The Executioner at the Institute for Contaminated Children by Margaret E Alexander

The title alone makes me wonder what’s inside the cover.

The clouds over the institute are foreboding, but what waits inside will have Donna fighting for survival.

Cover Art by Angelique Anderson

16 The deciding age of contamination.

30 The number of coin flips it takes to prove that Donna may have subconsciously used her genetically enhanced abilities to excel in school.

24 The number of hours Donna has to board a train to the Institute for Extraordinary Children.

14 The flights of stairs she must climb to get to her room.

700 The number of pages in the rule book that will determine how she eats, sleeps, and…well…smells for the remainder of the school year.

2 The number of members in her squad. Good thing Dan’s there to help get her abilities in shape and avoid Donna’s worst fear—humiliation. Her abilities skyrocket. Until the day she learns exactly what Dan is capable of.

1 The number of bodies that turn up dead.

0 Her chances of getting out alive.

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MY REVIEW

The title alone sold me on this book. How could I resist – The Executioner at the Institute for Contaminated Children. Books about children getting a bad rap, seems to strike at the heart of all of us. I just know this is going to be a unique and twisted story and I was so right.A chemical plant explosion that contaminates is not so original, but want happens to those that are contaminated is original and sixteen is the magic number, for better or for worse.

An evil madman runs wild throughout the book. Will he be victorious or get what’s coming to him?

Isolated – no email, no texting, no facebook, no internet and no cell phones. Powers – yes.

Donna is smart, studious, a bit rebellious and she is contaminated. Upon her sixteenth birthday, she is sent to The Seventh Institute for Extraordinary Children. Her parents had tried to protect her by not telling her of the schools and the powers that the contaminated children have. She starts out naive about what is really going on, but quickly learns through her power of guessing more than she wants to know. What she does with that knowledge shows her true character. In times of trouble, she finds out who her friends really are.

Dan is someone she is drawn to and at the same time is very dangerous for her to get close to. They are put to the ultimate test and I rush through the pages wondering how this can end happily ever after.

The mix of characters in Donna’s squad brings Maragaret’s writing to the forefront. They may seem an unlikely group, but she brings them together in a interesting way that shows their growth as they struggle to survive. As the story develops, so do the characters.

They come alive on the pages. Even with superpowers, the children have all the problems that young adults have. Teenage angst – insecurities, love interests, trust issues….Donna is forced to grow up fast and the author’s writing does a great job of showing her progression.

The storyline developed into a fascinating tale of egomania, conspiracy and love that kept me captivated throughout with twists and turns I never saw coming.

I was given this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.

4 Stars – Would Highly recommend To Others

ABOUT THE AUTHOR