Sarah Mussi

Brilliant, compelling and very topical book with first rate action, pathos and suspense. Genesis awakes on a grimy dirt floor with a vest of explosives strapped to her chest and a bluetooth headset glued into her ear. The last thing she remembers is going on a blind date the night before, in an effort to get over her boyfriend Naz, who had fallen in with a new religious cult called the Brightness. The voice in the earpiece directs her to take a London Tour Bus or she will be blown up, so show more Genesis has no choice but to comply. Told completely from her point of view in the hours following, interspersed with poetry, quotations and "to do" lists, Genesis must face her own mortality as well as appreciating the preciousness of life. The author has cleverly avoided reference to current causes that recruit disillusioned young men to become martyrs through the creation of the Brightness cult . However, its creeds and methods seem very familiar and its treatment of women is similar to the sects that unfortunately appear on the newsfeeds all too often these days. A gripping story that keeps you hooked until the very last page. For readers 15 and over due to the violence and complex moral issues the book raises. SPOILER ALERT: be prepared for the death of a friend and an explosive ending. show less

Very similar book to Charlie Higson's The Fear. Set in a future London where terrorists have blown up every nuclear power plant in the Uk and killed all the bees. No bees = no pollination = no food! Enter Melissa and her grandmother who have been living in the grandmother's unit by self-pollinating potatoes and other vegetables and trading coupons for food. When the grandmother goes out to get some sturdy shoes for Melissa, the two are attacked by dogs and Mel falls into the Thames. She is show more washed downstream and rescued by Tarquin and his little brother Lenny who are gangers. Melissa is young and beautiful and becomes a much sort after prize for all sorts of people - the sadistic General who contraols the Army, Careem; the leader of the gangers to name just a few. Mel enlists the help of Lenny and Quin by pretending that there is a farm in Scotland where there are bees, animals and everything is what it was. Will she run or will she tell the truth?
Loved this due to the constant action and how Mel thinks like her grandmother constantly remembering her words to survive. For older readers due to two attempted rape scenes - both of which Melissa escapes. Also loved the references to concentration camps in the Biomes ( where food is actually grown) and the democracy of the mining town where all the children are sent to the mines to keep the town alive and subsequently die there. Love how it was a stand alone novel (unlike Higsons ). Also reminded me of Last Girl series too which was set in Australia. show less

Yes it was mostly quite ridiculous, but I found it a quick enjoyable read that really engaged me. I actually found it quite scary because a lot of the anti-poor rhetoric in this book is merely along the lines of what actual politicians have said and then taken to the extreme. I don't think it's supposed to be completely believable, and it illustrates what can happen if people with dangerous ideologies are allowed too much power.

(ARC was provided to read and review.)

Genesis Wainwright certainly has been to the worst blind date ever, to which she went to get over her ex-boyfriend Naz who dumped her. She wakes up the next morning and finds herself in a dark and damp cellar and doesn't know how she got there and what has happened the evening before. Quickly she has to realize, she's wearing a belt of explosives and has been turned into a suicide bomber. An earpiece has been superglued into her ear and through it she show more receives information where to go and what to do.
Genesis starts to question why this is happening to her. She assumes, that a group called Brightness has something to do with it. They are extremists with cells all over the UK, who seem to particularly direct their propaganda and religious fanatism at teens and YA and promise them a brighter future. They are know for terror acts and have used girls for suicide bombing before.
In fact, her ex joined them, that was the main reason why they split, but now in her hour of need, Naz is her first thought, because who better to help her, than a Brightness member. If Brightness is really behind all this, Naz might be able to intervene, surely?
But, as the hours tick away during the day, Genesis comes to understand, that things are quite different and has to re-evaluate the choices she made.
Will Genesis be able to free herself from the bomb attached to her?

The book wasn't what I expected. I assumed, that the story would concentrate more and in depth on how terror groups function. Instead it's an action packed account from Genesis POV, not more, but also not less, and it's a hell of a ride.
Bomb has you from the start at the edge of your seat and keeps you there all the way to the end. The final two chapters had me basically breathless.

Genesis is a strong and determined character and I liked her. I could see why she went for Naz instead of Dave, when she was at school. The thing with someone like Dave is, that when you already know as a teen, how you want to map out the rest of your life, it has the flavour of boredom, especially when you are young. Naz was adventure, a life without knowing in the morning how your evening will turn out. If you are head over heels in love, you don't think rational of what might be more sensible.

Sometimes things fall too easy into place and as I liked the rainbow-scarf-girl, I didn't like what happened to her (much, much too early) and as far as someone else I cared about ( a LOT) is concerned, I would have loved to hear what happened to the character after the "toilet-separation".

The end wasn't what I expected and what I had imagined, but I loved, that the author could surpise me with how things turned out.
My first Sarah Mussi book and it will definitely not be my last. show less