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Alone #3
Quarantine
In a dangerous, devastated New York, one 16-year-old Australian boy finds himself alone…
It's now or maybe never sixteen year old Jesse has spent eighteen days in post-apocalyse New York, waiting for help that never comes. He owes it to his new friends, Rachel and Felicity, to go beyond their temporary refuge to find other survivors who may hold the key to escape. Could the collective at Chelsea Piers have the answers or prove to be just another distraction in his quest? Meanwhile, Jesse is burdened with guilt and sadness at the fate of his other friend, Caleb, who has fallen prey to the virus and become a Chaser. So when it emerges that a cure-all serum may be available, Jesse determines to secure it to save his friend. At any cost perhaps even his own future.
It's now or maybe never sixteen year old Jesse has spent eighteen days in post-apocalyse New York, waiting for help that never comes. He owes it to his new friends, Rachel and Felicity, to go beyond their temporary refuge to find other survivors who may hold the key to escape. Could the collective at Chelsea Piers have the answers or prove to be just another distraction in his quest? Meanwhile, Jesse is burdened with guilt and sadness at the fate of his other friend, Caleb, who has fallen prey to the virus and become a Chaser. So when it emerges that a cure-all serum may be available, Jesse determines to secure it to save his friend. At any cost perhaps even his own future.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
10 people are currently reading
413 people want to read
About the author
James Phelan
36 books257 followersJames Phelan is the award-winning author of twenty-four novels and one work of non-fiction. He first studied and worked in architecture before turning to English/Lit, working five years at The Age newspaper, obtaining an MA (Writing) and PhD (Young Adult Literature).
Hachette has published his five geo-political thrillers: FOX HUNT, PATRIOT ACT, BLOOD OIL, LIQUID GOLD and RED ICE.
From 2010-2011, Hachette published the widely acclaimed ALONE trilogy of Young Adult post-apocalyptic/dystopian novels.
In 2013/2014, Scholastic published James' thirteen-book adventure series about the dream work THE LAST THIRTEEN. The multi-award winning series (2014 YABBA, COOL, KOALA awards) has been highly successful around the world, selling over a million copies in 18 months.
THE SPY (Hachette, 2013), was the first instalment in a new series of suspense thrillers with the protagonist Jed Walker, and is followed by THE HUNTED (2015), and KILL SWITCH (2015).
James is currently working on a follow-up trilogy to THE LAST THIRTEEN, more thrillers, and an illustrated middle-grade series titled GRANDPA SPIES.
James has taught writing at post-graduate level and regularly talks at schools, libraries and universities around the world. Since 2006 he has sold over 4 million copies of his books.
Hachette has published his five geo-political thrillers: FOX HUNT, PATRIOT ACT, BLOOD OIL, LIQUID GOLD and RED ICE.
From 2010-2011, Hachette published the widely acclaimed ALONE trilogy of Young Adult post-apocalyptic/dystopian novels.
In 2013/2014, Scholastic published James' thirteen-book adventure series about the dream work THE LAST THIRTEEN. The multi-award winning series (2014 YABBA, COOL, KOALA awards) has been highly successful around the world, selling over a million copies in 18 months.
THE SPY (Hachette, 2013), was the first instalment in a new series of suspense thrillers with the protagonist Jed Walker, and is followed by THE HUNTED (2015), and KILL SWITCH (2015).
James is currently working on a follow-up trilogy to THE LAST THIRTEEN, more thrillers, and an illustrated middle-grade series titled GRANDPA SPIES.
James has taught writing at post-graduate level and regularly talks at schools, libraries and universities around the world. Since 2006 he has sold over 4 million copies of his books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
October 19, 2017
Personal Response
I liked this book because it was written very well. All the characters made decisions that would make sense, and didn't do anything crazy that didn't make sense. I disliked how the book ended though, I feel like it didn't give the reader the answers they wanted.
Plot Summary
The book starts out with Jesse, Felicity, and Rachel being at a zoo in recently bombed Manhattan. The bombing released a chemical agent into the air that made the infected people known as chasers get sick and crave liquids. Some were docile,but others killed people to drink their blood. The trio decides they need to get out of this city,away from the chasers,and find someplace safe where they wouldn't get killed. They decide to team up with a group of people from Chelsea Piers. The two groups decide to meet at Central Park. From there they plan to go down a manhole cover into a drainage shaft way below the surface of the Earth and try to walk underground to someplace safer. When they start trying to head towards the shaft the U.S. armed forces come in with helicopters and set up a quarantine. When the trio is in this quarantine Jesse tells someone about an unexploded missile he found that still had the chemical agent in it. He then leads a team of Felicity, Paul (Felicity's brother) , and himself to try and get a sample of the chemical to create a cure. After they extract the chemical from the unexploded bomb and are headed back to the quarantine they experience some problems. Jesse ends up going back alone to deliver the chemical because Paul got shot in the leg and Felicity needed to stay
back and help him. A cure is then made to change the chasers back to normal and the city is finally safe again.
Recommendation
I would recommend this book to people in their teens. I feel they would like this book because it is realistic fiction and they could imagine themselves in the characters shoes. I think the fact that it is kind of realistic helps the teens like the book even more.
I liked this book because it was written very well. All the characters made decisions that would make sense, and didn't do anything crazy that didn't make sense. I disliked how the book ended though, I feel like it didn't give the reader the answers they wanted.
Plot Summary
The book starts out with Jesse, Felicity, and Rachel being at a zoo in recently bombed Manhattan. The bombing released a chemical agent into the air that made the infected people known as chasers get sick and crave liquids. Some were docile,but others killed people to drink their blood. The trio decides they need to get out of this city,away from the chasers,and find someplace safe where they wouldn't get killed. They decide to team up with a group of people from Chelsea Piers. The two groups decide to meet at Central Park. From there they plan to go down a manhole cover into a drainage shaft way below the surface of the Earth and try to walk underground to someplace safer. When they start trying to head towards the shaft the U.S. armed forces come in with helicopters and set up a quarantine. When the trio is in this quarantine Jesse tells someone about an unexploded missile he found that still had the chemical agent in it. He then leads a team of Felicity, Paul (Felicity's brother) , and himself to try and get a sample of the chemical to create a cure. After they extract the chemical from the unexploded bomb and are headed back to the quarantine they experience some problems. Jesse ends up going back alone to deliver the chemical because Paul got shot in the leg and Felicity needed to stay
back and help him. A cure is then made to change the chasers back to normal and the city is finally safe again.
Recommendation
I would recommend this book to people in their teens. I feel they would like this book because it is realistic fiction and they could imagine themselves in the characters shoes. I think the fact that it is kind of realistic helps the teens like the book even more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2012
I was enjoying reading this book until the ending to be honest. I think the book was a natural progression from the others, it moved on well and I liked the way Jesse was determined to get out of the city. I particularly liked the portrayal of the big group of survivors and how the situation those people find themselves in can make certain changes in a person's personality, or even exacerbate those parts of yourself that you dislike. I also enjoyed Jesse's thoughts on what home really means. The idea that home is something that you carry within you is very appealing, and that it is a state of being rather than a place or person that keeps you there. However, while the book had all the markings of a really interesting one, I felt that the ending left to many questions unanswered. For example, why they were attacking their own men, what was the reason for this attack in the first place and who exactly is responsible. Maybe Phelan's idea was to not answer these questions as a way to get people to think deeply about the ideas raised in this book, such as the fragility of human life and human behaviour, how suceptible we are to change and the how much of a threat there exists for us, even from within circles that we trust and place our faith in. I feel that in some ways there should have been another book, perhaps even a slightly shorter one, to deal with these unanswered questions and the repercussions of surviving such an altering event. But I guess i would say that I enjoyed the series as a whole. I would recommend it as an ok read. Not a book that will dramatically change your life, but will entertain and maybe make you think about the previously mentioned themes. Perhaps it's one of those books that can be enjoyed more on a second read...
