The Farm

The Farm #1

by Emily McKay

For Lily and her twin sister, Mel, there is only the Farm . . .

It's a prison, a blood bank, a death camp - where fear and paranoia rule. But it's also home, of sorts. Because beyond the electric fence awaits a fate much, much worse.

But Lily has a plan.

She and Mel are going to escape - into the ravaged land outside, a place of freedom and chaos and horrors. Except Lily hasn't reckoned on two things: first, her sister's ability to control the horrors; and, secondly, on those out there who desperately want to find and control Mel.

Mel's growing power might save the world, or utterly end it. But only Lily can protect Mel from what is to come . . .

The Farm takes you into a terrifying future where civilization has ended, and leaves you there - fearful, gasping and begging to escape.

Genres: Young Adult, Vampires, Dystopia, Paranormal, Horror, Fantasy, Post Apocalyptic

420 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2012

About the author

I write the kinds of books I want to read. Fast-paced books with lots of world-building, snarky heroines, and swoony heroes. I love story, pop culture, gossip, and baked goods. I’m a modern-day hippy and certified LEGO nerd.

I live in the Austin, Texas hill country, with my geeky husband and two extremely geeky kids. We have dogs, chickens, cats, and more LEGOs than should be allowed by law. Oh, and I stress bake. So if my characters talk about food a lot, that’s why.

Reviews

[Maja (The Nocturnal Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, well. Color me impressed. If you would have told me, three months ago, that someone could still offer an original take on vampires, I’d probably have laughed in your face. So far we’ve seen nightwalkers, daywalkers, vegetarian vampires, vampires with magical powers, sparkly vampires, bloodthirsty monsters, gorgeous vampires, hairless ugly vampires, and just about everything else you can possibly think of. But Ticks? Trust me, they’re new.

They’re not quite vampires, true, but genetically altered humans, even more frightening because of their mindlessness. They drink blood, but they take it straight from your heart after they rip it out with their bare hands. The one real vampire in this book is still a far scarier monster, true, but the very thing that makes him more dangerous, his ability to blend in, is the same thing that makes him easier to accept.

Their frames were too bulky and broad, their arms too long, but it was their faces that churned my stomach. The almost human quality to their features. Their eyes darting fervently under hair that was shaggy and unkempt. Their heavy jaws and bulging leonine teeth.

Ever since The Farm’s US release, I’ve been dutifully reading reviews and I’ve noticed that people tend to point one (or all) of three things: their surprise over the originality of Ticks, their love for all things Carter-related, and their disappointment with Lily’s character. I agree with the first, tentatively agree with the second, but I absolutely can’t agree with the third. As someone who is extremely socially awkward, but also fiercely protective of those few people I consider my own, I found it very easy to sympathize with Lily and her willingness to do anything to save her autistic sister. Yes, there were times when she seemed almost prejudiced, but there’s no way to know how any of us would react after six months on a Farm, being used as a cow. Lily understood herself very well and she was willing to change when circumstances required it, or when she realized she was being unfair. Some of my favorite heroines started out as mildly unlikeable only to become fascinating and admirable later on, and I have a feeling Lily will find her place among them soon enough.

Including a few short chapters from Mel’s point of view was a risky move, and one that didn’t pan out in my opinion. We can’t possibly know what goes on in an autistic mind, and while McKay approached it in an original way, there were still a few problems; the most important being that her narrative was barely understandable. Mel’s thoughts made very little sense, and while I appreciated both the original attempt and the fact that they were supposed to be messy, I still didn’t see the point of those chapters at all.

Another thing that stood out was a pretty big plot hole someone should have noticed and pointed out in time. Carter came on the Farm looking for Lily specifically, because he thought she was an abductura, a powerful individual able to influence the emotions of others. I didn’t like his reasons, and I thought the entire thing was incredibly insulting to Lily, but I understood him to a point. What I didn’t understand was how he was able to convince others with such a weak argument, especially a four thousand year old vampire who should have demanded more proof. Whether Carter was right or wrong isn’t really important, you’ll have to read the book to find out. All I’m trying to point out is that a lot of people followed him in a pretty wide search, risking their lives daily, all because he couldn’t believe his attraction to Lily was natural.

