Book Review: Savage Drift - Emmy Laybourne

Title: Savage Drift
Authors: Emmy Laybourne
Publication Date: May 6th, 2014
Publisher:  Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 306
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Book 3 of  Monument 14
Plot: The stunningly fierce conclusion to Emmy Laybourne's Monument 14 trilogy.

The survivors of the Monument 14 have finally made it to the safety of a Canadian refugee camp. Dean and Alex are cautiously starting to hope that a happy ending might be possible.

But for Josie, separated from the group and trapped in a brutal prison camp for exposed Type Os, things have gone from bad to worse. Traumatized by her experiences, she has given up all hope of rescue or safety.

Meanwhile, scared by the government's unusual interest in her pregnancy, Astrid (with her two protectors, Dean and Jake in tow) joins Niko on his desperate quest to be reunited with his lost love Josie.

Author Emmy Laybourne reaches new heights of tension and romance in this action-packed conclusion to the Monument 14 trilogy.

Sky on Fire- Emmy Labourne

Title: Sky on Fire
Authors: Emmy Laybourne
Publication Date: May 28th 2013
Publisher:  Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 215
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Book 2 of  Monument 14

Plot: Trapped in a superstore by a series of escalating disasters, including a monster hailstorm and terrifying chemical weapons spill, brothers Dean and Alex learned how to survive and worked together with twelve other kids to build a refuge from the chaos. But then strangers appeared, destroying their fragile peace, and bringing both fresh disaster and a glimmer of hope. 

Knowing that the chemical weapons saturating the air outside will turn him into a bloodthirsty rage monster, Dean decides to stay in the safety of the store with Astrid and some of the younger kids. But their sanctuary has already been breached once. . . .

Meanwhile, Alex, determined to find their parents, heads out into the darkness and devastation with Niko and some others in a recently repaired school bus. If they can get to Denver International Airport, they might be evacuated to safety. But the outside world is even worse than they expected. . .

Reading period: May 6, 2017 - May 8, 2017

Monument 14- Emmy Laybourne

Title: Monument 14
Authors: Emmy Laybourne
Publication Date: June 5th 2012
Publisher:  Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 294
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Book 1 of  Monument 14

Plot:Your mother hollers that you're going to miss the bus. She can see it coming down the street. You don't stop and hug her and tell her you love her. You don't thank her for being a good, kind, patient mother. Of course not-you launch yourself down the stairs and make a run for the corner.

Only, if it's the last time you'll ever see your mother, you sort of start to wish you'd stopped and did those things. Maybe even missed the bus.

But the bus was barreling down our street, so I ran.

Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong.

“Laybourne’s debut ably turns what could have been yet another post apocalyptic YA novel into a tense, claustrophobic, and fast-paced thriller.” (Publishers Weekly)

When Dean raced out the door to catch the school bus, he didn’t realize it would be the last time he’d ever see his mom. After a freak hailstorm sends the bus crashing into a superstore, Dean and a group of students of all ages are left to fend for themselves. 

They soon realize the hailstorm and the crash are the least of their worries. After seeing a series of environmental and chemical disasters ravage the outside world, they realize they’re trapped inside the store. 

Unable to communicate with the ones they love, the group attempts to cobble together a new existence. As they struggle to survive, Dean and the others must decide which risk is greater: leaving… or staying. 

Monument 14 is a post-apocalyptic YA novel that transcends age barriers. If you like heart-stopping suspense, realistic characters, and new takes on survival novels, then you’ll love the first book in Emmy Laybourne’s Monument 14 series.

Reading period: May 1, 2017 - May 6, 2017 

Book Review: Ashen Winter - Mike Mullin

Title: Ashen Winer
Author: Mike Mullin
Publication Date: October 16th 2012
Publisher:  Tanglewood Press
Pages: 594
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Book 2 of Ashfall

Plot: It’s been over six months since the eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano. Alex and Darla have been staying with Alex’s relatives, trying to cope with the new reality of the primitive world so vividly portrayed in Ashfall, the first book in this series. It’s also been six months of waiting for Alex’s parents to return from Iowa. Alex and Darla decide they can wait no longer and must retrace their journey into Iowa to find and bring back Alex’s parents to the tenuous safety of Illinois. But the landscape they cross is even more perilous than before, with life-and-death battles for food and power between the remaining communities. When the unthinkable happens, Alex must find new reserves of strength and determination to survive. 