September 21, 2015
I was bored. While there was lots of action, nothing REALLY happened.
Who did this? Why?
What about Jesse's family?
Was it all his imagination? One big hallucination?
The people who made it were also the ones who made the cure? Why?
How did they convince TPTB to stop killing the infected to use the cure on them?
Nothing made sense. Nothing worked. Nothing clicked. I'm REALLY disappointed.
Who did this? Why?
What about Jesse's family?
Was it all his imagination? One big hallucination?
The people who made it were also the ones who made the cure? Why?
How did they convince TPTB to stop killing the infected to use the cure on them?
Nothing made sense. Nothing worked. Nothing clicked. I'm REALLY disappointed.
April 12, 2018
If you can imagine yourself in a book then you know its worth reading
October 14, 2016
Personal Response
I think that this was the best book out of the three book series because it had the best action and very exciting moments. The ending was amazing and I think this is one of my favorite books. It is very fun to read with the perfect amount of action to keep you reading. I liked it because it had just enough cliffhangers to keep you reading and interested. The series overall was very good the author did an amazing job.
Plot
First what happens is Jesse leaves the zoo to go to the Chelsea Pier. He gets picked up by people who are looking for supplies and taken to Chelsea Pier. He finds out that they have around 40 people there. The people there are very organized and treat him well. Then Bob one of the supply guys finds out you can get out of the city through the water pipes. Then the priest wants to leave but he gets beat up by there leader Tom. Jesse stops the fighting and they start to leave but Jessie sneaks off to go get Felicity and Rachel. He gets to the zoo and finds them they let all the animals out and they leave. They find the people from the Pier but chasers arrive. Then a bunch of military planes show up and kill the chasers. Jesse meets Felicity's older brother and they sneak out to get samples of the biological agent. They get the samples but military men who are hunting chasers find them and shoot at them. Felicity's older brother is hit in the leg and they hide in a tunnel. Jesse goes on with the samples alone and gets shot in the back by military men. Jesse lives and they find a cure to the biological agent.
Recommendation
I would recommend this book to high school boys who like cliffhangers and a lot of action. Also if they like tense moments. I would not recommend this to girls because they usually don't like blood and killing.
I think that this was the best book out of the three book series because it had the best action and very exciting moments. The ending was amazing and I think this is one of my favorite books. It is very fun to read with the perfect amount of action to keep you reading. I liked it because it had just enough cliffhangers to keep you reading and interested. The series overall was very good the author did an amazing job.
Plot
First what happens is Jesse leaves the zoo to go to the Chelsea Pier. He gets picked up by people who are looking for supplies and taken to Chelsea Pier. He finds out that they have around 40 people there. The people there are very organized and treat him well. Then Bob one of the supply guys finds out you can get out of the city through the water pipes. Then the priest wants to leave but he gets beat up by there leader Tom. Jesse stops the fighting and they start to leave but Jessie sneaks off to go get Felicity and Rachel. He gets to the zoo and finds them they let all the animals out and they leave. They find the people from the Pier but chasers arrive. Then a bunch of military planes show up and kill the chasers. Jesse meets Felicity's older brother and they sneak out to get samples of the biological agent. They get the samples but military men who are hunting chasers find them and shoot at them. Felicity's older brother is hit in the leg and they hide in a tunnel. Jesse goes on with the samples alone and gets shot in the back by military men. Jesse lives and they find a cure to the biological agent.
Recommendation
I would recommend this book to high school boys who like cliffhangers and a lot of action. Also if they like tense moments. I would not recommend this to girls because they usually don't like blood and killing.
April 12, 2014
New York is no longer standing. An explosion took out the city rather easily. Now, Jesse is trying to live life as normally as he can. It's made more difficult by people infected with virus that makes them into killing machines. There are so many obstacles to overcome before any healing can begin. Sixteen year old Jesse is in the middle of it all.
Phenomenal writing and characters you can relate to, make this book one your YA fan needs in their library. Twists and turns keep you guessing what will come to pass as Jesse tries to help those he can. The best thing is, this book gives us hope. It doesn't condemn us to death.
I found no issues with this one.
I gave this one 5 cheers out of 5 because I really enjoyed it and would love to see a movie made.
~Copy of book provided by author in exchange for a fair review~
Phenomenal writing and characters you can relate to, make this book one your YA fan needs in their library. Twists and turns keep you guessing what will come to pass as Jesse tries to help those he can. The best thing is, this book gives us hope. It doesn't condemn us to death.
I found no issues with this one.
I gave this one 5 cheers out of 5 because I really enjoyed it and would love to see a movie made.
~Copy of book provided by author in exchange for a fair review~
May 5, 2016
Personal Response: I thought it was a great book, mainly because it's about zombies. I liked it because it's like a book of "The Walking Dead". I like how the Author made the Main character a 16 year old boy. It reminds me that books can be fun sometimes. It's cool how the Author did what he did, I liked it.
Plot: It's about a post apocalypse in the city of New York. There is this young boy named Jesse. Jesse tries to live a normal life, but the infected are getting in the way of that. He survives till he finds a group of people to survive with. He finds out that one of the group members can be the key to escape New York. They make a plan and plan to make their plan reality.
Recommendation: I recommend this book to High School kids who like zombies. The kids will love the book. I recommend this book to older teens because it is quite violent and bloody.
Plot: It's about a post apocalypse in the city of New York. There is this young boy named Jesse. Jesse tries to live a normal life, but the infected are getting in the way of that. He survives till he finds a group of people to survive with. He finds out that one of the group members can be the key to escape New York. They make a plan and plan to make their plan reality.
Recommendation: I recommend this book to High School kids who like zombies. The kids will love the book. I recommend this book to older teens because it is quite violent and bloody.
January 20, 2012
Finally an end to the series! The first one still remains my favourite for it's rug-out-from-under-your-feet moment. I didn't realise at the time but this didn't actually answer all of the questions that the series raised for example, why were the US military shooting at their own people? We will never know. Despite this I still liked it and would definitely recommend it as a series.
December 5, 2011
Great finish to the trilogy. Loved every but of this !!
March 28, 2019
Less than one star.
This series really was ridiculous. It was one of the first books I put on the To Read list on this website and I'm glad I didn't read it back then otherwise, I would've never picked up on how problematic it was.
The entire series is supposed to be a sobering take on the classic zombie apocalypse with a main character who 'cares for others, including the zombies' and has a habit of waxing philosophical about what it means to survive/be human. And I mean in theory, I'm all for it. The execution of the idea in this series failed in the preliminaries.
