Amy Christine Parker

Gated by Amy Christine Parker
YA thriller.
Pioneer runs the Community, a secluded and self sustaining farm environment of approximately 50 families where the outside world is limited. No phones, internet or influences that Pioneer doesn’t control. He makes the rules and punishments and demands total loyalty.
Lyla is now 17. Her family has been part of the Community since the 9/11 terrorists attacks and her mother is grateful that there is nothing of that magnitude within their residents. Lyla accidentally meets a boy about her age from the outside world and she’s fascinated with his life and freedom. But she has to forget about him because Pioneer has proclaimed that the world is under attack and they all must retreat and live on the emergency silos they’ve built. Pioneer is a prophet and the Community must follow his will.

A fictional Jim Jones cult story written from the young adult perspective of Lyla, her life, friendships and view of her world. The author actually references as a descriptor that cult and the things going on. Here we get to understand how the families follow and believe because of their limited access to the outside world and are drawn in by the charismatic leader.
It chilling to think these continue to happen over and over again.
The story itself is fast moving. I was constantly cheering on Lyla to think for herself and question events. Fortunately this story has a much better ending than the Jones saga.… (more)

CW: Animals slaughtered, torture of teens who disobeyed the cult leader, loss of loved ones

3.5 Stars

Well that had some really tense moments in it!

I am intrigued by cults and this novel did a fabulous job of showing how easily people allow themselves to manipulated and mislead if they are attempting to escape their former lives. Lyla has a chance meeting with someone outside the Community and starts to wonder if their leader, Pioneer, is someone to be loved or feared. A very good YA thriller. Will move on to book two.… (more)

An imaginative and terrifying tale of horror for YA and adult audiences.

Flight 171 is a terrifying tale of high school students suddenly trapped on a plane mid-flight as it makes its way from Philadelphia to Denver for a senior class ski trip. The story is told from the perspective of Devon Marsh; an anguished young woman gripped in grief over the recent death of her twin sister, Emily. Devon blames herself for her sister’s death, though it had been determined to be a tragic accident. Devon had been handling her guilt by slowly remaking herself into her sister, wearing her clothes and jewelry, and even abandoning her own friends for Emily’s. She also focused on tracking down the hit-and-run driver who never came forward or was identified. The stress she’s put on herself on top of her grief is taking its toll.

Her classmates are a variety of personalities, athletes, partiers, and high achievers, but each one is also harboring secrets of their own. The use of the onboard television screens to reveal the students’ hidden sins was terrifyingly effective. I held my breath as each person’s big secret was exposed. I was on the edge of my seat at each attempt to overcome the onboard evil, and it was almost a gut punch at each failure. It was frightening as fear turned the passengers into a blind mob.

The elements of horror pushed all the right buttons for me. The description of the old woman creeped me out from the start with her too-wide grin, the intense eye contact, and the constant humming. Just thinking about this character again gave me the willies. (And these attributes aren’t the worst of it!) I could feel the kids’ panic throughout the story as if I were among the passengers myself.

I recommend FLIGHT 171 to readers who enjoy the YA horror genre, especially those who like forced proximity, locked-room-type stories. Probably not the best bet to take along on your next flight, though.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author or publisher through NetGalley and TBR and Beyond Book Tours.… (more)