This was a fantastic dystopian novel which was very engrossing. Alex and Darla felt very real and the author did a good job with the background of the characters explaining the extraordinary things that happen. For example, Alex is strong and is able to fight not because he just happens to be but because he has a very strong background in martial arts and while he makes some questionable decisions I never felt like the character deserved to die because of his idiotic decisions (unlike some books I've read recently cough cough EVE
). I also felt that the environment and circumstances for the most part felt realistic as to what could happen in such a major disaster. The male voice felt true and realistic and this is going to be a book that will speak to young male readers who will be able to relate to Alex. Appropriateness: This book has some adult content which could disturb young readers. Nothing felt inappropriate but it could make some feel uncomfortable. There is some fairly graphic violence, the rape and murder of an important character and many scenes where Alex is in so much distress, starving and in great pain. There is sex and sexual content (which is not detailed) which is fantastically responsible as the two do not have sex for the majority of the book because they have no condoms and realize how irresponsible it would be to have sex without using birth control. This is a book with a male voice and I would highly recommend it to teenage boys who will enjoy it (it also has some romance and girls will also like it). I recommend this book to teens 13+
Review copy obtained from Netgalley
