-the-clock surveillance so he'll be safe until he testifies against Prosper English. But nobody seems to want Cadel. Not Fiona, his social worker; not Saul Greeniaus, the detective assigned to protect him.     When he is approached by the head of Genius Squad--a group formed to investigate GenoME, one of Darkkon's pet projects--Cadel is dubious Genius Squad can offer him a real home and all the technology his heart desires. But why can't he bring himself to tell Saul what the group is really up to? And how can Genius Squad protect Cadel once Prosper English breaks out of jail?

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Science Fiction, Teen, Adventure, Mystery, Fantasy

448 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Catherine Jinks is the Australian author of more than thirty books for all ages. She has garnered many awards, including the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award(three times), the Victorian Premier’s Award, the Aurealis Award for Science Fiction, the Australian Ibby Award, and the Davitt Award for Crime Fiction. Her work has been published in Australia, New Zealand, Britain, the United States, Germany, Spain, France, Portugal, Poland, Russia, the Czech Republic and Thailand.

Catherine was born in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1963. She grew up in Papua New Guinea, where her father worked as a patrol officer. Her high-school years were spent in Sydney, NSW; in 2006, her alma mater, Ku-ring-gai High School, named its library after her.

From 1982 to 1986, Catherine studied at the University of Sydney, graduating with an honours degree in medieval history. She then worked on Westpac Banking Corporation’s staff magazine for approximately seven years. In 1992 she married Peter Dockrill, a Canadian journalist; in 1993 she and her husband left Australia for a brief spell in Nova Scotia, where she began to write full time. They returned to Australia in 1994, and Catherine gave birth to her daughter Hannah in 1997. Since 1998, she and her family have been living in Leura, NSW.

She has two brothers, and two pet rats. Like most people in Leura, she has become a slave to her garden, but not to the extent that she’ll buy rooting powder.

Catherine has been writing books since she was eight years old. She doesn’t expect to stop writing them any time soon.

Author photo: Catherine Jinks in front of 'Conceptual Networks', by artist Paul du Moulin.
Photo by Paul du Moulin

Reviews

[Colin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh my effing god. How i loathe this book! I'm about two-thirds of the way through, and every time i think i can't get more annoyed, Jinks proves me wrong. The problem is the character of Sonja, who is a 16 year-old girl with cerebral palsy. I am not joking when I say that EVERY SINGLE TIME Sonja is referred to in this book, it is something about how hard it is for her to have CP. How exhausted she is! How helpless! How tragic! How hard it is for her to communicate! It is SO FUCKING ANNOYING. Unlike in the first book, which actually portrayed Sonja as a somewhat complex character, in this book she is, as bruin trouble brilliantly pointed out, "the sum of her spastic limbs." I'm even more pissed about this typical, horrendous ableism because the first book actually left me a little hopeful that it wouldn't turn out this way. From what I hear, I haven't even hit the worst of it yet. GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD. I'm mentally composing my tell-off letter as I read. Get ready, Jinksy.


UPDATE: Now that I've finished this horrible thing, I thought I'd share a few moments of my "favorite" ableist schlock:

His gaze fell on Sonja's wasted physique. And for perhaps the fiftieth time, he reminded himself that compared to his best friend, he was as free as a mountain eagle. --p. 339

How the able-bodied fly! Free and proud, soaring and beautiful! Jinks reminds us, over and over and over and OVER again, way more than fifty times, that it is pure, unadulterated HELL to be disabled:

Cadel reminded himself once again that Sonja's predicament was far worse than his. The restrictions that governed her life were crueller than anything he'd ever have to endure. And, unlike Cadel, she could draw no comfort from the prospect of release, because her incarceration was permanent. --p. 413

I mean, totally! right? Everyday *I* wake up, I bemoan the unending prison of *my* body.

Seriously though, WHAT THE FUCK? In the first book, Sonja was a whip-smart, pro-active girl with wit, personality and spunk. Where did she go? There is no hint of ANY of that in this book. She merely serves as a guilt-fount for our narrator and contributes none of her previous insights to the problems he faces except for occasional moralistic one-liners.

I FUCKING HATE IT.

thank you.

[Pepper · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was just as great as the first book "Evil Genius" but in a different way. This time it is not so much about Cadel and his genius strategies as it is about Cadel trying to overcome his dark side and unintentionally walking right into a trap.

