Thanks to Edelweiss and Katherine Regan Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: October 17th, 2017
576 Pages
Synopsis: In the stunning follow-up to the globally best selling Gone series, Michael Grant continues the story of the teens who morph into superheroes—and supermonsters—when they ingest an alien virus.
Four years after the events of the FAYZ, New meteorites are hitting Earth, and the whole world is exposed to a strange alien virus that gives humans unique superpowers.
As some teens become heroes and others become dangerously out of control with their new powers, the world will become more terrifying than the FAYZ—and only a monstrous battle between good and evil can save them.
I’m a huge fan of Michael Grant’s Gone series and was disappointed when it came to an end. I’ve been anxiously anticipating Monster since I heard about it a few months ago. I was a little nervous that it would be an unnecessary extension of a hugely popular series that wouldn’t live up to the previous books. What was I thinking? This is Michael Grant. Of course it’s brilliant!
For anyone not familiar with these books, the Gone series introduced readers to a world where an enormous dome suddenly appeared over the town of Perdido Beach and everyone over the age of fifteen disappeared. And as a further complication, some of the kids left trapped in the FAYZ (Fallout Alley Youth Zone), developed these strange supernatural powers. Some use them for good, others, not so much. It’s sort of a combination of Under the Dome, by Stephen King and Lord of the Flies, with superpowers thrown in. Monster picks up four years after the dome has come down. It can definitely be read as a standalone, but you’re missing out if you don’t read the previous books.
Kudos to Michael Grant for making everything flow seamlessly together to create this brutal and gory apocalyptic world. The action begins on the very first page with the dome falling, only this time we see it from the perspective of the people outside of it. Then there’s a small time jump by a few years. Now the same sinister space body that created the FAYZ, is sending asteroids crashing down to earth that cause mutagenesis in anyone who comes in contact with them. And naturally, many of the wrong sort of people get a hold of them, including the government.
Let’s start with the characters. They are a large diverse cast of teens, adults, sexuality and races. There’s two familiar faces that play major roles in the action, but for the most part these are all new players. Which leads me to my one and only criticism. There are so many people here with different perspectives, I didn’t feel as though I got to know them as well as I would have liked. Everyone one of them is dealing with some sort of issue. One is coming to terms with being gender fluid, another has schizophrenia, another battles with Oppositional Defiant Disorder, etc. I did mention diverse right? I absolutely loved this, but because there were so many, there didn’t seem to be enough time spent with each of them. But, honestly, this is a very minor complaint.
The superpowers and transformations are so visual that they seem to pop off the pages. I also found fascinating how each character’s power tied into their genetics, personality, and even things like what they had recently eaten. And the fight scenes. Oh my God! Exciting and amazing doesn’t even begin to describe them! I swear my jaw was aching by the time I reached the ending because I had my mouth open almost the entire time I was reading. Needless to say the pace was insanely fast, and despite the book being almost 600 pages long, I finished this over the course of two nights.
In my opinion, Monster is an absolutely thrilling continuation of the Gone series that will please fans, and attract new readers. Please be warned. Like the previous books, Monster pulls no punches, and there were some scenes that even made me a bit squeamish, especially a couple involving children. Michael Grant has created a world full of brutality and breathtaking ruthlessness, yet there is also hope, because where there are villains and monsters, there are heroes who sacrifice everything to fight them. I highly, HIGHLY recommend this to older teens and adults who love superhero books and movies. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed!
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I think the Gone series is amazing. Great review you’re right about squeamish bits!
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Thank you! I think this was even more brutal than the previous books!
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Ok keeping this on my radar!
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It’s Sooo good!
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so glad to hear it was a success – been super curious since I heard about it!!!!
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LOVED it! Are you planning on reading it?
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Sigh…..I am not reading this post…I am not reading this post. Crap….I already did, and am doomed. My to read list has exploded ever since I started following your blog….ugh 😢 Just kidding of course. Love these reviews of yours, and this book really sounds like a winner to me. One book that certainly sounds right up my alley. Thanks for sharing this 😀
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MOWAHAHA!😈
Seriously though Michel, I have a feeling you’d LOVE this series!😊
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I’ve never read any of his books! TBR pile for sure! Fantastic Review Kim and thanks for sharing!🤗💖📚
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Thanks Ms Dani!😊
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You’re welcome🤗📚💖
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Well I don’t like superhero films, but I think you must be a sort-of superhero in the literary world, Kim. You read and review so many books! I see you in a really nice uniform, with ‘BG’ emblazoned on the front. ‘BOOK GIRL’!
Watch out for those headaches though. ace yourself…
Best wishes, Pete.
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‘pace yourself’
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Thanks for thinking of me Pete. I’m having a bit of a rough time right now so I think I’ll be taking it easy for the next couple of days.
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Sending good thoughts and hugs across the ocean, Kim. And some tail wags from Ollie too. xx
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Thanks Pete. Hugs for you and Ollie. Have I mentioned how sick and tired I am of being sick and tired?😞
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I do feel for you, lovely Kim. Take a break, like I did. Even if you can’t get away, get away from ‘normal life’, for a while. We will all be here, when you get back. 🙂 x
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Thank you so much Pete. And Tom wants me to pass along his thanks as well.
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My best wishes to Tom, from England.
(Even though he likes guns!) 🙂
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😁
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Aww. I’m blushing now.😊
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No need. We all love you, Kim! 🙂 x
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😙
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I loved Gone so much! I bought the whole series in print. I was so excited about this release too, but I was more let down. I think the problem was me, though. I think I wanted something that felt like Gone (with Dekka as the Main Character) and instead it felt completely different. I think that made me biased.
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Oh Birdie. I’m so sorry that you didn’t enjoy this as much. I do wish more time had spent on Dekka, but I did like some of the other characters that were introduced. Maybe now that Sam and Astrid look like they’ll be back in the picture in the next book, there’ll be more Dekka. And speaking of that, how awesome was that last scene and Sam’s words to Dekka?
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I think that was my first biggest disappointment, I think we got far less Dekka than I was expecting. We got a lot more Shade. Though I loved the glimpse of Diana and Sam. And I loved that last moment, and his words, it gives me hope that he’ll be in next book! (I also feel like a baby about it, but I was so sad that they lost their powers.)
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I wasn’t expecting them losing their powers either.😞
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This series sounds like so much fun! Thanks so much for recommending it to me on Goodreads! I added it to my shelves. 🙂
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Krysti, you seriously need to read these!☺️
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I’m definitely getting that vibe! They do sound like books I would really enjoy. 🙂
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This does sound soooo wonderful! I didn’t know about this series till you reviewed this, but it’s nice to know that this new book in the series steps its game up. The mix of King’s and Golding’s novels also sounds wonderful too! Love the sound of everything in this book. And wow at the amount of diversity! Glad to hear how much you enjoyed this Kim! Excellent review! 😀
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Nice! Sounds really good. 🙂 I like the cover design, too.
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It’s nice to see the series continuing successfully.😊
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I’ve never read the Gone series before and this post is kinda making me feel like I should… Great review!!
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You definitely should read this series! I think it’s one of the best ones out there!😊
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Awesome! Thanks for the rec!
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You’re we r!😊
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