Thursday, January 26, 2017

Review: Savage Drift by Emmy Laybourne

Savage Drift
(Monument 14 #3)
Publication Date: May 6, 2014
Hardcover, 306 pages, Feiwel & Friends
Genres: YA, Dystopian/Post-apocalyptic, Sci-Fi

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.

My Review

Crazy things are happening to the kids who were once locked in a superstore. Crazy things, indeed.

Before I really get into the review, I have to say that I did finish this book in less than eight hours, despite its flaws. Obviously, it was a quick-paced read; I just didn't enjoy it as much as the first books.

Okay, so basically books one and two were about survival and a bunch of teenagers taking care of children in an awful situation. This made the tone light and funny, even with a serious vibe from the threat of death hanging over the characters' shoulders. Unfortunately, Savage Drift took away most of that tone. The plot went from survival to focusing on issues of morality and discrimination. There's nothing wrong with a book showing injustices that can happen (especially in our current times); it just wasn't expected in this read. 

Also, some characters, situations, and plot elements were over-exaggerated to make everyone but the kids appear evil, stupid, and/or uncaring. Even the kids made some stupid decisions that seemed too ridiculous for young adults to make. *cough* Awkward and unnecessary love triangle. *cough* I guess my complaint with this storyline stems from how over-the-top the entire thing was. It just needed to slow things down a little and get rid of that strange love-triangle thing.  

Despite my complaints, this book was a good read. It had me upset and frustrated at appropriate times, and I felt for the characters. I also really appreciated how in this series the font changes for a new character's POV. That made the chapters very readable. 

All in all, I'm not really sure how I feel about the conclusion to this fast-paced trilogy, but I'd recommend YA readers who are fans of shows like The Walking Dead or any post-apocalyptic series try it out for themselves.

*Note: I purchased a copy of this book for myself. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

2 comments:

  1. Huh...I haven't heard of this series but it sounds pretty good. Sorry this one wasn't quite as good as you had hoped. I am actually somewhat interested in this one. Thanks for putting it on my radar.

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    Replies
    1. You should definitely read the series, but just go into the 3rd one knowing it doesn't have the same vibe.

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