Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

Title: Monument 14

Author: Emmy Laybourne
Publisher: Hachette Children's Books
Released: June 5th 2012
Pages: 352 (Paperback)
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Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong ...
Fourteen kids stranded inside a superstore. Inside they have everything they could ever need. There's junk food and clothes, computer games and books, drugs and alcohol ... and without adult supervision they can do whatever they want.
Sounds like fun? 

But outside the world is being ripped apart by violent storms and chemicals leaking into the atmosphere that, depending on blood type, leave victims paranoid, violent or dead. 

The kids must remain inside, forced to create their own community, unsure if they'll ever be able to leave. Can they stop the world they've created inside from self-destructing too?

As a kid - and I'm sure I'm not alone in this - I dreamt of being locked up overnight in a superstore. I mean, just imagine all the different items at your disposal (and how many games of The Floor is Lava you could play in the bedroom section); it'd be the best sleepover ever. Laybourne brings this childhood fantasy to life, but with a dark twist: the world outside is suffering from some of the most extreme natural disasters on record, and you are not trapped in the superstore for one night, oh no. You are in there for almost two weeks.

Angelfall by Susan Ee

Title: Angelfall
Author: Susan Ee
Publisher: Hodder
Released: May 21st 2011
Pages: 325 (Paperback)
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It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Travelling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where she'll risk everything to rescue her sister and he'll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

I get the hype. I so totally get the hype. As soon as Angelfall was published, it was all that the blogasphere could talk about - an indie novel that no one could believe was just in eBook form. Earlier this year it finally got released as a physical copy, so I've had this on my shelf for a while. I wish I'd picked it up sooner.

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Title: Allegiant
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: HarperCollins
Released: October 22nd 2013
Pages: 526 (Hardback)
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The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories. 

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love. 

In a way, this feels like the end of an era - and to a certain extent, I guess it is. I've spent the past year anticipating the release of Allegiant after the godsmacker of a cliffhanger Insurgent left us on, and in a weird way, I don't think it could ever live up to whatever expectations I as the reader had - every fan wanted something different to happen, but nothing would ever be quite right for everyone. However, I think that's the difficulty with most trilogies - it will never be the perfect goodbye because we just don't want to let it go.

The Dollhouse Asylum by Mary Gray

Title: The Dollhouse Asylum
Author: Mary Gray
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Release: October 22nd 2013
Pages: 296 (Paperback)
Pre-Order: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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A virus that had once been contained has returned, and soon no place will be left untouched by its destruction. But when Cheyenne wakes up in Elysian Fields--a subdivision cut off from the world and its monster-creating virus--she is thrilled to have a chance at survival.

At first, Elysian Fields,with its beautiful houses and manicured lawns, is perfect. Teo Richardson, the older man who stole Cheyenne's heart, built it so they could be together. But when Teo tells Cheyenne there are tests that she and seven other couples must pass to be worthy of salvation, Cheyenne begins to question the perfection of his world.

The people they were before are gone. Cheyenne is now "Persephone," and each couple has been re-named to reflect the most tragic romances ever told. Everyone is fighting to pass the test, to remain in Elysian Fields. Teo dresses them up, tells them when to move and how to act, and in order to pass the test, they must play along.

If they play it right, then they'll be safe.

But if they play it wrong, they'll die.

I feel like I have been waiting for this since forever! (Alright, it was only since April - but my point still stands!) So when I got it in the post, I literally shrieked with excitement - and I mean full-on, wave-your-hands-in-the-air excitement. Dystopian fiction has been my favourite genre for well over two years now, but despite my love for it, the same initial idea has been done over and over again, so much so that I'm getting kind of sick of it. The best thing about The Dollhouse Asylum is that Gray's idea is completely fresh - I haven't come across another book quite like it.

Forsaken by Jana Oliver

Title: Forsaken
Author: Jana Oliver
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Released: December 13th 2010
Pages: 422 (Paperback)
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Riley Blackthorne just needs a chance to prove herself—and that’s exactly what the demons are counting on...

Seventeen-year-old Riley, the only daughter of legendary Demon Trapper, Paul Blackthorne, has always dreamed of following in her father's footsteps. The good news is, with human society seriously disrupted by economic upheaval and Lucifer increasing the number of demons in all major cities, Atlanta’s local Trappers’ Guild needs all the help they can get—even from a girl. When she’s not keeping up with her homework or trying to manage her growing crush on fellow apprentice, Simon, Riley’s out saving distressed citizens from foul-mouthed little devils – Grade One Hellspawn only, of course, per the strict rules of the Guild. Life’s about as normal as can be for the average demon-trapping teen.

