The Kid Sensation Series: Books 1-3

Sensational book

Wow so glad I discovered this series, I just loved it and was hooked from the very start. It has everything you could want with a for good story - action, plot twists, mysteries super powers, family life, good guys and bad guys. What's even better is in this one book you get three great stories for the price of one. So what's stopping you from getting it?

Book one Sensation- A teenage boy finds himself talked into trying out to become a super hero but having previously tried out before where it ends disastrously he know he has his work cut out for him. To make matters worse there is also a bounty on his head, it's a good job he is a shape shifter. Things get really serious when a team of super villains start to target him.

This was a great story and a really good introduction to the characters and there individual powers.

Book two Mutation - Jim and his friends are off to super hero academy to learn how to become better hero's. School life is hard enough but add in a group of teenagers with powers and things are bound to go wrong. Then pupils start losing control of there powers and the virus seems to be spreading. Can Jim save the day?

I love the twists this book takes and the way Jim has to out smart his deadly foes and with all the action it keeps you listening. You could easily see this being made into a film.

Book three infiltration- With super heros popularity waning slightly from a few mishaps lately they decided to hold a charity competition between the teen super heros to boost morale. So Jim not only has to compete in the televised event but he also has to take down a mystery force that keep setting of bombs all before someone gets hurts and as the main targets seems to be his father he had better hurry.

I think this was the weaker story out of the three as there was a lot of information about the teenage trails which was fun but it took a long time before Jim engaged the hunt for the bad guys. Still worth listening too though.

I really liked the narrator and he definitely helped bring each of the characters to life.
I can't wait to start the next book in the series.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great addition to the super hero genre!

I initially reviewed each book independently, but Audible doesn't allow me the space to post all 3 reviews, so here's a compilation of those reviews.
Book 1: Sensation
This was a very fun quick read. It’s reminds me of both Phipps’s Supervillainy series and of the modern TV show, The Flash. The Kid (aka Jim) is coming of age and he’s got all these powers. He’s living with his mom and his grandpa in a world where many people have some kind of super power. If you have one of these powers (or even more than one) you still have to pay rent. So many embellished humans work 8-5 jobs and generally have basic, boring lives.

My only complaint really is that it looks like The Kid Sensation is growing into multiple powers, so many that he’s nigh invincible. I generally like my superheroes to have weaknesses that they have to plan for or occasionally die from. For The Kid, this is balanced somewhat by his youth – lack of experience and a bit of naivety.
Book 2 Mutation:
Over all, it feels more like a YA book because it’s nearly all action, and what isn’t action is young people being awkward around each other trying to make that solid emotional connection. It was cute, fun, on that level. I would like a bit more depth and I think the series has solid potential for that.

The action kept me thoroughly interested in the story. There’s always something around the next corner, some further challenge for Sensation to face. I also enjoyed that not all Supers are created the same way – some are mutations, some are alien half breeds, some are not made of flesh and bone, etc. The story has a lot going for it big-picture wise. This tale closes with a solid ending, but leaving us ready to see what Sensation gets into in the next book. 4.5/5 stars.
Book 3 Infiltration:
This book really made the trilogy for me. Book 2 was good but not great. Book 3 raises the bar once again for this series. Book 2 had a touch of YA angst, which isn’t my cup of tea. Book 3 goes without that angst (hooray!). This story tests Jim a bit. The bad guys have some tech that the superheroes haven’t really explored and Jim has to stretch his abilities to pull off the infiltration. For me, the one little weakness of the story was that I never really worried for Jim’s safety. I knew he would win out. If the stakes were a little higher, it would add to the suspense.

The Narration: Michael Naramore is just a lot of fun to listen to. With clear diction and a range of voices, he’s got a good fit for all the characters. I loved his deeper voices (like for Alpha or Omen). He’s also got a teen voice for Jim and a grumpy old man voice for Jim’s grandad. His female voices are decent too, sounding feminine. The pacing was spot on and there were no technical issues with this recording. 5/5 stars.

I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion, which are 100% my own.

Great (Sensational?) value in this start to series

The most important question with any collected edition is whether or not the individual books are worth a listen as otherwise it still isn't good value, thankfully the three books in this collection are all enjoyable listens and another good jumping on point to this superhero world that the author has created.

The over-abundance of powers that Jim (aka Kid Sensation) has at his disposal compared with most heroes in the world of these books could easily end up being a lazy way to get round any difficulty if not handled properly, but the author manages to avoid falling into this potential trap with sensible limitations on the character, at other times using it as a plot point with how he interacts with other heroes and also the consequences of him being too reliant on his own powers. It will be interesting to see how the author deals with this issue in future books because it might become more tricky to get the right balance as Jim becomes more experienced with his powers.

The narrator did a good job with these books, his tone was clear throughout and was sufficiently distinctive with the main characters that it helped to draw me into the stories that much more.

Overall, this collection is a good entry point to this superhero world although Mouse's Tale also works very well in that respect too.

[Note - I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.]

A cool mix of YA and superman

Sensation
This is a world where super powers are not quite as uncommon as our world, it is a cool mix of YA and superman.
Jim is a normal teenage boy with all the usual teen issues to deal with, along with something extra, he seems to have more superpowers than all the other heroes put together and this doesn't make his life any easier.
I really enjoyed this book and didn't want to stop listening, unfortunately life got in the way and I had to take 2 sittings to finish the book.

Mutation
Now that Jim (aka Kid Sensation) has proven himself one of the good guys, he can finally join the Academy with the other teen supers and learn more about using his powers. However, when he gets there he finds that someone is using the place for a more nefarious purpose.
I really liked Jim, though he comes across a bit cocky, like most teenage boys I guess.

Infiltration
Kid Sensation is is really growing into his powers and getting better at combining them and coming up with plans to get out of any situation. This is particularly useful when he has to go undercover as a villain to find out how to battle a particularly powerful threat to the world and to the Alpha League,
I started this straight after finishing book 2 as I wanted more from Kid Sensation and his world. I really enjoyed it and was sorry when I finished.

Fantastic

This is a fantastic box set. Kept me awake most nights until I finished it. Absolutely amazing characters and brilliant storyline. I couldn’t get enough. I need he next one.
The narrator is spot on as always. Edge of the seat stuff.
I highly recommend this box set.😹😻👆

More a boys story.

This seems to have been written with a youth audience in mind. May get better as it goes on but not to my liking.