Misplaced

Misplaced #1

by Keith Ward (pen name), Brian Bennett

When upperclassman Trey Collins welcomes Nigel to Longwood High School, he senses something eerie about the odd young student.

Chilling visions begin to haunt Trey’s nights that point to the strange newcomer and dark times ahead.

Two dodgy men in sloppy suits arrive in the small midwest town and ask questions about Nigel. Before long, the boy is missing.

Trey and his closest friends soon find themselves on a dangerous road in pursuit of Nigel and answers they may not want to uncover.

188 pages, Paperback

First published September 24, 2015

About the author

Keith Ward is an avid fan of science fiction in all its forms.

After decades of daydreaming about fantastic stories of his own, he finally began to put them into words.

Keith holds a Bachelor of Science degree from a midwest liberal arts college. He's a devoted husband and a father of three.

Reviews

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Misplaced" a blend of scify, mystery and adventure opens with a prank Trey Collins, an upperclassman at Longwood High School plays on a younger student only to have it backfire when the new student begins showing up in his room at night and turns into a teenage girl on the third visit.

The mystery intensifies when Trev learns that Livy (aka Nigel) wants to find her father before being kidnapped by two gray suited men and a school chum, Billy is shot. With the help of his best friend Zack and mock girlfriend Amy, Trev he sets out to free Livy only to discover abilities and answers to his past that he never expected.

Fast-paced, the action never stops after Livy (aka Nigel) is kidnapped and Trev begins to unlock answers that have him shifting to his alien appearance, and invading the dreams of others. As the exciting events unfold and the adventure mounts the context of the story becomes hard to follow at times. With little background information about Trey and Livy's past the plot centers on discovering clues to their lineage, a kidnapping and saving themselves from half-alien Gunther's clutches.

Trey Collins is a popular, self-assured and easy-going student who's thrown into a tizzy when his prank backfires and he begins seeing Nigel at night in his room. His anxiety and uncertainty increases as his dreams escalate, discovers Nigel's a girl and his own alien identity is revealed. Zack is Trev's quick-witted and loyal best friend while sexy, well-liked Amy Parker is his phony girlfriend. Livy (aka Nigel) is the super smart stranger who believes that Trey can help her find her father. Although the reader doesn't feel any sparks ignite between Trey and Livy a mutual attraction quickly blossoms. I liked Emmet Snead, the prickly, dependable and likable sheriff whose help Trey needs when Gunter and his minions hold Trey`s parents hostage. All these characters add energy and drama to this fascinating plot.

I liked "Misplaced" but felt that with further plot and character development it would be exceptional. I would rate it a 3.5 if the scale allowed.

[Miranda Summerset · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and once I started reading it, I did not want to put it down! I think a huge problem with this book is the fact that there wasn't enough character development. The story starts right away with no big introduction, so when things happen to the characters, there isn't much of an attachment to them. I wanted to know more about Trey and his personality before he finds out his secret, but there is only a short little paragraph saying he is the popular boy and kind of maybe a bit of a bully to the other students. I loved the story though, and the huge twist at the end was definitely unexpected in my opinion. I loved Livy's character, but felt Amy's character was not needed to the story. She was just mentioned throughout, but didn't add anything to the plot. I loved the hint of a sequel at the end, and think there could be more! Overall, I liked it, and would suggest this if you want an easy read and a good teen alien story. The book definitely has a good plot, it just needed more character development. 3/5 stars!

FTC: I received this book for free through GOODREADS GIVEAWAYS, but the review is strictly my own.