Jesse our main character starts every chapter off with action, even more so in this book. It looks like Phelan may have bowed to readers' pressure of containing more action (he didn't need to, in fact doing so unravelled the point he was trying to make in this series with his waning philosophies in the first place). The action can sometimes get a little tough, little white boy gets sad and usually ends up draining the nearest female character of emotional support without offering anything in return. He refers to fully grown women as if they were girls, falls in love with all of them ON SITE, then when they possibly return the attraction he talks about them 'throwing themselves at him'. Seemingly, as hard as Jesse tries to prove how highly educated and open minded and admirable he is, it is immediately undermined by his inability to view women as anything other than emotional voids he can throw his baggage into, or sexually gratifying objects existing only for him. He then round the chapters of with some pseudo-philosophy, the point becoming moot in the face of his arrogance.
In regards to narrative, the pacing was a lot faster in this one. Which I would've enjoyed had I not, at page 64, read the line: "I preferred stories that didn't provide all the answers." Upon reading I immediately recognised an authors note/foreshadowing to the fact that this book would have either a cop out ending, a cliff hanger ending, or an open ending. None of which I think anyone likes. If it hadn't been for the epilogue (which crashed the entire narrative in on itself) the book would've been fine. Would've enjoyed Jesse staying in Schrödinger's box of did he/didn't he die. But nah, we end on some type of therapy session that enlarges all the plot holes in the series.
Honestly, the book should've been a stand alone with 1 & 2 not existing. They were unnecessary and usually ended where they started furthering only the timeline rather than the narrative. More time could've then been focused on the philosophy so it had a more readable purpose and less misogyny.
0/5, waste my time 2k19.
This series really was ridiculous. It was one of the first books I put on the To Read list on this website and I'm glad I didn't read it back then otherwise, I would've never picked up on how problematic it was.
The entire series is supposed to be a sobering take on the classic zombie apocalypse with a main character who 'cares for others, including the zombies' and has a habit of waxing philosophical about what it means to survive/be human. And I mean in theory, I'm all for it. The execution of the idea in this series failed in the preliminaries.
Jesse our main character starts every chapter off with action, even more so in this book. It looks like Phelan may have bowed to readers' pressure of containing more action (he didn't need to, in fact doing so unravelled the point he was trying to make in this series with his waning philosophies in the first place). The action can sometimes get a little tough, little white boy gets sad and usually ends up draining the nearest female character of emotional support without offering anything in return. He refers to fully grown women as if they were girls, falls in love with all of them ON SITE, then when they possibly return the attraction he talks about them 'throwing themselves at him'. Seemingly, as hard as Jesse tries to prove how highly educated and open minded and admirable he is, it is immediately undermined by his inability to view women as anything other than emotional voids he can throw his baggage into, or sexually gratifying objects existing only for him. He then round the chapters of with some pseudo-philosophy, the point becoming moot in the face of his arrogance.
In regards to narrative, the pacing was a lot faster in this one. Which I would've enjoyed had I not, at page 64, read the line: "I preferred stories that didn't provide all the answers." Upon reading I immediately recognised an authors note/foreshadowing to the fact that this book would have either a cop out ending, a cliff hanger ending, or an open ending. None of which I think anyone likes. If it hadn't been for the epilogue (which crashed the entire narrative in on itself) the book would've been fine. Would've enjoyed Jesse staying in Schrödinger's box of did he/didn't he die. But nah, we end on some type of therapy session that enlarges all the plot holes in the series.
Honestly, the book should've been a stand alone with 1 & 2 not existing. They were unnecessary and usually ended where they started furthering only the timeline rather than the narrative. More time could've then been focused on the philosophy so it had a more readable purpose and less misogyny.
0/5, waste my time 2k19.
Read
October 26, 2017Personal Response
I liked this book because it was very action packed. It had a lot of killing and fighting scenes.The characters were always looking to survive and did anything possible to survive.It also was very interesting to see how the characters acted at such a young age.
Plot Summary
In Quarantine there were these kids named David and Sarah. The city blew up and got infected with radium,as a result they were separated from their parents. Later on they were then left to survive from the chasers (people who were infected with radium). They found a sanctuary where people who were not infected went to and stayed there. Finally they all survived the apocalypse and killed all of the chasers,and a new breed of heroes was evolved.
Recommendation
I would recommend this to anyone in late middle school and early high school. This is a very tough read for most people. I think this is a good book and am definitely going to read the rest of the series
I liked this book because it was very action packed. It had a lot of killing and fighting scenes.The characters were always looking to survive and did anything possible to survive.It also was very interesting to see how the characters acted at such a young age.
Plot Summary
In Quarantine there were these kids named David and Sarah. The city blew up and got infected with radium,as a result they were separated from their parents. Later on they were then left to survive from the chasers (people who were infected with radium). They found a sanctuary where people who were not infected went to and stayed there. Finally they all survived the apocalypse and killed all of the chasers,and a new breed of heroes was evolved.
Recommendation
I would recommend this to anyone in late middle school and early high school. This is a very tough read for most people. I think this is a good book and am definitely going to read the rest of the series
February 2, 2024
This book concludes the story of Jesse, who has been trying to survive in Manhattan after some kind of biological and destructive terrorist attack. He meets Caleb, and some new friends at the pier who decide it is time to get out of the city if they can. We finally learn a lot. More about what happened, but I feel that there were still a lot of unanswered questions, which is why this only gets 4 stars.
August 3, 2018
it was ok book. Did go with the others. The ending threw me off and I can’t really figure out what happened. So then I have a bad feeling for The Storie as I don’t know the story.
August 15, 2021
i was the TINIEST bit disappointed with the ending but i loved this series!!
September 20, 2021
Interesting read but the ending is so obscure and confusing that it leaves you frustrated at what it could have been.
October 21, 2021
https://media.tenor.com/images/184e76... First was good, second was ok but this..... The ending??????????? Overall very disappointed
December 5, 2024
a few plot holes and definitely written for boys but not a bad example of this genre.
March 10, 2025
I really liked this series and I do recommend reading it if you are into apocalyptic, dystopian, science-fiction books, because this was just an amazing read. This book is severely underrated.
September 9, 2013
Book Info
ebook, 256 pages
Expected publication: September 24th 2013 by Kensington Books (first published October 11th 2011)
ISBN 0758280718 (ISBN13: 9780758280718)
edition language English
series Alone #3
Source:Netgalley EARC
Book Buy Links
AMAZON
B&N
In a dangerous, devastated New York, one 16-year-old Australian boy finds himself alone…
It's now or maybe never sixteen year old Jesse has spent eighteen days in post-apocalyse New York, waiting for help that never comes. He owes it to his new friends, Rachel and Felicity, to go beyond their temporary refuge to find other survivors who may hold the key to escape. Could the collective at Chelsea Piers have the answers or prove to be just another distraction in his quest? Meanwhile, Jesse is burdened with guilt and sadness at the fate of his other friend, Caleb, who has fallen prey to the virus and become a Chaser. So when it emerges that a cure-all serum may be available, Jesse determines to secure it to save his friend. At any cost perhaps even his own future.
Not having read book 1 Chasers-Alone #1 my grasp of the back story from it and book 2 Survivor-Alone #2 had to be provided when the author gave us snippets of information over what took place in the time period before this final book in the series.
Some of the information was a bit sketchy but enough to make it plain that upon arriving from Australia Jesse and a small group of other teens survived an accident in the subway and for a time they were the only people Jesse had contact with in New York City. The day came however where at some point Jesse was the only one of the group still alive at which point he vowed to keep their memory in his heart and mind so he could try and get past the guilt he feels at their deaths.
