Nikki Tesla and the Fellowship of the Bling

October 15, 2019
Nikki works through abandonment issues while joining the rest of her Genius Academy class in taking on a mad, bad scientist. In a storyline high on angst and action but airily free of internal logic, the Genius Academy squad is abruptly dispatched to the Galápagos Islands to find a hidden ring with unknown but dangerous "technologies." Could the mission have anything to do with Nikki's long-thought-dead criminal father or a similar ring made by his rival? Keating continues to name and model her cast after actual historical figures; it's a cute tweak, but she squanders any scientific could-be-ism as, in a cloud of vague references to "cellular realignment" and "nanomachines," she has the rings magically transform wearers into another person, animal, or monster (clothes included) with a wish backed by any strong emotion. Being so obsessed and enraged by her dad's long absence, for example, that she has trouble thinking of anything else, Nikki turns out to be a dab hand at changing herself and others into ferrets...a skill that plays a crucial role in the climax as the "crazed" but clever baddie, despite violent mood swings oddly reminiscent of Nikki's own, nearly pulls off a slick escape. In all, it's a sad follow-up to a promising first outing. Nikki presents white; her fellow geniuses are diverse. A slapdash contraption made up of contrivances and losing STEAM at every joint. (Science fantasy. 10-13)

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February 28, 2020

Gr 3-7-In the second book in the "Elements of Genius" series, Nikki Tesla and her classmates from the Genius Academy are sent to the Galapagos Islands. Their task is to find a ring that allows its wearer to shape-shift; what science calls "cellular realignment." The ring is also a lethal weapon that a criminal mastermind can sell to the highest bidder. During their adventures, Nikki manages to find her father who has been presumed dead for seven years. She must decide if he is the terrible person she believed him to be, or a loving father who acted in her best interest all along. The Galapagos setting could have been more important, but in the end it is just an island where the story takes place. Nikki's reluctance to trust her father is a constant source of conflict, as is the need to capture the bad guy's technology. The plot is definitely action-driven, and sometimes the action moves so fast that it might confuse readers who take breaks during their reading. Nikki's reunion with her father opens new opportunities for future installments. VERDICT While not as strong as the first in the series, this adventure will please young fans of science fiction. Purchase if Nikki Tesla has proven popular with patrons.-Julie Overpeck, Gardner Park Elementary School, Gastonia, NC

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