Masterminds (Masterminds, #1)
by Gordon Korman
3 out of 5 stars

The town of Serenity is not as serene as it seems. Eli and his friends begin to discover that their seemingly perfect town is hiding dark secrets.

I really liked the mystery in this book, and the gradual unravelling of the secrets that the townspeople are hiding. The adventure aspects of the story are exciting and kept my attention, but sometimes felt far-fetched and unrealistic. I was rolling my eyes a couple of times.

The characters are smart and emotional, and they all have such unique personalities. I really enjoyed getting to know each of them, and seeing how their flaws and strengths push the story forward. They each react in different ways when they discover what is really going on in the town, and I can’t wait to see what further character development they might have in the rest of the series.

I usually can’t stand present tense writing. It gets on my nerves pretty quickly. However, this was well-written and consistent, so I didn’t mind it too much. And I usually hate multiple POVs between various characters; however, this was well-organized and clear, so I didn’t mind it too much. Each chapter is told from a different character’s perspective, so at least it was consistent within that POV. It bounces between five characters POVs, but each voice is clear and distinct.

I am going to continue with the trilogy since this book ends on a cliffhanger!