ANIMAL FARM by George Orwell 144 pp. Penguin Group. £8.99. (Ages 13 and up) ISBN 9780141182704 Rating: ? Stars This book is set in a future when animals are much cleverer than now. And because of their cleverness, the pigs started a revolution against the humans. Pigs could speak fluently in English unlike the other animals, and that gave them the power to be leaders. But, the story that follows only happened a few years after that... Their first leader, Old Major, was kind and fair who knew animals should be equal. But when Napoleon became the leader it was very unpleasant. He made a rule that allowed the pigs to have better food and that forced all of the other animals to work crazily hard every day and night. That wasn’t enough, Napoleon wanted more power. He decided to kill his brother, Snowball, so that he would be the only leader. Snowball was admired because he came up with a clever idea to build windmill. Sn...
Publisher: Harper Teen
Pages: 400
From Goodreads: "They hear the most silent of footsteps.They are faster than anything you've ever seen.
And They won't stop chasing you...until you are dead.
Amy is watching TV when it happens, when the world is attacked by Them. These vile creatures are rapidly devouring mankind. Most of the population is overtaken, but Amy manages to escape—and even rescue “Baby,” a toddler left behind in the chaos. Marooned in Amy’s house, the girls do everything they can to survive—and avoid Them at all costs.
After years of hiding, they are miraculously rescued and taken to New Hope, a colony of survivors living in a former government research compound. While at first the colony seems like a dream with plenty of food, safety, and shelter, New Hope slowly reveals that it is far from ideal. And Amy soon realizes that unless things change, she’ll lose Baby—and much more.
Rebellious, courageous, and tender, this unforgettable duo will have you on the edge of your seat as you tear through the pulse-pounding narrow escapes and horrifying twists of fate in this thrilling debut from author Demitria Lunetta."
Without a doubt this book's biggest strength is its pacing- it is the epitome of a pageturner. I was quite literally almost finished it as soon as I started it (I think that its safe to say that I have never read a 400 page book so quickly before). That being said, I must admit that I wasn't originally a fan of Amy's parallel storylines, one told in the present, one told in the future. However, I slowly came to really like the two parallel stories, especially when they converged- the manner in which the story was told is quite unlike anything that I have seen in the world of young adult before.
The next biggest strength of this book was Amy and Baby's relationship- I have never read of two people who are in sync to the degree that they are before (even between those who are actual siblings). Dialogue as we know it is quite literally not needed in their relationship- a single look can be the key to an entire conversation. Furthermore, I did enjoy the secondary characters, Gareth and Kay especially (I am convinced that Kay may be one of the most kick-ass female characters we have ever seen in YA before).
That being said, my largest complaint about this book was the romance between Amy and Rice- I personally didn't think that it deliver, that it was quite forced and unconvincing. Furthermore, I wish that the story had been a bit more unique- it was a bit too obvious for my liking, a combination of a number of popular post-apocalyptic and dystopian novels that we have seen as of late.
All in all, despite my complaints I did enjoy this book more than a book that I know that it will be compared to over and over again, "The 5th Wave" by Rick Yancey (mainly because I believe that this book didn't drag as much as that did). This book is perfect for those fans of fast paced action and adventure with it's "I Am Legend" meets "Independence Day" storyline. I personally will be continuing on with this series to see where Amy ends up on her journey and to learn more about Baby's mysterious past.
Rating: 3/5
I received this book from the publisher to read and honestly review. I was not compensated in any way for said review.
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