Series: Monument 14, #1
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publish Date: June 5th, 2012
Source: Purchased
Goodreads

Synopsis: Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong.

In Emmy Laybourne’s action-packed debut novel, six high school kids (some popular, some not), two eighth graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids trapped together in a chain superstore build a refuge for themselves inside. While outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapons spill, seems to be tearing the world—as they know it—apart. -Goodreads

Thoughts: I had been looking forward to reading this book since it first came out almost a year ago now, and it did not disappoint. The concept is that a group of teenagers and elementary school aged children lock themselves inside of a department store while the world falls apart around them. The disasters are varied from epic balls of hail to an airborne virus whose symptoms vary based on blood type.

Since most of the book takes place inside of of the superstore, it can seem a little slow at times, but this is just the kind of apocalyptic story I am always searching out. The characters responses to what was going on around them seemed genuine, which made the horrors going on outside seem that much more realistic. Inside the store no reaction ever seemed too far-fetched or over-simplified, which made it easy to focus on the characters themselves despite having such a large group to remember.

The characters themselves were diverse (in both personality and ethnicity) and well developed. I loved the little kids they had running around and how sincere they seemed to be. The lead, Dean is easy to relate to and definitely flawed, but he’s focused on survival while some of the other teenagers are more focused on making stupid decisions while away from their parents. Frustrating, but definitely realistic! His brother, Alex could stand to be further developed, but I think we’ll see a lot of that in the next book

My review copy of Sky on Fire is on its way, and I cannot wait to read it! The ending to Monument 14 was GOOD and I’m anxious to see what the fallout will be from the final twist of the first book.

Purchase Monument 14
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Second Opinions:
@Pen to Paper
@Racing to Read
@Paperback Princess