Last time I found it fascinating to read about this amoral character - because that is what he was: the way Cadel had been brought up I don't think he realised what the consequences of his actions were and that he should care about how much he hurt people in the process of carrying out his evil plans. But towards the end of Evil Genius he comes to realise all this from Sonja and attempts to leave Thaddeus Roth/Prosper English and the evil Axis Institute behind.

This book begins a couple of months after the last. Cadel is now in foster care with Prosper English safely behind bars. But nothing is well for Cadel - Propser English refuses to admit Cadel is his son, the police are unable to find anyone other than Cadel as a key witness to testify against that villain, Cadel himself is living in the most abominable conditions possible - in a foster home with a thug kid called Mace who enjoys bullying Cadel and with very little computer time and on top of that no country or university is ready to accept Cadel. With all these worries it is no wonder that when contacted to become part of the Genius Squad in order to bring down a fraudulent organisation called GENOME he accepts the offer of living in Clearview House with Sonja. Everyone else believes it to be accommodation for hard done by kids while in reality it is a cover for bringing together genius kids to take down an organisation.

One of my nitpicks would be that the other genius kids didn't seem all that genius to me. Or perhaps we are meant to marvel at how smart Cadel really is in relation to these other kids. My brother made the point that the other kids seem only to be gifted in their respective specialised fields while Cadel is more of a 'street smart' genius. He can take all the various possibilities into account and has a very cynical outlook on everything which makes it hard to fool him. I guess the Axis Institute was good for something after all!

Seeing Gazo and Alias again was fun and Com (Dot's sister) was a good addition to the cast. I loved the two new characters, Saul and Fiona, that were introduced in this book even if they made the ending utterly predictable. The moment we had that scene between Saul, Fiona and Cadel I looked up and told my brother - they are going to get married and adopt him huh? Never one to spoil the suspense by brother kept quiet but heh I was right. And I don't care how trite the ending was I still consider it satisfying.

Saul was like the Butler to Cadel's Artemis Fowl and I love, love, love his character. I liked how he became so attached to Cadel and always felt frustrated at Fiona for doubting his motivations (but then secretly admitting to Cadel that he appreciated how she was so dedicated to ensuring Cadel's well being). I liked how he knew that he should not hide any facts from Cadel just because he is a kid - he was open and honest with him (something I can't say for Cadel but then again he is a kid, genius or not) and that scene in the park when he informs Cadel of the assassination plot against Prosper English is one of my favourite scenes. Another one is the reunion scene when Saul finally finds Cadel locked inside somewhere that Propser had hidden him. And also that scene where Cadel talks about how Prosper should let him go because he wasn't a kid any more and how his speech "fooled the wrong person" because Saul begins asking Cadel for his opinion and Cadel breaks down in front of him and says that he just said all that to get Prosper off his back. Oh there are just so many memorable scenes!

I agree with my brother that Part 4 - when Prosper English breaks out of gaol and kidnaps Cadel, is the most exciting part of the book. Not only because of the chase but because you come to appreciate just where Cadel has learnt his genius ways from. Prosper is every bit as cunning and conniving and it is a marvel to see how he had planned everything all along! While Cadel thought he had taken charge of his life it was actually Propser pulling strings and seeing his wonderfully laid out plan come to fruition.

Overall a good follow up and I can not wait for Genius Wars

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by The Compulsive Reader for TeensReadToo.com

Cadel, the scrawny, nerdy boy from EVIL GENIUS, is back in GENIUS SQUAD, a bit more grown up, a lot more responsible, and trapped in a foster home with a bully and without a computer.

He's miserable as he tries to bide his time until the slow-moving authorities can find out who he is and where he belongs. It is as he is waiting that the Genius Squad approaches him.

Devoted to bringing down one of Dr. Darkkon's operations, GenoME, the Genius Squad wants Cadel to help them. But Cadel is naturally suspicious and paranoid.

Can he really trust the Genius Squad, or is his hesitance to trust them warranted?

This book has even more action and quick thinking than the first! Each page builds up suspense that culminates into a surprise scenario that will leave you scrambling to catch up. Though it contains more computer and hacking references than its prequel, that doesn't deduct from its appeal.

This is one series that is sure to entrance even the most reluctant reader, especially with an ending that is wide open to accommodate another sequel, THE GENIUS WARS.

[Tamora Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great boy book, this is also--for all its evil-genius-trying-to-capture-his-maybe-computer-genius-son--an excellent picture of foster care and its problems, including the lack of resources available for any type of kid, be they gifted super computer genius, lifetime criminal, emotionally disturbed kids, and those with severe birth defects. The hero is bullied by the police to give up all he knows about his father, and he's willing to do that, but he's also terrified that his father will escape and come after him. He would also like to be certain Prosper is his father. It's hard to like the adults who ignore, manipulate, or bully him, and it's hard to like many of the kids around him. His friend Sonya, who has cerebral palsy, sometimes seems like just a prop to show he's a caring person. It's still a ripping read, though.

