Friday, January 11, 2019

Can They Beat the Odds?

Seth Cox isn’t the most athletic kid, and he’s a bit surprised during the Little League draft when he gets selected by a new coach. It turns out that making the baseball team will be the least shocking thing to happen to Seth for a while. He makes the team with Alex, Chase, and super pitcher, Jared. Although they know each other, they aren’t close friends and even get into a disagreement during the first practice. This seems to be the reason Coach Mirkana tells them they will be staying late at practice from now on to help clean up. He directs them to go to the Snack Shack and ask someone named Retne for four cups of coffee and four Tixie sticks, which really confuses them. They find the lady they need to talk to sleeping and she gives them strange directions that lead them to Strxia, a parallel world. The foursome learn that odd numbers aren’t allowed to be used by most people in Strxia, only the elite, and the impact will be utter destruction. Seth, Alex, Chase, and Jared discover that they have to work together to get the Encryption Pack and beat the odds. But how will they do that? While they are away in Strxia their Earth selves will be living a parallel life playing in baseball games. Actions in either place will impact each other and reflect what is happening. Can they get the pack and make it out alive? Do they have what it takes to work together and travel through time and space? Will anger and stubbornness prevent them from reaching their goal? What will happen if they don’t succeed? Journey through worlds and discover if they have what it takes to beat the odds.

Strxia: The Odds Are Against Us by Maggie Daniels and Matt Michel is a sci-fi adventure. Starting off with baseball tryouts will appeal to those who love the sport, like Chase and Jared. Those who don’t love it will agree with Seth. The characters were each unique, and readers will be able to relate to at least one of them. Alex is fast and stands up for herself, which I really liked. Chase is always cracking jokes and would be fun to have around. Seth seems like a nice guy who is amazing at math and science and likes to think things through, which are all qualities I like in friends. Baseball fanatic, Jared, has the hardest time listening to what others say, but I like his confidence in his abilities. It was fascinating to see how their lives at each point in time intertwined. If they did something well in Stxia, they played better in the game, which was cool and definitely interesting to think about. I recommend this book to anyone age eight and up who enjoys getting lost in other worlds. Sci-fi can involve some tricky math and science and the authors did a great job making sure readers understand what's happening and how the worlds work. The story will appeal to those who love technology, baseball, math, and space travel. This adventure wraps up, but readers can tell that there's more in store for the foursome as they work to save Strxia. I look forward to reading the next book and finding out what else is in store for them!


Has anyone else read Strxia: The Odds Are Against Us by Maggie Daniels and Matt Michel? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Stop back Saturday for an interview with the authors. 😀

Happy Reading!
~L

*Maggie and Matt are generously giving away three paperback copies of Strxia: The Odds Are Against Us All you have to do is comment on this review or our interview tomorrow to be entered for a chance to win. Winners will be randomly selected. Good luck! 

24 comments:

  1. The beginning of your description threw me, as that's certainly not what I would expect from a cover like that. Looks like adult science fiction. Although it gets bonus points for having an Alex in the story.

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    1. I thought you would like the Alex character. :) ~L

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  2. I haven't read it, but it sounds great. Have a wonderful weekend, hugs, Valerie

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    1. Valerie- It is definitely an interesting story! :) ~L

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  3. Jess and Stephanie, thanks for the great review of STRXIA! I am happy to answer any questions your readers have about the book in this comment section.

    - Matt Michel, Author of STRXIA: THE ODDS ARE AGAINST US

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    1. Hi Matt- We are so happy you like the review. We are happy to share the review with our readers. Thanks for offering to answer any questions from our readers. :) ~Stephanie and Jess

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  4. I don't read a lot of Sci-Fi these days, I'm more into mysteries and historical fiction. This sounded intriguing, though, especially the concept of parallel lives.

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    1. Elizabeth- I love the concept of parallel lives too. :) ~L

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  5. What a clever, and intriguing take. And a hook for so many readers.

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  6. A interesting mixture indeed. Sounds like a great one.

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  7. For all who love Sci-Fi this is a winner I'm sure.

    All the best Jan

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  8. This story sounds fantastic. I love baseball. Go Rangers. And the plot is intriguing. Now I have to know what happens to the boys. A must read. Thank, Jess.

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    1. Beverly- Glad this sounds like a good read to you. Fingers crossed that you might be one of the lucky winners to receive a copy. :)

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  9. Sounds like a cute story line!

    betty

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    1. Betty- It was very intriguing for sure. :) ~L

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    1. Magic Love Crow- Glad you enjoyed the review. It is definitely interesting. :) ~L

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  11. While baseball and maths aren't really my kind of things. But sci-fi usually is and sometimes when I read books about things I don't really personally like I can still love them! So I think this would be good for me, especially as I am really enjoying the sci-fi genre lately.

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    1. Olivia- I love that you are willing to branch out of your comfort zone and read books that aren't always about things you love. Awesome! Hope you enjoy this one. :) ~L

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  12. Great review lovely :D So glad you enjoyed this book a lot. I'm not sure if it would be for me, but it seems adorable. And I pretty much do love sci-fi :D Thank you for sharing. <3

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    1. Carina- Glad you enjoyed the review. :)

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