Monument 14 by Emmy Layborne

Release Date: July 3rd

Publisher: Macmillan

Series: Monument 14 (bk. 1)

Genera: Dystopian sci-fi/post-apocalyptic

Subjects: Natural disasters, survival, 

Length: 294 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

Summary/ product description: “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 hurdle 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.”

My Rating: êêêêê

My Review: This book reminded me of the Gone series by Michael Grant, but with less kids and less sci-fi elements. These 14 kids are trapped in a department store because there are chemicals in the air that could affect them. Apparently NORAD was cooking up something nasty, and the earthquake caused it to blow up and be released into the air in Colorado. (My dad also worked at the NORAD Cheyenne Mountain base, like one of the character’s dad’s. Hope they don’t actually have these chemicals). It causes different blood types to have different things happen to them. Type-O’s, the most common, turn into raving lunatics who want to kill (like zombies almost). It’s a pretty unique take on what we usually see as a zombie/virus cliché. It’s pretty scary.

I actually thought some of this book was cute and hilarious. Some of the things the kids say-WOW!!! Especially Max. Dean’s inner dialogue is pretty funny (main characters) but Max, the eight-years old, he’s had one heck of a life. He tells all these amazing stories about going to a strip club with his uncle or things he’s seen and stuff his family does. It’s pretty ridiculous. And there’s another kid that thinks anything slightly wrong is a sin, and he keeps pointing it out too much.

Also, I love the setting. A department store would be a great place to be stuck in for a long time, especially if it has a ton of food and solar powered electricity. There’s just so much stuff and so much you can do and be prepared for. I think the author did a great job of taking advantage of the setting and everything in it. It’s way better than a desert Island like in Lord of the Flies (which was a boring book anyways).

I can’t wait to read the next book. Wonder what will happen. It ended with quite of a cliff hanger.

Cover Art Review: The roof doesn’t look much like a grocery store roof, but that cloud of smoke and the teens and kids do show the book’s content well. Red and turquoise are a nice color combo too. I’m wondering if the book will have some kind of texture or special paper/foil.

~Haley G