Monument 14 (Momument 14) [Hardcover]

MY REVIEW
The cover straight away suggested dystopian/post apocalyptic to me, the figures standing out stark against the dirty black/grey sky.
The book is well written, it has plenty going all throughout the whole book. The books main characters are the 14 kids of varying school ages that end up in a large superstore taking shelter form the disaster outside.
The six high school aged kids have totally different personalities and characteristics yet after some initial ups and downs manage to pull together as a team and take care and protect the younger kids. Then there are two kids from eighth grade neither fitting in the high school group nor the young kids group, but they also play their own important part within how things take shape in the supermarket. finally there is the little ones, who may only be small and each have their very own quirks and need still have something to contribute to the group, their own little community is formed.
The main character , who is telling us the story is Dean, the sporty cool guy Jake calls Dean "booker" as Dean is into books and such like.Dean is telling us the story as he has taken notebook and pen to write down everything that happens. Dean is the only one who has family with him, as he has his younger brother Alex. Alex just happens to be a techy guy, if a gadget is broken he can usually fix it or adapt it to get it to work.
I really got right into this book looking forward to my next reading session. I read this book in just two sittings! I read the first couple of chapters late one night and then read the rest a day after, I couldn't put it down, I had to continue reading to find out what happens. As with all groups of kids their are disagreements, love interests, as well as a little fighting here and there too. Decisions have to be made, so there's a vote for a leader between the cool fit guy Jake and Niko, the boy scout guy, who wins? You need to read the book to find out. There are tough decisions to make and tough actions and duties to be carried out. All the kids manage to pull together.....most of the time. Even in the aftermath of the initial disaster (you'll read more about what and how things happened in the book) there are moments of humour and comedy, in fact, there are little slivers of comedy throughout. One of my favourites is one of the girls taking charge when they have all caught nits from the little kids! How Emmy describes the situation in detail helps you literally visualize the comedy of it. there are also tragic scenes played out and you read the "lies" or stories the older kids make up to protect the little ones. the older kids do a good job of distracting the younger kids and keeping them busy and even productive too.
So did I enjoy the book? Yes. Would I read a Bk2? Yes please!! would I read more by Emmy Laybourne? Yes Would I recommend? Yes, I would compare this book to Ashfall by Mike Mullin.

Firstly I'd like to thank Hachette for sending me this book to read and give an honest review. I really liked the sound of it (I guess the idea of being locked in a superstore appealed to me ) and I couldn't wait to get started.

The action started quickly with a massive hail storm causing problems for two school buses and the kids who were passengers. The kids who survived the ordeal were forced to seek shelter in a superstore - this was just the beginning of a crazy, scary adventure that would affect their lives forever.

As the group settled into life in the store they discovered through an old TV in the media department just what was happening in the outside world, it was at this point that they realised they were in the best place. Natural disasters and a serious chemical leak added the fear factor and excitement to the storyline, I was completely hooked!

The characters were a blend of ages with various social standings and backgrounds yet in the face of disaster they managed to make things work. I loved reading about how they made the store habitable, I could visualise it all so clearly especially the sleeping area . The map of the superstore inside the front page also helped me picture the layout in my mind and I found myself turning back to it whenever I wanted to refresh my memory.

I was mesmerised by this crazy world that the group of kids found themselves in, part of me was really excited by the whole idea and the other part just felt scared for them all - it created a mixture of emotions within me.

I couldn't stop reading this fantastic story and finished it in less than a day, I think it would make a great movie! The ending was really unexpected and left me wanting more, I can't wait for the next book Sky on Fire to be released!

This was a fast-paced read that kept me on the edge of my seat, I would definitely recommend it.

With Monument 14, debut novelist Emmy Laybourne makes a splash in the YA and apocalypse worlds.

A volcanic eruption, miles away from Monument, CO will change the lives of 14 school aged children forever. Numerous natural disasters result from the volcanic eruption and cause these children to seek refuge in a super store where they must learn to survive.

The story is told from the point of view of teenager Dean and written as a teenager would tell the story. This is the first book in a series (not sure how many there will be) and encompasses the first two weeks after the start of the apocalypse.

What I liked about the book
1)The effects of the apocalypse start almost immediately. In general I don't enjoy a book as much if I have to wait 4-5 chapters for zombies to appear or for the action to start unfolding.
2)The hardcover copy of the book lists the day at the bottom of each page ie, day one, day two etc. This is great for me and helps me keep up with exactly where we are since several chapters comprise each day.
3)I felt that the interactions among the group were exactly what you would expect.
4)The use of blood groups to determine how people would react to the chemical spill.

I definitely enjoyed this book and it's refreshing to read YA novels from time to time. Who knew you could get your point across without using the "F" word? As a reader of apocalyptic fiction I would recommend this book and look forward to reading the next chapters.