Predator vs Prey

Going Wild #2

by Lisa McMann, Shannon McManus (Narrator)

In Predator vs Prey, Charlie Wilde's dad has been abducted by masked figures who might not even be completely human. And it will take more than her incredible bracelet--which gives her powers from the animal kingdom--to rescue him.

Luckily, Charlie's friends now have bracelets of their own with all-new abilities...they just have to work through a few issues first. Maria's device has hair-raising side effects. Mac can't wait to hack into his. And their frenemy, Kelly, swears hers is a dud. If Charlie is going to have any hope of saving her dad--and the world--from their beastly foes, she'll have to help her friends master their powers and come together as a team.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Science Fiction, Fiction, Adventure, Audiobook, Animals

Audio CD

First published October 3, 2017

About the author

Lisa McMann lives and writes in the Phoenix area. Her newest middle grade fantasy series is called The Forgotten Five. Book one, Map of Flames, was an instant NYT bestseller. It's about five supernatural kids, raised in a deserted hideout, who enter civilization for the first time to search for a hidden stash left behind by their missing, criminal parents.

Book two, The Invisible Spy, is on sale now! Book three, Rebel Undercover, is coming summer 2023, and book 4 will be out in spring of 2024.

Also out now: CLARICE THE BRAVE. It's a story of hope against all odds, about sibling mice who get separated in a mutiny and vow to find one another again.

Lisa's other books include the NYT bestselling THE UNWANTEDS and UNWANTEDS QUESTS series, the GOING WILD trilogy, the YA paranormal WAKE trilogy, the VISIONS trilogy, CRYER'S CROSS, DEAD TO YOU, and INFINITY RING: The Trap Door.

See what's new and where Lisa will be at her
LinkTree.
You can find more info at Lisa'a website, lisamcmann.com, interact with her on Facebook or Twitter, or ask questions on her Instagram.

Reviews

[Jennifer Gladen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Predator vs Prey was a good book overall. It did start out a little slow and I was tempted to stop reading it-but Lisa McMann has a way of connecting the reader to the characters. It is a subtle connection where they feel real. I really liked Charlie, Mac, and Maria. They were brave when they needed to be and handled their situation in a smart way. I definitely wanted to keep going with them.

I’m glad I did keep reading as I enjoyed the story the further along I went. We follow Charlie and her friends after her house was broken into and her Dad disappeared. She soon learns the evil Dr. Gray has her father and has a diabolical plan for the chimera devices. After finding Mr. Wilde’s location, Charlie and her team set up a secret base to keep watch and ensure Mr. Wilde was still safe until it was time to unleash their attack.

Review also posted https://jengladen.wordpress.com/

[eloise (2026 winter volleyball version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot. I think Kelly took it to the extreme! I'm glad they could complete their mission, even though their job isn't done yet! Glad they could become friends with Zed, who knew she was the missing scientist!! Overall, 4.5!

[BooksNCrannies · Rating 1 out of 5]

You might say this book is like a literary rainstorm that crashes your perfectly sunny reading day....

✏️ Review ✏️

*disappointed sigh* I was not impressed at all with this second book in the Going Wild trilogy. 😒 Predator vs. Prey has so much untapped potential; and because of this underdevelopment, the story is riddled with plot holes, loose ends, and quite a shallow sci-fi subplot. I'll say this multiple times if I have to — Predator vs. Prey is a boring, why-am-I-wasting-my-time-reading-this story! I came super close to DNFing this book multiple times; it felt like a chore to read this book because...

The plot is so repetitious. The plot is so repetitious. The plot is so repetitious.... 😵‍💫 You get the idea: I wanted to scream and throw this book across the room! I couldn't stand the same things happening over and over again. It was incredibly boring. Like, if 200 pages of superfluous plotline were condensed and the sci-fi elements were more developed, this story would have been a ton better. This story so desperately needed a way shorter plot. I don't care how thick the book looks on my shelf; all I want is a good story. And if that means a thinner book — fine. So be it.

Oh, and the writing style is annoyingly simplistic and lacking in any emotional depth. It's bland, unengaging, and clunky. It does nothing for the story... well, except make it even worse: inhibiting the entire story from ever feeling very alive or realistic.

If all of that isn't enough to make the story boring, the characters' very existence is delivered in only one dimension. I couldn't connect with them very much at all. Despite getting to know them in book one of this series, the characters appear contrived and lifeless in this sequel. Yeah, I barely detected any development either.