Reading Period: May 6, 2016 - May 12, 2016

Book Review: Ashfall - Mike Mullin

Title: Ashfall
Author: Mike Mullin
Publication Date: October 11th 2011
Publisher:  Tanglewood Press
Pages: 476
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Book 1 of Ashfall

Plot: Under the bubbling hot springs and geysers of Yellowstone National Park is a supervolcano. Most people don't know it's there. The caldera is so large that it can only be seen from a plane or satellite. It just could be overdue for an eruption, which would change the landscape and climate of our planet.

For Alex, being left alone for the weekend means having the freedom to play computer games and hang out with his friends without hassle from his mother. Then the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts, plunging his hometown into a nightmare of darkness, ash, and violence. Alex begins a harrowing trek to search for his family and finds help in Darla, a travel partner he meets along the way. Together they must find the strength and skills to survive and outlast an epic disaster.

Reading Period: April 08, 2016 - April 16, 2016

Book Review: The 100 - Kass Morgan

Title: The 100
Author: Kass Morgan
Publication Date:  September 3rd 2013
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Pages: 323
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Book 1 of the Hundred Series

Plot: No one has set foot on Earth in centuries -- until now.

Ever since a devastating nuclear war, humanity has lived on spaceships far above Earth's radioactive surface. Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents -- considered expendable by society -- are being sent on a dangerous mission: to recolonize the planet. It could be their second chance at life...or it could be a suicide mission.

CLARKE was arrested for treason, though she's haunted by the memory of what she really did. WELLS, the chancellor's son, came to Earth for the girl he loves -- but will she ever forgive him? Reckless BELLAMY fought his way onto the transport pod to protect his sister, the other half of the only pair of siblings in the universe. And GLASS managed to escape back onto the ship, only to find that life there is just as dangerous as she feared it would be on Earth.

Confronted with a savage land and haunted by secrets from their pasts, the hundred must fight to survive. They were never meant to be heroes, but they may be mankind's last hope. 

Reading Period: February 1, 2016 - February 2, 2016

Book Review: Departure - A. G. Riddle

Title: Departure
Author: A.G. Riddle
Publication Date: December 4th 2014
Publisher: Riddle Inc.
Pages: 318
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: No

Plot: Harper Lane has problems. In a few hours, she'll have to make a decision that will change her life forever. But when her flight from New York to London crash-lands in the English countryside, she discovers that she's made of tougher stuff than she ever imagined.

As Harper and the survivors of Flight 305 struggle to stay alive in the aftermath of the crash, they soon realize that this world is very different from the one they left. Their lives are connected, and some believe they've been brought here for a reason.

In addition to Harper, several other passengers seem to hold clues about why Flight 305 crashed. There's:

Nick Stone, an American on his way to a meeting with The Gibraltar Project, an international group dedicated to building a dam across the Strait of Gibraltar and draining the Mediterranean.

Sabrina Schröder, a German scientist who has unknowingly sealed the fate of half the flight's passengers.

Yul Tan, a Chinese-American computer scientist who has just made the breakthrough of a lifetime: a quantum internet capable of transmitting more data, farther, faster than ever thought possible. His invention, however, does much more than he ever dreamed possible.

With time running out to save the survivors of Flight 305, Harper and Nick race to unravel the conspiracy that crashed their plane. As they put the pieces together, they discover that their decisions have already doomed one world and will soon determine the future of ours.

Reading Period: June 23, 2015 - July 06, 2015

Review

Okay, I have to admit that I picked up this book because in one of my Goodreads Groups there was a challenge where you had to choose an ice-cream flavour and spell the flavour with the titles of books. I need the letter D and I found this book.

It helped that 20th Century Fox acquired the rights of the book and Departure will become a movie. 

This book was a lovely surprise to say that it wasn't on my list. Original story and original characters.

I don't want to say too much about the plot because I don't want to spoil it for you. The twists and turns of the plot it's something you have discovered page by page.

I can tell you that there are two timelines and that they are beautifully intersected. It is not your typical airplane disaster!!!

The narration is alternated between different characters and all of them will have to reflect on those choices they made or have to make and the repercussion they will have in the future. 

I really recommend it as a great read. Maybe not before taking a plane! :P 

RATING