All About Middle Grade Review: Hunt for the Hydra

Hunt for the Hydra (Jupiter Pirates, 1) by Jason Fry, November 11, 2014 (originally published December 23, 2013). 272 pages. Published by HarperCollins. Source: Publisher for review.

The relationship between Tycho Hashoone, his twin sister, Yana, and their older brother, Carlo, isn't your average sibling rivalry. They might be crew members together aboard the Shadow Comet, but only one of them can be the next ship captain. So when the Hashoones find themselves in the midst of a dangerous conspiracy—one that will pit them against space pirates, Earth diplomats, and even treachery from within the family—each sibling is desperate to prove his or her worth. The only trouble is, if they don't work together, none of them may make it out alive.

First Sentence

Tycho Hashoone was doing his math homework when the alarms started shrieking. 

I won't tell you how long Hunt for the Hydra was hiding in my TBR stack. Suffice it to say that it was a while; I didn't even know it was in there until last week when I was searching for a book to binge.

• While the first volume of the Jupiter Pirates wasn't a five-star read, it was still really enjoyable and felt like a great start to a fascinating series. While it was enjoyable, it was also a fun read which definitely worked in its favor. 

• There were definitely things I really enjoyed about this book, like the setting, the characters, and the overall plot. Even though I overall really enjoyed Hunt for the Hydra, there were some things I disliked about the book; like the overhanded play of sibling rivalry as the Hashoone kids all vying to be the next captain of the Shadow Comet. As much as I enjoy a good sibling rivalry, it felt like it was taken a little too far in this book; there was little to no unity, albeit of the grudging sort, between them. 

• One of the things I enjoyed most about this book was the whole space pirate, I mean privateer, aspect. It added a really interesting element to the story. Especially when you factor in the some of the things that happened long ago that led to most pirates turning privateer with their marque for the Jovian Union. Exciting times with all the backstory that is building up for the next book. Can you tell, the idea of all that book world history has me excited!!

• I felt that Jason Fry did a nice job capturing the whole space pirate aspect of the book. He did a great job bringing the setting to life and making it enjoyable to read about. Though his writing could use some work when writing for a middle-grade audience as his characters, particularly Tycho, was written in a way that made him sound a) way younger than his character was and b) like "captain obvious" in certain situations. Still mostly enjoyable, though I do hope for improvement in the next book.

 Final Verdict: Hunt for the Hydra- While far from being a perfect read, it was entertaining enough that I'm willing to give the next installment a chance.

Hunt for the Hydra earns

A copy of this book was received for consideration for review. All thoughts are my own.