Like "Lord of the Flies" but way more creepy. ( )

Reviewed by Breia "The Brain" Brickey for TeensReadToo.com

Having not read the first book in the series, GONE, I was thoroughly intrigued about this book.

HUNGER takes place three months after the events of the previous story. The kids are running out of food, gaining powers, and a Darkness is calling to some of the members of The FAYZ.

I enjoyed this story so much that after I read it I promptly ordered the first book. I am eagerly awaiting its arrival so that I can see how this all started.

I thought the story flowed very well, was well-written, and the characters pulled me in from beginning to end. I literally had trouble putting the book down once I started reading.

HUNGER can stand alone, but you'll probably want to read the first title in the series, like me, either before or after finishing this one. ( )

Picks up 3 months after Gone. Food is running out in the FAYZ, and Sam's leadership abilities are tested as kids grow more restless and defiant. Meanwhile, Caine, who's been in a feverish dream for 3 months, recovers and begins to plot against Sam again, following the instructions of the Darkness, a monster that's invaded his mind. Normal kids plot against mutants as Sam tries to restore some order and destroy the Darkness that's taken over many of them. ( )

The kids of the FAZE are back and things are getting desperate. Food is in short supply, and there is growing hostility between the mutant and the normals. Sam is overwhelmed with acting as a parent and leader for all the kids while the world seems to be falling apart around him. There are lots of subplots and storylines. The book is a page turner, full of action, oddness, and excitement with a lot of evil bubbling just beneath the surface. ( )

The Little Bookworm

It's been 3 months since everyone over the age of 15 has disappeared and the situation is getting even more desperate. The children of the FAYZ are running out of food and tensions are running high between the "normal" kids and the ones with extraordinary powers. Sam is trying to keep the kids town feed and sane while Caine is trying to control the Darkness growing in his mind. But the Darkness has awoken and it's hungry.

I was going to take a little break from this book after I started reading, but I never managed to walk away. This is the second in the Gone series. I like the first book and I like this one too. I think it is a fairly realistic portrayl of what would happen if an entire town was bubbled off from the rest of the world by a superpowered child and where there are no adults, if you know, things like that happened. What I mean is that the kids are very realistic and act like children would act. Some would be responsible and some wouldn't lift a finger. I find the amount of violence disturbing though given that we are dealing with children. But kids can be brutal in the normal world. So in a hyped up situation I could see the outcome being very much like this.

This book moves right along and at a very fast pace. So much happens, there is hardly time to breath before going into the next thing. The characters are so well developed and I found myself just hating Drake and wishing he would die. I love Sam and can deal with Astrid and Caine, poor thing (in a way), and Diana who just doesn't know. I'm curious, though, what the next book will be about given the way this one ended. Oh, and the ending *shudder* ( )