This is the second book of a series. I haven't read the first, but obviously I didn't need to in order to follow this ripping yarn.

[Shanshad Whelan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first book had a number of flaws, but was intriguing enough to pull me through and make me curious about the sequel. I got through this book basically wondering why I'd read it. The focal point seems more on Cadel's clumsy attempts at relationships than anything "genius" like. While I'm not one for endless technobabble, having a book about a "genius squad" that never lives up to the name is disappointing. Not enough description of gadgets and the kind of intelligence and ingenuity that would make me respect the group.

And the ending was just . . . syrup. And I don't like books ending in syrup.

[Trin · Rating 2 out of 5]

An ex-Mountie tries to protect an angelic-looking teenage genius from the criminal masterminds who raised him. With a plot that sounds like the coolest Due South/SGA crossover ever, this book should be awesome, right? Sadly, not so much. I was hoping this sequel to Evil Genius would correct some of the problems I had with that book—and there seemed like there’d be a good chance, as one of the things I didn’t like was the ending. However, book two mostly just exacerbates all the issues I had. Squad’s pacing is deadly slow—I had a hard time getting through it, which makes me think the “young adults” it’s aimed at must have a much greater attention span and appreciation for endless, pointless detail than I do. And despite being well over 400 pages long, I felt like very little actually happened over the course of this novel—it doesn’t leave Cadel (the teenage genius who is totally played by a young David Hewlett in the much better movie version of this currently showing on screens 7-12 in my head) in a drastically different position than he was in at the end of the last book. Though he does get to use his go-to disguise of dressing up as a girl a few more times.

I will now let the image of teenage David Hewlett in drag entertain me, as this book failed to do.

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

Geeks, Misfits and Friends. Good Triumphs over evil.
Ms. Jinks did a good job dropping hints of what has happened and what is about to happened in her book.
Cadel is a young man trained up by his "Father" to be evil, However w/the help of friends, he is trying to learn what it means to be morally good.
Cadel also befriends and helps out Sonja, a young lady whose hero is Stephen Hawkins. Ms. Jinks through Cadel helps us to see how to treat people who are unique in ways that we often don't accept or ignore, as normal people.
Cadel communicates w/Sonja through the use of math equations and theorums.

[Jia Rui · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very shocking. It was full of plot twists and ups and downs. I think another major theme in this book would be decision making. Cadel has been hit with many forks in the road and his choices would affect his life. In Judith house, he could have not sent the text message for help and stayed with Prosper English. But he didn't. He called out for help because he knew it was better for him. After all these decisions, he ended up with a good result, a foster child of Saul and Fiona. We can also learn from this, it tells us to make choices only beneficial for us.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jinks, Catherine. 2008. Genius Squad.

Genius Squad is the sequel to Evil Genius. A book that *almost* everyone (excluding me) loved when it released last year. So if I didn't love (and if I'm honest, really almost hated) why would I pick up the sequel? Am I just into torturing myself? Maybe. But it's a good thing. A really good thing in this case. My problems with Evil Genius was in the narrator (and also the pacing but it's not necessary to go there). Our hero, Cadel Piggott, was so far removed from the human race, so cold, so calculating, so mean-spirited, so outside-it-all, so without conscience that it made it hard for me to like him. Even just a little bit. But Cadel's a whole new man now. Well, sort've. He's fifteen. He's matured in many ways. If by maturing you mean becoming human, becoming likable, becoming vulnerable, becoming a person who thinks about his choices being right or wrong. That doesn't mean he's above doing wrong, it just means that he thinks first. He may lie. He may keep secrets. He may want to do small acts of revenge. But he now thinks about whether the ends justify the means. But more importantly, Cadel is now beginning to think about other people besides himself--at least part of the time.

So, I liked this one. I really liked it. Cadel, as I mentioned, is fifteen now. And we first meet him living in a foster home. He's in a home with two other children. (I believe they're both foster care kids too.) And life isn't easy for this ex-genius. At the beginning, he's living a mostly restricted life. He does get some computer time, a few hours each day, but it's not his computer. It's not super-advanced. And he can't really go about doing his normal genius-y things. He's under police protection as well. He's the sole witness for the prosecution. He has to stay alive so he can testify against Prosper English. Surviving may be more difficult than he at first thought.

