There are a couple perks to being the son of a billionaire, like surviving a nuclear war thanks to a luxurious compound, but fifteen year old Eli doesn’t feel so lucky, especially since his twin brother, Eddie, didn’t survive and it’s his fault. And then there’s that whole food shortage thing and the yellow room that is supposed to save them…
Time to read: about three hours, with study breaks
I like dystopian novels and I like mysteries, but this book just didn’t do it for me.
I liked the concept (post-apocolyptic family stuck underground together), but the way it was presented didn’t work for me. There was a whole lot of unnecessary explanation, heavy-handed foreshadowing, and the secondary characters were underused even though they could have added so much to the story given the chance.
That being said, I don’t think this book is aimed towards me anyway, and had I read it when I was younger (and didn’t have dystopian books like Divergent and The Hunger Games fresh in my mind) I might feel differently. I think the plot was well thought out and the characters had some interesting quirks. There were also some genuinely creepy and memorable moments that were really well done.
Novels with similar aspects
Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan
Running out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
Recommended to 12-15 year old boys or someone looking for a light dystopian novel.
Not recommended to those looking for something really thought-provoking.
I don’t really feel the need to discuss this novel further, but if there’s anyone that feels differently I’ll put up a book discussion. Just let me know.