Despite a few problems, I’d recommend The Farm to all those who enjoy reading about vampires, but not the romanticized kind. I am very much looking forward to the next book.

[Mitch · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked The Farm... until I didn't. I guess this is another case of me getting the wrong impression from the description; that's happened a lot to me lately, but, most of the time, it's the teaser giving away too much. In this case, just the opposite, because the minute I got to what Carter's secret was, my enthusiasm for this book instantly went to zero. Let's just say it's not a good sign when your own characters are making fun of how stupid the plot twists are.

From the description, I'm thinking this is going to be a book about humans being farmed for food to feed vampires and two sisters having to escape from 'The Farm'. And it is, at least at first. A bit predictable, but one of the sisters, Mel, is mentally handicapped and her point of view is rather good - I have to hand it to Emily Mckay, she did a really good job making sure Mel's story comes across despite how she's telling it. I didn't like Lily as much, she's really on edge and her frustration with her sister even frustrated me, but it's easy to tell her heart's in the right place nonetheless. So Lily and Mel go about describing their predicament and making plans to escape, and then, as promised, new kid Carter comes into the picture with a hidden agenda and the girls' plans go straight to hell. So far so good, right?

Not really, because that's exactly when the problems started popping up left and right for me. First of all, Carter obviously knows exactly what's going on, so it's kind of weird that McKay would write from his point of view at all when the first few chapters hinge on the girls and the reader being in the dark about his secret. Even worse, she writes his point of view as 'I know what's going on, I feel real guilty about not telling Lily, but I'm gonna keep the whole thing to myself'. Wow, what a useless point of view that tells me nothing, especially with how ambiguous his reasons for not telling Lily are. But as it turns out, Carter should've kept his secret a secret, because knowing that secret ruined the rest of the book for me.

Why? It turns what was a plot about escaping a facility where kids are farmed for their blood to feed mutant vampire like creatures called Ticks into a plot about vampire (real ones, not Ticks) conspiracies and people with mass mind control powers. WTF?!! McKay obviously recognized how unbelievable this is because Lily calls Carter out on it every time he opens his mouth and says something even more ridiculous than the previous 'bombshell' he drops. (Actual line from Lily: I don’t need to think about it to know that this is the stupidest, most ridiculous fantasy I’ve ever heard. My reaction: I don’t need to think about it to know that this is the stupidest, most ridiculous fantasy I’ve ever read.) And it's not like these plot twists are even necessary to the story, the only thing they do is turn Lily from an average if annoyingly stubborn character who may not always know what's good for her into a lame savior type with a massive hero complex. Oh, and the massive number of inconsistencies that result: the Ticks are nocturnal, nope they attack during the day, the Ticks can’t enter consecrated ground (looool), nope they attack a church because it doesn’t look like a church even though Lily and Co. hid in another church that didn't look like a church a few chapters earlier, the Ticks are dumb brutes, nope they implanted Lily’s tracking chip (I’m sure this last one is just an author slipup, but it all goes to show the premise is just convoluted).

I’m not saying the book stops making sense once Lily, Mel, and Carter (plus their friends Joe and McKenna) escape the Farm. Most of the time, the gang’s fending off Ticks or trying to avoid recapture and I'm actually having a good time reading about it, Mel and McKenna as the stereotypical cheerleader turned tough survivor in particular, although Lily and Carter are so generic I couldn’t remember their names while writing this review and had to leave them blank before going back to look in the book and filling them in mad lib style. But, somebody (usually Carter) always has to bring up the stupid premise this book doesn't even need and the only thing it's good for is a lame Twilight Vampire Diaries reference before I'm reminded that even the most well conceived books can go bad on the way to crazyville.

I think Emily McKay should’ve quit while she was ahead. The book’s fine as it is without the need for the ridiculous backstory slash explanation for the Ticks, all it does is add a dose of crazy to a perfectly good book that didn’t need it. Maybe she’s doing it to set up a sequel, but I don’t think I’ll be back.

[Kelly Hashway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Just wow! This book grabbed me from the first page and didn't let go. The story is told in multiple POV. Lily dominates the story, but Carter and Mel both have some chapters along the way. While I gravitated toward Lily and her protective nature, always worrying more about her sister, Mel, than anything else, I really loved the chapters told by Mel. She's autistic and boy does the girl have an interesting mind. She really adds depth to the story.