So, the book is called Genius Squad. As you might have guessed, Cadel (and his best friend Sonja) get an offer they can't refuse. A chance to prove their genius for the "good" guys. Off the record of course. No, he isn't working for the police. And no, there isn't proof that these so-called good-guys are actually good. In fact, these good guys are doing some illegal things. But Cadel thinks the ends will justify the means. I won't go into all the specifics, but this genius squad does add some suspense and mystery to the plot.

Genius Squad is an exciting page turner. I definitely recommend it.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

[Eliose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spoilers are a pain. Read at your own risk.

It continues on from the end of Evil Genius. New characters are introduced and old characters are expanded and fleshed out. I love the dynamic between Sonja and Cadel. He learns to become compassionate because of her and to think of others. Cadel becomes more human in this book as he makes friends with the people he has to work with to take down Proctor. The teenagers act almost exactly how some teens would act-only caring about money and having fun, even though they're doing something that would help thousands of others. The adults can be condescending and almost rude, which I believe would be most likely the reaction adults would have, if confront with childeren who think they know better or who do know better than they do. Other adults are much more helpful and considerate to the teens, but they're the ones to look out for. Those adults didn't want me to tear my hair out, but they did make me a little hesitant to like them. Even the nicest of characters can show their true colors.

The events unfolded in the book had many twists and turns that made me breathless in anticipation for what would happen next. The pace of the events seem a little slow, but the information that the reader is giving makes up for it. The scenes in the book all have hints to different possibilities to what would happen next. Some were obvious clues, while others told me a while for it to click, making me smack my head because of the obviousness.

The writing style was easy to follow. Some concepts, for example the technology and other related topics, were hard to understand. There were a few terms I was unsure of, but the words don't really take away much from the story. I'm not much of a technological geek, but I grasped most of it. The technology gave a lot of depth to how Proctor was trying to get to Cadel and how Cadel was trying to work out what was going on.

All in all, I really loved the book. The paced was at a nice speed for me to understand what was going on and the scenes were great. The characters were lovable and I couldn't wait for the next book.

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the first book in this trilogy, Evil Genius, unfortunately the follow-up didn’t have the same spark. Cadel Piggott is a pretty fascinating protagonist: an effeminate-looking boy genius raised with no moral compass by henchmen. He developed a conscience over the course of Evil Genius, and he spends most of Genius Squad struggling with it: balancing his desire to solve puzzles and exercise his mind with his instructions to lie low and be a good boy. Both novels have a diverse and interesting cast of characters. One of my favorite things about Evil Genius was that a friend of Cadel’s had a serious disability, but this person was valued for their cleverness and intelligence and made quite important to the plot, rather than being a footnote (trying to avoid spoilers here). This is not so in Genius Squad , every mention of this character is defined by disability to the point that the character becomes almost dead weight (Cadel uses some of the drawbacks of the disability to his advantage). Quite sad. The novel was slow to start, though it did introduce two interesting new characters into Cadel’s life in the form of an empathetic social worker and an honorable detective, but by the time he hooked up with the rest of the Genius Squad I was hoping for a really juicy caper along the lines of the first novel. No dice. There was a caper, of sorts, but it was dry as they come. Genius Squad was really a bit of false advertising: there was a squad, but it wasn’t made up of kids or (for the most part) geniuses.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cadel Piggott is living in foster care. The man believed to be his father, Prosper English, is in jail and considered a risk for escape and flight. Cadel is also under 24 hour day police surveillance. To make Cadel more miserable is the fact that he has a genius IQ and a love of computers, which he cannot satisfy with the minimal computer time allotted at his foster home. There is one computer for two adults and three children to share. The caregivers are kind and gentle but one foster brother is a bully or worse. Suddenly Cadel’s friend Sonia (physically but not intellectually handicapped) is approached by a group calling itself “The Genius Squad”. They offer Cadel & Sonia a better place to live, more computer access and more. Unfortunately, the Squad’s motives are not totally altruistic. Parts of the ending are a bit obvious to an older reader but there’s a nice cliffhanger. The recapture of the escaped Prosper English is left to another book.

