W.A.R.P.: A Reluctant Assassin by Eoin Colfer

Riley, a teen orphan boy living in Victorian London, has had the misfortune of being apprenticed to Albert Garrick, an illusionist who has fallen on difficult times and now uses his unique conjuring skills to gain access to victims' dwellings. On one such escapade, Garrick brings his reluctant apprentice along and urges him to commit his first killing. Riley is saved from having to commit the grisly act when the intended victim turns out to be a scientist from the future, part of the FBI's Witness Anonymous Relocation Program (WARP) Riley is unwittingly transported via wormhole to modern day London, followed closely by Garrick.

In modern London, Riley is helped by Chevron Savano, a nineteen-year-old FBI agent sent to London as punishment after a disastrous undercover, anti-terrorist operation in Los Angeles. Together Riley and Chevie must evade Garrick, who has been fundamentally altered by his trip through the wormhole. Garrick is now not only evil, but he also possesses all of the scientist's knowledge. He is determined to track Riley down and use the timekey in Chevie's possession to make his way back to Victorian London where he can literally change the world.

W.A.R.P : A Reluctant Assassin by Eoin Colfer was a charged and fascinating novel that took place across time and space in a fast paced manner. Certainly not for young children, this novel dives into the dirty places of Victorian England and brings back a horrendous villain who craves violence and death like no other. I have read all of Eoin Colfer's young adult novels and a couple of his adult books, but I was still a little shocked by the amount of description and the level of violence that existed in this novel. I still enjoyed the novel, but I would not recommend that very young children or anyone looking for a tame fantasy novel read this book. However, despite this issue, I did like the fast paced action of WARP, and the suspense and plot twists that filled its pages. The characters of Riley and Chevron were very realistic and were not angels by any means. They each had their share of flaws but also had considerable strengths, as they discovered throughout the course of the novel. The villain, Garrick is the epitome of both evil as well as a scientific genius, due to his travels through the wormhole. He is the perfect foil to Chevron and Riley, and at many times during the novel it appears that he will overcome them without any question. Overall, I enjoyed WARP and found it hard to put down. I look forward to seeing if Eoin Colfer will write a follow-up novel as he ended this book with the potential for a sequel.

I received this novel from NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.