Except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not one single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened.
Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day.
It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else...
Michael Grant puts a new spin on what could possibly be called an overused topic. What if all the adults just disappeared? Sam and his friends are about to find out when he and the other town kids are thrown into a new world, the FAYZ (Fallout Alley Youth Zone). Nothing is as it was. Some kids have changed, developed strange powers, and now the kids have to fight to establish a new world order and find a way to beat the worst enemy of all... turning 15, in which they will 'poof' just like everyone else.
Everyone looks up to Sam and want him to take control and assure them that he will get them out of the FAYZ, but Sam doesn't see himself as a leader, he doesn't want to grow up that fast. It's only after the kids from the local boarding school, Coates comes in and takes over the town and he sees they have to be stopped. Now, Sam has to find a way to defeat the one in control, Caine while at the same time try and find a way to survive past his 15th birthday which is only in a few days time.
Grant has delivered a great, thrilling adventure. He throws his teenage heroes into turmoil that no kids want (even though most would love it) to face, a world without parents. There is none stop action from the moment everything starts until the end. All the characters are well developed and the story is told from different perspectives so that all the story is revealed. Even though it's a long story at over 550 pages it really kept me reading from beginning to end, hoping that there'll be more, now I'll just have to wait until I read the next in the series (Hunger).
Cover: I sometimes like the minimalist approach, but I really didn't know much about this story, espcially from the cover. When I initially heard about this story I thought it was 'another one of those' parents disappearing novels. Some of the other covers I found would have definitely told me more about the story, urging me to read it sooner.
Plot: 4/5 stars
Ending: 4.5/5 stars
Cover: 3/5 stars
Overall: 4/5 stars
recommend: For those that love Heroes (the tv show), Lord of the Flies, Tomorrow When the War Began
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4 comments:
cool review - i've been waiting to see a review of this so i could decide if i wanted to read it or not - sorry for the terrible puctuation, my shift or caps lock isn't working
Wow, the stakes are high and the clock is ticking--fast! Sounds like a thrilling read. Thanks for the review.
I plan to put a teaser up about the blogfest in a few days. Still looking forward to it.
This sounds awesome! I agree, the cover leaves more to be desired--but it sounds like the book delivers!
This sounds like a really cool read. I'm definitely check it out.
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