Jesse has found himself in the position to finally leave NYC with a large group and then the military shows up and things once again come to a standstill as they round up the groups of survivors scattered all over the city and put them into mass Quarantine until such time as they are considered virus free. What happens next is full of more fast paced action as this part of the story is over almost as soon as it starts leading into a finale that left me proud of Jesse and yet still unsure of he and the rest of the survivors future.
My feelings were in turmoil when came to the end of this book, there is still so much that was glossed over about the origins of the "virus" that turned so many people into "nightmare" versions of themselves, there is a lot of conflict in my mind over Jesse's final outcome as I was not happy to see how his journey ended but at the same time very happy that he had actually survived his almost month long experience in New York City.
Quarantine as the final book in the Alone> series could actually lead the way to novellas used to answer some of the loose ends that are left, however even if the author never revisits this world it ended in a way that will probably satisfy most people.
On a side note I personally feel no need to read the first two books in the series, partly because some of the things that happened were already alluded to in this one and am not wanting to put myself through the emotional torment know that it will cause me and also because in my mind the author gave enough of the back story to skip books 1&2 and not really feel the loss of what happened in them.
ebook, 256 pages
Expected publication: September 24th 2013 by Kensington Books (first published October 11th 2011)
ISBN 0758280718 (ISBN13: 9780758280718)
edition language English
series Alone #3
Source:Netgalley EARC
Book Buy Links
AMAZON
B&N
BOOK SYNOPSIS
In a dangerous, devastated New York, one 16-year-old Australian boy finds himself alone…
It's now or maybe never sixteen year old Jesse has spent eighteen days in post-apocalyse New York, waiting for help that never comes. He owes it to his new friends, Rachel and Felicity, to go beyond their temporary refuge to find other survivors who may hold the key to escape. Could the collective at Chelsea Piers have the answers or prove to be just another distraction in his quest? Meanwhile, Jesse is burdened with guilt and sadness at the fate of his other friend, Caleb, who has fallen prey to the virus and become a Chaser. So when it emerges that a cure-all serum may be available, Jesse determines to secure it to save his friend. At any cost perhaps even his own future.
My Thoughts
Not having read book 1 Chasers-Alone #1 my grasp of the back story from it and book 2 Survivor-Alone #2 had to be provided when the author gave us snippets of information over what took place in the time period before this final book in the series.
Some of the information was a bit sketchy but enough to make it plain that upon arriving from Australia Jesse and a small group of other teens survived an accident in the subway and for a time they were the only people Jesse had contact with in New York City. The day came however where at some point Jesse was the only one of the group still alive at which point he vowed to keep their memory in his heart and mind so he could try and get past the guilt he feels at their deaths.
Jesse has found himself in the position to finally leave NYC with a large group and then the military shows up and things once again come to a standstill as they round up the groups of survivors scattered all over the city and put them into mass Quarantine until such time as they are considered virus free. What happens next is full of more fast paced action as this part of the story is over almost as soon as it starts leading into a finale that left me proud of Jesse and yet still unsure of he and the rest of the survivors future.
My feelings were in turmoil when came to the end of this book, there is still so much that was glossed over about the origins of the "virus" that turned so many people into "nightmare" versions of themselves, there is a lot of conflict in my mind over Jesse's final outcome as I was not happy to see how his journey ended but at the same time very happy that he had actually survived his almost month long experience in New York City.
Quarantine as the final book in the Alone> series could actually lead the way to novellas used to answer some of the loose ends that are left, however even if the author never revisits this world it ended in a way that will probably satisfy most people.
On a side note I personally feel no need to read the first two books in the series, partly because some of the things that happened were already alluded to in this one and am not wanting to put myself through the emotional torment know that it will cause me and also because in my mind the author gave enough of the back story to skip books 1&2 and not really feel the loss of what happened in them.
[EArc from Netgalley in exchange for honest review]
January 14, 2012
It’s been eighteen days since the catastrophe hit New York City. Jesse, a sixteen year old student from Australia was in New York for some kind of leadership camp run by the United Nations and was on the subway when everything changed. He emerged from underground and found a city burning and destroyed, found the remaining surviving citizens changed beyond all recognition.
Jesse has sheltered in 30 Rock and in the Zoo. He’s found other survivors, small pockets of them and when rumours hit of a large group of survivors down in another party of the city, he feels he owes it to his fallen friend Caleb to seek them out. He, Rachel and Felicity need to get out of the city and given the amount of infected Chasers out there in the streets, there’s safety in numbers.
So Jesse journeys alone across the city, searching for survivors, this large group in particular, avoiding the infected and yet searching for his friend Caleb as he tries to put the pieces of the puzzle together. When he finds that the large group of survivors do exist and are exactly where he was told they were, Jesse sets about trying to convince them that after what he found out from those that looked like they were in the military, they need to get out of the city. There are people in that large group that are reluctant but Jesse has the information to back it up.
Quarantine is the final book in the Alone trilogy. I read Chasers in 2010 and then Survivor late last year. Although I felt that there were some flaws in each, the story was interesting enough to keep me invested enough to track down the final installment. It’s a quick read at only 260-ish pages, and full of action. Jesse is once again racing across the city (guy possesses an awesome geographical knowledge of the city) to search for a large posse of survivors that Caleb had told him about in the previous novel. Jesse had been skeptical and when something happens to Caleb, he feels as though he owes it to him to find this group of people, to justify I suppose, the decisions and actions that led to what happened to Caleb in the latter part of Survivor.
There’s plenty going on and I have to say that Phelan packs a lot into this book (as he has in the rest of them) but there were a few things that didn’t sit well with me. I know Jesse is a 16 year old boy and they could probably pause in the middle of World War III and say that a girl was hot, but to Jesse, everyone was hot. He was forever finding girls and bonding with them and it’s taken to a whole new level in this book, which I found irritating. The entire three books take place over a time span of less than 3 weeks and surely everyone has more pressing things on their mind than just hooking up.
Secondly…the ending was a bit off for me. I won’t say that it ruined it or anything, but after these three books and all that had occurred, it was going to take an ending with a hell of a punch and a lot of answers to really do the lead up justice and I just felt that a lot of the directions became a bit tired and cliched. But I’m well aware that I am not the intended audience of this one and that maybe why I felt about it the way I did. If I were a 15yo boy I might’ve thought it was awesome. I also might not.
Jesse has sheltered in 30 Rock and in the Zoo. He’s found other survivors, small pockets of them and when rumours hit of a large group of survivors down in another party of the city, he feels he owes it to his fallen friend Caleb to seek them out. He, Rachel and Felicity need to get out of the city and given the amount of infected Chasers out there in the streets, there’s safety in numbers.
So Jesse journeys alone across the city, searching for survivors, this large group in particular, avoiding the infected and yet searching for his friend Caleb as he tries to put the pieces of the puzzle together. When he finds that the large group of survivors do exist and are exactly where he was told they were, Jesse sets about trying to convince them that after what he found out from those that looked like they were in the military, they need to get out of the city. There are people in that large group that are reluctant but Jesse has the information to back it up.