[Molly · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first book was so amazing! I thought it would be a sure thing the second book would compare, but unfortunately no. The book lags in almost everything! And while I loved Sonja in the first book, it seems that in the second she was a hindrance to the plot moving on. Don't even get me started on how ridiculous the premise was. Keep Cadel the feelings-challenged outcast! For gods sakes, don't give him a home and a stable life until the very end! That stuff is meant for a conclusion, not a lead-in to a THIRD book! The whole novel left a bitter taste in my mouth. The plot was forced, the characters were see-through, and there NEEDED to be a new villain. You can't just keep recycling the same person you used the first time! I didn't even bother to pick up Genius Wars. I have better things to read than another half-baked attempt to throw the hero I love into a shambling, sketchy story with virtually no plot arc and a forced love interest.

[Lady Knight · Rating 1 out of 5]

While I wasn’t thrilled with the previous instalment, I had had higher hopes for this one. I was sadly mistaken, though. While not terrible, at least the first 80% of the book is ponderous and only really picks up one Prosper English is back on the scene. I did really like the character of Saul (a Canadian police detective tasked with protecting Cadel) and initially the idea of a Genius Squad did appeal to me. It didn’t turn out to be all that great though… the other kids are smart, but they are definitely not on Cadel’s level. Add to that a seemingly useless (hopeless?) project (hack into Genome, get revenge and hopefully do it under the police’s radar) and far too many descriptions of how helpless Sonja is and this just dragged on and on. I will still likely read the third instalment, if only in the hope that Cadel gets some closure and that the series can’t get any worse….

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this enjoyable, and I like that Catherine Jinks doesn't write at an extremely low reading level, even though this book is oriented towards kids. The book gets a little boring at times, especially when Jinks spend a lot of paragraphs talking about hacking (which is definitely not as entertaining as, but definitely more realistic than, hacking montages in movies or TV series). However, I enjoyed it, mostly because I can't help but root for Cadel, who's trying to be a good person, despite literally being raised to be an evil genius. I also love the way in which Jinks writes about how Cadel tries to figure out what to do in social situations. Other people might not enjoy or empathize with this part of Cadel, but it rang true to me of the heuristics that high-intelligence/odd-ball/anxious people use when they're interacting in the "real world."

[Max]

I always wished that I could be as smart a Cadel. But not have the same life. Imagine not knowing your parents, and evil people claiming you to be their son. Imagine been in constant surveillance, because any moment someone might try to kill you. Cadel is afraid, but also knows how to cope with the cops. His skills in computers is amazing, and he might even prove the a fake gene mapping company is cheating clients out of their money. But the police cant find out. Because if they do, all Cadel has ever gotten at his new life, will be taken alway from him. But this might be a good thing, because Prosper English, who claims to be Cadels dad, is an evil man and he has escaped jail in search of Cadel.

[Kaelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genius Squad was just as good, if not better, than the first book of the Genius series. It was filled with action and excitement and police and evil men...basically anything you could ever want from a book!

Although I didn't like the concept as much as I liked it in the first book (no school for evil anymore, unfortunately or fortunately, however you want to look at it), it was still exciting and the characters were just as interesting as the first, though less bloodthirsty. Each character had a set roll to play in the complicated plot. No character was wasted.

I won't get into detail because I feel I would give too much away from the first book of this series, but I promise that I'm telling the truth when I say that it was a great continuation of the first book!

[Jared · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cadel is a reformed genius 13-year-old who was raised by an evil organization to manipulate people, governments, and institutions through his computer. His parentage is in doubt, and since there's no record of his legal entry into Australia, his status there is uncertain. Cadel is very unhappy in his current home. And he's bored.

And then Cadel gets an offer to hack into the offices of an business related to his former organization...

This book has everything: Action! Criminals! Kidnapping! Guns! Computer hacking! Flat characters! Predictable plot!

The descriptions of hacking are reasonably accurate. But the book just felt empty to me.

[Omkar K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really good, but the main part where someone gets kidnapped, only lasts for about a couple chapters until a detective comes and saves him. Although the main part was late, the start of the story still kept me entertained, especially with Cadel joining Genius Squad, which ended up leading to all the action parts in the story. The book had a good ending, but it left you in the dark about some things.

[Amy Holiday · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was kind of a struggle to get through the first one, and I was vaguely interested in how it would all turn out....but, then after about 80 pages into this one, I didn't really care. Same situation with the 1st book......just sooo many words to get to the point.

[Nia · Rating 1 out of 5]

didn't really finish kinda boring

[sj · Rating 2 out of 5]

I never give up on series, but I really can't be bothered to read the last one in this trilogy. It was boring and too long. TOO LONG! I NEVER SAY THAT! But it was. Don't bother.

[Coyora Dokusho · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was really good! I can't wait to start the next book!!! The characters are really interesting and the plot was so good as well. I feel like it has a great depth of emotional realism.

