SYNOPSIS: GRANTED superpowers by the mysterious Fall virus that has put so many in an irreversible coma and chased by the rogue international agency HIDRA, mind-controller Sarah and her band of super-powers kids are in hiding. And they're not the only ones. Given the power of invisibility by the virus, Alex has committed one bank robbery too many - now the police are on his trail. And somewhere out in the desert an old enemy is biding his time. But from the distant wilds of Russia comes an unexpected offer to help. A mysterious stranger claims to know the truth about the virus. But the truth can be a very dangerous thing. Sequel to Meteorite Strike.

REVIEW
by Tom Rouse
Published by Usbourne Books, ISBN: 978-1409520184, paperback, RRP £5.99

In Meteor Strike the enemy was human and understandable, but as the title suggests, Alien Storm adds in a healthy dash of extra-terrestrial mystery.. The super-powered heroes find themselves going up against a Russian billionaire and his mysterious, malevolent alien backer.

The plot twists and turns as you would expect from any novel of this kind, with just enough action to keep young readers interested in the often lengthy description and background material. It rarely drags, although at times the scenes feel a fraction too long with the author attempting to mine every bit of action and emotion from almost every event.

Sarah is the driving force not only of the group but of the whole plot and her character undergoes significant growth, the sometimes reluctant hero of the first novel is replaced by a driven motivated leader, determined to do what is best, not only for the children, but the world.

The growth shown by Sarah is disappointingly not present in any of the other super-powered children from the first book. Instead they are reduced to a supporting cast, with only Octavio showing hints of character development at the end. New hero Alex is fleshed out just enough to make him believable, but the lack of time to develop his character means the audience never truly empathise with him.