Gone by Michael Grant- Review

I bought this a couple of years ago and never got past the second book in the series and I can't even remember why. I must have been crazy because second time round and I couldn't put it down, reading on the train on the way to and from work experience and reading loads before bed every night. It's taken me out of my Contemporary obsession that I've had lately and reminded me how great YA dystopia(?) can be.

In the blink of an eye. Everyone disappears. GONE.

Except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not one single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened.

Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents-unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers-that grow stronger by the day.

It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else...    -From Goodreads

I think that the main reason that it is so gripping is because the story is so, so unlike anything I've read of before. Because I don't think anything like this has been written before, I have no idea what is going to happen after the second book (obviously I know up until then because I've read those books before). I just don't see how the characters are going to survive, or how things will ever work out. This is making me read on, so eager to find out how the story is going to continue and change. I even woke up this morning worrying about some of the problems they have in the FAYZ, realising later that I'm not actually there with them.

In terms of the way it's written, Gone isn't incredible. The story is told really well, but- and maybe this because of the genre- there isn't many lines that I thought 'wow, this is something I want on a t-shirt or whatever'. There aren't any beautiful quotes, but for me, that didn't really make me enjoy it less because the suspense made up for it. Everything was explained in quite an obvious way, but this meant that the book didn't get confusing which is always good. 

Sam is my favourite character in the story. He is the main character, I guess, but I just really like his personality and his morals. All of the characters have interesting traits and sides to them which I enjoyed seeing and I also liked Lana a lot for her braveness and strength. A lot of the characters are brave and strong and that makes me really admire them. 

I think this book would be perfect for people who enjoy action/sci-fi/dystopia. I don't really know what genre you would class this book as, but I think a lot of people would enjoy it. If you want to be taken into a scary new world and meet some great characters, then this book would be perfect for you. 

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