[alexander shay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a gap between reading this one and the first book, so there's a decent chunk of stuff I don't remember. Jinks is good at giving you the bare bones you need to understand so it wasn't totally confusing, and I remember the basic premise.
The book was good, but admittedly I liked Cadel more when he was manipulating people. A villain training school is a neat concept, but now Cadel has switched sides and is trying to take down the villains. Granted, he realized he's been manipulated his whole life, but I feel like he doesn't take advantage of his skills enough. He's a good hacker, but there's only a couple of times he gets the opportunity to show this off in this book; most of his caretakers are trying to keep him off technology so he doesn't get found by Prosper or cause havoc online.
A lot of the adults treated him like a child in this book, which he is, being 15. But he also did a fair bit of whining and crying when I could have sworn he was more mature than that for his age. Either way, it wasn't exactly endearing when most of Cadel's screen time is spent trying to analyze things and use his mathematical skills to solve odds and logic, etc. The outbursts of overpowering emotion were belittling of his character and made him feel more passive than active as a character--he was reacting to what happened around him more than taking control. He only had so many options, given his situation, but when he was stuck in an adult-enforced situation, he just tended to mope or whine instead of getting himself out of the situation. Less villain and more 'I don't want to upset the adults' in this book, definitely, which is a bit disappointing for me personally.
I don't remember Prosper as a character at all from the first book, but I loved him in this one. I can only hope he maintains his good characterization; villains tend to fall flat during the final encounter in most books I've read; the more sadistic they are, the worse they turn out in the end. Greeniaus was also a good character, though I admit I thought he was undercover for the bad guys at first with a name like that. It really seemed made up, and badly. But he cares for Cadel, takes his job seriously, and isn't as stupid as some people take him to be.
I just wish his character arc didn't turn out quite so convenient. I saw the ending from a ways away and, while I'm happy for Cadel, I was wishing it would be something more unique. Especially because it's kind of shoved in at the end in the last 10 pages. It doesn't wreck the book by any means, but it deflates the creative oomph of the concept a little bit.

[78sunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

5+ von 5 Sternen
*Inhalt:*
Prosper English ist mittlerweile zwar in Haft, aber Cadels Leben ist alles andere als ideal. Er lebt jetzt in einer Pflegefamilie in der er sich nicht wohl fühlt und von einem seiner Mitbewohner drangsaliert wird. Keine Uni will ihn nehmen, da seine Identität und Staatsangehörigkeit nicht geklärt ist. Sprich, er langweilt sich zu Tode. Außerdem wird er auf Schritt und Tritt bewacht, da immer noch Gefahr für ihn droht, da alle wissen wie mächtig und gewieft Prosper English selbst im Gefängnis ist. Cadels einzige Freundin Sonja kann er zwar ab und zu sehen, aber auch nicht oft. Wenigstens lernt er einen Polizisten kennen, der sich sehr für ihn einsetzt und seine Sozialarbeiterin ist ebenfalls sehr engagiert. Aber können sie ihn vor Prosper English retten und wie reagiert Cadel wenn er ein sehr verlockendes Angebot von etwas suspekten Personen bekommt?

*Wie kam das Buch zu mir*
Ich fand ja Teil 1 schon umwerfend und daher musste ich mir alle Teile kaufen.

*Aufmachung/Qualität*
Auch Teil 2 ist wieder sehr schön aufgemacht. Dieses Mal ist die Farbkombination schwarz und neon–orange. Die Kapitel sind wieder angenehm lang – ca. 10 vollgepackte Seiten.

*Meinung:*
Mich konnte das Buch voll und ganz überzeugen und im Gegenzug zu Teil eins, sogar von Anfang an. Auch dieser Band konzentriert sich wieder auf sehr verworrener und intelligent ersonnener Intrigen und Pläne. Cadel hat sich moralisch sehr entwickelt und diese Entwicklung geht auch in diesem Band weiter. Vor allem sein Umgang mit Sonjas Behinderung ist wirklich toll für einen Jungen seines Alters (15). Die Rätsel und technischen Details sind nicht mehr so hochtrabend und verworren wie noch im ersten Teil, aber trotzdem noch sehr interessant, intelligent und überraschend.

