Hit the Ground Running is a fun thriller with an interesting subject at its heart and a plot to go with it. On the other hand, I was a bit too disturbed by the writing, the semi-constant info-dumping, to be precise, to truly enjoy the story. This goes mostly but not exclusively for the beginning chapters. It is quite hard to get into the events when the story is interrupted to dump a whole paragraph about some of the background events that could've stayed in the background. I honestly don't think we couldn't go without knowing who exactly the girl (Tess?) is and the background of their relationship, which is nonexistent at that point. The author must have had the same idea, because after a while, the details start to be given within dialogues, which is an awesome idea, except they read about the same way as the info-dumping chapters. If I didn't have so much trouble with this detail, my rating would easily be a 4/5. I'm sorry.

I wasn't in love with the rest either, as there is also the plague of YA novels, the insta-love that I hated along with the fact that Eric has done literally everything he was told not to do, has gone as far as to basically recruit others that he had no way of knowing if he could trust... but I'll blame the characters being teenagers for that.

Apart from that, or rather, those, it was an enjoyable read. While there were predictable scenes, there were also ones that I definitely didn't except. Most of all, I wanted to know more about that civilization and other myths. I'll have to say, the background of the story intrigued me far more than the story itself.

Overall, 3.25/5.

This is definitely a one sitting read, once you start you will not put this book down.
Highly entertaining, this story is full of action and enough suspense to be a page turner with a perfect cliffhanging ending.
The story has a little bit of everything to appeal to YA readers.
Cant wait to get my hands on the second installment.
Praise Mark Burley for magnificent story.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. I'll admit that at first, I found this story hard to get into. The first half dragged on a little bit, but it took a turn.That made me want to keep reading and now I can't wait for Books 2 & 3 of the trilogy.


This book is about a freerunner, whose parents go missing. He discovers his brother has sent him a video which shows himself getting abducted as well. He sets off to find them with a classmate of his and adventure takes over. Essentially it's a thriller with a mix of sci-fi fantasy. It sounds weird, but, if you read it, you will understand what I'm talking about.

A slow paced thriller but entertaining.

The story revolves around Eric and his friends in search for his parents who are said to be abducted. And not just the parents but also his brother, Michael vanishes after sending a video message to Eric , asking him to be careful.

Thus follows the narrative of the discovery of their abduction and a reason behind it.

This story was all new in its plot as it dealt with regeneration and mystery intertwined.
Not only that the plot was interesting and fast paced but the characters were also well written.

Moreover, it followed the theme of family and its worth. The action of an individual to be able to go beyond its limit in search for the person he/ she loves.

Subsiding it's seriousness , this story also owns some comical dialogues; which actually brings smile to the readers face the events get touch.

Main and side role characters are very well written.

Though the use of technology reaches a height which at some point of time isn't comprehensible.
Also, the plot felt a bit out of context sometimes.

The writing is simple but technical. It is informative to a certain level when it talks about culture.
It might seem hard to get hold of first 50 ( fifty pages ) but once you are in , you're in.
All in all the book is well written and can be a good read when you feel like you need a tiny bit of suspence in your reading taste alongside all the contemporary fiction that you are into.

A well written thriller with a tinge of archaeology.

It's an action packed adventurous read, full of intrigue, mystery, and some drama. I quite enjoyed reading it. All the characters are amazing and story is very well-written. It also has a paranormal aspect to it, which makes it all the more interesting. It's a first book in the series and ends with happy-for-now situation.
Eric doesn't like the fact that he has to move to another country, leaving his friends behind. But he is trying to adjust in his new school. That's when he receives a mysterious video which changes his life. Now he must find his brother, as well as, his parents, while trying to stay out of trouble himself. There are people looking for him and he will need friends to help him out.
Tess has always wondered about Eric from afar. Now that he confided in her, she wants to help him out. She likes him and won't take no for an answer. So as long as it takes to find his family she will stay with him. He needs her, besides she has excellent acting skills and can talk her way out of difficult situations. Eric is in a very tough situation right now. Fortunately for him she even knows two siblings who can make their task a lot less difficult. Hence with the help from their friends both Eric and Tess leave school to find his family.
It won't be easy, there will be many obstacles, they will meet many people, some foes and some friends, but in any case they must keep trying. Eric is his family's only hope and he is willing to risk everything to find them.
It's a must read for YA readers, especially if you like action and adventure, along with mystery. This book is a whole package. I loved it!

I did not know this was the first book in a series, so there is a cliffhanger at the end. Arrgh! Not a deal breaker, because I did enjoy reading this book. The story begins when Eric Baker receives a cryptic message from his brother, Micheal, that their parents have disappeared, and he's going to try and find them. Then Michael disappears, leaving Eric to finish the task. With few clues, and even fewer people to trust, Eric sets off to find his missing family. What follows is an action packed story surrounding a mystery involving a life and death secret from a lost civilization that could change the world. Although this is a YA book, the plot kept me engrossed throughout, so I would recommend for older audiences to enjoy also.

