Itch Rocks by Simon Mayo

Itch Rocks by Simon Mayo
Copyright 2014
Splinter - Young Adult (second in a series)
Source: Sterling Books

I reviewed the first book in this series, Itch (link at left leads to my review), last April and loved it so much that I went hunting for a copy of Itch Rocks in London, knowing it had already been released in the UK.  None of the stores I visited had a copy (not even the flagship Foyle's store!) so I was very excited when I got an offer to review Itch Rocks.  

Brief synopsis:

After disposing of Element 126, a new element that is extremely radioactive and also valuable for its potential as an alternative energy source, Itchingham Lofte and his cousin Jack have been treated for radiation poisoning and now they're the most protected children in England. Security people from MI5 follow Itch, his sister Chloe and his cousin Jack to school.  Agents stand outside the classroom and, in case of serious danger, they lock down the house (and the neighbor's house, which they've taken over).  It all seems rather extreme to Itch and his family. But, Greencorps still wants Element 126 and the evil former science teacher, Flowerdew is back, along with the woman he let take the blame for a Nigerian disaster, Shivvi Tan Fook. After being jailed for years and forgotten, she's very, very angry. 

When Itch and Jack are forced to retrieve Element 126, will they be able to survive to fight off the bad guys and find a way to destroy Element 126 for good?  

My thoughts:

I don't want to give away any of what occurred in the first book so let's just say Itch did a good job of disposing of the dangerous element but there was a trail of clues that he wasn't aware existed and that's what ends up leading the characters back to the place the first book ended.  It didn't bother me that eventually the characters end up in that same spot because the rest of the story is quite different. 

I liked reading about MI5 operatives taking Itch, Chloe and Jack to school, even when nothing was happening. There was just a cool spy vibe to those portions of the book and when, eventually, things start to go haywire and blow up (literally), when even MI5 isn't able to stop the bad guys, the story becomes truly exciting. Shivvi is a very frightening character and Itch must use his knowledge of chemistry and the elements to get away from her, with Jack serving as his sidekick and moral compass. There is an additional character, Lucy, whose purpose isn't entirely clear till the end of the book but who also serves as a minor love interest for Itch.  

Although Itch is the main character, Jack is very important in both books, which is nice for adventure-loving females. As in the first book, Itch, there is a lot of exciting action and I loved the way the author ended this book in such a definitive way that you know if Itch comes back, future stories will not involve an Element 126.  The ending was very satisfying and the second story isn't quite as disgusting. Some icky smells and melting hair and skin (okay, yeah, that's pretty gross) are about the extent of it. At some point, I talked to Simon Mayo -- honestly, I have no idea where, maybe Twitter? -- and I recall him telling me that there were some disgusting bits in Itch Rocks but not to the same extreme as in Itch.  Thank goodness.  More fictional vomiting would have driven me away forever, but I enjoyed myself thoroughly and hope Simon Mayo will write more action/adventure for young adults.

Highly recommended - A rocking fine follow-up to the original novel, Itch, with every bit as much action and adventure but fewer disgusting scenes. The action is exciting, the added bad gal suitably terrifying, and the ending satisfying. Loved both books and I highly recommend them but do be advised that both can be a little gory and violent, at times, so there are difficult moments if you have a weak stomach. I found Itch Rocks more tolerable in that regard than Itch but I enjoyed both immensely. I love a good action read and Itch and Itch Rocks are both loads of adventurous fun.

Update:  I've spoken to the author via Twitter and a third Itch book called Itchcraft is scheduled for release in the UK in September! Excitement!  I guess that means I have at least a year to wait for the American release.  Fortunately, Itch is a memorable character.  Simon Mayo has promised a "shiny new thing" to follow the final Itch book. 

©2014 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Itch by Simon Mayo

Itch: The Explosive Adventures of an Element Hunter by Simon Mayo
Copyright 2012
Splinter (an imprint of Sterling) - Young Adult, first in a series
425 pp.

Source:  ARC from Sterling for review; released April, 2013 in the U.S.

Quote:

The truth is, if you sleep in the room next to a fourteen-year-old science-crazed boy who likes to blow things up, you learn very quickly only to take notice of the very big bangs.

~p. 4

Why I read Itch:  I have been totally craving YA reads, lately, so I was ridiculously excited when this book was offered to me for review.  

What it's about:

"Itch" is the nickname of the hero in this book, Itchingham Lofte.  Itch is a 14-year-old scientist living in Cornwall (a British shire, or county - way down at the lower left on this British Shire map) with an unusual interest.  He is passionate about the Periodic Table of Elements.  He has studied the elements thoroughly and has a small collection of elements that he keeps in his house -- or did, till he burned off his eyebrows and his mum made him move everything to the shed.  That is, in fact, how the book begins, with an experiment gone wrong that fills the Lofte house with a nasty burnt odor and removes the eyebrows from Itch's face.  But, Itch makes an even worse mistake that causes his entire school to shut down.  And, then things go from bad to worse when Itch purchases an element that isn't even on the Periodic Table -- an radioactive element that's so important people will kill to acquire it, if they don't die first.

What I loved about Itch:

Itch is a rocking fine adventure.  It starts off with a bang (no pun intended -- and, technically, just after the bang) with a few laughs and eventually becomes a race against time.  The whole "boy genius" thing has been done and done again so I was a little nervous that Itch might veer toward the cliché but once I got into it, I enjoyed myself too much to think about tropes.

What I disliked about Itch:

There is way the heck too much throwing-up in Itch, thanks to poison and radiation. However . . . I kept going, which just goes to show you how much I love an adventurous, action-packed plot.

Will I read the next book in the series?

Yes, but if in spite of my love of action and adventure and people running from bad guys (my favorite dreams are the ones in which I'm running from bad guys -- interesting, no?), there's only so much heaving a girl can stand so if Itch keeps poisoning everyone, I'll stop at #2.  The next book in the series is Itch Rocks.  I don't know when it will be published in the U.S. but I asked the author if it has already been released in the U.K. via Twitter and he said, "Yes."

The bottom line:

Recommended - An exciting action/adventure with a clever hero, some delightful side characters and a nice comedic touch, terrific for escapist reading but with a warning that there is a lot of vomiting in the book.  In spite of the fact that I can barely even stand to read the word "vomit," I was never tempted to set Itch aside.  It's just too entertaining; the pages flew and I loved the writing enough that I occasionally read passages to my husband (or besieged him with science questions). And, I just blocked the bad mental images; it's a special talent of mine.

Funny side note:

I told Kiddo about the book and when I said the hero is collecting the elements from the Periodic Table, he laughed and said, "Good luck to him.  Some of them are very unstable or radioactive." And, he does plan to read Itch.  Am wondering why Kiddo is studying business rather than science, now.  

Addendum:

Forgot to add my thoughts about the cover -- worth mentioning, in this case, because I absolutely love it.  What a grabber!  Glowy green explosion surrounding the main character and title?  Super choice!  And, I love the faint backdrop of the Periodic Table.  The Itch cover is definitely one of the most outstanding covers I've seen, this year.  I also forgot to mention that Itch is a great hero, the kind of young hero one appreciates because he's got a good heart.

©2013 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.