Der Schreibstil ist wie schon in Teil eins sehr flüssig und reißt einen mit. Selbst die Stellen an denen es technisch wird, lesen sich flüssig. In Teil eins fand ich einige dieser Sequenzen etwas zu lang für ein Jugendbuch. In diesem Teil war dies nicht mehr der Fall. Ich fand allgemein das sich der Fokus jetzt ('verschuldet' durch Cadels Entwicklung) deutlich mehr in Richtung Emotionen gerichtet hat. Was mir persönlich super gefiel. Er wurde sehr stark an Cadels Beziehung zu Sonja gearbeitet, aber auch an seiner generellen emotionalen Entwicklung. Dies alles wirkte auf mich realistisch und nicht erzwungen. Höchstens vielleicht ein wenig zu perfekt, aber das finde ich bei Büchern gerade schön.

Die Spannung war mal wieder der Hammer. Das Buch hätte ich am liebsten von der ersten Seite an nicht mehr aus der Hand gelegt. Man verdächtigt selbst immer wieder verschiedene Personen, da man seit Band 1 ja schon genauso paranoid geworden ist wie Cadel. Allgemein hatte ich das Gefühl mich ähnlich wie Cadel zu entwickeln. Seine Unsicherheit, sein Misstrauen und seine Probleme Emotionen zu zeigen oder zu reflektieren schienen beim Lesen regelrecht auf mich überzugehen. Ich fühlte voll und ganz mit ihm mit und fühlte mich Cadel daher noch näher als schon in Band 1. Die Spannung wird durch verschiedene Handlungsstränge aufrecht erhalten. Das letzte Drittel ist dann so spannend, dass man nicht mehr aufhören kann zu lesen. Mich konnte dieses Mal nichts wirklich überraschen. Ich hatte das Gefühl, dass im Gegensatz zum ersten Teil einfach zu oft mit dem Zaunpfahl gewunken wurde. Trotzdem tat dies meinem Lesegenuss keinen Abbruch.

Die Emotionen sind für mich einfach der Hammer in dieser Buchreihen. Allerdings liegt das vor allem an meiner Begeisterung für Bücher in denen arme junge Charaktere starke erwachsene Bezugspersonen bekommen, die sich tatsächlich um sie sorgen und kümmern. Ob das nun gerade Jugendliche lesen wollen, weiß ich nicht. Für mich jedenfalls ist es ein perfektes Buch. Ich habe mich kaum einem Buchcharakter so nah gefühlt wie Cadel. Ich habe wirklich das Gefühl ihn zu kennen und zwar in- und auswenig. Außerdem hatte das Buch ein absolutes Wunschende für mich. Etwas kitschig aber das mag ich ja. Es gab natürlich auch eine sehr wichtige Entwicklung in der Handlung, die mir überhaupt nicht gefiel, aber dazu kann ich leider nichts sagen ohne zu spoilern.

Die Charaktere sind einfach toll – sowohl die Erwachsenen als auch die Jugendliche, sowohl die Guten als auch die Bösen. Catherine Jinks schafft es selbst die Bösen in so interessanter und manchmal recht emotional tiefer Weise darzustellen, dass man selbst diese nicht hassen kann. Mir ging es hier wieder wie Cadel, der hin und hergerissen ist und nicht weiß wie er sich fühlen soll. Prosper English zum Beispiel ist wirklich ein böser Charakter, aber trotzdem ist man immer wieder völlig unsicher. Man will ihn hassen, aber kann es einfach nicht, weil er doch auch wieder Seiten zeigt, die einem gefallen und einen weich werden lassen. Auch andere Bösewichte zeigen immer wieder eine klitzekleine Nettigkeit, die einen dann wieder zweifeln lassen. Herrlich. Tja und Cadel, der Hauptcharakter, ist ja sowieso mein Liebling geworden. Wie oben schon erwähnt ist er mir von allen Buchcharakteren, die ich bisher 'kennengelernt' habe am meisten ans Herz gewachsen und ich habe das Gefühl ihn wirklich zu kennen. Trotz der vielen Wendungen, die die Geschichte aufweist, wird alles logisch erklärt und man hat nie das Gefühl irgendetwas wurde überstürzt oder nicht richtig durchdacht. Es wirkt einfach überzeugend. Tja und dann Saul. Gott, er ist ja so toll. Was für ein Papa-Bär. Da fühlt man sich doch gleich mit Cadel zusammen geborgen, wenn er auf einen aufpasst. Ein toller Charakter. Die Jugendlichen mit denen Cadel zu tun hat wirken manchmal etwas überspitzt aber es ist noch im Rahmen. Sie spielen eine eher untergeordnete Rolle, aber das ist einfach auch sehr glaubwürdig bei Cadels Entwicklung. Er ist fast nur mit Erwachsenen aufgewachsen und hat nie gelernt sich mit andern Kindern und Jugendlichen auseinander zu setzte bzw. sich zu beschäftigen. Einzig Sonja stellt da die Ausnahmen, aber da sie ähnlich intelligent wie Cadel ist und auch sonst kaum als normaler Teenager gelten kann, spielt dies in Cadels Entwickelung in dieser Hinsicht keine Rolle.


