The Skyship Academy: The Pearl Wars by Nick James

Jesse, Eva, and Skandar have gone down to the Surface, which is illegal, to trade for a Pearl. Pearls come from outer space and have enough power for small cities. The mission is a success until Jesse is trapped on a roof by Cassius--a trainee in the Unified Party and enemy to the Skyships. Jesse falls but survives without a mark on him. Cassius still gets away with the Pearl, so Jesse, Eva, and Skandar return to base without the prize they went looking for.

Cassius, however, knows something happened while Jesse was hanging off that roof. He knows Jesse did something to him. Especially when he sets his entire room on fire. Madame, the real leader of the Unified Party, has a special mission. When she heads up to the Skyship, she wants Cassius to find and kidnap Jesse. She doesn't explain why, but Cassius feels honored he is chosen for such an important mission.

Until it goes badly. Jesse recognizes him and tries to escape. He's helped by his friend Avery as they jump into a ship and head for the surface. The two of them try to avoid Cassius, but at what cost?

At every turn, Jesse is learning who he can and cannot trust.

A solid beginning--it appears there may be more. There are some pacing issues, but mostly this is action-packed. Especially about halfway through the book to the end. Something is always happening and there are enough twists to keep anyone interested.

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

John, or Four, is not from Earth. He is one of nine Legacies escaped from Lorien before it was decimated. In those nine sets the fate of the universe.

But the first three are dead and the Legacies must be killed in order. John and Henri, his guardian, head to Ohio to hide, again. It's worse this time, since John knows he's next.

He still tries for a normal life. Sarah, a girl who catches his eye from the beginning, is also interested in him, and Sam, a nerd fascinated by space and aliens, are his two only friends. John tries to avoid drawing attention, but it only works to a point. Meanwhile, his powers are developing; he is able to control light and fire, move things with his mind, and that's just the surface.

Then Sarah gets trapped in a burning building and all hell breaks loose. John's cover is blown and the Mogadorians are coming.

While the action keeps up, even with John's training and everything at school, nothing really happens until late in the book. The story has a lot of good elements, but the ending felt like the movie Thor: "I'll come back for you". A good book and it should be popular. Who doesn't like a superhero.

Invasion by Jon S Lewis

Colt's parents die in a tragic car accident and Colt has to move from California to Arizona to live with his grandfather. Colt's only solace in this is he'll be living near an old friend and his grandfather. Then at school he meets Oz, who acts like this isn't the first time they've met.

Colt finds an unfamiliar cell phone in his book bag one day at school, with a text message saying his parents were murdered. Colt agrees to meet the message-sender to learn more about his parents' death. His mother was about to expose one of the biggest corporations in the world...and they killed her for it. Now Colt's dodging assassins while looking for the information his mother hid somewhere. Unknown to him, he's drawn into a world of aliens and world domination.

He's in over his head but he'll have to catch up quick. His life and the lives of his friends depend on it. Not to mention the whole world.

A great first in the C.H.A.O.S. series. There are many other threads alluded to throughout the book, which if nothing else, tells you there's another book coming. The story ends, however, which I like. Lots of action and a good back story. I enjoyed it!