The more serious moments of introspection and struggling with feelings were touching. The banter, hilarious observations and comedic interjections had me in stitches. Deoul does an incredible job of bringing the reader along on Sid’s journey through her inner monologues. The story is written in first person narration style from the perspective of Sid, a sharp and snarky teenager with a heart of gold. This is a very fast paced book so hold on tight.

Deoul has made the amazing characters from the first book in the series, even more appealing and engaging in the second book. All of this while banding together to solve the mystery of the cyber-attack on Vik. I really enjoyed the realistic trials and triumphs the group of teens experienced while trying to navigate hormones, school pressures, family and coming to terms with who they are. And they all mature a little more as the story moves along. Her friends are still loyal, supportive and witty. Sid is still hyper intelligent, loyal and full of hilarious observations. Zero Sum Game sees the return of the same cast of awesome and diverse characters from the first book, along with a new addition, Ze. But when the friends uncover the motive behind cyber theft, they discover the stakes are much higher than just Vik’s gamer status. Unwilling to let the attack go, Sid decides she is going to get to the bottom of this crime.

A leader in the online game Contagion, Vik had amassed an impressive arsenal of trophies, tools and bonuses and he is crushed after years of his hard work is gone in an instant. But the celebration of their regained freedom is short-lived when Vik discovers he’s been hacked. Their school is entering a prestigious Robotics competition and joining the team means relief from their current restrictions. Until Vikram discovers a way to escape their torment. They have been forced to endure three weeks of torture in the form of cafeteria lunches and the embarrassment of being seniors lumped in with the underclass masses, and no end appears to be in sight. Grounded for engaging in some pretty amazing sleuthing (albeit a little too risky in the opinion of their parental units), the friends are now confined to school grounds. It is a young adult mystery that is crammed full of sarcasm, MMORPGs and of course, intrigue.Ĭonsequences are the worst! ‘Lesbionic brainiac’ Sid and her close-knit group of friends are suffering some major fallout from their last adventure. Zero Sum Game by Stefani Deoul is the second book in the Sid Rubin Silicon Alley Adventure Series.

Zero sum game novel