Lily is only concerned about Mel and her own safety, which means getting off of the Farm before they turn 18. 18 is the age they are supposedly released, but Lily thinks it's really the age they are fed to the Ticks. So Lily devises a plan, but everything gets derailed when Carter, a sort-of-friend and major crush from the Before, shows up. He's not at all what he seems, but Lily must trust him in order to go through with her plan to escape.

Carter has lots of secrets and I won't spoil any of them for you, but let me tell you that nothing is as it seems in this story. McKay has tons of twists and keeps you guessing. And be ready to experience every emotion in the book. There were scenes that had me cringing and grossed out. Other scenes made me want to cry. And the tension is high just about all the time. You're in for a crazy good ride with this story. It's easily on my lists of favorite books this year.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the second book that's been recommended to me because it supposedly has something in common with my book that I should learn from, and it's the second book that's made me want to shoot myself if this is how I'm supposed to write.

Fortunately, it was an eminently skimmable book, and that's how I read it, by skimming large chunks at a time.

So, generic somber-hued-ethereal-girl YA cover. Vampire apocalypse. Ninth grade crush shows up to rescue her. Yeaaaaah. The one single bright spot (or at least, point of interest) was the main character's autistic sister.

The main problem with The Farm, besides its elementary prose with vocabulary and sentence structures pitched at a sixth grade level, predictable plot with predictable Hot Boy and cartoonish vampires, and dead-dumb setting, is that McKay stuffs three or four major elements into a novel that can only handle one.

Flesh-eating monsters known as "Ticks" have mostly wiped out mankind, except for those few who remain in enclaves called Farms, which are actually more like concentration camps whose inhabitants are almost entirely teenagers. Teenagers are extra-tasty to the Ticks because of their hormones. Yeah, I'm not even sure what metaphor Emily McKay was going for there. They are separated into castes: "Greens," "Breeders," and "Collabs."

Lily, the main character, has an autistic twin sister named Mel. She and Mel are plotting to escape their Farm. Then her high school crush, Carter, shows up. The book then annoyingly alternates between first-person Lily chapters and third-person Carter chapters. Mel gets a few POV chapters as well. They escape from the Farm and find out that there are also real vampires. The suave, immortal, master-vampire with Dracula powers kind of vampire. Carter has teamed up with a vamp named Sebastian, and they're apparently part of some rebellion against the master vampire who's responsible for the Tick apocalypse. And they are looking for abductura, who are humans with a rare gene that gives them mind control powers, and they think Lily is one.

Are you going "Whaaaat?" at this point? Because I sure was.

Lily loves-hates Carter and they spend the book on the run or occasionally fighting Ticks, while Lily learns six impossible things before breakfast (vampires, abductura, Carter the super-hot popular boy has been in love with Lily the geeky nobody since ninth grade), and the book ends with a pretty predictable twist since this is of course the first book in a trilogy.

It's not horribly written, but it's written for the comprehension and attention-span engagement of the average, and I mean average, YA reader, meaning, it's pretty dumb. Frankly, I think it would have been a better book if McKay had dispensed with the vampires altogether. Justin Cronin already wrote this book and it was much better.

Mel was one of the few things I did like about The Farm. That said, I don't know how believable Mel is. Mel was interesting, but this is how her internal monologues go:

This rabbit hole feels cozy and we're not trapped even though Carter's still acting like Bugs. Uncle Rodney understands about music even if he worships a dead god.

...

I can try. I have all night to find the music. The pink gum helps.

The shark is gone — out tocking after Ticks. Finding food before it finds us. But part of me misses his watery silence. Who will pilot us, if we're not pilot fish to his shark?

Her stream-of-consciousness internal monologues were interesting, but made me think that McKay was modeling Mel after the Cylon Hybrids from Battlestar Galactica.



