Review: Gone

In the blink of an eye, everyone in Perdido Beach, California, over the age of thirteen disappears. Gone too are phones, television, and the internet. As the kids struggle to survive in this new world, the world itself continues to evolve. A sinister creature lurks in a mine in the desert; animals are mutating; and some of the kids are developing dangerous supernatural powers that grow stronger by the day. A battle between good and evil is imminent, and for some of the kids, time is running out. On their fifteenth birthday, they disappear like everyone else. The first novel in Michael Grant's Gone series is an action-packed thrill ride that will leave readers hungry for more. Don't miss the series that Stephen King calls "exciting, high-tension." (2009)

Perhaps I wasn’t in the right mindset, but it must have been 3 or 4 times I picked this up and just couldn’t get into the story. It had all hallmarks of the type of YA I love, but it just didn’t grab me. Sam was kind of boring; the usual unassuming hero. Then there’s the love interest. Astrid is a teenage copy of the same icy, intelligent, beautiful blonde who turns up under different names in the work of so many books penned by male authors. All the same, I kept reading and eventually got into it. Had I not been resolute to push on, it’s unlikely I would have finished. I’m not entirely sure why, as it’s not badly written, it just didn’t grip me. The villains are believable, cruel as only kids can be, and assuredly frightening. There’s tons of action, oftentimes grisly, and the sense of impending doom heightens the tension to a rupturing climax. So yes, I did enjoy reading and consider it quality dystopian YA. Will I read the rest of the series? Probably. But I’m in no rush.

3.5/5 Stars