The Disasters
M.K. England
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Published: December 2018 (HarperTeen)
Rating: 
The Breakfast Club meets Guardians of the Galaxy in this YA sci-fi adventure by debut author M. K. England.
Hotshot pilot Nax Hall has a history of making poor life choices. So it’s not exactly a surprise when he’s kicked out of the elite Ellis Station Academy in less than twenty-four hours. But Nax’s one-way trip back to Earth is cut short when a terrorist group attacks the Academy.
Nax and three other washouts escape—barely—but they’re also the sole witnesses to the biggest crime in the history of space colonization. And the perfect scapegoats.
On the run, Nax and his fellow failures plan to pull off a dangerous heist to spread the truth. Because they may not be “Academy material,” and they may not even get along, but they’re the only ones left to step up and fight.
Full of high-stakes action, subversive humor, and underdogs becoming heroes, this YA sci-fi adventure is perfect for fans of Illuminae, Heart of Iron, or the cult classic TV show Firefly and is also a page-turning thrill ride that anyone—not just space nerds—can enjoy.
This is one of those books that popped up on my radar thanks to the book blog community. When I read the synopsis I was excited to pick it up! Sadly, this book fell short of expectations and I can’t decide if the unsatisfied feeling is from the characters not meshing with the book blurb or that it was due to being “story lite” / young adult. The world building was sufficient, decent pace, the cast boasted a delightful amount of diversity, and the terror plot was an interesting approach. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to sell the story for me.
I was expecting the cadets to be disasters. After all, that is the name of the book and each were denied entrance into the prestigious academy. Instead of being the muck-abouts, or “disasters,” we would expect, they are each prodigies in their respective categories: pilot, navigator, diplomat, medic /resident kick ass. They manage to safely get away from their pursuers and jump to an inhabited world. After this, we follow their antics, most of which consist of planning which can make for a boring read when you go in expecting fire fights. Some may disagree, but I found the triangle romance side story completely unnecessary.
Overall, I enjoyed the intention behind the plot but the characters just didn’t deliver for me. Fans of YA Sci Fi or YA readers with a hankering for something new, but those of us that tend to steer clear of YA may want to sit this one out.
