Review: Camp Alien by Gini Koch (@GiniKoch)

Camp Alien

Katherine Katt, #13
Gini Koch

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: DAW
Date of Publication: May 3, 2016
Number of pages: 599
Cover Artist: Daniel Dos Santos

Available at the following retailers:
Amazon     BN     Kobo     OmniLit

The President and First Lady, aka Jeff and Kitty Katt-Martini, don’t get any downtime once the Mastermind has been revealed to the world. Not only do they have myriad high-level government positions to fill, but the scrutiny and pressure on this Administration has gone into overdrive.

The sudden reappearance of a long-forgotten adversary turns out to be the tip of the iceberg. New robots and androids attacking, old enemies making new alliances, and new aliens with interesting abilities almost overshadow the fact that the U.S. still has to host a peace summit at Camp David between Israel and Iraq. It’s clear that while the Mastermind may be down, there are plenty of others ready to take his place—and all that stands between them and success are Kitty and Company.

Kidnappings, rescues, creepy hideouts, a hidden black site, and a domestic dispute that could end Jeff and Kitty’s marriage are nothing compared to finding not one but two hidden labs where dangerous and deadly things are brewing.

But when the President and his entourage finally get to the peace talks, things are no better. Mossad rightly suspects something’s wrong with both their Prime Minister and the President of Iraq. A hidden in-control superbeing, an android replacement, and an army of Fem-Bots turn the peace talks into a Battle Royale that the team might not actually survive. And if they don’t make it, Earth won’t make it, either.

But no pressure.

This series has been a favorite of mine since I binge read books 2-7.  (Yeah, they were that good.) Since then, I wait with baited breath for the next book to be released, then inhale it as quickly as I can.  This time, I got it early and, I ain't gonna lie, jumped the book out of my pre-planned order and read it in one sitting. That's right folks, I stayed up way past my bedtime reading this book. And no shame in my game, I enjoyed every minute of it.

So. Things have come along way since the first book and if you haven't read anything else in the series, this is a horrible place to start. Not that you couldn't mind, but why would you? This is an Urban Fantasy Series, not a stand alone, and the events in prior books have shaped both the characters and the over all story line. So do yourself a favor, and start at the beginning.... Or at least closer to the beginning than book 13.

This book continues showcasing big, bold, over the top plots and situations, full of action, snappy, witty dialogue and even comes complete with it's own awesome soundtrack. The cherry on top? We have some seriously strong female characters, in this series.  And I'm talking besides the titular heroine, Katherine Katt. Can it be cheesy at times? Damn straight. But that's part of it's undeniable charm. This was a 5 star read for me, and I am sure it will stay that way when I re-read it. Because I always find something that I missed that first reading. For me, there's no bigger compliment of a writer when upon a reread I find things I missed on the first go round.

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review the book.