Quarantine is the final book in the Alone trilogy. I read Chasers in 2010 and then Survivor late last year. Although I felt that there were some flaws in each, the story was interesting enough to keep me invested enough to track down the final installment. It’s a quick read at only 260-ish pages, and full of action. Jesse is once again racing across the city (guy possesses an awesome geographical knowledge of the city) to search for a large posse of survivors that Caleb had told him about in the previous novel. Jesse had been skeptical and when something happens to Caleb, he feels as though he owes it to him to find this group of people, to justify I suppose, the decisions and actions that led to what happened to Caleb in the latter part of Survivor.
There’s plenty going on and I have to say that Phelan packs a lot into this book (as he has in the rest of them) but there were a few things that didn’t sit well with me. I know Jesse is a 16 year old boy and they could probably pause in the middle of World War III and say that a girl was hot, but to Jesse, everyone was hot. He was forever finding girls and bonding with them and it’s taken to a whole new level in this book, which I found irritating. The entire three books take place over a time span of less than 3 weeks and surely everyone has more pressing things on their mind than just hooking up.
Secondly…the ending was a bit off for me. I won’t say that it ruined it or anything, but after these three books and all that had occurred, it was going to take an ending with a hell of a punch and a lot of answers to really do the lead up justice and I just felt that a lot of the directions became a bit tired and cliched. But I’m well aware that I am not the intended audience of this one and that maybe why I felt about it the way I did. If I were a 15yo boy I might’ve thought it was awesome. I also might not.
October 19, 2013
Simplistic writting that still manages to create a compelling story. No simplistic isnt the correct term. how can this be taken as simple?
"The silenced submachine guns spat jets of bright flaring flames. I passed back the goggles, rubbing my eyes. At least a dozen long tongues of death as the soldiers did their devil's dance in the street, wiping out the group of chasers. I'd never felt so ashamed."
there's obviously much talent and insight into Jesse and if you look beyond the surface the book has more depth than it appears to.... thats what i like so much about James' writting, he's sneaky giving only suttle clues that are impossible to spot (at least to me) until you come to the end where you are finally able to connect the dots and see the bigger picture.
Jesse is a pretty cool kid and he does well to survive in James' world. though i find it hard to see and understand the way others react to him. at one point jesse is attempting to convince a bunch of scared strangers to do what he wants, so he makes this speah which i suppose was meant to be inspiring but i personally didnt see anything special about it. but maybe under those circumstances when everything seems so bleak and hopeless talking about finding 'Home' was the spark they needed?
a couple other characters stood out to me.
Caleb and Bob - both of which where pretty Badass in their own way.
Daniel, i wasnt sure of. at first i thought he was a drifter with some military skills but then this weird faith/religious side came out of him from no-where! i ended up re-reading this part a couple of times to make sure i wasnt mistaken and i was still left thinging "wait....what???..... ummm ok?".
The Scientist dude was by far my fave, he randomly showed up only twice, but both times i was really taken with him - he reminds me of an awesome teacher or something. plus who cant love a guy that can make fire bombs out of nothing?
Rachel - i related to her the most. im not sure i could of left the way she did, but then im also not sure if i would of been as brave as her for staying in the first place.
One pet peeve i had about this book is when people dont call zombies Zombies!! i get it Chasers chase you but so do ZOMBIES! and who made up the rule that zombies could only eat flesh or brains? why cant they just want to drink blood?
i like how things ended with Jesse weirdly enough though the end of the book kind of confused me. i feel like stuff was left unsaid and unfinished but i also have a feeling that that was the point, because obviously the story isnt over just the part that we as readers got to 'observe'.
Extract from 'Alone'
From Childhoods hour i have not been
As others were; I have not seen
As others saw; I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.
From the same source i have not taken
My sorrow; I could not awaken
my heart to joy at the same Tone;
and all i loved, i Loved alone
- Edgar Allan Poe
cant decide what to rate the book... something like 2.5 but i'll put down 3 stars because all the other books i rated 3.
"The silenced submachine guns spat jets of bright flaring flames. I passed back the goggles, rubbing my eyes. At least a dozen long tongues of death as the soldiers did their devil's dance in the street, wiping out the group of chasers. I'd never felt so ashamed."
there's obviously much talent and insight into Jesse and if you look beyond the surface the book has more depth than it appears to.... thats what i like so much about James' writting, he's sneaky giving only suttle clues that are impossible to spot (at least to me) until you come to the end where you are finally able to connect the dots and see the bigger picture.
Jesse is a pretty cool kid and he does well to survive in James' world. though i find it hard to see and understand the way others react to him. at one point jesse is attempting to convince a bunch of scared strangers to do what he wants, so he makes this speah which i suppose was meant to be inspiring but i personally didnt see anything special about it. but maybe under those circumstances when everything seems so bleak and hopeless talking about finding 'Home' was the spark they needed?
a couple other characters stood out to me.
Caleb and Bob - both of which where pretty Badass in their own way.
Daniel, i wasnt sure of. at first i thought he was a drifter with some military skills but then this weird faith/religious side came out of him from no-where! i ended up re-reading this part a couple of times to make sure i wasnt mistaken and i was still left thinging "wait....what???..... ummm ok?".
The Scientist dude was by far my fave, he randomly showed up only twice, but both times i was really taken with him - he reminds me of an awesome teacher or something. plus who cant love a guy that can make fire bombs out of nothing?
Rachel - i related to her the most. im not sure i could of left the way she did, but then im also not sure if i would of been as brave as her for staying in the first place.
One pet peeve i had about this book is when people dont call zombies Zombies!! i get it Chasers chase you but so do ZOMBIES! and who made up the rule that zombies could only eat flesh or brains? why cant they just want to drink blood?
i like how things ended with Jesse weirdly enough though the end of the book kind of confused me. i feel like stuff was left unsaid and unfinished but i also have a feeling that that was the point, because obviously the story isnt over just the part that we as readers got to 'observe'.
Extract from 'Alone'
From Childhoods hour i have not been
As others were; I have not seen
As others saw; I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.
From the same source i have not taken
My sorrow; I could not awaken
my heart to joy at the same Tone;
and all i loved, i Loved alone
- Edgar Allan Poe
cant decide what to rate the book... something like 2.5 but i'll put down 3 stars because all the other books i rated 3.
July 26, 2014
It's been 18 days since Jesse became stranded in New York. Things were bad before but now it's about to get a whole lot worse. With no way of knowing what lies in store beyond the borders, Jesse and his friends must make plans to leave the sanctuary of the Zoo. However, with time running out and the number of Infected growing by the hour, the trip might not just be dangerous, it might prove to be deadly as well.
Despite taking a long time to pick up and read Quarantine, when I did, it was like I had never left the world or these characters. Thankfully, the story practically jumps right back in from where the previous book left off so that certainly helped.
Like the other books in this series, the story was fast paced, well written and action packed. James Phelan has told a great story and I really admire him for putting his own unique spin on the Zombie genre.
Now although I did like Quarantine, I was also disappointed in it as well. Had this not been dubbed as the conclusion, I probably would've rated it higher but for what it is, I was left wanting much more.
First off, I really felt Jesse lacked something in this story. I can't quite put my finger on it but his personality just felt very flat compared to the previous two books. Also his need to save Caleb while admirable, also bordered on obsession and it sort of overshadowed everything else going on like leaving and getting back home.
Secondly, while we do learn more about the Contagion and how it influences some people different than others, I wouldn't say that it was significant information, at least in the grand scheme of things. By series end, I expected to really have the science of the situation piled on but it remained throughout very minute (for me anyway).
