Phantom Wheel by Tracy Deebs - Review

Title: Phantom Wheel 
Author: Tracy Deebs 
Pages: 416 
Publishing:  October 16th 2018 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Synopsis: 

Believing they have been recruited by the CIA, six teen hackers arrive in LA for a hacking aptitude test with the promise of a college scholarship and a job with the CIA after graduation. But one of the teens, Owen, walks out, refusing to participate. The other five decide to stay and complete the tests. When they finish, they leave feeling equally accomplished and unnerved. 

Then silence-until they receive a text from Owen: You've been played. He's uncovered evidence that the hackers created "Phantom Wheel," the most devastating virus ever made. Jacento, the corporation behind it all, plans to use this virus to gain unprecedented access to personal data. And that's just the beginning of the devastation. Can the teen hackers stop Phantom Wheel-and protect their own secrets from being revealed-before it's too late? 

Review: 

Phantom Wheel was an extremely catchy story that held my attention from start to finish. I loved the fast pace of the novel and found it entertaining that the story was told by three alternating characters. I often found myself having to back track a little to make sure I knew which character was speaking, but it didn't throw me off too badly. I think Deebs could have made each of the character's voices a little different, but it wasn't something that really changed my opinion of the novel. 

The characters were a lot of fun and all had engaging personalities, and I found myself becoming attached to each of them. They weren't exactly easy to relate to, but I think that was what made them so enjoyable. I also loved that I could picture every single thing happening in the book. It was all based on pretty extreme computer/technology information, but I never felt lost. 

I would highly recommend this novel to readers who like YA action novels. It was fun, action packed, and I think it would make an incredible movie! Thank you so much to The NOVL for sending an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Rating 3.5/5