The Doomsday Box by Herbie Brennan (Shadow Project #2)

Opal, Michael, and Danny return in another Shadow Project adventure. This one adds time travel to their astral projection abilities and a new member is added, Fuchsia, who has her own special abilities. The crew partners with the CIA to try and prevent a modern day outbreak of the black plague. The mission sends them back in time to the Soviet Union in 1962 at the height of the Cold War, where they must outwit the KGB and a mole in the CIA to prevent nuclear war.

This will appeal to fans of teen spy adventures, like the Alex Rider or CHERUB series. The kids are sent off on their mission almost immediately and the reader is immersed into non-stop action. I was uncomfortable with the nonchalant way the group acted while in the USSR. I mean, if they are trying not to be noticed, why yell out in English in Red Square? Oh well, it probably will bother me more than other readers. I loved the Epilogue, as it's such a perfect ending. I just wish the end of the mission didn't seem so rushed. I wanted more explanation and I wasn't totally satisfied with how the case was completed. I can't really say much more without spoilers. Overall, a satisfactory read and I know that fans of the first Shadow Project book will be pleased with this one. B- rating

The Shadow Project by Herbie Brennan

When Danny discovers the old house he breaks into is actually the base of a secret spy organization called the Shadow Project, he's given a choice of either joining the group or going to jail. Of course, he chooses to join. This group is using experimental techniques to have teens use a form of astral projection to spy on a terrorist group. Opal, the daughter of the leader of the Shadow Project, doesn't return after her latest spying mission, and Danny is sent to find her and bring her back. What happens next is a game of cat and mouse set among the spirit world, where Danny must hunt down one of the leaders of the terrorist group.

The Shadow Project has one of the best openings of any book I've read in a long while. The first chapter has Danny discovering the secret entrance to the Shadow Project's underground base. The author tightens the tension so that you're hooked by the time Danny is captured by the project's members. Unfortunately, it begins to ramble after that, and doesn't fulfill its promise. I actually found parts in the middle boring and I really wanted to skip a few pages or chapters to find out the conclusion. I held out and forced myself to keep reading, and yes a few times, I caught a glimpse of that earlier promise. Not enough to completely redeem the book, though. I've read better spy stories (Alex Rider) and better stories featuring astral projection (Stranger with My Face). My grade? A 'C'.