Title:  Expropriation: The Encounter

Author: Derek Goneke

Genre: Science Fiction

* I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.*

Book Review | Expropriation: The Encounter by Derek Goneke

Plot

The book is a contemporary sci-fi story set in America. We meet Jonah who is an aspiring writer, he works at a furniture store in Colorado. When Jonah goes camping with his co-workers as part of a team-building exercise, they encounter Alien life. Now Jonah has to team up with a team of experts to find out the truth about the mystery behind the Alien spaceship.
Featuring CIA agents, underground facilities, and government coverups, Expropriation: The Encounter takes you on an adventure through this x-files setting.

This was a good fast-paced sci-fi adventure. Started out slow but gradually build up in tension and the stakes get higher and higher. Maybe lacking a bit of humor for me but It's okay considering the intense circumstances our characters find themselves in.

The Characters

I already mentioned Jonah, the main character. Jonah is one of the few who actually believes in extraterrestrials. Though Jonah is quite naive wasn't sure what he was getting himself into, he managed to overcome crazy situations along his journey exploring the Alien spacecraft and I admired his bravery through it all.

Something that was missing for me is that I wanted Jonah to interact with the other characters more. Though he did have a connection with Trina, I would have liked to see him interact more with Lena or Derek.

Lena Bhatt is an expert in excavating meteors who travels around the world. The CIA asks her to be a consultant as the group goes on the mission to explore the Aelin spaceship. Lena was by far my favorite character in the story! The fact that she was a scientist and how she spoke, her calm and calculated attitude is what made me like her and connect with the most.

One character I didn't care for as much was Derek, he is a skilled marksman stuck working a desk job until he gets a phone call to join the team on the exploration mission. I wasn't that interested in his marital problems and he has a questionable past.
I don't want to give any spoilers so I'll just say that I like how Derek's wife got back into the story towards the end, It was a cool little twist I wasn't expecting.

In conclusion

I loved the setting of the book is in a town in Colorado, the descriptions were very well written and I definitely could immerse myself in the world.

There were a few small downsides that are important enough to call attention to. Firstly, the story focused more on the government conspiracy and coverup aspect and less about the Aliens which was a little disappointing to me because I wanted to know more about the Aliens and how and why they interacted with the humans, maybe this is something which will be explored more In the second book.
Second, towards the end of the book, most of the storylines were separated and I would have liked to see some of the characters interact again even after the mission was over. I missed the group dynamic.


I’d recommend this for anyone looking for a fun, short sci-fi story. It's perfect if you love x-files, Roswell, or any other Aelin focused books or stories.

Rating: 4/5