This was an entertaining read, although there were some strange aspects I wasn't expecting. I like the MC (a lot), and I liked his unusual skills (as well as his surprising knowledge). The mystical aspects were unusual, and although I think they were woven in pretty well, I still found them a little weird throughout. I also thought the MC's love interest was...not as fully developed (or revealed?) as I would have liked. Still, this is clearly the first book in a series, so I will look for the next one.

I had a hard time getting into this book. I didn't really feel any connection to the characters or the story.

This book was non-stop action with a believable plot and characters. Reading this made me want to run. Unlike most typical action books, however, this one focused a lot on parkour, which is a sport I've long been fascinated by - from a safe, comfortable, lazy distance!

I'd recommend this book for anyone aged 9+. I was drawn into the story right away, and was reluctant to put it down.

I was also happy with the romance - which is a major point for me. It's slow to develop, clean, and not anywhere near resolved by the end of the book, which is great, since I hate when books rush through these things - especially in books for young readers.

For anyone who's read Alex Rider - I'd say this is a similar style, but a in completely unique story.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy though NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was addictive from the first chapter. In some ways it reads like the 39 Clues, and in some ways it reads like Conspiracy 365 by Gabrielle Lord. Or another way to maybe describe it would be a cross between a young Jack Ryan, Jason Bourne and Indiana Jones. And I do not throw out those three names lightly. This book has action, adventure, anthropology, archaeology and a mixing in of various mythologies and legends.

This book begins with Eric Bakker getting a video message from his older brother, it begins with "Eric-Mom and Dad are gone. I don't know what happened, but I'm going to find out." And ends with the sounds of a gunshot after a chase. And it seems like it is up to Eric to figure it out. Eric is at a new school in Canada, he has not made any friends yet, he has not even really tried. But between this message and his own uneasiness soon he finds he is relying on people he has just met and in much deeper than he ever expected.

In this first volume in the Hit The Ground Running Trilogy the action goes up and down the west coast, and then the climax is in Montana. Eric is our main protagonist but his new friend who joins him on the adventure is Tess Edwards, and she draws into their circle two geniuses Seth and Lakey Sawatzky. While Eric and Tess are gallivanting from Victoria to San Francisco and back the Lakey's are manning the computers, enhancing videos and photos and breaking into secure networks to help their friends out.

But this story is more than just grand adventure. There is a lot of internal dialogue as Eric tries to figure things out. Why he made the decisions he has made. How he is processing what is going on now. But there are some serious thugs, a very rich eccentric maybe bordering on madman, and some unknown forces all at play on the board. Soon Eric must make a choice about who to trust, even though his brother said to trust no one. For Eric is running out of options, all the key people he knew his parents trusted cannot be reached. So after figuring out where his brother is being held, and hoping his parents are there also, he must risk it all on a daring rescue.

The characters in this story are great. In fact the characters are one of the greatest strengths in the novel. But the pace of the action is also excellent, and the descriptions during some of the chase scenes, especially Eric's parkour, is thrilling and really helps transport the reader into the action. I average over 100 books a year, and this is an excellent fiction read. I know the marketing is towards the Young Adult but I am planning on giving it to my father who is 70 this year because I know he will love it. A great book and I look forward to the rest of the series!

Hit the Ground Running is the first in a mystery and action series with a touch of fantasy and is suitable for YA and up.

Eric feels abandoned. After being sent off to a new school in a different country with no good explanation, he feels cast aside. One morning he receives a video text from his brother saying that his parents have been abducted. The footage also reveals his brother under attack by an unknown assailant. Eric is thrown into a state of panic as his brother has said to trust no one. Can he go off and find his family on his own though? Luckily help arrives in the form of drama student Tess and her quirky twin friends who are fearless and are willing to dive in head first to help out. They soon find that they have landed in an adventure that is way bigger than they anticipated and the danger may prove to be just too much to handle. Along the way Eric discovers secrets about his family and a shock about himself. The clock is ticking however, and the enemy lies just around the corner...

This was a fantastic YA book. I loved the twins whacky characters and their attitude to life. The relationship between Tess and Eric is an interesting one and I hope it gets resolved in later books. The parkour aspect as well as some information on its history was a welcome learning experience and the addition of myths and legends and creatures coming back from the dead was a good solid base for the story. One or two small editing mistakes cropped up but not enough to deter from the thrilling action.

I highly recommend this book for YA and up and loved the way it leads into the next one. Buckle up because a fast paced adventure awaits you!

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of the book.

I'm sorry to say that I was unable to get through this book, I hope that someone else enjoys this book more than I did.