This was a fantastic read. I greatly enjoy the fact that while Mr. Locke’s plots move at a brisk pace, his ability to world-build, and make scenes come alive, never wavers or suffers. The reader is pulled deep within the story, and resurfaces at the end of the book asking for more.

I have read different takes on “twins” in stories. Often, those stories suffer for emphasizing either their sameness, or stark individuality, respectively. This was one of the first books where I’ve seen twins on the page that reflected my experience of twins in life. I became invested in Sean and Dillon’s relationship with each other and with those around them. It all felt real, and progression we see between them, natural. It was a highlight of the book for me.

I am so eager to dive back into this world and see what new adventures and mysteries await. I highly recommend you do as well!

I received a review copy of this work from the publisher through NetGalley.

I've read the Fault Lines series by this author and thought it was ok, but this new series is too juvenile for me. I just couldn't continue with this book, and I have the sequel too which I am not even going to attempt to read. This is not just YA, this is children's fiction. There are crushes and teenaged angst. The premise of the book seems very tired. Seventeen year old (they seem younger) twins have some special gift and are singled out for training by a mysterious alien. There is a big, super important mission that only they can perform. They are taught a new language (in their sleep) and are given combat training, which they use to save a damsel in distress in their high school. The writing is very simplistic. "He was leaving school behind the wheel of a new SXT, after rescuing the girl he had no business even talking to, and hearing the principal say his school hours had just been cut by 60 percent." I gave up without ever getting to their mission. I am not the target audience for this book. Thirteen year olds might love it.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Recruits is a great adventure set in what feel like real worlds, they have been so well thought out and executed, as has the story line which is imaginative and thought provoking. you become one with the twins and their adventures. This is a well written book and I look forward to reading the next one in the series.

It took me the entire month of April to finish this book, and I’m not sure why. The action scenes were well-written, the dynamic between Sean and Dillon was honest, but still entertaining, and the ending was wrapped up nicely. There were little things throughout the book that didn’t capture my attention quite like they should have, which is why I’m not giving it five stars, only four. However, if you’re on the fence about reading Recruits, I’d definitely recommend it.

In the book Recruits, author Thomas Locke follows the twin brothers Sean and Dillion as they discover another word outside their known reality. This is a great fast paced sci-fi story with earth not even being the center of the alliance of planets but an outlying planet that refuses to join. I look forward to the continuing adventures of the brothers as they learn more about their abilities and continue to protect their new found reality!
I would recommend this book! I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! It starts out by sharing a dream that two twin 17 year old boys, Dillon and Sean have been working on for 10 years! They have both been making drawings of a futuristic train station that EAS made of a twisted tube and glass trains in it that traveled on the walls and ceilings!
The boys meet a new neighbor, Carver, who sports a jagged scar across his jawline and a friendly demeanor.
Carver invites the boys over and he tells them that they have been chosen as recruits from their planet, (a rare occurrence as only one other person from their planet had been chosen as a recruit) because they contacted Carver and his associates by drawing the train station and expanding on it.
Carver then does something unreal - he tells them that the wall in front of them is a portal and he walks through it!
He reappears and tells them that he wants to now if the seed implanted in each human will bear fruit and he puts an invisible leash on Sean and tells him to pass through the wall and he will draw them back.
Sean goes through and he knows that his life will never be the same, he sees their train station come to life almost exactly as He and his brother drew it! Then he sees a black man who looks threatening and he gives him a rude gesture as he is leaving.
He helps Dillon go through the portal and when Dillon returns the man he saw in the train station is there and he tells the boys he does not want them as recruits and that they will not pass the test - he will make sure they fail, as he is the "Examiner."
The boys have many adventures, they are hunted by aliens, and they learn what their destiny is, you'll have to read this book for yourselves to find out!

I love that Davis Bunn is exploring the Thomas Locke facet of his imagination. We are being exposed to his fascinating expertise as a writer outside of the Christian fiction genre; a genre in which he is highly accomplished. I was first introduced to his work under the pen name Thomas Locke with his epic fiction series Legends of the Realm. Then his technothriller series Fault Lines. Now Bunn is conquering science fiction with Recruits. I’m ecstatic! Geez… gush much?!

Recruits is a book that I didn’t want to put down, yet simultaneously didn’t want to reach the end of. I found myself forcefully putting the book aside so that I wouldn’t end it too soon; you know… in order to spread out the enjoyment. It ended too soon!

In Recruits, the characters have rich, dynamic, and sometimes complicated relationships. The characters are real… engaging. Locke drew me wholeheartedly into their lives. These relationships, the challenges, and the choices being thrust before the twins, Sean and Dillon, are excellent lessons in living real life. This book is geared towards teens and young adults. I wholeheartedly recommend that you buy a copy for your favorite teen or young adult and feel good about it.

Recruits is filled with adventure throughout truly creative worlds. The concept encompassing the both literal and figurative world-building is ingenious. Parallel universes have long been a component of science fiction as have portals between them, yet I found the application of these two concepts in Recruits to feel fresh, not trite.

Recruits is excellent science fiction that I have no qualms about giving a 5-star rating to. If you either love science fiction or are wanting to metaphorically tip your toes into the genre, Recruits is a book that I recommend that you read.

As a reviewer for NetGalley, I received a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. My thanks to NetGalley, the author, and publisher.

Recruits is an elaborate novel abounding in fantasy and fun. Two brothers come into new gift - they can transfer between worlds - well in the other world they became recruits to the Planetary Assembly -developing their gifts itself created an incredible evil that they now have to try and defeat and if they don't that evil could destroy the entire human race - Mr. Locke has quite the imagination - this book is intense and dangerous.......he brings out the Christian theme of good vs. evil - and that there are two worlds - our realm and the Spiritual realm. Awesome book.

This is a great book with a ton of potential for a long series. The world building is complex and clever; the plot is so well thought out it dragged you into the book and didn’t let you go until the last word.

An out of this world Fantasy adventure that will leave the reader aching for more!

Sean and Dillon Kirrel are twin brothers who have always enjoyed looking into the possibilities of other worlds. So much in fact, that they have sketched out what one might look like. Shortly after they turn seventeen, they are approached by a man telling them he is interested in them for a potential job. It turns out that he is looking to them for a unique gift they have, the ability to transition between worlds, including the one they have sketched and imagined. He shows them how to transition between the different worlds and it is quickly clear that the twins are destined for great things in this world and beyond.

I haven’t read much science fiction, just not my go-to books, but the way Thomas Locke writes I think I might just have to add more to my pile. Recruits was a very interesting story. For the most part, the story is set on Earth, and the times it is on another planet. In this book, we don’t see enough of the planet to need a large amount of setup for the location. And even though it talks about many different planets, it is mostly dealing with humans so you are not having to picture all kinds of different beings, except towards the end. The writing was quick and clean without a lot of unnecessary information to slow down the story which I appreciated.

There were a few aspects that did leave me scratching my head. The twins are basically on their own at seventeen. Their parent’s lack of involvement is explained but I didn’t totally buy it. Additionally, the ending tied up all the loose ends and all but I didn’t feel it left it open well enough with suspense for the next in the series. It also felt like there wasn’t enough closure and explanation; it was almost like, BAM finished. The attack at the end could have been played out with a little more explanation. Overall it was a very enjoyable read and fans of Science fiction and Fantasy are sure to love it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.