But then a Grade Five Geo-Fiend crashes Riley’s routine assignment at a library, jeopardizing her life and her chosen livelihood. And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, sudden tragedy strikes the Trappers’ Guild, spinning Riley down a more dangerous path than she ever could have imagined. As her whole world crashes down around her, who can Riley trust with her heart—and her life?

Can I just ask what is the genre of this book? Because I don't even know! It's dystopia slash post-apocalyptic slash paranormal slash whatever else! Basically, the concept of Forsaken has never been done before. It takes the normal contemporary-paranormal and puts it into a world that is familiar but only vaguely. The reader is unsure of the rules in this new world and Oliver sweeps you into it with the help of Riley, Beck, Paul and Simon. It's a rollercoaster for the imagination, if nothing else.

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Title: Blood Red Road
Author: Moira Young
Publisher: Marion Lloyd
Released: June 2nd 2011
Pages: 492 (Paperback)
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In a lawless future land, where life is cheap and survival is hard, Saba has been brought up in isolated Silverlake. She never sees the dangers of the destructive society outside. When her twin brother is snatched by mysterious black-robed riders, she sets outon an epic quest to rescue him.

I had this on my TBR list, and I've nearly taken it out of the library a dozen times - but something stopped me, and I still don't know what that was. However, since this was my last chance to take out books from the school, I decided to go for it - and almost immediately regretted it. Roughly 500 pages of kind of colloquial writing and a slow pace? No thanks! But thankfully, I pushed forward, and halfway through and I was addicted! Unlike other dystopian novels, Blood Red Road seems to be a series to look out for.

Breathe by Sarah Crossan

Title: Breathe
Author: Sarah Crossan
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Released: October 2nd 2012
Pages: 384 (Paperback)
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When oxygen levels plunge in a treeless world, a state lottery decides which lucky few will live inside the Pod. Everyone else will slowly suffocate. Years after the Switch, life inside the Pod has moved on. A poor Auxiliary class cannot afford the oxygen tax which supplies extra air for running, dancing and sports. The rich Premiums, by contrast, are healthy and strong. Anyone who opposes the regime is labelled a terrorist and ejected from the Pod to die. Sixteen-year-old Alina is part of the secret resistance, but when a mission goes wrong she is forced to escape from the Pod. With only two days of oxygen in her tank, she too faces the terrifying prospect of death by suffocation. Her only hope is to find the mythical Grove, a small enclave of trees protected by a hardcore band of rebels. Does it even exist, and if so, what or who are they protecting the trees from? A dystopian thriller about courage and freedom, with a love story at its heart.

Plague by Michael Grant

Title: Plague
Author: Michael Grant
Publisher: Egmont
Released: April 5th 2011
Pages: 522 (Hardcover)
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It's been eight months since all the adults disappeared. Gone.

They've survived hunger. They've survived lies. But the stakes keep rising, and the dystopian horror keeps building. Yet despite the simmering unrest left behind by so many battles, power struggles, and angry divides, there is a momentary calm in Perdido Beach.

But enemies in the FAYZ don't just fade away, and in the quiet, deadly things are stirring, mutating, and finding their way free. The Darkness has found its way into the mind of its Nemesis at last and is controlling it through a haze of delirium and confusion. A highly contagious, fatal illness spreads at an alarming rate. Sinister, predatory insects terrorize Perdido Beach. And Sam, Astrid, Diana, and Caine are plagued by a growing doubt that they'll escape—or even survive—life in the FAYZ. With so much turmoil surrounding them, what desperate choices will they make when it comes to saving themselves and those they love?

Sometimes I sit back and wonder why I still continue with this series. It's a bit like marmite - you either love it or hate it...or in my case, dislike it but have this intense desire to find out what's going to happen next. This is what propels me through this book - the constant countdown to the big she-bang at the end.

Icons by Margaret Stohl

Title: Icons
Author: Margaret Stohl
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release: May 7th 2013
Pages: 368 (eBook)
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Your heart beats only with their permission.

Everything changed on The Day. The day the windows shattered. The day the power stopped. The day Dol's family dropped dead. The day Earth lost a war it didn't know it was fighting.

Since then, Dol has lived a simple life in the countryside -- safe from the shadow of the Icon and its terrifying power. Hiding from the one truth she can't avoid.

She's different. She survived. Why?

When Dol and her best friend, Ro, are captured and taken to the Embassy, off the coast of the sprawling metropolis once known as the City of Angels, they find only more questions. While Ro and fellow hostage Tima rage against their captors, Dol finds herself drawn to Lucas, the Ambassador's privileged son. But the four teens are more alike than they might think, and the timing of their meeting isn't a coincidence. It's a conspiracy.

