Wow. Okay.
I really liked this book. Like, I didn’t expect to like it that much…I grabbed it at my local library because the cover was intriguing….but once I started I couldn’t put it down.
The premise revolves around Leon, a kid with all kinds of deep-seated issues, many of which stem from his parents’ recent divorce and his subsequent move from New York to England. Not to mention he has bad headaches that rule his life. On top of all of this, he is super concerned about a new African plague that popped up. He manages to be basically the only human alive that’s concerned about it, even though it seems to be reported on the news like 24/7, but HAHA PLOT TWIST THAT PLAGUE IS COMING FOR YA.
I mean, it wasn’t really a plot twist. It was pretty obvious from page one, even if you didn’t know the title of the book. Oh, well. #NoSpoilers?
Anyways, Leon, his mom, and his sister Grace are racing to get away from this plague that is everywhere now. They seem to get lucky a lot, as they can be standing in the middle of a crowd and EVERYONE around them will DIE but they will be FINE…but I mean that’s kind of explained with the whole “the virus doesn’t attack sick people” thing? Still seemed awfully convenient at times…
Without giving away any more of the plot, overall I think this book moved really fast and the chapters were short enough to hold my attention and make me crave more without feeling like I had gone forever without a milestone. The characters weren’t annoying, and the premise was really interesting. If you’re into realistic-ish dystopian fiction with a bit of science-fiction sprinkled in, you’ll probably really enjoy this one.
I’m reading book 2 now, so I’ll let y’all know how it goes!
Amanda Roach 