McKay also tries too hard by half to be clever:

Carter and I had gone to school together back in the Before. Despite what teen novels everywhere would have you believe, sitting beside a hot guy in ninth-grade biology is not the basis for eternal love — at least, not the requited kind. And yeah, I admit it, in my more romantic moments, I imagined that I alone saw through his tough, bad-boy exterior to the wounded soul inside. Carter had been the kind of guy who ran hot and cold. One day he'd be all charming smiles, the next brooding glares. Some days he'd flirt with me, others he'd ignore me completely. What can I say, that charming, bad-boy thing he had going was like catnip to a geeky girl like me. And yeah, my predictability disgusted even me. I'd spend the first two periods of every day reminding myself not to be an idiot — because a guy like Carter didn't even exist in the same social universe as I did — and I'd show up to class ready to banish my crush forever, only to have him flash me one of those crooked smiles that made me melt inside.

There's got to be a trope to describe trying so hard to subvert the thing you are mocking that your subversion turns into outright imitation. And yeah, elsewhere in the book, there's an explicit "Vampires don't sparkle" line. Also, because Lily learned archery in Girl Scouts, she picks up a bow to start shooting vampires with. Uh huh.

Lily is mostly annoying. She's your standard issue feisty-girl YA protagonist, with an extra side of thick-as-a-brick-stubborn-as-a-wall, because I lost count of how many times she'd stop Carter or someone else in the middle of a life-and-death flight from the bad guys to demand that they give her answers! Right! Now! Or she's Not Going Anywhere!

She does have a few genuine moments of self-awareness and character development. For example, when she works out that Carter may have fallen in love with her because she has mind control powers, she is freaked out and refuses to pursue their relationship further. (For a few chapters.) She also, with a little help from their vampire friend:

"Has it occurred to you, Lily," he continued — either unaware of my bone-deep revulsion or unconcerned with it — "that Mel is as much her own person as you are. Perhaps it is not anyone's fault but her own."

realizes that she's been pretty horrible to her sister.

All those months on the Farm, I had treated her like she was a burden. I had acted like some sort of saint for taking care of her. God, that must have irritated her. Suddenly I thought about how her speech patterns changed on the Farm. I had assumed it was stress, but maybe it wasn't. After all, she'd started talking again when Carter showed up. Carter, who'd always treated her like an equal. Maybe I really was the problem. Why had I always treated her like she was a burden, when we were really in this together the whole time?

So, I will give this book two stars for the small bits of redeeming value I gleaned from it. But it makes me die a little inside reading other reviews saying it was "So scary! And gory!" or "exciting" or "original" or had a "really interesting plot" since these are obviously readers who don't read much of anything outside of lowest common denominator YA pulp and have nothing really scary, gory, exciting, original, or interesting to compare it with.

[Ferdy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spoilers

For some reason or another I had really high expectations for this (I think it was the cover), sadly I wasn't impressed. The premise sounded interesting enough even though it was pretty similar to a bunch of other YA/dystopian/vampire type books.
In The Farm, vampires have taken over the world (is it weird that I want that to happen in the real world? IDK, it just seems like fun), anyway all the teenagers are rounded up into farms because their blood is extra sexy and oh so tasty. Two of those teenagers are Lily and her autistic twin sister, Mel. Lily and Mel plan to escape but when Lily's former crush, Carter, turns up things get complicated and also somewhat sexy as Lily and Carter give into their wuv and passion and general lustiness.
Lily and Carter were kind of boring, they were the same old flat cookie cutter characters that can be found in any YA book. Lily was the usual boring, insecure, whiny heroine and Carter was the typical beautiful, strong, mysterious, douche hero. Mel was a decent character although she came across as more intriguing in Carter/Lily's POV rather than her own.
I hated Carter - he was a dick. There was nothing swoon-worthy or attractive about him. All he did was constantly lie to Lily and then berate her when she did something he didn't like. The loser didn't realise that if he was honest with her from the start then Lily wouldn't have done any of the crazy and risky things she did — everything she did was in order to escape and survive, how was she supposed to know Carter had his own plans for them to escape?! What pissed me of most about him was how he thought that the only reason he could fall for Lily was because she was an 'abductura' and had compelled him to have feelings for her — it was arrogant and insulting and it showed how little he thought of her because he believed that they only way someone like him could fall for someone like her was because he was forced to...Real nice. I also wasn't impressed when Carter beat Lily up, threatened and tranqued her - I suppose I should get over all these heroes physically abusing the heroines since it's what they all do nowadays — apparently if a hero doesn't abuse a heroine, it's not real love!
Lily's feelings for Carter were pathetic — she could have been an okay character if she had told him to fuck off but instead she let him treat her like shit. Then again you're not a real heroine if you don't let the hero abuse you and treat you like dirt.
I did like Mel and Lily's relationship — it was the best thing in the book.
Overall, this was well rubbish. The first half was slow and the second half was predictable, the world building was unimaginative and most of the characters were cardboard cutouts.

