Wolf Storm by Dee Garretson

 

Summary:

 

This is Stefan's big break. He's on location in the mountains far from home for his first movie role, filming a blockbuster sci-fi adventure. The props, the spaceships, and the trained wolves on set should add up to a dream job, but acting turns out to be much tougher than he ever imagined, and he feels like his inner loser is all that's showing through. From the way his famously stuck-up co-star, Raine, treats him, he's pretty sure she thinks so too. And worst of all, no one will believe his claim that there are wild wolves haunting the forest around the set.

When a blizzard strikes, isolating the young co-stars and bringing hungry feral wolves into the open, Stefan must take on his biggest role yet--working together with his co-stars to survive. With no second takes, they only have one chance to get it right.

Lights,
Camera,
Action

Dee Garretson takes suspense and danger to new heights with her thrilling tale of friendship and survival against all odds.

Summary & Photo taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 288 pages (Hardcover)

Source: Toronto Public Library

Publication Date: August 30th 2011 by HarperCollins         

 

Wolf Storm was everything I expected it to be and better. I wasn't really sure how much I would like it when I first borrowed it from the library but, I did know for a fact that it would be a book that I liked.

 

I've always enjoyed a good survivalist novel especially when they're YA or upper middle grade novels and of course the occasional middle grade novel as well. This one though really did impress me though. I was very surprised by how well thought out the story line was.

 

The main character Stephan is regular kid who just happens to land a major role in a movie, much to his amazement I might add. He's awkward, uncertain and completely out of his element in the woods  of Slovakia in the midst of seasoned co-stars. For me it was his uncertainty that made him a memorable character.

 

I'm not sure if it's just me or if it's the books I choose but a lot of the time when I read a YA book with a male main character they tend to be really cocky, rude and self centered no matter what age they are so for me Stephan's uncertainty and awkwardness was refreshing, I loved that he tried to bring people together when disaster struck and he was left alone with two other kids plus an older man in a hotel during a blizzard. It seemed as though he were a pillar of strength for the other characters in the book.

 

This book was on the lighter side of a survivalist novel because it's for middle grade readers who are on the cusp of YA. The parts where the survivors of the blizzard and the avalanche have to survive being hunted by the wild wolves of Slovakia on a mountain ironically called Wolf Mountain was great. The action was wonderful and even though it was on the lighter side it was intense enough to keep me interested because of how likable Stephan was as well as his resolute determination to keep everyone alive and well even at the risk of his own health and more often than not his own life.

 

I thought this was an extremely well written book perfect for anyone to read regardless of their age because of the action and the sense of adventure the book offers. My only complaint with the book was that the ending was rather abrupt and I wish it had been longer. I highly recommend this book to fans of the genre. I for one can't wait to read the author's other book as soon as I can.

 

Really Liked It!
★ ★ ★★

 

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Monument 14 (Monument 14 #1) by Emmy Laybourne

 

Summary:

 

Your mother hollers that you’re going to miss the bus. She can see it coming down the street. You don’t stop and hug her and tell her you love her. You don’t thank her for being a good, kind, patient mother. Of course not—you launch yourself down the stairs and make a run for the corner.Only, if it’s the last time you’ll ever see your mother, you sort of start to wish you’d stopped and did those things. Maybe even missed the bus.But the bus was barreling down our street, so I ran.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.

Summary & Photo taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 294 pages

Source: NetGalley ARC

Publication Date: June 5th 2012 by Feiwel & Friends         

 

This was such an intense read! When the book start appearing all over the interweb I was really hesitant to even consider reading it it but then NetGalley added it to to their catalogue I just had to request it and even though it took me a while to get to it I'm ultimately glad I did request it.

Emmy Laybourne created an intensely emotional read involving the most unexpected survivors if a a disaster such as the one the takes place in Monument 14 happened. Children taking a stand in a world or at least in a city that is no longer safe while still trying to maintain some sort of society what more could a reader ask for? Or, rather what more could THIS reader ask for? The answer: Not much.

I loved this book from page one where we meet out main character Dean and his first person point of view in which we will come to know all that goes on around him. I really liked Dean. For one he was just a regular kid going to school with his kid brother and going through the motions of regular high school life when his world changes in the blink of an eye and he is narrowly escaping death. The other was that he wasn't a perfect character. He had flaws and he behaved like a normal kid. He was scared and he didn't become all pretentious like so many characters seem to do in books like this.

In fact, Dean, Alex (his younger tech genius brother) and Niko were my favourite characters because they seemed so level even though things inside the store they were trapped in did get a little hairy sometimes. I really didn't care for any other characters and I'm pretty sure I would have sent them packing during the chemical spill that plagues the state after the disastrous tornado. The lot of them were very one dimensional and to me they were a little on the useless side though I do admit they added to the book in a few ways.

While I really enjoyed this survival tale there were somethings to be desired. The fact that the girls in the novel were rather high on themselves and the jocks were a bit uppity too. I mean the book had the classic high school stereotypes that just irk me. Perhaps it's because I'm only a couple years out of high school myself and I didn't experience the whole cliques thing that was very much apparent throughout this novel.

I will say though that there was a lot of action, drama  and a lot of sad points and high points along with some points in the novel that were extreme WTF!? Moments but that's what makes a really good novel. Yes there were things that I didn't like but there were many more things about the story and Dean that made the book a thrilling and addictive way. I love survival stories and this one really is one of the better ones that I have read and I'm eagerly anticipating the next book in the series because of the cliffhanger ending where this one left off.

