Dystopian Pick: Day Zero

Day Zero
(Book 1 of 2 in duology)
by Kelly Devos
Inkyard Press
2019
432 pages
ISBN: 9781335008480

Available November 12, 2019 

Strap on your seat belts and get ready for the thrill ride of the fall...

Jinx Marshall isn't sure what to expect when her mother marries her stepfather and inherits a ready made family: stepbrother Toby and obnoxious, political minded know-it-all stepsister McKenna, but she's ready for nearly anything. Well, any kind of emergency or chaos, that is. Jinx has been raised in the desert by her Doomsday prepper father for anything apocalyptic.

On a routine trip to the store for snacks, an explosion at the bank next door traps them in harm's way. Jinx finds herself in charge of saving her younger brother Charles and mouthy stepsister, McKenna. Dr. Doomsday's (her dad's) book comes in handy because Jinx knows exactly what to do.

When the kids discover that the entire country is crumbling from within, and the government blames her father, Jinx must save her siblings and prove her father's innocence. Oh, and save what's left of America! It's gonna take her background in coding, friends in the Dark Web and a background in Krav Maga, to escape. Picking up Toby at college, the kids plan to run for the Mexican border.

Her father's teachings have always taught "Trust No One," but Jinx can't do this alone. She'll have to depend on someone and work with McKenna instead of against her. If the family can't get along, they may all die together. Lucky for them, her father planned for this...

Set in the distant future, Day Zero paints a picture for our turbulent times. Explosive and exciting, readers will beg for Book Two! If you loved Yancy's The 5th Wave, get ready for Day Zero!

Recommended YA grades 8 and up. Violence, political turmoil, finance, economics, mature readers.

Dystopian Pick: Plague Land

Plague Land
by Alex Scarrow
Sourcebooks
December 2017
384 pages
ISBN: 9781492652106

In this scary sci-fi dystopian novel, main character Leon watches a news story about  a horrific virus that has broken out in Africa. His mother tells him not to worry; they're so far away in England. Within a week, the deadly sickness has spread to England, and it's terrifying.

Bodies liquify and turn to "juice."Entire cities are wiped out. The strange thing is that the way the plague seems to be moving, as if it's adapting. Humans are on the run, but there is no outrunning whatever this is. It  may be the end of the human race.

The ending leave an opening for a series, and YA fans will not want to wait long to pick up the sequel.

Recommended grade 9-up.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the ARC from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

Series Pick: Num8ers: Infinity (book 3)

Numb8ers: 1f1n1ty(book 3, Num8ers series)
by Rachel Ward
Chicken House (Scholastic)
2012
256 pages
Hardcover May 1, 2012

Num8ers: 1nf1n1ty
paperback edition
Available June 1, 2012


Cryptic, chaotic, cutting, caustic, and uber-clever, 1nf1n1ty completes Rachel Ward's terrific and compelling dystopian trilogy.

It is after the chaos that destroyed the world as they knew it. There are no televisions, no computers, no screens or phones anymore. Ater the earthquake and years of fallout, people are just trying to survive the elements and find enough food and warm shelter. Hospitals and pharmacies have been raided; there is no medicine. If someone gets sick, it's likely a death sentence.

Adam and Sarah have been on the run and are avoiding big cities, dangerous gangs, and the corrupt government. Framed for a murder he didn't commit, Adam swears never to be captured or caged again;it looks like someone is searching for him now.

Adam becomes more and more paranoid, wanting to keep away from any other humans, fearing that they will hurt them, but Sarah convinces him to join another seemingly friendly group. When Sarah is captured by a paramilitary gang, Adam is forced to confront his worst fears.The numbers are everywhere and Adam sees them. He wishes to God he didn't, but he is the "prophet" who saw the end coming, the date of the end of the world as they knew it. For this, he is a savior to some, to some an entity to study.

When Mia's number is able to change, suddenly she becomes the target. Who is this miracle child? What is her secret? And how can science use her to create immortality? What if you could change your number? Would you kill for someone else's number? What would you do in order to live forever?

Told in alternating chapters by Sarah and Adam, the novel erupts into non-stop action that will have teen readers frantically turning pages in a frenzied race to the thrilling end. I was sorry when the trilogy ended; it left me wanting more, and I can certainly see where a second set of three books is possible.

Highly, highly recommended for dystopian fans and anyone who is following the series. This series offers a lot of food for thought--genetic engineering, medical and government ethics, corruption, chaos, and terrorism.

Grades 9-up. Language and mature situations.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

Dystopian Pick: Dark Inside

Dark Inside
by Jeyn Roberts
Simon & Schuster
2011
336 pages
Available November 1, 2011

View a book trailer here

Compelling, creepy, and calamitous, Dark Inside is an incredible post-apocalypic solid page-turner sure to resonate with teen readers. There was an earthquake--the mother of all earthquakes--that took not only thousands of lives but knocked out all communications. No television, no radio, no Internet, no cell phones, no police scanners, no 911. There is nowhere and noone to turn to for help.

Before the quake, Mason is called out of class to be by his dying mother's side. She was in a horrific car accident and a teacher drives Mason to the hospital. While he's in the waiting room, a newscast comes on the t.v. that there has been a shocking and brutal attack at his high school. Several bombs went off killing everyone.

Aries is on a bus when a wild-eyed, crazy man grabs her and warns her that, "Too much hate. They found the crack" and begins a countdown. At the precise moment he says, "ONE," an earthquake rocks her world.

Clementine was in a town meeting with her parents in the church when her mother warns her to sneak out. She sees the armed men--men who are their neighbors--but now the men are gun-toting monsters. She sneaks out the door but is grabbed by a neighbor. He lets her go, saying, "Once it takes over, I can't stop." Sam hears voices--telling him to do things, things like killing.

Michael witnesses an accident and sees the police responders kill a fleeing man. The police turn on him and will kill him if he doesn't leave. Has the world gone crazy?

Each chapter is told from one of the main character's point of view. Evil is unleashed and some people are "infected." Yet, others appear normal but have a darkness inside. They conceal their basest instincts but plot and plan their killings. Who can you trust?

Fighting to stay alive in a gruesome and dangerous world requires quick thinking, quick feet, and sometimes a killer's mentality--you may have to kill or be killed. The four teens are thrown together for better or worse and they must find a place to call home--a haven far from the madness.

Dark Inside is an exciting novel--so exciting that Hollywood will be fighting for movie rights to this one! Readers who loved Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick will love Dark Inside.

Highly, highly recommended grades 7-up. Violence, no sex, no language.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.