Confessions of a Readaholic: Michael Grant

Messenger of Fear by Michael Grant

Release Date: August 26, 2014

Publisher: Electric Monkey

Series: Messenger of Fear, Book 1

Rated: YA 14+

Format: Paperback

Source: Pansing

Buy: Available at all good bookstores!

Goodreads ● Website

I remembered my name – Mara. But, standing in that ghostly place, faced with the solemn young man in the black coat with silver skulls for buttons, I could recall nothing else about myself.

And then the games began.

The Messenger sees the darkness in young hearts, and the damage it inflicts upon the world. If they go unpunished, he offers the wicked a game. Win, and they can go free. Lose, and they will live out their greatest fear.

But what does any of this have to do with Mara? She is about to find out . . .

Messenger of Fear has been on my shelf for AGES. It's only with announcing the giveaway that I realised that I'd never gotten to it, which is why I made it a priority to pick it up soon. This is the second Michael Grant book I've read. Other than this one, I've only read Gone, which I really enjoyed, but since I have a terrible track-record for keeping up with series, I never managed to get to reading the others. Grant is such an awesome author and a really nice person too–I got to meet him at ALA 2013 in Chicago, and he spent a little bit of time talking to me about books, blogging and Singapore. Anyway, I can't believe I didn't get to Messenger of Fear sooner. It was a quick read, too, and I devoured it in one sitting.

This was such a different book; it was eerie and mysterious, and the synopsis doesn't give much away, so I went into this book pretty unclear of what exactly was going on. While it was confusing at first, as you read further on you do get a better understanding. I mean, sure there were things that were still not answered by the end of the book, which I had questioned from the beginning, but that's what sequels are for, right? Messenger of Fear also had a big twist, one that I only saw coming a few pages ahead of time with a lucky guess.

❝I had the thought then that I was dead.
It was not a certainty to me but an uneasy possibility, a doubt, a guess whose truth I was not willing to test.
Why were my memories so far out of reach? I had a life, didn't I? I was a person. I was a girl. I had a name. Of course I had a name.

Mara.❞

–p. 3, paperback

The characters were pretty great, but I will say that I didn't really feel connected to them at all. Sure, Mara and the Messenger, as well as the other people (or not really "people" at times), were interesting characters, but I just didn't connect to them on a level that I expect to with books. I mean, I didn't mind it, because I was so taken away with the story and unraveling the mystery behind why Mara's stuck in this place and working for the Messenger, but it's just something I hope changes with the rest of the series.

While slightly perplexing to begin with, Messenger of Fear was ultimately a fantastic story. Dark and creepy with a frightful secret at it's core, I definitely need to pick up more of Michael Grant's books. It just so happens that (thankfully!) I did download an eGalley of The Tattooed Heart a while back, and it's ready to go on my Kindle. I can't wait to dive back into the world of mystery and fear in Grant's captivating series.

▪ ▪ ▪ Thank you so much to Sasha at Pansing for sending me a copy for review! ▪ ▪ ▪

If you like this, try...

Nightfall by Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski ● Goodreads
(Don't You) Forget About Me by Kate Karyus Quinn ● Goodreads

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Gone by Michael Grant

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

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)