Lastly, I really disliked the ending. After all the horrible things Jesse goes through I wanted to see him reunited with lost family, make it back to Australia, heck I'd even take riding off in the sunset with a girl at the this point. Instead the ending went all art film on me. I literally could imagine Jesse wearing a beret and smoking a fancy cigarette as he recounts his experiences. Actually, if I'm being honest, I'm not even sure if the character actually experienced everything or if he imagined it all as a coping mechanism for something else entirely. In short: While these types of endings aren't rare, they are my least favorite because they don't give the characters or story the closure I crave in a series and instead it leaves things up to interpretation of the reader.
Final Thoughts
Despite the less than satisfying conclusion, I'm happy that I finally managed to get around to reading Quarantine. I'm hoping this was not the last in the series, should it remain so, well, at least it was enjoyable for the majority of the ride.
With that being said, I'll be rating Quarantine (Alone #3) by James Phelan ★★★.
Despite taking a long time to pick up and read Quarantine, when I did, it was like I had never left the world or these characters. Thankfully, the story practically jumps right back in from where the previous book left off so that certainly helped.
Like the other books in this series, the story was fast paced, well written and action packed. James Phelan has told a great story and I really admire him for putting his own unique spin on the Zombie genre.
Now although I did like Quarantine, I was also disappointed in it as well. Had this not been dubbed as the conclusion, I probably would've rated it higher but for what it is, I was left wanting much more.
First off, I really felt Jesse lacked something in this story. I can't quite put my finger on it but his personality just felt very flat compared to the previous two books. Also his need to save Caleb while admirable, also bordered on obsession and it sort of overshadowed everything else going on like leaving and getting back home.
Secondly, while we do learn more about the Contagion and how it influences some people different than others, I wouldn't say that it was significant information, at least in the grand scheme of things. By series end, I expected to really have the science of the situation piled on but it remained throughout very minute (for me anyway).
Lastly, I really disliked the ending. After all the horrible things Jesse goes through I wanted to see him reunited with lost family, make it back to Australia, heck I'd even take riding off in the sunset with a girl at the this point. Instead the ending went all art film on me. I literally could imagine Jesse wearing a beret and smoking a fancy cigarette as he recounts his experiences. Actually, if I'm being honest, I'm not even sure if the character actually experienced everything or if he imagined it all as a coping mechanism for something else entirely. In short: While these types of endings aren't rare, they are my least favorite because they don't give the characters or story the closure I crave in a series and instead it leaves things up to interpretation of the reader.
Final Thoughts
Despite the less than satisfying conclusion, I'm happy that I finally managed to get around to reading Quarantine. I'm hoping this was not the last in the series, should it remain so, well, at least it was enjoyable for the majority of the ride.
With that being said, I'll be rating Quarantine (Alone #3) by James Phelan ★★★.
Read
January 30, 2016Jesse has survived the chasers. He's survived the roving bands of humans. And he might even have started to make some new friends with the new set of survivors at Chelsea Piers. Here he receives medical attention, food and plenty of interest from the other survivors, particulary Paige who quickly forms a strong attachment to him. Sadly, Paige reminds him too much of Anne who perished in the subway all those days ago. Together they all work out that the safest way to escape New York would be to go through the water tunnels underground. But first he has to round up Felicity and Rachel and then get them all to Central Park; where the chasers will be. Whilst trying to escape, another drone aircraft that had attacked the soldiers appeared in the sky. Jesse finds Caleb and calls to him, but Caleb doesn't recognise him and just sees him as a target for blood and proceeds to attack him. A ferocious fight follows and at the same time, Bob and the other Chelsea Pier survivors arrive with their truck. Then dozens of the military, grey airplanes appear. At the end of the fight, Caleb just recognises Jesse and releases him form his grip.When Jesse comes to, he is in a medical tent and there are people filming. The three week quarantine period is up and they are now coming to their aid.The virus has worn off. About half a million other people in Manhattan have also survived. London, Paris, Moscow, Shanghai, Rio have also been affected. In fact, it turns out that the early group of USAMRID guys who were transporting an unexploded missile out of Manhattan were attacked by a UAV, i.e., their own people and then attempts were made to cover it up.
But Jesse learns that not all chasers will be saved i.e., the predator types, the ones like Caleb are going to be immediately killed and Jesse is determined to have him saved and protected. Jesse knows where there is an unexploded missile in St Pats and this will hold the clue to working out an antidote. After the soldier secures the missile, they come across cleaning up parties. Jesse, desperate to find Caleb, looks for him in the bookstore. He finds him there but he runs away to a clothes store. Jesse finds him and for Caleb's own safety, locks him in a cupboard. Upon leaving the store, Jesse is shot in the chest, he keeps running and then is shot through the back. Felicity comes to his aid and he makes it through. In the meantime, the experts have discovered an antidote and by the next night they were spraying the entire city with it. Caleb was where Jesse had locked him up and he was able to be rescued.
But Jesse learns that not all chasers will be saved i.e., the predator types, the ones like Caleb are going to be immediately killed and Jesse is determined to have him saved and protected. Jesse knows where there is an unexploded missile in St Pats and this will hold the clue to working out an antidote. After the soldier secures the missile, they come across cleaning up parties. Jesse, desperate to find Caleb, looks for him in the bookstore. He finds him there but he runs away to a clothes store. Jesse finds him and for Caleb's own safety, locks him in a cupboard. Upon leaving the store, Jesse is shot in the chest, he keeps running and then is shot through the back. Felicity comes to his aid and he makes it through. In the meantime, the experts have discovered an antidote and by the next night they were spraying the entire city with it. Caleb was where Jesse had locked him up and he was able to be rescued.
Read
January 4, 2018Personal Response:
I liked this book because of how the author portrayed the characters and what they did. All the characters made good, common-sense decisions. There were no dumb decisions where somebody would have gotten killed or hurt. I also liked how there was a lot of action in the book. One thing I disliked though, was at the end of the book, it did not make it fun because it leaves the reader hanging, on what is happening within the text.
Plot Summary:
At the beginning of the book Jesse, Felicity, and Rachel are at the zoo in their haven. They all decided it was time to get out of the city. Jesse goes out to look for a way out. During his exploration, he talks to an old friend name Caleb. Caleb told Jesse that there was a group of survivors down by the harbor. Jesse then listens to him, and they start heading there. On there way there is a truck of the USMIRD carrying the chemical agent that turned regular ol´ people into Chasers. Then they talk to them, and one of the guy's names is Starkey. Then they hear a seeking drone and see Chasers. The drone hit the convoy and the Chaser and kills some chasers and a few of the military personnel. The truck is burning with the bomb in the truck and Caleb goes to the truck to try to rescue a soldier, and the bomb blows up and turns Caleb into a Chasers. Then Jesse goes back to the pier and is telling everyone they need to leave now. Jesse gathers up everyone, and they head out on the way they hear helicopters coming in. It is the U.S military looking for survivors. After the military comes in and brings everyone to Quarantine, there is a select group that is going out to kill all the chasers. Jesse and Felicity and her brother go out and find some of the contagion to bring back and whip up a cure. On there way back they get shot by the soldiers, and it makes it harder to get it back to base. When they got there, they gave it to the general and made all the chasers into ordinary human beings, and the city is safe again.
Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to anyone in their teens. This book has a lot of action in it. It seems like the reader is in the characters shoes. You can even learn things in here like how to survive.
I liked this book because of how the author portrayed the characters and what they did. All the characters made good, common-sense decisions. There were no dumb decisions where somebody would have gotten killed or hurt. I also liked how there was a lot of action in the book. One thing I disliked though, was at the end of the book, it did not make it fun because it leaves the reader hanging, on what is happening within the text.
Plot Summary:
At the beginning of the book Jesse, Felicity, and Rachel are at the zoo in their haven. They all decided it was time to get out of the city. Jesse goes out to look for a way out. During his exploration, he talks to an old friend name Caleb. Caleb told Jesse that there was a group of survivors down by the harbor. Jesse then listens to him, and they start heading there. On there way there is a truck of the USMIRD carrying the chemical agent that turned regular ol´ people into Chasers. Then they talk to them, and one of the guy's names is Starkey. Then they hear a seeking drone and see Chasers. The drone hit the convoy and the Chaser and kills some chasers and a few of the military personnel. The truck is burning with the bomb in the truck and Caleb goes to the truck to try to rescue a soldier, and the bomb blows up and turns Caleb into a Chasers. Then Jesse goes back to the pier and is telling everyone they need to leave now. Jesse gathers up everyone, and they head out on the way they hear helicopters coming in. It is the U.S military looking for survivors. After the military comes in and brings everyone to Quarantine, there is a select group that is going out to kill all the chasers. Jesse and Felicity and her brother go out and find some of the contagion to bring back and whip up a cure. On there way back they get shot by the soldiers, and it makes it harder to get it back to base. When they got there, they gave it to the general and made all the chasers into ordinary human beings, and the city is safe again.
Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to anyone in their teens. This book has a lot of action in it. It seems like the reader is in the characters shoes. You can even learn things in here like how to survive.
December 24, 2015
Summary:
In this final installment of the Alone trilogy, Jesse is desperate to make his way home. However, his best chance of escaping the zombie-infested streets of New York City is to work with a group of survivors that’s been hiding at Chelsea Piers. More and more people arrive there each day, but it will take some convincing to get them to leave the safety of their temporary shelter. An attack on the building by military tanks forces their hand, so they take to the road. But with the undead tracking their every move, how far will they get… alive?
My Thoughts:
After reading “Chasers” and “Survivor,” I simply could not wait to see how this series would end. Jesse is such a relatable character that you can’t help but see yourself in his place, struggling to survive in a world where there are no longer any rules or protocol. As he walks the streets of this post-apocalyptic nightmare, not knowing what to expect from moment to moment, you are filled with absolute dread and terror, a testament to author James Phelan’s simple, yet effective writing. Making this an even more harrowing tale is the fact that this airborne virus has been purposely set loose on innocent people. But why? And by whom?
Unfortunately, this leads to my one complaint about the book, which is that the ending offers no concrete answers to my burning questions. Why did this happen? What purpose did it serve? How much of the world was affected by the attack? What kind of life do the surviving characters go back to? Phelan offers us plenty of clues, but with no official explanations to tie everything together, it’s ultimately up to the reader to decide what he wants to take from the story, especially considering the philosophical discussion we are left with in the final scene.
In any case, the heart-pounding action and surprising twists and turns of this series will make it a favorite among YA lovers and conspiracy-theorists. “Chasers,” “Survivor” and “Quarantine” are quick reads that will leave you wondering “What if?”
In this final installment of the Alone trilogy, Jesse is desperate to make his way home. However, his best chance of escaping the zombie-infested streets of New York City is to work with a group of survivors that’s been hiding at Chelsea Piers. More and more people arrive there each day, but it will take some convincing to get them to leave the safety of their temporary shelter. An attack on the building by military tanks forces their hand, so they take to the road. But with the undead tracking their every move, how far will they get… alive?
My Thoughts:
After reading “Chasers” and “Survivor,” I simply could not wait to see how this series would end. Jesse is such a relatable character that you can’t help but see yourself in his place, struggling to survive in a world where there are no longer any rules or protocol. As he walks the streets of this post-apocalyptic nightmare, not knowing what to expect from moment to moment, you are filled with absolute dread and terror, a testament to author James Phelan’s simple, yet effective writing. Making this an even more harrowing tale is the fact that this airborne virus has been purposely set loose on innocent people. But why? And by whom?
Unfortunately, this leads to my one complaint about the book, which is that the ending offers no concrete answers to my burning questions. Why did this happen? What purpose did it serve? How much of the world was affected by the attack? What kind of life do the surviving characters go back to? Phelan offers us plenty of clues, but with no official explanations to tie everything together, it’s ultimately up to the reader to decide what he wants to take from the story, especially considering the philosophical discussion we are left with in the final scene.
In any case, the heart-pounding action and surprising twists and turns of this series will make it a favorite among YA lovers and conspiracy-theorists. “Chasers,” “Survivor” and “Quarantine” are quick reads that will leave you wondering “What if?”
August 16, 2013
I seem to be on a roll lately for reading books I didn't realize were part of a series. I thought I had the basic gist of the first two books - Jesse was visiting New York from Australia when the virus hit and lost some friends along the way - no problem keeping up with that. As I got into the book, I realized I didn't understand the different degrees of viruses (some Chasers were passive, others more aggressive) or the prior relationship between Jesse and Caleb, things I assume the two other books in the series could explain. And then I got to the epilogue and was completely thrown for a loop - I'm still not sure exactly what happened, but it seemed like it was supposed to be a shocker.
The group dynamics at Chelsea Piers were thought-provoking as far as how people react in the aftermath of a disaster, what they believe in, and if they choose to take a course of action or wait for rescue. However, I felt the "insta-love" of Paige for Jesse was implausible - she was ready to make life-altering choices for him after only knowing him a couple of days for seemingly no reason.
The pacing held my attention, the book was well-written, and there was a lot of action, but I still felt like some pieces of the puzzle were missing and questions left unanswered as to the military involvement. Jesse was an admirable protagonist - likeable, determined, fearless, and seemed to have his heart in the right place. Although I enjoyed reading this book, I'd still recommend starting at the beginning of the series.
I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
The group dynamics at Chelsea Piers were thought-provoking as far as how people react in the aftermath of a disaster, what they believe in, and if they choose to take a course of action or wait for rescue. However, I felt the "insta-love" of Paige for Jesse was implausible - she was ready to make life-altering choices for him after only knowing him a couple of days for seemingly no reason.
The pacing held my attention, the book was well-written, and there was a lot of action, but I still felt like some pieces of the puzzle were missing and questions left unanswered as to the military involvement. Jesse was an admirable protagonist - likeable, determined, fearless, and seemed to have his heart in the right place. Although I enjoyed reading this book, I'd still recommend starting at the beginning of the series.
I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
August 13, 2013
I seem to be on a roll lately for reading books I didn't realize were part of a series. I thought I had the basic gist of the first two books - Jesse was visiting New York from Australia when the virus hit and lost some friends along the way - no problem keeping up with that. As I got into the book, I realized I didn't understand the different degrees of viruses (some Chasers were passive, others more aggressive) or the prior relationship between Jesse and Caleb, things I assume the two other books in the series could explain. And then I got to the epilogue and was completely thrown for a loop - I'm still not sure exactly what happened, but it seemed like it was supposed to be a shocker.
