The Set-Up by Sophie McKenzie

REVIEWED BY TALIA STONE

The Set-Up by Sophie McKenzie is about a boy named Nico, a typical cocky, charismatic teenager. His best friend and the girl of his dreams, Ketty just out of reach and taken by a boy named Billy Martin and soon after a boy named Ed and his school principle and teacher happens to be his unkind stepdad Fergus Fox. Nico’s life may not have been perfect, but he was certainly not expecting to be part of a science experiment called the Medusa Gene where he would soon get the “super power” of telekinesis along with 3 other unknowns with other super human abilities.
When Nico finds out about his telekinesis his stepdad quickly tells him that “the power” he has is evil and that it should not be used. But Nico’s curiosity got the best of him. He soon met up with Dylan, a spunky red head teenage girl that all the boys had their eyes on, who to Nico’s surprise also had the medusa gene but in the form of never being able to get harmed. Later he met Jack Lindon, a serious man who seemed quite sincere in helping Nico improve in his power.
Over the course of the story you find out that though Jack Lindon tells Nico that he is trying to help improve his telekinesis, he is actually trying to sell Nico and his power to an evil man studying the science of the Medusa Gene. As Jack helps in “teaching” Nico more about his power, Nico becomes more and more obsessed with using his power to get the girl of his dreams Ketty.
When he soon finds out that Ed, Ketty’s boyfriend has the Medusa Gene too Nico manages to get Ketty, Ed and himself into a lot of trouble. While locked in a small tight room together scared and afraid of what will happen next they are soon sent to a science laboratory. Unsure of how to get out Fergus Fox comes to the rescue.
Overall, The Set-Up has a mischievous, sneaky and spooky plot that keeps you hooked all the way through to the end. The moral of The Set-Up would have to be to listen to and respect your elders and when they give you advice they are most likely doing it to help you. The book made me think about how people can mislead you and though they seem very nice you shouldn’t get too close and give out personal information to strangers. The title, The Set-Up fits the book perfectly as it is about how Jack was supposedly helping Nico, but turned out to set him up into Jack’s trap. I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars because at times the book was a bit confusing but overall a must read!