I highly recommend giving this book a go but if you're recommending this for a young adult please be advised there is minimal swearing and a couple of more adult themes in the book. However, if that's no problem for you what are you waiting for? Go get the book! I recommend this thrilling and sometimes chilling action packed read to YA lovers with a love for apocalyptic reads and survivalist themes.

* I received a free copy of this book from the published via NetGalley in exchange for my free and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own and I was not compensated in any way.

 

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Really Liked it!
★ ★ ★ ★

 

The Compound by S.A. Bodeen

 

Summary:

Eli and his family have lived in the underground Compound for six years. The world they knew is gone, and they've become accustomed to their new life. Accustomed, but not happy.
For Eli, no amount of luxury can stifle the dull routine of living in the same place, with only his two sisters, his father and mother, doing the same thing day after day after day.

As problems with their carefully planned existence threaten to destroy their sanctuary - and their sanity - Eli can't help but wonder if he's rather take his chances outside.

Eli's father built the Compound to keep them safe. But are they safe - or sorry?

Summary taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 256 pages (hardcover)

Source: Toronto Public Library

Publication Date: April 29th 2008

Ever since I read The Raft by S.A. Boodeen click here to read my review I've been looking to read another book by the author. Last week I finally got around to doing so and the book turned out to be so good that I read it in 2 hours!

The story focuses on a 15 year old boy named Eli who, along with his family have lived in an underground compound for the last 6 years because his tycoon father got word that a nuclear event had occured. Unfortunately for the family Eli's twin brother Eddy and Eli's maternal grandmother were left behind in the chaos. The family can't get out, and no one can get in for another 9 years,

Bitter over the loss of his twin Eli has withdrawn into himself and turned to cruel words when interacting with his family. Through a series of events Eli starts to unearth a secret, one that his father has managed to keep hidden for six long, lonely years.

This book was such a good read! I loved it, my only issue was with Eli. I hated his attitude. Yes I know he lost his brother but for some reason I can't stand characters who are jerks for any reason so while I found his actions heroic in the end I hated how he acted earlier in the book.

I thought the book was an excellent effort put for by the author. She seems to excell at writing books about teens who are put in extreme conditions where their survival is dependant on the choices that they do or do not make. This one while similar to The Raft, was a bit more warped. I mean if you do read it or have read it you will know what I mean. Seriously, how does one think that up? I mean I like some weird stuff in books but I never expected what was revealed to be in a YA book so it was a little creepy which I absolutely loved.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a bit of a darker read about survival in an extreme situation. Especially those who love YA fiction. This is a great book!

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★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2

The Raft by S.A. Bodeen

Summary:
Robie, 15, lives with her family on the Midway atoll, a group of islands in the middle of the Pacific. Her parents are scientists; it’s an isolated life. Robie enjoys visiting her aunt in Hawaii—she gets back and forth on a cargo plane that brings supplies to Midway.

During a visit, her aunt is called to the mainland for a work emergency, leaving Robie to get home on her own. On her flight back to Midway the cargo plane hits nasty weather, and goes down. It’s just Robie, the pilot, and Max, a co-pilot she’s never met till this flight, on board. Robie is pulled aboard a raft by Max, who is injured and slipping in and out of consciousness. They have a bag of candy and very little water between them. When they finally reach an island that seems abandoned, Robie hopes they’ll be found quickly. But she’s not sure she was even on the flight manifest. Her parents must be looking for her... aren’t they?

In The Raft, S.A. Bodeen creates a hair-raising suspense story that will have readers agonizing over the same question as Robie—how long can they survive?
Summary taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 231 pages
Source: NetGalley ARC
Publication Date: August 21st 2012

So there I was on March 3rd, sitting on my couch all stuffed up with a box of kleenex at my side thinking I should really get started on my RCC Challenge, but what book was I going to read? This one of course!

I've been wanting to give this author a try for ages so when I saw that the good people over at NetGalley had this one by her listed I had to request it! Luckily I got approved and spent an hour and a half occupying my time with Robie, on a life raft floating in the middle of the ocean after her plain went down on her way back home to Midway.

I love, love, love survivalist fiction. It was one of my favourite genres when I was but a wee little bookworm, and though I don't often read books in the genre it still has a special place in my heart. I really enjoyed reading the hair raising tale of a 15 year old girl who's trying to survive on a life raft.

I found the story to be well written with a big twist about 3/4 of the way through (though I kind of saw it ahead of time). It was fast paced, and really makes you wonder what it would be like if you were left adrift in the middle of the ocean with no food, water or protection from the elements with a co-pilot named Max, whose story will become clear later on in the book.

Somehow, Robie finds it inside herself that she CANNOT under any circumstances give up despite being starved, lonely and emotionally fatigued. I love the way that the author wrote the book. She managed to make Robie seem very real and for me it felt as if I was really there inside the raft with her while she was trying to stay alive.

 S.A. Bodeen wrote a dramatic tale of survival and in my opinion she made a successful book out of it. Robie came accross as very real, her character wasn't forced and I found no real flaws with her. The only problem I had with this book was that it seemed as though the beginning was a little rushed and not as well thought out. I wish we had gotten to know more about Robie than we did. But like I said it was a successful book and I highly recommend reading it to fans of YA and pretty much everyone else.

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*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my free and honest review.

★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2