[Tammie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. **There are some minor spoilers in this review.

The Farm started out great. It might have stayed that way if it would have just been what it sounded like it would be. In the beginning Lily and her autistic sister Mel are trying to escape a "farm" where their blood is being harvested to feed vicious vampire-like creatures called ticks. The Farm is a place where teens are taken until they are 18. There is a lot of mystery about what happens after everyone at the farm turns 18. They disappear and Lily is sure nothing good happens to them so she decides she and her twin sister Mel need to escape before their 18th birthday. And along the way they meet a boy named Carter who helps them.

Unfortunately the story takes an unexpected turn. Once we find out why Carter is really there I thought it veered off in the wrong direction. I mean did we really need another book with the girl who is special trope? I also felt like there was no good reason for Carter to have hidden things from Lily in the beginning. Why couldn't he have been upfront with her about what he was doing there, at least about the helping her get out part? And he was so convinced that she was what he thought she was, but the reasoning behind it seemed pretty flimsy to me.

Since it's a vampire apocalypse type story, I was expecting a lot of creepiness, maybe something a lot more like The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle. Now that was a creepy YA book! Unfortunately the creatures in this book weren't creepy at all. They even sounded like Sasquatches the way they were described, which I thought was weird. Also the whole reason for the ticks existing didn't work for me either. A regular vampire decides he wants to rule the world so he ends up creating some sort of virus with his venom in a lab that turns people into these vicious, mindless vampire-like creatures. I would have liked it much better if the regular vampires had been left out and the monstrous vampire-like creatures had been the only ones.

Honestly though, all of those issues were small compared to my main problem with this book. And that is I have a real problem with a book that breaks its own rules, and that's exactly what The Farm does repeatedly. If an author is going to set up rules to their book mythology it's a good idea to stick with them, otherwise why bother with making the rules in the first place? We have the ticks in this book that are supposed to only be active at night, only to suddenly find out they are out in the daytime now too. They are supposed to avoid churches or holy ground, only to find out that there is an exception to that rule as well. And they are supposed to be afraid of fire, but surround an entire burning building! At the end of the book (and yes I did see that little twist concerning the sisters coming a mile away) I already know which rule will probably be broken in the sequel.

Even with all of the problems I had with the book I still found myself kind of wanting to find out what happens next, mainly with Mel, but in the end I decided to just look up spoilers instead of read the next book.

Review also posted at Writings of a Reader

[The Cats’ Mother]

Giving up at page 172. I got this from Book Club, I recall my friend saying it was OK but she wasn’t sure she’d bother with the rest of the trilogy. I always like to make up my own mind, but despite a promising start, it was rapidly becoming apparent that this is another derivative vampire PA/Dystopian YA romance trying too hard to distinguish itself from Twilight (which it has already referenced repeatedly.) There would only be any point continuing if I were willing to invest in the sequels, and having looked up some reviews of those, I’m really not willing to spend the $30 and 15 hours that it would take.

17 year old Lily and her twin sister Mel, who has autism, have been living as prisoners in an abandoned university in Texas that has been converted into a farm, since a plague of blood-drinking monsters known as Ticks swept across America six months earlier. Supposedly rounded up for their safety, the teenagers soon discovered that on this farm, they are the food producers, donating blood weekly to feed the Ticks, who prefer the flavour of adolescent hormones, but when they turn 18, which is days away, Lily fears they will be put outside to be eaten. When a former schoolmate, Carter, the goodlooking bad boy that Lily had a crush on years earlier, turns up with a mysterious mentor, she has to decide whether she can trust his motives as he offers to help her escape.