Within the Icon's reach, Dol, Ro, Tima, and Lucas discover that their uncontrollable emotions -- which they've always thought to be their greatest weaknesses -- may actually be their greatest strengths.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Title: Lord of the Flies

Author: William Golding

Publisher: Faber and Faber

Released: 1954

Pages: 225 (Paperback)

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William Golding's compelling story about a group of very ordinary small boys marooned on a coral island has become a modern classic. At first it seems as though it is all going to be great fun; but the fun before long becomes furious and life on the island turns into a nightmare of panic and death. As ordinary standards of behaviour collapse, the whole world the boys know collapses with them—the world of cricket and homework and adventure stories—and another world is revealed beneath, primitive and terrible.

You know, after my teacher chose for us to read To Kill A Mockingbird, I trusted his judgement of books. So when he said that Lord of the Flies was fantastic and I would love it, I believed him. How wrong I was - oh how very wrong I was. Get ready for the GIFs, guys.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Title: The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
Publisher: Chicken House Ltd
Released: October 6th 2009
Pages: 384 (Paperback)
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When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every thirty days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. 

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

Lies by Michael Grant

Title: Lies
Author: Michael Grant
Publisher: HarperCollins
Released: May 4th 2010
Pages: 472 (Hardcover)
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It happens in one night: a girl who died now walks among the living, Zil and the Human Crew set fire to Perdido Beach, and amid the flames and smoke, Sam sees the figure of the boy he fears the most - Drake. But Sam and Caine defeated him along with the Darkness - or so they thought. As Perdido Beach burns, battles rage: Astrid against the Town Council; the Human Crew versus the mutants; and Sam against Drake. And the prophetess Orsay and her companion, Nerezza, are preaching that death will set them all free. As life in the FAYZ becomes more desperate, no one knows who they can trust.

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Title: Wither
Author: Lauren DeStefano
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Released: March 22nd 2011
Pages: 358 (Paperback)
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By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children. When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape--before her time runs out?Together with one of Linden's servants, Gabriel, Rhine attempts to escape just before her seventeenth birthday. But in a world that continues to spiral into anarchy, is there any hope for freedom?

Starters by Lissa Price

Title: Starters
Author: Lissa Price
Publisher: Delacorte Books
Released: April 5th 2012
Pages: 336 (Paperback)
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Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie. Callie's only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man.
He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders—seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie's head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator's grandson. It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party—and that Prime Destinations' plans are more evil than Callie could ever have imagined. 

Wanted: Dead or Undead by Angela Scott

Title: Wanted: Dead or Undead
Author: Angela Scott
Publisher: Evolved Publishing
Released: March 30th 2012
Pages: 225 (Paperback)
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Trace Monroe doesn’t believe in luck. He never has. But when a fiery-headed cowgirl saunters through the saloon doors, wielding shotguns and a know-how for killing the living dead, he believes he just may be the luckiest man alive. Trace wants to join "Red’s" posse, but she prefers to work alone—less messy that way. 

In order to become her traveling companion, Trace has to agree to her terms: no names, no questions, and if he gets bit, he can’t beg for mercy when she severs his brain stem. He agrees, knowing only that Red is the sharpest shooter he’s ever encountered. The fact she’s stunning hasn’t escaped his attention either. 

What he doesn’t know, is that Red has a very good reason to be on top of her game. She not only has the answer for how they can all outlive the plague taking over the wild, wild west, she is the answer.

Hunger by Michael Grant

Title: Hunger
Author: Michael Grant
Publisher: Egmont UK
Released: September 6th 2010
Pages: 608 (Paperback)
Buy: Amazon


It's been three months since everyone under the age of fifteen became trapped in the bubble known as the FAYZ. Things have only gotten worse. Food is running out, and each day more kids are developing supernatural abilities. Soon tension rises between those with powers and those without, and when an unspeakable tragedy occurs, chaos erupts. It's the normals against the mutants, and the battle promises to turn bloody.

But something more dangerous lurks. A sinister creature known as the Darkness has begun to call to the survivors in the FAYZ. It needs their powers to sustain its own. When the Darkness calls, someone will answer -- with deadly results.


After reading Gone, I desperately wanted to get my hands on the sequel, Hunger - but I had to wait a while because someone had taken it out of the library before me. Anyway, when I finally got around to reading it, I have to say that I was slightly disappointed. But I loved it at the same time? I am so torn with this book, I don't know where to begin.

Gone by Michael Grant

In the blink of an eye. Everyone disappears. GONE.

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...