Predator vs. Prey was quite a disappointment; any book that makes reading feel like a chore or that I dread sitting down to read certainly will get about one star from me. This series did start on the weak side (wasn't too impressed with Going Wild, book one) and doesn't seem to be getting better. At some point eventually, I'll give the last book, Clash of Beasts, a try (although I'm not at all excited about it 😏).... I'd take a good Nancy Drew mystery any day over this book. 🤭

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📊 A Quick Overview 📊

👍🏼 What I Liked:
• One or two scenes from the story — provided some relief to the repetitious monotony.

👎🏼 What I Did Not Like:
• The plot — it's repetitious and contains many loose ends.
• The characters — they're flat and one-dimensionally presented.
• The writing style — it's bland, unengaging, and clunky.
• The fact that the sci-fi subplot is extremely underdeveloped.

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❓ To Read or Not To Read? ❓

— Would I recommend this book? Probably not.

— Why not? The lackluster continuation of the Going Wild trilogy is making me rethink whether or not I'd recommend this series. Right now I don't see myself recommending this series to anyone. I'll have a better idea when I finish the last book, so check that review (whenever I get around to reading and reviewing that book) to see my final verdict on this series.

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📖 BOOK BREAKDOWN 📖 (Overall: 1.5/5 [rounded down to 1 on Goodreads])
~Fundamentals: (1=worst; 5=best)
— 📈 Plot: 1.5/5
— 📝 Writing: 1/5
— 👥 Characters: 1.5/5

~Content: (0=none; 1=least; 5=most)

— 🤬 Language: 1/5

• Two vain uses of God's name (and twice in Spanish), one use of "cr*p," and a few uses of "heck."

— ⚔️ Violence: 1/5

• A few scenes of mild action-adventure violence including some mentions of stabbings and other injuries (mentions blood).

— ⚠️ Sexual: 0/5

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📣 Random Comments 📣

• (None)

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💬 Favorite Quotes 💬

• (None)

[Susan]

A fun read for kids....this was a read-aloud and to me it just seemed like it was sooooooo long but I don't think that's much of a reflection on the content.

My only real critique is that the author should have called Charlie's mom "DOCTOR Wilde" a lot more than they did. By calling her "Mrs. Wilde" all the time, they portray that that's the most important thing about her, and I really want to see it reflected in simple ways that this is not true.

The character Maria was also super worried about her looks, and while I get it/it makes sense in this context, again, I wish it would've been the boy so there weren't so many gender-related stereotypes going on. But I recognize that both of these are not about the plot as much as they're about real-world issues that could easily be swayed by reading better examples in kids' books!

*gets off soapbox now*

Otherwise, lots of animal sci-fi fun! My third-grader really loved it and that's what matters the most!

[Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess this is because the book wasn't written for young adults, but I thought all the characters were kind of stupid. Still a good book, but I didn't like it as much as others that I've read.

[Michael Schwartz · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading the first book in the Going Wild series, I decided to give the second one a go. Based on the ending of the first book, I figured this one would be more focused on the using Charlies powers in an action adventure kind of story. Not only did have more action, but it also had a spy thriller vibe to it.

After discovering that her father has been captured by the same group of human animal hybrids who tried to kidnapped Mac, Charlie comes clean with her family about the bracelet and finds out her mother knows more about the group’s connection to her father’s past career. Now with the help of some former scientists who used to work with her father Charlie must not only finish learning about her powers, but help her friends master their own.

Where as the first book focused on Charlies school and social life when moving to her new home, this book shifts the focus to dealing with the organization. Charlie also is forced to help her friends a just to the powers they now have from the bracelets they found. For example, Maria has the abilities of a monkey but this leads to side-effects similar to the soldiers Charlie has faced whereas Mac, has more of a defensive ability but with a device that is half programed. I enjoyed how the author had the characters deal with these new issues since in the last book, Mac and Maria were focused on helping Charlie. In this case, now it was Charlies turn to find a way to help them. Of course, Mac and Maria aren’t the only ones on Charlies radar. While Kelly, Charlies frenemy claims her bracelet is broken, it becomes clear later on in the book that Kelly sees an opportunity that she doesn’t want to pass up. One that is carried over from the events of Kelly’s life from the previous story.

The characters not only see more action, but also deal with espionage as they try to track down where Charlies father is and how to free him once found. The book still has some parts where the characters go to school, but the author times it so that parts of the story involve Charlie and her friends on spring break so that the action/spy part of the book remains the focus. Not once did I feel like the book was rushed.