And that’s as far as I got, the plot having taken a turn for the ridiculous with Carter’s revelations about the origins of the vampire apocalypse. I was getting frustrated by the limitations of the world-building, then there’s a long-winded explanation of who Sebastian and Roberto are, while they’re supposed to be preparing to escape, because Lily is being all bolshy. She reminded me too much of Bella from Twilight to want to hear more of her whining self-pity and I wasn’t interested enough to read more. I used to read a lot of YA but in my late 40s have finally grown out of it (or perhaps just discovered that the plots and characters are basically all the same.)

The writing was fairly basic, the most interesting part were the chapters from Mel’s point of view, but they actually didn’t make a whole lot of sense. There were also some annoying plot holes: the Ticks are described as mindless ravenous beasts, yet they have the technology to create and implant chips into the “Greens” that monitor their blood and allow them to be tracked? The US government has disappeared completely without a fight? The teenagers’ parents just let them go and nobody came back for them? Maybe these questions are answered later but I don’t care enough to find out.

I’m not rating this as I didn’t finish it, but from what I have read it’s a 2.5.

[Kira Simion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things I liked:

•Mel's chapters. While I don't know how autistic people tend to act, the poetry of her pages lured me in and I quite enjoyed them.

•the plot was interesting, even if the plot twist was predictable. WAYYYY too many plot twist clues.

•the characters. I could see them all as different people and liked little pieces of each of them so that's nice.

What I didn't like:

•the insta-like. Not working for me.

•the plot twist was good, but as I said before, there were too many clues for one plot twist.

[Misty Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

The other day, while I was surrounded by hordes of rabid book fans, I was asked a question. A question that was rather elementary when it came right down to it, but still incredibly intriguing. One that (if I’m being honest) I’m surprised is being asked now; 3 years into my reviewing journey. It was:

“What are you tired of?”

My first thought (naturally) was laundry. I have no idea how my children manage to wear everything they own in a single week, but alas…they do, therefore I’m up to my elbows in dirty boy socks on a daily basis.

Of course this is not what she meant. So I dug down deep. (Ok…not that deep. I’m way too superficial for that.) And pondered the question.

My answer: Vampires.

Don’t get me wrong. There was a day (not so very long ago) where vampires in literature were my pathetic stay-at-home mommy version of crack. But the more I read, the more I wanted to punch them (and their always perfect abs and flowing glossy hair) in the face. (Which of course would then get me killed. So…I’m going to go ahead and retract that statement.)

It’s not that I’m entirely “tired” of vampires. They have their perks. What I’m tired of are “nice” vampires! Give me blood and guts. Give me vampires that are drunk on bloodlust and have absolutely no moral judgment.

“A squirrel? You want me to eat a squirrel? Hell no! I want that blonde over there trying desperately to order the world’s most complicated cup of coffee! She looks like a tasty caffeinated treat!”

In short, I want my fanged foes to be exactly that…FOES.

So to you, Ms. Emily McKay, I thank you for being slightly demented and wildly unforgiving in regards to your vampires (that read a lot like zombies…which, I’ll never get tired of.)

“Life was different in the Before: before vampires began devouring humans in a swarm across America; before the surviving young people were rounded up and quarantined. These days, we know what those quarantines are—holding pens where human blood is turned into more food for the undead monsters, known as Ticks. Surrounded by electrical fences, most kids try to survive the Farms by turning on each other…

And when trust is a thing of the past, escape is nearly impossible.

Lily and her twin sister Mel have a plan. Though Mel can barely communicate, her autism helps her notice things no one else notices—like the portion of electrical fence that gets turned off every night. Getting across won’t be easy, but as Lily gathers what they need to escape, a familiar face appears out of nowhere, offering to help…

Carter was a schoolmate of Lily’s in the Before. Managing to evade capture until now, he has valuable knowledge of the outside world. But like everyone on the Farm, Carter has his own agenda, and he knows that behind the Ticks is an even more dangerous threat to the human race…”

The most intriguing aspect of “The Farm” is that the reader has absolutely zero idea who to trust. Not in a traditional ”mystery novel” way were several people could be the killer, but something much more dramatic. Without giving too much away (because I hate spoilers) There is a specific “trait” to one of McKay’s characters that makes him/her difficult to read. (How’s that for vague.) This trait is not sad, or inappropriate or even (in layman’s terms) bad. Instead it is incredibly influential. And because of its influence it makes every aspect of the book (intentions, emotions…etc.) questionable. You’ll find yourself agreeing with sentiments, only to find out they weren’t at all what you believed them to be. You will fall in love with characters only to second guess them pages later. NOT KNOWING is the driving force of this book. It weaves its way into every plot turn, every self actualization and heart-felt monologue found inside.

