Review Detail

Zak Duquette has been looking forward to Washingcon sci-fi fest for months. He goes every year. Except this year he’s being forced to participate in a quiz bowl tournament the same weekend as the event he loves so much. It’s not his fault that he talked a little too much about the event. It’s not his fault that he kept saying how awesome it is. It’s definitely not his fault that Ana Watson’s genius little brother Clayton left their hotel to go to Washingcon. Unless you’re Ana Watson and losing your little brother to Zak’s geekfest weekend will be the end of any kind of freedom from your strict parents. Ana has to team with Zak to find Clayton before any of the adults find out they left and, even though they think they couldn’t be more different, they just might discover they have a lot in common.

This book was a lot of fun to read. There were a lot of references I caught and some that I know I missed since they were from games or movies or shows I don’t watch, but they were still fun. It was a pretty fast-paced book and took place mostly within the weekend of Washingcon so it was an easy and fast read, though I could probably re-read it at a slower pace to make sure I catch all the references.

It was told in alternating POVs from the two main characters, Ana and Zak. I liked how different from each other they appeared to be at first. Zak seemed like a typical laid-back slacker with no real plans for the future. Ana was all about being perfect so she could have the future she wanted. It made for some instant clashing between the two and it was fun to see those negative thoughts turn into respect, friendship, and maybe something a little more. The later into the night and the more time they spent together, the more was revealed about both of their home lives and it showed why they acted the way they were. The interactions between them, both the more sassy ones and the more heartfelt ones, were part of my favourite things about this book.

The plot kept getting more and more over the top, but in a fun way. I found myself wanting to know just how far it go would while still staying within the realm of possibility. Everything that happened to Ana and Zak that night, the whole sequence of events, could seem a bit ridiculous but it was never impossible. Just highly improbable, which fit perfectly with the title. It made for a lot of entertaining laughter.

Overall, a fast but fun read that might have to be read more than once to catch all the geek-related references.