In the end the plot was an interesting middle story to an exciting science fiction trilogy. With the next book set to be released soon, I can’t wait to see what animal related events happen next!

[➳ Anthony ➳ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5
Date Reviewed: 7 November 2017
This Review was first posted on It’s All Anthony. For more reviews, check out the blog here.

In the second book of the Going Wild series, Charlie is out on a rescue mission with her friends. Only with Charlie, her friends now have their own versions of the device that Charlie has. The other devices have different abilities, but what more is there to them? As Charlie sets out to rescue her father, she and her friends practice their fun new animal inspired abilities while trying to figure out anything new among the device and its origins.

As for any Lisa McMann book, I aim to read them all. As usual, I will probably like them all. However, this is the first time of any McMann book that left me feeling wanting more. I was not sure what it was as I read the book. I knew I needed something different, something new on the story, but I have never received that thing.

One of things that I kept thinking over was that I wanted the action/fighting scenes to be more. I kept wondering why it felt so lacking at some points. Then I remembered that I was reading a Middle Grade book. Due to the fact, I came to the conclusion that to any middle grade student reading this book, the scenes would be amazing. As for parents, or any older readers like me, we’ll probably read it differently. It is definitely written well for the targeted audience.

I feel like I am at a shortage for words and not sure exactly how explain everything here. I guess the best way to say it shortly is that if you enjoyed the first book in the series, you will probably enjoy this book and some scenes may feel a little bit repetitive. I just hope that the series finale would feel more spectacular and be grand. It’s going to need a boss level scene (like in a video game) to be good.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was okay. I had to force myself to finish reading. Hope the third book is better.

[khashya♛ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVE THIS BOOK SERIES

[Chris Velazquez · Rating 2 out of 5]

This second installment of the Going Wild series picks up where the first book left off, as Charlie, her mother and friends meet new allies as they set out to rescue Charlie's father and stop Dr. Gray and his henchpeople.

So, unfortunately, this book is not very good. The first book dragged a lot, but I was fine with it due to it being the first book and thus establishing the plot and characters. This book doesn't get the same leeway. Most of the book is prepping for surveillance and then carrying out said surveillance, while hoping for the right time for a rescue mission, and not much else happens during that time. This makes the book get pretty boring quite often, though thankfully there's the odd bit of training from the kids to break the monotony, and the book really picks up in the last stretch with plenty of fights, but it just made me wish more stuff would have happened in the book in general. It just feels much longer than it should have been for what we got.

The story's not helped by weird bits, like the kids often speaking in a way that they sound more like adults than kids, and how Charlie's mother is never called Doctor despite being one, except for the dumb-sounding "Mrs. Dr. Wilde" that Maria and Mac call her, and then there's Dr. Wilde always referring to her husband as "Dad" rather than use his name. There's also the general stupidity of our main cast, especially with regards to Kelly. Tons of red flags, yet a lot of the problems could have been avoided if Charlie wasn't such a nitwit. We're supposed to see Kelly as an impulsive, selfish mean girl despite her issues (which do get addressed later), but honestly, I found myself rooting for Kelly more than I did for Charlie, because at least she was smart and had ambition.

Overall, the book got pretty good at the last stretch, but this meant that most of the book was just dull and boring, just making me wish the author would get to the point already, and had I been the intended age demographic for this book, I would have dropped it without finishing it. Next book marks the end of the series, though, so here's hoping that that one picks up on the excitement and is more engaging.

[Mark Buxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

My name is Charlie, and I never knew my dad worked on a secret project before becoming a teacher. It was related to the bracelet that gives me the powers of five animals, but it was terminated when Dr. Victor Gray started getting dangerous ideas. He was creating hybrid soldiers, and now he's kidnapped my dad to work on the project again. To make matters more complicated, my friend Maria had a bracelet too, and she started looking like a howler monkey when she got stressed. It was kind of hard to hide that from her mother. Luckily, my mom remembered an emergency letter my dad wrote ten years ago, and it put us in contact with his former colleague, Dr. Quinn Sharma. It's nice to now be working with someone who knows what's going on, but do we really know what Dr. Gray is up to? And how are we supposed to stop his squad of hybrid animal soldiers?