That said, without expertly written characters…there would be no story.

Lily and her twin sister are about to turn 18. For most people this would be exciting. But for a prisoner of the Farm, turning 18 is paramount to getting the death penalty You are considered no longer useful and put out to pasture. Literally. Outside the walls of the farm live Ticks. Genetically modified vampires that drink blood and ravage cities (much like a zombie plague ) Lily and Mel’s only hope of survival is to make a run for it. The only problem is that Mel is autistic. In the “Before” her autism was manageable In the “After” it becomes a bit of a burden. This “burden” is where McKay’s writing ability really shines.

Showcasing any illness can be difficult. The balance must be exact. Too far to the left: you appear insensitive. To far to the right: you are drowning your reader in a pity pool. Both can be detrimental to a body of work. But in the case of Mel? She was not her sickness, or a barrier between her sister and the freedom they both so desperately sought. Mel was quite, but attentive. Nervous, but brave. She saw what was beneath EVERY surface, not just the ones directly in her line of sight. She was, without pretense…beautiful.

“So, Misty…what about these vampires you claim to loath so much?”

Well, like I said before (with the exception of one) they were less like vampires, more like zombies. Which made this book play out more like an Apocalypsie than a stroll down Vamp Lane. Much to my “end of the world” loving pleasure.

Overall?

There was a heavy dose of action. Plenty of heart, and enough shock and awe to keep any reader on the edge of their seats. And… it being the 18th of December, I can safely say this will make my “top 10 of 2012.” I cannot wait to dive into the next chapter of this incredibly engaging story, and see what renowned ”ROMANCE” (yes, I said romance) writer McKay has up her “evil side” sleeve in the future.

Happy reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: never give up on the predictable, sometimes it will surprise you.

[Running · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked that this book was on the border of YA and Adult, it dealt with the age range of Young Adult, but at the same time, it didn't skirt around issues that teenagers face normally. I've noticed that most YA won't curse or really address the issue of sex, but this book managed to cover what it really was like for teenagers before their world exploded and then what it was like after.

I really liked that this book could double as a YA for more mature readers within the genre. While there isn't sex all over this book it is a topic that comes up a few times when talking about Lily and Carter. There is also the constant mention of "Breeders", young women who chose to have babies and therefore are used like tissues by the Collabs, jock like young boys who choose to work with the Dean of The Farm.

All of these terms are a little confusing when trying to explain it to you right now. I thought it was interesting that all of these Farms (yes, human Farms) were set up on college campuses. It reminded me a little bit of The Loners, the way that the jocks and sporty guys joined the collaborators and the girls (its insinuated the ones that have looser ethics) join the breeders which means that Collabs can sleep with them whenever.

I loved the devotion that Lily and Mel had to each other and how Carter pushed to help them both even though it was for his own reasons. I liked that Carter didn't talk to Mel like she was autistic, but rather like she was a normal person. When you look at how they got from point A to point B, its really shocking to realize that this book only took place during a span of 4 days or so.

Of Note: I saw Jenn from Crazy For Books with it on the first day of BEA. I asked her what it was about and her response was "I'm not sure, something about ticks and bugs." which being the girly girl that I am, made me go, 'ick.' When I saw that my mom has snagged a copy, I asked her to read it and let me know if it was a good read, and when my mom handed it to me and was like "OMG. This book was great!" I knew I had to read it even though the publication wasn't until December and I read it in June.

So if you're unsure about this book because the description mentions Ticks, know that its about vampires and their twisted monster cousins and not the bugs, because if it were killer bugs, there would be no surviving. Anyway, give this book a chance if you're looking to explore outside of YA, but you're not sure where to go. There was no love triangle which was great, and you get a little bit more maturity.

[Marceline · Rating 1 out of 5]

Warning: This contains spoilers, so read at your own risk.

