Review: Bridgeworld by Travis McBee

William Haynes was the type of guy that every boy wanted to be. He was an honor roll student and captain of his middle school football team. He was dating the most popular girl in the school and had dozens of friends. Yes, life was perfect for Will...that is until a strange man shows up and forces his parents to reveal a secret they have kept hidden since he was born. He is told that he has been given a scholarship to a prestigious private school that his parents attended, a private school that happens to be in space. Will must choose between a life many would die for and a life none could imagine. A life where he is no longer perfect, where he must make new friends, and where he must survive a school rivalry like no other.

from amazon

I write honest reviews. I have never read a book that I didn't particularly like, and then write a beyond amazingly book review. Saying that, I'm not trying to say that I didn't like the novel, but what I'm saying is that I couldn't finish it. The novel had a loose frame, and didn't have a clear problem, and I was waiting every next chapter for that big ba-boom to hit me, but it never came. It could be the next chapter, but I don't want to waste anymore time on a book that I don't see any clear problem the character has to overcome.

Travis McBee has to have a list of similes and metaphors in a huge journal, because when I read this novel, it sounded like my English teacher went high on them. I love how he described a scenery, and time and time again, I felt like he could be writing a better story. I hate saying that, but the idea of the boy goes to an alien school isn't original or interesting enough, for me. Maybe you'll like it, but I personally don't. Also, I have to mention that I skimmed over many parts of the novel, and still didn't miss a beat. There's a part of me that feels let down by that fact.

I don't read many male protagonist books, because I usually don't connect with them, and how Will is described really erks me. Will actually reminds me of a couple of guys I know into one, and it isn't a nice experience. His attitude to things are so carefree at times, it doubles my frustration that there isn't a real problem in the book. Nothing is challenging him.
I don't have much care for the other characters, but I think Abby really hit a chord in me. I'm not sure why Abby is in the story besides the fact for Will to protect, and have a love interest. A love interest is what almost every book has, but Abby is just there. Seriously, she is just there. You don't learn much about her in the story, and she sounds like a trophy wife, but a girlfriend. What I'm trying to get at is that when you have two people that have nothing in common, don't make them love each other just to have a love interest.

Laughter. Is necessary in most books, and appreciated in all books. In Bridgeworld, there was a lot of laughter. Not from me. Not from a friend who I told the situation to. Laughter, a lot of it from characters. There were a lot of awkward times in the novel, where the laughter consumed the entire scene. I even noted while reading on my nook that the book was a laughical. A version of trying to use the word musical to denote laughter every other scene.

One thing I really loved about the book was the imagination involved with the alien game, Zegma. I'm not a big sports fan, but sometimes I get into it. Zegma has a way involving the kiddy games of school indoor games when it rains, to the professionalism of major league teams. I just really love the rules and idea of zero gravity and the magnetic fields. It sounds really fun, and I would love to play it if it was possible.

Fun Quotes I highlighted and notes I wrote while reading:
*pages from my nook can be different on each format*

pg. 22; "The second this thought poked it's head up from his subconscious the possibly of simply rolling over and going back to sleep disintegrated into more pieces than a jar of glitter left in the care of a toddler. "

lovely analogy

pg. 26; "It was not a critical fear like that of death but of another fear, one almost as substantial to the male psyche, fear of lost food."

hahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

pg. 28; "Outside one of the bands blossomed into a fight song and the crowd took new fervor from it and their shouting redoubled in intensity."

Double sensory images

pg. 129; "The UFO had vanished like a fart in the wind and the stars that filled the sky all remained motionless."

Wonderful analogy.

pg. 133; "After a second of glaring at her laughing friends Abby joined in and the rest of the breakfast passed by cheerfully."

Laughical instead of musical.

This book leaves me at a crossroads, because I do enjoy it just as it is, but the things that I listed above still erks me. I guess I would give the novel a 3.5, but I'll round up and give Bridgeworld by Travis McBee a head nods, thumbs up. (4 out of 5)