A lot of people I know are reading this series, so I thought I'd check out - especially since one review said it was better than The Hunger Games (yeah, one sentence I thought I'd never hear). And to be honest, I can see what the fuss is about. It's the kind of novel I go looking for - thick, a thrilling storyline and pretty awesome characters. And guess what else? It's actually written really well! I don't want to sound cynical, but quite a few large books I have read gradually become rubbish towards the end. But like I said, this wasn't the case.

The plot for this book is basically that everyone over the age of 15 within this dome kind-of barrier disappears. Literally in the blink of an eye. And as the 14 year old's reach their birthdays, they 'poof' too. And so the novel is about survival, death and trying to figure out what the heck has happened to the teenagers and adults. I was honestly surprised at how quickly I read this book - one moment I was on Chapter Eighteen, the next, Chapter Twenty-Five - you can't put it down because you want to know what happened just as much as they do. I also liked the fact that each chapter had a countdown, and you were constantly wondering, what's it counting down to?

I was really impressed by the different characters and the powers they possessed. There was such a wide range, and they were all so unique and quite realistic, despite the sci-fi kind of topic. I especially loved the characterization of Little Pete, Quinn and Mary. Everyone is individual, and I think the fact that a lot of the kid's were brave but also had some cowardice in them made it believable, because it was easy to forget that they were just kids. I think Mary's small storyline was a nice touch too, because it showed that even though everything had suddenly so drastically changed, everyone still had their own problems to deal with, too; they didn't just disappear along with the adults. But both of those points are overshadowed by the Little Pete storyline. He's autistic, and most of the time doesn't seem to realize what is going on around him. Or he does, but he just processes it differently. And although some of the other characters are strong - Sam, Caine, Drake - L.P. is the strongest, which I found kind of beautiful. Some others may have looked down on him and underestimated him, but altogether he is the strongest and the biggest threat to the bad guys - I genuinely loved that.

Overall, I think if you love The Hunger Games or any other book that is based around survival in tough times. Although some may think it can run The Hunger Games for its money, for me, Gone still didn't have a patch on it. But it was still great, and I recommend it to anyone who likes novels about action and adventure - and mild horror. Hopefully, I will get my hands on Hunger, the next book in the series, soon.
Rating: 4/5

Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts

 A murderous rage has been unleashed. Moments after earthquakes rock the world, people start to change in the most terrifying of ways. Friends turn on friends, girlfriends on boyfriends, brothers on sisters. Nobody can be trusted.
For those who survive the first wave of killing, the world is a different, deadlier place. Michael, Aries, Mason and Clementine must battle to stay alive in a world determined to kill them. All they have is one another...but can they even be sure of that?

Can I just say that I adore the cover image? It's not overly complicated, but there are just bits hidden within it, and I honestly found myself just staring over it at times - not that that makes me sound weird or anything? Anyway, I thought the blurb made the book sound fascinating, so I thought I'd pick it up. However, I was disappointed.

I mean, don't get me wrong, I did enjoy it - but not as much as I expected I would. For one thing, I was a bit at odds with the characters - I thought the idea of the story being told from different points of view was good, but I couldn't help but feel irritated by some of them. I loved Aries and Mason, I thought their stories were intruiging - but Clementine and Michael's were so dull! But I suppose if you asked someone else, perhaps they'd be the exact opposite - I suppose it's just up to personal taste. I also really liked all the other characters that were incorperated into the story - in a way, it was a bit like a game as you read - because you knew in the end that it had to be those four together, so what about their other companions? Would they live, would they die...And I found myself getting attached to companions that did die - and then you had the tears, etc, etc. So for a debut novel, although not all the characters were to my taste, I thought Roberts characterized them well, and the fact that each of their stories began in such different ways was good too, because it helped to enhance the bigger picture.

Another thing I'm still kind of unsure of is how the story was played out. When you read the blurb, you think that the four characters would know each other, and that'd it be about them surviving together - but actually, they don't. And I'm still confused about how easily they seemed to find each other and get together. Because at the beginning, everyone of wary - and of course they should be, since anyone is capable of killing them - yet in the end, they're pretty much like, oh yeah we're in a hurry, you look nice, let's just team up! And I can understand that it was suddenly quicker and the tension was much higher, but no one in those kind of situations would let their guard down that much. I was also annoyed that you still don 't know exactly what's happening to the world, and that you don't know how certain people - like Twiggy and Daniel - know what's happening, but no one else does...But I guess that's all part of the cliffhanger, and admittedly it does make me want to read on. For a debut novel, it is good, and I think that because she is passionate, as she writes more the books will become better and better, and I just know this series is going to end up being fantastic. So, I'm going to stick it out - if you love mysteries and a lot of action, I'd definitely recommend this.
Rating:3/5