Emmy Laybourne

This was my most traumatizing, terrifying book-reading experience since I was much younger and stumbled upon The Tomorrow Code (which, like Monument 14, I will never forget). I do not handle apocalyptic fiction well, especially ones that center around natural and chemical disasters. They make me paranoid and anxious and overall I have a problem of disappearing into a book. My heart was pounding 50 pages in, and when I was preparing dinner tonight, I had a thought that only a character in the show more book would have and I scared myself badly. I know, pathetic, but even though I will have nightmares for the next week, I'm glad I read it. This was a fantastic book. The plot was creative; I felt like I was dealing with new concepts. The characters were wonderfully diverse and most of them were multifaceted. The little kids were realistic. Even through the horror, there were genuine moments of hilarity that I appreciated. Monument 14 is definitely a must-read, and I'm getting the sequel as soon as possible. show less

A little bit like Lord of the Flies meets The Breakfast Club meets The Mist, Monument 14 is about a group of children holed up in a superstore after a freak hailstorm causes a chemical leak from the nearby weapons manufacturing site, leading to contamination of the whole town.

On the surface, this book seemed like it had a lot of potential. Books featuring kids in stressful, survival situations always seem more chilling and disturbing to me than books starring their adult counterparts. show more Children, after all, are the picture of ultimate innocence; in an ideal world we wish to protect them from all the troubles and anxieties of adulthood. Even most adults would be ill-prepared to handle a sudden disaster, so I can’t even imagine how much worse the burden of responsibility would be to a teenager. Without strong guidance and a lack of organization, it’s not surprising how quickly a group situation can devolve.

The kids in this book range from ages 5 to 17, all stranded passengers from a couple of school buses that were wrecked by the severe storm. Naturally, a hierarchy of leadership develops, with the older teens taking care of the young’uns. The dynamics are made more interesting by the differences not only in the characters’ ages, but also in their personalities, backgrounds and upbringing. Unfortunately, this does mean that almost everyone is pigeonholed into rather predictable and clichéd stereotypes. Main protagonist and narrator Dean is the “booker”, a quiet and somewhat awkward late-bloomer who has long harbored a secret love for Astrid, the popular and perfect hot girl. Astrid however is the girlfriend of Jake, the football jock. Among the high-schoolers, there’s also the bully/bad boy Brayden, the solemn and live-by-the-book Boy Scout Niko, who happens to have a thing for the kind and motherly Josie. The roles are cast, and the stage is set for some serious teenage drama.

The younger kids actually proved more intriguing and to have more well-rounded personalities. A couple of them genuinely surprised me, displaying a level of maturity and problem solving skills that even surpassed some of the teenagers’. In fact, I think one of the book’s main weaknesses is its gradual divergence from the “we’re all in this together” theme towards a greater emphasis on the relationships and soap-opera aspects of the older kids. The story was a lot more engaging at the beginning when the whole group dealt with the challenges of surviving together, addressing issues like mob mentality, who should be in charge, and how to explain the situation to the elementary children who are frightened and don’t understand why they can’t go home. Once the focus shifted to become more about “who’s crushing on whom”, the book became more typical and less special in my eyes.

While I loved the premise, another strike against this book is the whole reason why Dean and the other kids are trapped in the superstore. The explanation given – that the chemical leak is a gas causing different reactions based on the exposed victim’s blood type – is a bit weak and unconvincing. Victims with O-type blood will become mindless violent savages, while another type would break out in boils and blisters, while yet another type would experience no outward signs but may suffer infertility and reproductive difficulties, etc. Leaving aside how such an absurd model of symptoms made me want to bash my head against the wall, the theory of the chemical disaster did not feel that well thought out. It felt like the author needed a reason to put the kids in this particular jam, and seized upon the first idea to come to mind without fleshing it out giving it more detail. Perhaps that’s why the book also threw in the extreme weather and a massive disaster on the east coast, just to make the situation bigger and severe than it is.

As expected, Monument 14 also left off on a cliffhanger (these days, I’d be shocked if a YA novel didn’t). Still, it’s a strong start, with a great idea to work with, and just a tad wobbly on the execution. I haven’t decided if I want to continue with the series yet. Looks like it’ll be another short, quick read, so if the opportunity arises, I may take it. show less

In medias res. That’s a fancy-pants Latin term for in the middle. Is it okay that I’m starting my book review that way—in the middle of a series? I’m thinking the answer is oh yeah because from the perspective I’m taking, it’s ooey, gooey, and delicious, like eating a luscious cinnamon roll from the center to the outside. Nothin’ but goodness, people.

Let’s start with W-O-W. From the opening pages of book one, the story kept me on my toes. First of all, it was set somewhere show more different—Colorado—which doesn’t seem like an earth-shattering circumstance, but seriously, I’m tired of reading about all these fabulously gorgeous teens that frolic on the coast, be it Pacific or Atlantic. This is the hard-core West, my friends, and these peeps need that stoic western strength to make it through one epic thrill ride: hail storms, earthquakes, and chemical spills, oh my! The main character, Dean, journals the story for us from start to finish as he panics, protects, and of course, crushes on the beautiful swimming goddess that happens to get trapped in a superstore along with our goofy hero and twelve other school-age kids.

And holey doughnuts, people! Rarely does a sequel--especially the middle child--live up to the hype and expectations created by the first novel. Monument 14: Sky on Fire, does that and so much more. As in BOOM! baby. And in this read, that is literal AND figurative. show less

I wasn't sure we'd get to a resolution when the action was still raging with 20 pages left to go, but in the end the book closes at a satisfying place. Some of the things I thought were really great about this novel - the way that Dean (with the help of Niko) realizes what it means to love someone - the way that Josie (with the help of Mario) comes to terms with the things she does to protect her family. I love the way these kids hang on to each other, never lose hope, and are helped at key show more moments by the adults around them. show less