Confessions of a Readaholic: Gone by Michael Grant

Gone by Michael Grant

Gone by Michael Grant

Published: May 1st, 2009
Publisher: HarperTeen
Series: Gone, Book 1
Rating: YA 13+
Format: Paperback
Source: Borrowed from Library
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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...

The blurb had caught my interest and I had heard so much about this book. When it finally came into the school library, I grabbed it, checked it out, took it home, and started reading it. W-O-W. It seriously blew my mind! It's like a mix of The Lord of the Flies and The Girl Who Owned a City. I can't remember any other dystopian–or any other book for that matter– which has really made me fear for the future, other than Life As We Knew It.
I love how this book mixes in dystopian, paranormal, adventure, mystery and a teeny bit of romance. Sound good enough to you? It sure was to me. It took me two sittings (or rather "lie-ings") to actually finish this book. And lemme tell ya, getting through 500+ pages of this drastically changed world is no picnic, I assure you. But I loved every minute of it. I couldn't find any dull spots with it.

I found the characters very realistic. Sam was a great MC. I found that he was a genuine character– like he was really intent on helping others than himself. All the characters in fact, weren't perfect but that all adds up to be pretty realistic with their flaws and faults. I mean, who wants to read about perfect people dealing with a situation as big as this? Not me. I even found the baddie, Caine, a really great character. It's just that his whole personality, it was evil but it was more realistic as he was a 14-year old.
I also liked how it rotated on different people's perspectives, so that we didn't always stick to Sam's story, but from all sides: the different groups and different characters. I found that it was much more interesting to see the fear and tactics from the different sides of the FAYZ and found the challenged they faced more intriguing as it was a personal experience from them.
I also found that this book, thank goodness, wasn't predictable. I mean, I would have had no idea what was going to happen next. I just kept anticipating each moment, and really got immersed into the writing and plot. I'm really glad for that, and I hope all books in this series are like this!

The story was pretty horrifying at times though. The detail was amazing, but it sounded really painful through what some of the characters had to go through. I found myself wincing a few times, and I could feel my eyes bulging out at some parts. The twists in this story are so good and unexpected, it's really hard to put this book down– trust me! Find a day when you can really just sit and read for hours. Because honestly, when you start this, you don't want to stop.

Overall, Gone was intense read, and it's originality will grab you in and have you flipping pages non-stop. Horrifying, suspenseful and just too awesome for words, this book will have you grabbing up the next book and the one after that. I'm really glad that this is the beginning, because I need MORE of this amazing sci-fi and dystopian world. Soon as school re-opens in August, I'm going to the library straight-away and pick up book 2, Hunger. I NEED to know what happens next...I'm "hungry" for more! (pun intended)