Review – Simulated (Calculated, Book 2) by Nova McBee (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Adventure/Thriller
Length: 396 pages
Publisher: Wise Wolf Books
Release Date: May 13, 2021
ASIN: B08W25W26S
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Calculated series
Source: eGalley from NetGalley for Review
Rating: 5/5 stars
“Jo Rivers, safely back in Seattle, asks the same question daily—how does a math genius go from taking down international criminals and saving the world economy to living a normal teenage life? The only answer she can come up with is—she doesn’t.
With an overprotective father on her back and Kai on the other side of the world, Jo accepts an offer from Prodigy Stealth Solutions (PSS), who may have found a way to get her gift back. Using a newly developed technology, PSS tries a simulation process on Jo to restore her abilities, but during the attempt, PSS is hacked and a blacklist file containing some of PSS’s most sensitive secrets is stolen. Meanwhile, a mysterious caller who seems to know more than he should delivers a warning to Jo about Kai, who then goes missing.
Despite her father’s concerns, Jo sets off on a risky trip to Tunisia with a PSS team of teen prodigies to find an urgently needed solution for PSS and locate Kai. All the while, Jo has to trust the mysterious informant who, frighteningly, is like no one she has ever met before.”
Series Info/Source: This is the second book in the Calculated series. I got a copy of this book to review through NetGalley.
Story (5/5): This book was just as amazing as the first book. Jo is trying to recover from her many years in an international crime ring and adjust to life back in Seattle…and her gift is still missing. She’s started working with Prodigy Stealth Solutions (PSS). However, when PSS is hacked by a mysterious hacker, Jo and crew must figure out what is going on before PSS’s tech is used to cause the country of Tunisia to fall into unrest.
This was incredibly fast-paced and I loved all the adventure. I love how so many elements of the story end up tying together and really enjoy reading about all the cool inventions these geniuses come up with.
Characters (5/5): The characters are a huge part of what makes this book. This cast of genius/prodigy characters is amazing. All of the characters are well done and have a lot of depth to them. The addition of the Coral Hacker was fantastic. We also get to look back into Jo’s past through a series of simulations and it was fascinating. There is so much interesting psychology here.
Setting (5/5): I continue to really enjoy the variety of international settings and adventures here. They are all well done and well described. I love the time spent in the Tunisian desert and look forward to more amazing locations in future books. There is a deep theme of world travel and connectedness in these books which I really enjoy.
Writing Style (5/5): This book is very well written and pretty much impossible to put down. There is just so much action and adventure and the plot constantly keeps you guessing. I love how we got to visit Jo’s far past, near past, and present through the simulations she was doing; this was a very creative way to give the reader a deeper look into Jo’s character. A lot of this is just so creative and I loved how the story was woven together.
My Summary (5/5): Overall I loved this book even more than the first book. The pace is non-stop and the plot is intricately woven and fun to follow. The characters are incredibly interesting and engaging. I absolutely love this series, and this book in particular. I can’t wait to see how things wrap up in “Activated”, the final book in the series!