The group dynamics at Chelsea Piers were thought-provoking as far as how people react in the aftermath of a disaster, what they believe in, and if they choose to take a course of action or wait for rescue. However, I felt the "insta-love" of Paige for Jesse was implausible - she was ready to make life-altering choices for him after only knowing him a couple of days for seemingly no reason.
The pacing held my attention, the book was well-written, and there was a lot of action, but I still felt like some pieces of the puzzle were missing and questions left unanswered as to the military involvement. Jesse was an admirable protagonist - likeable, determined, fearless, and seemed to have his heart in the right place. Although I enjoyed reading this book, I'd still recommend starting at the beginning of the series.
I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
The group dynamics at Chelsea Piers were thought-provoking as far as how people react in the aftermath of a disaster, what they believe in, and if they choose to take a course of action or wait for rescue. However, I felt the "insta-love" of Paige for Jesse was implausible - she was ready to make life-altering choices for him after only knowing him a couple of days for seemingly no reason.
The pacing held my attention, the book was well-written, and there was a lot of action, but I still felt like some pieces of the puzzle were missing and questions left unanswered as to the military involvement. Jesse was an admirable protagonist - likeable, determined, fearless, and seemed to have his heart in the right place. Although I enjoyed reading this book, I'd still recommend starting at the beginning of the series.
I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
September 27, 2013
Quarantine is the final book in the riveting " Alone " trilogy.
Jesse has been living in post-apocalyptic New York, dealing with Chasers and fighting for survival, for over two weeks now. To say he's been through a lot is a major understatement. Now trying to cope with the events at the end of Survivor that left him one friend down and still struggling to survive, he decides that he must leave his shelter behind to find the group of survivors Caleb told him about in book 2.
This series has been full of action and has had some major "Whoa!" moments. Quarintine does a great job of following through with that drama, while still bringing to light the fragility of human life and the drive to survive. I think the added danger from some of the other survivors ( other uninfected ones ) speaks volumes about human behavior in this story.
I feel often times with the final book in a series there's a lot of pressure to tie everything into a neat little bow. While I thoroughly enjoyed finding out more about everything that happened, I tried not to get bogged down by the need to have all my questions answered. I mean when in life do we get handed all of the answers? So with that in mind I believe this was a great conclusion to the trilogy.
I think this is a great young adult post apocalyptic novel. It's a fast paced, action filled story that I think has great crossover appeal. I would highly recommend reading books 1 and 2 in the series first for full impact.
Jesse has been living in post-apocalyptic New York, dealing with Chasers and fighting for survival, for over two weeks now. To say he's been through a lot is a major understatement. Now trying to cope with the events at the end of Survivor that left him one friend down and still struggling to survive, he decides that he must leave his shelter behind to find the group of survivors Caleb told him about in book 2.
This series has been full of action and has had some major "Whoa!" moments. Quarintine does a great job of following through with that drama, while still bringing to light the fragility of human life and the drive to survive. I think the added danger from some of the other survivors ( other uninfected ones ) speaks volumes about human behavior in this story.
I feel often times with the final book in a series there's a lot of pressure to tie everything into a neat little bow. While I thoroughly enjoyed finding out more about everything that happened, I tried not to get bogged down by the need to have all my questions answered. I mean when in life do we get handed all of the answers? So with that in mind I believe this was a great conclusion to the trilogy.
I think this is a great young adult post apocalyptic novel. It's a fast paced, action filled story that I think has great crossover appeal. I would highly recommend reading books 1 and 2 in the series first for full impact.
August 6, 2013
Quarantine is the final book of the “Alone” series and I had been looking forward to this one so thank you kindly for the copy via Netgalley.
Jesse, still trapped in New York, and hiding out from the Chasers, decides that in order to survive he must leave the temporary shelter and search for other survivors that he believes are out there somewhere. He crosses the city, searching for Caleb who has fallen foul of the virus and for a possible cure…
I enjoyed this instalment, highly action packed and with a good eye to developing the characters however I have to say it left something to be desired. The beauty of the novels as a whole was the intriguing aspect of what had happened and why certain events were happening now – the Military for example. Its difficult to explain what I mean without giving anything away to those who have not yet started this trilogy – but I was left with a vague sense of disappointment. The ending did not satisfy me – although I will grant you it is a clever one – I do wonder if James Phelan has follow up books in mind. If he does then all to the good but if not there are a lot of unanswered questions here. Which in and of itself would not be a problem if as a whole you felt the story was complete. I’m afraid I didnt feel that with “Alone” but even saying that, overall its an enjoyable read.
Jesse, still trapped in New York, and hiding out from the Chasers, decides that in order to survive he must leave the temporary shelter and search for other survivors that he believes are out there somewhere. He crosses the city, searching for Caleb who has fallen foul of the virus and for a possible cure…
I enjoyed this instalment, highly action packed and with a good eye to developing the characters however I have to say it left something to be desired. The beauty of the novels as a whole was the intriguing aspect of what had happened and why certain events were happening now – the Military for example. Its difficult to explain what I mean without giving anything away to those who have not yet started this trilogy – but I was left with a vague sense of disappointment. The ending did not satisfy me – although I will grant you it is a clever one – I do wonder if James Phelan has follow up books in mind. If he does then all to the good but if not there are a lot of unanswered questions here. Which in and of itself would not be a problem if as a whole you felt the story was complete. I’m afraid I didnt feel that with “Alone” but even saying that, overall its an enjoyable read.
August 6, 2013
Quarantine is the final book of the "Alone" series and I had been looking forward to this one so thank you kindly for the copy via Netgalley.
Jesse, still trapped in New York, and hiding out from the Chasers, decides that in order to survive he must leave the temporary shelter and search for other survivors that he believes are out there somewhere. He crosses the city, searching for Caleb who has fallen foul of the virus and for a possible cure...
I enjoyed this instalment, highly action packed and with a good eye to developing the characters however I have to say it left something to be desired. The beauty of the novels as a whole was the intriguing aspect of what had happened and why certain events were happening now - the Military for example. Its difficult to explain what I mean without giving anything away to those who have not yet started this trilogy - but I was left with a vague sense of disappointment. The ending did not satisfy me - although I will grant you it is a clever one - I do wonder if James Phelan has follow up books in mind. If he does then all to the good but if not there are a lot of unanswered questions here. Which in and of itself would not be a problem if as a whole you felt the story was complete. I'm afraid I didnt feel that with "Alone" but even saying that, overall its an enjoyable read.
Jesse, still trapped in New York, and hiding out from the Chasers, decides that in order to survive he must leave the temporary shelter and search for other survivors that he believes are out there somewhere. He crosses the city, searching for Caleb who has fallen foul of the virus and for a possible cure...
I enjoyed this instalment, highly action packed and with a good eye to developing the characters however I have to say it left something to be desired. The beauty of the novels as a whole was the intriguing aspect of what had happened and why certain events were happening now - the Military for example. Its difficult to explain what I mean without giving anything away to those who have not yet started this trilogy - but I was left with a vague sense of disappointment. The ending did not satisfy me - although I will grant you it is a clever one - I do wonder if James Phelan has follow up books in mind. If he does then all to the good but if not there are a lot of unanswered questions here. Which in and of itself would not be a problem if as a whole you felt the story was complete. I'm afraid I didnt feel that with "Alone" but even saying that, overall its an enjoyable read.
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