6/10, eh, not that good of an apocalypse novel, where did these disasters come from? The characters seems pretty flat, and there's more realistic drama and stuff than action, which kind of drags the book down. ( )

CW: Sexual content, attempted rape, drug use.

2.5 Stars ( )

Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne is the first book in a trilogy about a group of Colorado school children caught up in an apocalyptic event brought on by climate change. With giant hailstones, world-wide tsunamis and earthquakes that lead to a horrific chemical spill, the earth has changed forever. The book opens with the children on their way to school, but when giant hailstones start falling and crushing people and vehicles, their bus driver steers the bus right into a giant superstore.

The bus driver goes looking for help and the children settle into the store. The older ones looking after the younger ones. They are actually lucky that the store has locked itself up with metal grills as they are relatively safe from outside looters and have supplies to last them for months. The author keeps the story moving along at a quick pace as this group of 5 to 17 year old adjust to surviving without any adults to help them. They seal the store completely to keep from breathing in the harmful chemicals that affect different blood types in various ways, but when they learn that there is a rescue mission operating out of Denver, they decide to repair the school bus and attempt the two day drive.
At the last minute some of the group decide not to go, as they are the ones who the chemicals turn into raving monsters, so at the end of the book, 9 leave and 5 stay.

Monument 14 is definitely a book that will resonate with fans of survival stories. This is a rapid read about a weather related catastrophe and how it affected this small group of children trapped inside a super-store. The YA designation meant that there was a fair bit of teenage angst, and I was quite disappointed in how some of the characters, in particular the three older girls, were portrayed. But the survival aspect and fast moving action made this a quick and fun read so I was able to overlook most of the writing flaws. ( )

I just finished the book and was not ready for it to end. I want the next book NOW. ( )

This book is exciting starting very early on and manages to keep up the tension fairly well throughout the entire book. Teenagers are forced to try to survive on their own and care for some littler kids in a super store after natural disasters turn the outside world into a dangerous and scary place. They must figure out how to keep themselves safe and together while making sure they eat, keep the store secure and powered, and safe when outsiders show up. Apparently even in the apocalypse, there will still be teen drama but I did hope for the best for these kids. It has a rather open ending, so you may want to have book #2 on hand. ( )