Grundidee 5+/5
Schreibstil 5/5
Spannung 5+/5
Emotionen 5+/5
Charaktere 5/5

*Lesergruppe:*
Auf jeden Fall muss man Teil 1 gelesen habe! Ansonsten mach dieser Band keinen Sinn!

*Fazit:*
5+ von 5 Sternen
Die ist ein Buch voll nach meinem Geschmack. Ich liebe die Charaktere, die Spannung ist genau auf meinem Level und die Emotionen wirken auf mich echt und die Handlung riss mich mit. Das etwas kitschige Ende ist sicher nicht jedermanns Geschmack, meiner allerdings schon. Ich war lediglich mit einer bestimmten Entwicklung der Geschichte unglücklich, aber es ist eben nicht meinen Geschichte, sondern die von Catherine Jinks. Ich bin jedenfalls gespannt welchen Einfluss dieses wichtige Detail auf den dritten und somit letzten Band der Trilogie hat.


Reihe:
Teuflisches Genie
Teuflisches Team
Teuflischer Held

[Fatima Sarder · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Why look to far ahead, when there was nothing to see but dark clouds?”
- Cadel

Sound advice dude.

After the events of the first book, Cadel gets himself unwittingly manipulated (again) by being part of a crack-team of teenage investigators called the Genius Squad. He now has to contend with the police tailing him around, a lawyer, a social worker, a good-willing detective and... compassion.

Thank goodness for Saul the detective, I was half afraid he'd die in the middle of the book, it was heartwarming to see Cadel finally treated with compassion, the ending chapter of him getting adopted was wonderful.

This book was leagues better than the first one; the author masterfully handles the building up of tension with slow, seemingly normal days till it breaks and twists into a nightmare. Prosper English (really? Prosper? I prefer Thaddeus Roth) popping up in Cadel's life while he was sleeping, was heart attack inducing and Trader's betrayal was carefully foreshadowed. But Dot... I trusted you!

Absolutely devoured the book

[Liam Vernon · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Genius Squad”, the sequel to Evil Genius thankfully keeps up the same writing style as the original novel, very detailed in describing things which makes it nicer to envision what’s going on. The plot has changed quite a bit though, mostly detailing Cadel’s life now that he is no longer under the jurisdiction of his previous adoptive parents and has a new guardian, but what I’m focusing on more so is that in the end there’s a twist saying that Cadel’s father wasn’t the specialized Therapist named Prosper English or Cadel’s actual blood father, but somewhat of a more normal guy who worked with the two a bit. Which makes me wonder, how does he have the intelligent super-gene. Just a very big coincidence? It’s a bit of a plot hole but besides that it’s still a fairly entertaining book. Just strange how in the beginning it contrasts from the end of the book where the protagonist worries about strange disappearances, to then at the start of the sequel, rowdy roommates in a foster home. Thankfully the story does pivot from that fairly quickly.

[Catie McKee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Cadel and Sonja return in the sequel as well as several, in my option, lovable characters. The twist and turns kept me reading (though there was one twist that more frustrated me than anything else. I'll let you read it and come to your own conclusions) and it was an exciting read. If you liked the first book, you'll enjoy the second and I look forward to reading the next book.
(Important note: I don't think you can enjoy this book if you don't read the first one, so please read Evil Genius first).

[Mat Francis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it even if it was slightly predictable at key plots. The common grammatical errors irked me all throughout the book, which even for someone who is not a stand out in the subject English throughout schooling made me more annoyed at the editors/proof readers who didn't pick most of these up. I have seen some reviews on here and agree with the Sonja comments about it getting repetitive, constantly reiterating her disability and how exhausted or hard everything is compared to the first introduction of her where she came off as a bad ass, even with the restrictions of her disability

[Jack Toljanic · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was an extremely different attitude in the second installment of the trilogy. This book seemed more dark in nature, a lot more of a serious book. I did love I though because of the way the transition between the first book and its attitude to the second book and its attitude was written. The reason it's four stars instead of five is because the turn towards a scarier (apprehensive and startling type scary) story caught me off guard. I plan to read the third piece of the trilogy.