Name: Skid Kids
ISBN: 9781737713302

Michael Franz

Out of the Wastelands for the first time, Zander has never been lonelier. As a mutant he's used to loss, but leaving his 14 year-old-sister, Kensy, behind is an emptiness like no other. As he steps through the walls of Westport, her words are the only thing keeping him going: Win your freedom. If not for yourself then do it for me. ﻿Fans of Hunger Games, Maze Runner, and Red Rising; Get Ready to Roll! What the readers are saying: "A terrific book, with first-rate pace and tension." MAYA FOWLER, author of THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

Skid Kids

This book was definitely a ride!. It gave me feels of XMEN and Death Race (minus the gore ). I love a book with a good competition trope, this definitely kept me at the edge of my seat. The story follows mutants living in the Wastelands, a place where they live in constant fear of being wiped out because of their origins. The community is divided into what the author names as circles, we could compare that to a family. In order for the mutants to obtain peace and freedom, they have to join the Skid Kids Games to fight for their release. 

I'm not one to dive into scifi much but this book definitely kept me hooked! I am so glad I dove into this story. There was a dystopian/ apocalyptic vibe to it definitely. The descriptions of the world were detailed, but straightforward. I enjoyed the main characters, Zander and Kensy were pretty bad ass. What I truly enjoyed is that ultimately the mutants and the humans in the competition joined forces. It reminded me a lot of what we see today with all the injustices, working together for the same cause. If you're a romance reader, this book wasnt heavy in romance. However, there were some connections between different species/races which made everything even more intense and worthwhile! I definitely recommend this book for readers that want to get an introduction to scifi, this is definitely one you could start with! 

Thanks so much to the author for gifting me a copy of the book, for an honest review! I look forward to reading more about the Skid Kids!

Chiara Vitale Zelaia

SKID KIDS takes me back in time and reminds me why I used to love reading dystopians in my teens. It holds its own against titans like The Hunger Games and Red Rising while simultaneously redefining the genre with its originality. Intrigued? Then let me tell you a bit more.

Skid Kids follows mutant siblings Zander and Kensy. The mutant disfigurements are a consequences of a cleansing enacted by the government against the poor population of Westport. Since then, the mutants have been living in semi-primitive conditions in the Wastelands, where surviving is a daily battle and not many live past childhood. Zander, Kensy and their friends, however, grasp their one chance at freedom by going to Westport and joining the Skid Kids games, a brutal competition where teams of mutants compete for a chance to live as close to a normal and safe life as possible within the city. While there, however, Kensy and Zander find themselves becoming a part of an even bigger movement. As they progress in the competition, they have the opportunity to befriend humans who support the mutant cause, and their fight for freedom becomes more than just a personal matter, but an opportunity to free every mutant in the Wastelands. Will Kensy and Zander succeed? Well, you’ll have to read the book to find out!

As much as I enjoyed the games and competitions, the political aspect of the book was the true surprise for me. The cast is mostly comprised of younger protagonists, but the brutality of this world forces them to mature quickly and it makes this book perfectly enjoyable for an older audience who prefers mature protagonists in their reads. I especially loved the girl power in this book, my favorite characters being Kensy and Rachel. On the one side, Kensy was the glue keeping her team together, and a bridge toward the mutant and human communities. Despite the prejudices toward her kind, Kensy remains brave and compassionate, which is even more admirable when you consider she is only fourteen years old. On the other hand, Rachel’s chapters were probably the ones where the political power plays of Westport truly shine. She is the daughter of the human leader, President Crowley, but her support of the mutant cause puts them on opposite sides, creating a complicated relationship. Standing up for her ideals forces Rachel to make tough decisions and sacrifices, but her determination and integrity made her a quick favorite. 

This book was definitely an adventure from start to finish, with surprising plot twists up until the very end! I can’t wait to see where the story will go from here.

Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy to review. All opinions are my own.

Maria Elena Vitale Zelaia

Actual Rating: 4.5 stars

Wow, what an exciting read!

Skid Kids by Micheal Franz mainly follows Zander and his sister Kensy, who are mutants. Mutants descend from the surviving humans of the first cleanse enacted by the government to wipe out Westport’s poor population. They live quite primitively in the Wastelands, a brutal and harsh environment, and they form small communities called circles. The circle is as close as to a family mutants will have, considering how difficult it is for them to grow old when they live in constant fear of another cleanse. The only chance they have at freedom is by going to Westport to join the Skid Kids games, a sort of brutal roller game in which mutant teams compete. The winning team gets their chance at living as close to a normal and safe life as possible within the walls of the city. Zander, Kensy and their friends join the games, and as they fight to stay in the competition, they befriend humans who support the mutant cause and become a part of a bigger movement that could bring liberation not just for them, but also for every mutant in the Wastelands. 

The atmosphere of this book reminded me of one of my favorite series ever, Red Rising, and while the post-apocalyptic setting is reminiscent of other dystopian reads, the plot and characters breathed an originality to this genre that I absolutely enjoyed. I truly felt like I was living the brutal reality of the mutants and not just witnessing it, so their fight for freedom became my own. And I love a good competition trope, so another aspect I really enjoyed were the parts about the game, but also those scenes were Zander and Kensy got to sneak about to uncover some of the mysteries surrounding the games and the mutant plight in general. 

While this book wasn’t heavy on the romance, there was a romance subplot surrounding Zander and a human girl named Lucky. They were so cute! *cue the sobbing* Their interactions were adorable, and I loved their sort of Beauty and the Beast dynamic, seeing as Zander is not regarded as a human by most of the society because of his physical mutation. I would be lying if I said I’m not dying to know how their story continues in the sequel. Speaking of the sequel, the ending has me thirsting for more. What does the ending mean for the mutants? Will they succeed in their quest for freedom? Who will survive? I need to know!

I recommend this book to fans of Pierce Brown’s Red Rising series and to readers who enjoy stories like The Hunger Games. It has a healthy mix of action and political intrigue that I truly enjoyed!

Thank you to the author for sending me a copy. Opinions are my own.