Book Review: Halifax by Leigh Dunlap

When the Halifax siblings arrive at Lexham Academy, they don't seem any more or less odd than any other students. They have more important things to do, however, than take exams or find dates for the prom. They have aliens to kill. With the help of his sister Izzy and brother Rom, Farrell Halifax has to stop an escaped alien and save the Earth --- though that's hard to do when the captain of the basketball team is after you and you're falling in love with his cheerleader girlfriend --- who may or may not be an alien herself. Halifax is a teen Torchwood meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer --- with a little bit of The Breakfast Club thrown into the mix. (From Goodreads)

Best Bits: What an action packed read! The reader is thrown right into the swing of things as the first scene depicts Farrell chasing an alien. It must be a stressful job, but at least it's helped the siblings master the art of snark. I wasn't expecting a suspenseful read, but there were quite a few surprises and twists as the story went on. Some of them involved the alien on the loose, and some involving the siblings themselves. I was itching to know more about them, since Dunlap left little clues that something about them was different...aside from the whole alien hunter thing. 

It's rare that a YA book doesn't focus too heavily on romance, and I'm happy to say that this one didn't. It was a great story without any of the tiny hints of attraction getting out of hand and taking over the whole plot. Huzzah. Can you tell I'm a little tired with love triangles? I really appreciated the fact that Dunlap allowed it to take a backseat...but I suppose if the world could potentially end it probably wouldn't be the first thing on their minds. 

Nit Picks: This one was short, and it left a lot open at the end. Yes, the immediate threat of an alien destroying the earth is resolved, but there's a lot I still don't know about Farrell, Rom, and Izzy (and I want to know it!). 

Halifax
By Leigh Dunlap
Self-published
136 Pages
Received for Review
Rating: B