Review: GONE by Michael Grant

TITLE: Gone
AUTHOR: Michael Grant
AUTHOR WEBSITE: www.michaelgrantbooks.co.uk
GENRE: Young Adult, Fantasy, Dystopia
FANTASY ELEMENT: Powers, Mutations
PUBLISHED: HarperTeen (July 1st, 2008)
MY RATING: 5
FIND ON: Amazon


SYNOPSIS: 

(from Goodreads)
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...



REVIEW: 

Talk about a shocking scenario! I had to read this book and it did not disappoint. It is full of questions. Mostly unanswered questions. But it is a great story. Beginning to end. This book takes you on a rollercoaster ride though the wildly unusual.
The main character, Sam, acts the way a normal young teen would: avoiding responsibility, insecure about his roll, etc. I hate when the “hero” of a story is not realistic. Sam is fully realistic to me.  Each character added depth to the story, bullies, townies, coates kids and prees. I love that they have their own terminology too.
My favorite thing about this book is that even though there is death and murder, the kids have feelings. They feel remorseful, even the bullies. I hate when books portray adults or kids as detached from the reality of murder and its emotional consequences. This book does superb in that area.
Above all it’s traumatizing. It left me thinking about it for days. That’s when I know that a book was epic. Even though dystopia is not my total favorite, but I can’t help reading it!

RATING: 


The ending is satisfying. And it’s definitely worth the read. I’d rate it at a 5: Excellent and worth the time invested. I would recommend it and I look forward to starting book 2: Hunger. There is a reason this series has good ratings on Amazon and GoodReads. It’s freakishly good!



RECOMMENDATIONS: 

Older teens could probably take this book but I don’t know if this book won’t give 14 year olds nightmares! Umm, good luck with that choice. But if you like dystopian books, you’ll love this one and the fantasy element makes it like a dystopian book on steroids!

THE SERIES: 

Book 1: Gone
Book 2: Hunger
Book 3: Lies
Book 4: Plague
Book 5: Fear
Book 6: Light