Review SKY ON FIRE by EMMY LAYBOURNE @FierceReads @EmmyLaybourne

Book Description

Release date: May 28, 2013  Series: Monument 14

Trapped in a superstore by a series of escalating disasters, including a monster hailstorm and terrifying chemical weapons spill, brothers Dean and Alex learned how to survive and worked together with twelve other kids to build a refuge from the chaos. But then strangers appeared, destroying their fragile peace, and bringing both fresh disaster and a glimmer of hope.

Knowing that the chemical weapons saturating the air outside will turn him into a bloodthirsty rage monster, Dean decides to stay in the safety of the store with Astrid and some of the younger kids. But their sanctuary has already been breached once. . . .

Meanwhile, Alex, determined to find their parents, heads out into the darkness and devastation with Niko and some others in a recently repaired school bus. If they can get to Denver International Airport, they might be evacuated to safety. But the outside world is even worse than they expected. . . .


About the Author

EMMY LAYBOURNE, author of Monument 14, is a writer and actress. She has appeared in movies like Superstar and The In-Laws, and has performed original comedy on Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, and with UCB and Chicago City Limits. She lives in Upstate New York with her husband and their two children. Visit her online at www.emmylaybourne.com.

SOURCE: AROUND THE WORLD ARC TOURS

MY THOUGHTS

ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT

The group has survived intact so far with only minor injuries and have figured out how to counteract the chemical spill as well as fight off a few interlopers who would like to take over the superstore.  Alex and Niko decide that they can't sit around in the store forever and repair the bus to get to Denver International Airport where evacuations are taking place.  So with them, Batiste, Josie, Sahalia and Brayden who has been shot, all set off to get help in the bus.  As they travel through the interstate, the true horror of the catastrophe is even more than they could have imagined.  They are met by a group of marauding militia that tell them the airport is nothing more than a death sentence.  Still the group plod on.

Back at the store, Astrid and Dean try to keep the three youngest children happy and comfortable and they  think that they are safe, another refuge tries to break in and Jake reappears to save them.   As Jake describes the devastation outside, they start to gather supplies to make their own trek to the airport.  The air quality is deteriorating and they feel they have no other choice since everything seems to be getting worse.

The story again is full of action and perfect descriptions which make for a quick read. I admit I was a bit sad that it wasn't longer but I did get a lot of satisfaction for such a fast read.  The characters are more developed and I needed a book that wasn't a tortured romance -- although there is a bit of that between Astrid and Dean.  The ending left me hanging a bit and you do find out the fate of a few of them.  I am not going to ruin the outcome of this one since I know you will want to pick this one up.  Parents:  There is a bit of language and some kissing in this one, as well as some violence but it was nothing like the first one.  

 Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (May 28, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312569041
• ISBN-13: 978-0312569044
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REVIEW: Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne @mackkidsbooks @EmmyLaybourne

Book Description

Publication Date: June 5, 2012

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 launch yourself 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.

About the Author

Emmy Laybourne is a screenwriter, lyricist, and actress. She has acted in movies, television, and improv groups including Chicago City Limits. She lives in Chestnut Ridge, New York, with her husband and their two children. Monument 14 marks her fiction debut. Visit her online at www.emmylaybourne.com.

SOURCE:  PUBLISHER

MY THOUGHTS

ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT


At the end of the world, most experts agree that the safest place to hole up in case of an attack would be a big box or warehouse store since it can be secured and there are plenty of supplies.  Well, when massive natural disasters strike the world, fourteen kids are stuck inside one of these stores with no adults or communication to the outside world.  So when a group of kids ranging from kindergarten to high school end up inside a super store after their bus crashes during a freak hailstorm, it is only the beginning of an adventure in survival.  Oh, and a weapons spill only creates more danger for the group when their effects become known and the chemicals cause rage and hallucinations in certain blood types.  


The story centers around Dean and his tech-brilliant brother, Alex and how they try to make the best of a bad situation to keep the group cohesive and alive.  Two jocks, Jake and Brayden only want to drink alchohol and fool around, doing little to help the group survive, so it is no big surprise that they cause a lot of problems for the group.  Josie, has been injured initially but when she finally comes around, she shows her leadership skills and make a home for the younger kids.  Astrid, the high school hottie and Sahalia, who wants to be older than her thirteen, pretty much temp the guys and without even realizing it bring upon some unwanted attention when two outsiders show up.  


So much happens in this story but it all devolves into a sort of Lord of the Flies scenario between the older boys until one of them dies.  Everything in the plot is very fast paced and the descriptions are perfectly phrased so that everyone gets their full due without being overly wrought out.  Even the younger kids are memorable but I don't have enough space to go into full detail about them.  The kids do have a bit of contact with the outside world through an old television set but when that is damaged, they must figure things out on their own.  There is a good opening for a follow up to another which I have learned will be out in 2013.  I would recommend this for teens and there are mentions of alcohol, drugs, sexual situations, some violence and language.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (June 5, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312569033
• ISBN-13: 978-0312569037