This review originally posted at More Than Just Magic 
 Are You Afraid of the Dark was a major part of my childhood so when I saw D J MacHale's name on Sylo I knew I had to read it. 
 Sylo is a fascinating read. A mysterious virus. A quarantined island. A secret branch of the navy. It would be hard not to get into this story. And of course, with a set up like that, there are going to be some secrets. Sylo has a lot of great twists. You never know quite who to trust. Those who seemed like the "good guys" end up doing something unexpected. Same goes for the "bad guys." No one is who they appear to be and you have no idea what direction the story is going to go in next. 
 I also liked that Sylo revolved around a whole cast of characters rather than I single ultra-brave protagonist. It kind of reminded me of Teen Wolf - there may be a main character but every single character is important and you grow attached to all of them in their own special ways. The writing style is very simple and easy to follow. There was nothing flowery or fancy about it. All very straight forward. 
 I had a few small issues. Nothing major, and nothing that would really keeping me from recommending this book to the right audience. Tucker - our main protagonist - felt a little naive to me. It always seemed to take him a little too catch up with what was going on. To be fair he's a young boy who's spent most of time life on an island but still... 
 Second issue - Cliffhanger! *shakes fist* I am not a fan of the cliffhanger ending. I think even in a series each book should have a self contained arc. Sylo does not. Very few answers are provided by the end of the book, which I personally find frustrating. However, I know others don't feel this way about cliffhangers. Just a matter of personal preference. 
 Recommendation: The straight forward writing style and male point-of-view will make this a great read for younger, male teens. Sylo is a fun read that will leave you asking questions and wanting more.