You should read the first book in the series, but this sequel is much more interesting and adventurous. The first book was set in Charlie's new middle school, but this one fully embraces the conflict surrounding the bracelets. It seems Dr. Gray plans on making more bracelets, but what he plans to do with them is unknown. The plot is impossibly realistic, as the bracelets give the wearers animal abilities. No one can fly, and no one has x-ray vision. However, Charlie's bracelet knows when she needs the strength of an elephant, the speed of a cheetah, and the healing powers of a starfish. Charlie's friends have their own bracelets with different abilities, and complications develop. Maria's problem is especially unpredictable and causes her a lot of stress. Middle school is hard enough without a problem like this. The most important question involves another friend named Kelly, as she lies about her bracelet. Why? What is she up to? The use of animal abilities makes the powers impressive and relatable. We're familiar with the abilities, but the characters and readers will still have trouble identifying the animals. Overall, I'm enjoying the series and hope to read Clash of the Beasts soon.

[Sebster · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to tell you the story of how I managed to obtain Going Wild number 2, Predator V.S. Prey. Early in the year I heard Going Wild was going to come out on October 3rd. I begged my mom to get it as soon as possible so she pre-ordered it on Amazon and it arrived the day after it was published on my doorstep. It was so intriguing, I finished it within the first 24 hours of owning it. The second book in this new series by Lisa McMann follows Charlie Wilde, a 12 year old schoolgirl, who unexpectedly found a mysterious bracelet in her stuffed boxes while unpacking after her move from Chicago to Phoenix, AZ. Afterwards, she and her friends find three more bracelets inside a van belonging to an evil company that wants to change the world called “Talos Global”. On the run, they have to protect themselves using the powers from the Animal Kingdom provided by the bracelets. It was an action-packed, fast-paced adventure. I couldn't put it down so I stayed up till 10:45 PM reading it and woke up early the next morning to finish it off. If you liked the series Land of Stories by Chris Colfer where problems come thick and fast, you're guaranteed to like the Going Wild series, the most recent book of which came out this week.

[Doris · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story picks up where the previous book ended, which was great, as it allows the reader to see events unfold almost as if they were in real time. The children who have the enhancing bracelets get into action as junior Power Ranger types, fighting to resolve a kidnapping and stop a madman.

There were several things wrong with the book though, in that the mother of Charlie Wilde is portrayed as a hapless idiot, unable to make a decision or to trust in others. She is a medical doctor, but perhaps due to the downplay of her as a person, always is referred to as Mrs. Wilde instead of as Dr. Wilde.

In addition, there were several key points to the betrayal, none of which were followed up on. True, these are kids, but a smart reader of the age group this is for would pick up on that and object.

Overall a good story - I like where it's going with the Maria the Weremonkey line, I especially like that Mac really has come into some powers, and Charlie is good with using her powers although she is really reckless with them. But Kelly? Intervention anyone?

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

We pick up right where the first novel left off with Charlie’s father kidnapped and she left with this mysterious bracelet, which she thinks is all connected. While trying to find all the missing links they find three other bracelets that her friends can’t wait to try and test out, only there could be some serious side effects. This novel was fantastic; it went from good to amazing in seconds. Each chapter brought new dynamics to the plot; just when the reader thought they had things figured out, something new happened. This is truly an amazing series and the way this ended on such a cliff hanger, readers can only anticipate more greatness from McMann. Her characters shined; from the kids to the adults, although their dialogue was quite cheesy at times, they were still engaging, fun, interactive characters. Who knows where this series will go, but it looks like the nest is yet to come.

[Yapha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie and her friends are back in this second book in the Going Wild series. It picks up right were the first left off. Although the kids successfully escaped, Charlie's father was kidnapped by Dr. Gray and is being to forced to work on new devices like the ones that Charlie, Mac, Maria, & Kelly found. Fortunately, Charlie's mother remembers the protocol her father put in place over 10 years ago, and is able to contact someone who can help them. When Dr. Sharma arrives, she helps the kids set up a surveillance room as well as learn more about the powers that came with their bracelets. Hopefully they will be able to rescue Charlie's father and put an end to this nightmare. Another action packed adventure, but you really need to read the series in order for it to make sense. Highly recommended for grades 4 & up.

eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss

[AVA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lisa is able to capture the characters perfectly as though she were narrating a story instead of creating one. I felt as if l were there along with Charlie and her friends and for that I admire her.
Charlie would run right to the part she gets her powers. Personally I think the cheetah speed was most useful though
There are some things that didn’t add up. One characters personality was kinda odd one minute… she was confiding in Charlie (The main protagonist) the next minute she was taking credit for Charlies achievements and joining the same person who had kidnapped multiple people........I mean me, Be like- wait HOLD UP! REWIND! so kind of  about that.
However, I say that it is a great book and would really recommend it if you are looking for a funny and adventurous one. This one’s for you! I am sure the readers of Rick Riordan would enjoy this.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good series for kids, but this second book is a little scarier than the first. Both my 16 and 12 year old made comments that it was intense and scary. I enjoyed reading it and didn't think it was scary, but I can see why my kids might think so. There is a lot of battle scenes, nothing graphically described though. I'm going to wait until my 9 year old daughter is a little older before letting her read this book, but my older two kids are looking forward to the third book in the series.

I gave it a 3 because my kids thought it was scary. I think it actually deserve 3.75 or 4, but because it is labeled juvenile and scary I rated it a little lower. But overall, it's a great summer read!

[Holly Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is the first Going Wild book I've read. the 2nd in the series and it's quite good. I Love Lisa McMann's books she is a very talented story teller. Fantasy to be sure but solid story telling Charlie Wilde and her friends Mac and Maria find devices that let them have animal abilities when they wear them. Each device made by a different biologist/scientist and each with different animal attributes. When Charlie's Father gets kidnapped the kids(3 12 year olds) decide to track him down and save him and the other scientists also captured. Cool book and a good flowing story I really enjoyed it can't wait to read the rest of the series.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really fun! It was full of adventure and action. We got to know all the characters a bit better. It ends with a cliff hanger so I can’t wait for book 3. Still trying to convince my 9 year old to read the series because I know he’d love it. I will happily update with his thoughts when I can get him to read it since I’m obviously not the intended audience (but still love the series anyways).

[Rob Linder · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have ever read

Action packed, a great story and teaches a little about animals too! If you're a fan of fantasy, science fiction, superpowers, or action, this book is definitely for you! I loved how I got to learn about the power of animals, girl power, teamwork, and what happens when you work together. What you can accomplish is amazing! If I could, I would rate this book six stars. It was worth the seven bucks!

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an adult, I love reading middle school or young adult fantasy/scifi. There are so many good authors who tell amazing stories. They are quick to read (as a parent I have limited time!) and I am a sucker for a good story about a young person saving the day! This story is no exception. I really enjoyed this series about a group of friends who gain animalistic powers after putting on ability enhancing bracelets.

[Joseph D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 2 of the Going Wild series. This was fun as we are deep on the heels of Dr Gray. Lots of fun spy gear, twists, and butt kicking. Overall a strong second book and again flabbergasted that there is only one more book to this series. Lots of potential and wonderful character development. Will be sad to finish the series. Good read for those young readers in your life. Especially, those that like Ben 10 or similar adventure shows.

Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com

[Theresa Grissom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Edelweiss for this ARC copy.

4.5 stars! I liked this even better than book 1. Packed with action and well-liked characters, this will appeal to upper elementary students that like fantasy/adventure. Lisa McMann's Unwanted series is already popular in my library and I am sure this series will be a hit as well.

[Azzurra Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Major mixed feelings about the Latina girl having the ability to turn into a monkey. I mean, part of me thinks it's cool, but the other part is like... seriously? A monkey? Couldn't it have been, oh, I don't know, some sort of bird of prey or something?

It's so irritating, because having the Latina girl being able to turn into a monkey could mean everything or nothing. :/

[Heidi S · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it!!! Between this and that and WRITING MAGIC, this is so so so amazing! Personaly, I do think that the cliffhanger of the first book was of a grander scale tho. Anyways, I hope that the next book is in my hands soon!

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't believe I have ever said the second book in a series was much better than the first. However, this was the case with "Going Wild." "Predator vs. Prey" has so much more action and is bearable. There is one instance of a character using the Lord's name in vain.

Found in L4M OT Volume 97.

[Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much. It has the just right amount of action and comedy (That is if you are the type of person that laughs at the slightest joke). You won't be able to stop reading once you begin. The author has done such a great job with this series.

[Russell Guttman · Rating 5 out of 5]

One word to describe this book: awesome

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED THIS BOOK!! I Cant Wait Till Book 3! I Wish I didn't have to wait, but I know it'll be awesome, so I'll wait. I guess.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! I can't believe Zed was Dr. Nubia! Can't wait for book 4