Maisie Brown enters a contest for a week at space camp. Teams at camp train for missions with the top team earning a trip up the space elevator to an asteroid. While in space the five teens are exposed to funky alien objects, each wiggling its way under the skin and invading the body resulting in super powers. Maisie’s power is ‘techno’ so that she can instantly understand mechanics and invents devices like jumping boots. Several teens develop specific powers that make each nearly undefeatable. Things go awry, teammates die, and Maisie’s heart is broken with betrayal. It turns out that aliens are invading the earth and it is up to Maisie to halt the invasion.

This is something of a departure for the author. I very much enjoy her earlier works that are based on folktales. Dangerous is not my favorite book of Hale’s and it is not that I was expecting another folktale. The story flows, characters are clearly developed and the action is almost non-stop. However, I feel the superpower genre is overcrowded. While Maisie is a likeable character who struggles with massive betrayals and a heck of a mission, the alien aspect is a tad off. Still, teen readers who crave more and more in this genre should enjoy this venture.

NetGalley review Publication date 3.4.14