tesla (Tesla Evolution series, book 1)

What if a whole race wanted you dead, where would you go? And what if you didn’t know why? What if everything you thought you knew about yourself was wrong?
One thousand years have passed since nuclear war wiped out civilization in the northern hemisphere. The planet slowly heats and water becomes a rare resource. Out of the ruins of a devastated civilization rises a new breed of people - those with the power to control magnetism. Teslas
Sebastian, a young orphan boy from a quiet rural town, is being hunted by strange part-machine, part-human people. His only hope is Melanie, an angry, dying teenage girl who is dragged into the adventure and sets out to deliver him to the Steam Academy, even if it's just to stop him talking. Seb must confront an unknown past and fight against everything he believed in. And occasionally wash his hair.
No one said it would be easy.
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My Review:

Disclosure: I got this book for free through NetGalley from the publisher. I'm not required to post any positive reviews--just honest ones.
The author's note in the description of this book lost me--I don't play Assassin's Creed. Luckily, you don't have to be a fan of the game series to enjoy this book. Unlike other reviewers, I don't think the scientific explanations were too over the top. We underestimate middle grade readers if we assume those explanations would take away from their experience of the story. Even as an adult, the writing kept me engaged from start to finish. Ever time I put it down I wanted to pick it up again instead of doing grown up things like work. The irony of reading this book on a cellphone wasn't lost on me, either; I found it funny. Sebastian was very well rounded and even his companion Melanie had depth in her own way--she reminded me a lot of Toph from The Last Airbender series. Lingane did a fantastic job with the story line of this book, pacing it so we didn't feel everything was resolved too early while keeping enough action throughout the book to keep it from getting stale and boring. This would be a wonderful addition to any classroom or library, and I'd definitely get a kindle copy for myself. As for a physical copy, I'm not sure if it's something my daughter would want to read just yet. When she gets to that age it'd probably be something I suggest to her on our weekly library trips.