Fear by Michael Grant

Fear is the 5th book in the Gone Series. I find I am just wanting this series to be over, yet as soon as a new book is published, I have to pick it up. In this case, one of my students picked it up and let me borrow it (thanks Em!) In this book, it has been a year since all the adults disappeared. Kids have mutated and have had to deal with a world without law and order and rules. Yet they are surviving. Everyone seems to have their place in this new world. People have jobs and responsibilities. Of course because these are kids, sometimes things don't go as planned. As this book starts, several of the kids living in the FAYZ start to notice that the dome is changing. It is getting darker from the bottom up. They soon realize that the dome will be in complete darkness and so will the kids living inside. The smarter kids realize that this will mean chaos, no light means no food, no safety, and nothing to do. This strikes fear into everyone. I actually liked this book better than I thought I would. It was much more exciting than some of the last ones. I have a hard time keeping track of all the different characters and who is good and who is evil and why. However, the line in this book is pretty clearly drawn between good and evil. I am looking forward to the next one coming out.

Plague by Michael Grant

Plague is the fourth book in the Gone series and when it came out I had many former students asking me for it. I didn't even get it back until the end of June because so many kids who've read the first three books needed to read this one. I was starting to lose interest in this series after the third book Lies , but I'm back to really enjoying these books after finishing this one today.

The kids in the FAYZ are still surviving - barely and once again they are faced with new challenges and old enemies seeking revenge. In the last three books, we've seen Astrid and Sam with a few other friends do their best to make sure everyone is safe and working hard to survive. Yet the challenge of trying to lead this group is taking its toll on them. Drake has been captured and Caine and Diana have disappeared much to everyones relief. But in this novel, once again Sam and Astrid are faced with enemies and mysterious beings and mutations that threaten everyone's safety. To top it all off, a mysterious flu is sweeping the FAYZ and both sides fight to stay alive.

Once again, Grant writes a story that is fast paced and surprising. You never know exactly what is going to happen to the kids and if the good guys will win or be defeated. As I started this book, I didn't think I was going to make it though, but I was quickly caught up in the characters lives and wanting to know how everything was going to turn out for them. There are a few pieces that I find really confusing, such as Little Pete's story and the story of The Darkness. I'm not sure if I just read to quickly over the last few books and I've forgotten what is happening or this is Grant's way to keep readers reading. However, not understanding those two parts did not detract from the enjoyment of reading this story.
If you've read this series, you might also be interested in checking out the Youtube videos of Grant talking about his books.