Alliance (The Paladin Prophecy Series #2)

by Mark Frost

Overview

From the co-creator of the groundbreaking television show Twin Peaks comes an exciting adventure series with a unique combination of mystery, heart-pounding action, and the supernatural.
 
Will West is a student of the Center—a school for an elite group of students. After exposing a sinister underground society of students known as the Knights of Charlemagne, Will discovers that he is developing supernatural physical and mental abilities. As he explores his new powers, he and his roommates investigate the Knights’ shadowy purpose and soon uncover a plot that could destroy life as we know it. The newly formed alliance will have to separate friend from foe as they prepare for the biggest fight of their lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780375870460
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	01/07/2014
Series:	Paladin Prophecy Series , #2
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.30(d)
Lexile:	850L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

MARK FROST partnered with David Lynch to create and produce the groundbreaking television series Twin Peaks. He has written screenplays, including Fantastic Four, and is the New York Times bestselling author of eight adult books, including The List of Seven. The Paladin Prophecy is his first series for young adults. To learn more, visit ByMarkFrost.com.

Editorial Reviews

This second entry in the Paladin Prophecy trilogy brings readers up to date and includes a list in the first chapter to show the strengths possessed by the main characters. Basically, this is another book involving the adventures of a group of young people against the forces of evil, set against a school backdrop. Will West is the leader; AJ is the computer nerd; Nick is the muscle; and there are two girls in love with Will: sidekick Elise, with her sonic ability, and Brooke, with her beauty and more. They took out one nemesis in the first book, but more await them in the second, including the original villain, who has made an unexpected recovery. There are discoveries, including caves and a hidden lab, very real threats, and of course, more villains in book two, which ends on a cliff-hanger—with the final confrontation for the fate of the world still to come in the third book. Fans of I Am Number Four (HarperCollins, 2010/Voya February 2010) by Pittacus Lore, The Maze Runner (Delacorte, 2009/Voya December 2009) by James Dashner, and Legend (Putnam, 2011/Voya October 2011) by Marie Lu will enjoy the nonstop action as well as the mystery and supernatural elements in this work by a New York Times bestselling author and co-creator of Twin Peaks. Reviewer: Bonnie Kunzel; Ages 12 to 18.

Voya Reviews, April 2014 (Vol. 36, No. 1) - Bonnie Kunzel

02/01/2014
Gr 8 Up—Alliance is the second installment in Frost's action-packed series. While it is possible to enjoy without having read The Paladin Prophecy (Random House, 2012), events proceed fairly quickly, so readers may miss elements of the backstory. In this sequel, Will West and his roommates continue to uncover the evil doings of the Knights of Charlemagne, learning more about their history and finding even more secrets hidden at the Center. The Knights seem to anticipate every move Will and his friends make; could they have a traitor in their midst? Frost's novel has action and suspense mixed with aliens and genetically modified humans, so it will appeal to science fiction fans. There are several unresolved plot points which presumably will be tied up as the series continues. There is plenty of action, but lengthy explanations occasionally drag down the pacing. Purchase where the first book is popular or where there is a strong demand for sci-fi and mystery.—Saleena L. Davidson, South Brunswick Public Library, Monmouth Junction, NJ

School Library Journal

2013-11-27
Will West faces old and new adversaries during summer vacation in this sloppy sequel to The Paladin Prophecy (2012). Several months have passed since Will and his roommates defeated the Knights of Charlemagne, but many questions remain about the Knights, their ties to the monsters of the Never-Was and the disappearance of Will's parents. A wealthy school donor emerges as a major player in the conspiracy, so Will and his friends develop a risky plan to use their extraordinary abilities—which include superspeed, telepathy and sonic power—to infiltrate and search his island home. Unfortunately, Frost's everything-plus-the-kitchen-sink approach to worldbuilding doesn't make more sense the second time around; even with a clumsy extended recap in the first chapter, the mix of secret societies, genetic manipulation, guardian angels and monsters from another dimension is hard to keep straight. The busy plot leaves little space for characterization. Will's two romantic interests are particularly underdeveloped, making the love triangle feel perfunctory, and Will's cross-country coach, Jericho, only appears when Will needs a convenient source of generic Native American mysticism and lore. When the obligatory cliffhanger ending comes, it's hard to care what happens next. This muddled adventure won't leave readers impatient for Book 3. (Adventure. 12-16)

Kirkus Reviews

The action-packed New York Times bestseller!

"Frost’s novel has action and suspense mixed with aliens and genetically modified humans, so it will appeal to science fiction fans." —SLJ

From the Publisher