Book, I am very disappointed in you.
The blurb made you sound so amazing!
But... no. No, book. NO.

I honestly had a love-hate relationship throughout reading this. Some parts were amazing, and then the book would drop so low that it would make me want to run headfirst into my mirror.

Some of the big problems I have?

#1: Lily.

I want to punch Lily in her fucking face.
Not because she's capable but gets held down; that isn't her fault (i.e I'll complain about that later on).
Nope, it's that SHE IS SO GODDAMNED ARGUMENTATIVE.
Many of the conversations she has with Carter are him trying to talk some sense into her, and her being a motherfucking brick wall of stubborn bullshit and sarcastic quips.

The sad part?
She starts out so well!
I mean, she sounds like Katniss Everdeen; a teenage girl living in a shitty place, her main priority being protecting her sister.

Lily has another priority, though: getting the hell off the Farm, which is quite literally a school that has been converted into a place for food and breeding. The kids there are livestock, many donating blood once a week to feed the Ticks.

But then Carter walks in, and she becomes a bitchy brat who can't even listen to anyone but herself. At first her distrust is understandable, but it gets SO. FUCKING. ANNOYING.

You know those hostages that get outraged by the people trying to save them "siding" with their captors? Even though they should KNOW it's a negotiation?
Yeah; when Carter shows up as a bad guy, SHE CAN'T EVEN CONSIDER HE'S TRYING TO HELP HER.
Nope, all of a sudden, he's a collab that's out to get her.
Then, when he's trying to explain himself, she tries to get away like three fucking times, and won't even listen to him. He has to TRANQUILIZE HER. And even then, this just pisses her off more and she tries to escape again!
He has to pin her to a fucking wall.

Then as he tried to explain, guess what?
ARGUMENTS.
About half the conversations she has with Carter are arguments, and 100% of those are Carter TRYING TO TELL HER AS IT IS.
Fuck you Lily, if I could I would conjure you out of the book just so I could punch you in your fucking mouth.

#2: The Plot

Was this book not fine on it's own?
Did it REALLY need spicing up?
I think two sisters, one of them autistic, trying to fight their way through bloodsucking monsters and make it to safety in the North sounds like an incredible read!
Fuck Sebastian, fuck Roberto's plan, fuck Carter and the other rebels.
I WOULD HAVE LOVED THIS BOOK IF IT HAD JUST BEEN ABOUT LILY AND MEL.
But naw, it had to have real vampires. Not the ones created by a virus, but honest-to-god creatures of the night that want to take over the world.

Mmmhmm, yeah. *backspaces everything back to the beginning*
START OVER EMILY, BECAUSE YOU FUCKED UP.

Not to mention the overall silliness of the whole thing.
A vampire named Roberto wanting to take over the world?
That's fucking HILARIOUS.
That would make Stephanie Meyer piss her panties with laughter, and her vampires fucking sparkle in the sunlight.
Can we have a normal thing with the virus accidentally being released?
By humans?
Because vampires don't exist?
What the fuck Emily, were you afraid it would sound too much like The Hunger Games or The Mazerunner?
FUCKING HELL, EMILY MCKAY.

I shouldn't be surprised, because your author blurb sounds like a DeviantArt ID written in the third person, but FUCKING HELL. What a waste of a good idea!

#3: Aducturas.

I gave the fuck up at Uncle Rodney the Elvis fan; so please inform me of the point.
WHY DOES LILY NEED TO HAVE POWERS?!
Katniss didn't need powers!
Tris didn't need powers!
Fuck, most dystopian heroines just need to be badass!

Not Lily.
Nope, Lily has fucking mind control powers.
La-de-fucking-da.
What purpose do they serve? I don't know, please tell me!
Are they explained? Pff, I don't know!
Not to mention, why isn't MEL the abductura?
Seriously, that would make much more sense, in my opinion.

#4: Lily being tough but never getting to show it.

Why? Why is this?
If you're going to write a badass female character, THEN LET HER BE A BADASS FEMALE CHARACTER. Lily obviously knows what the fuck she's doing, she wants to protect Mel and get to Canada. Let her fight the Ticks, let her get in the middle of things, let her move a heavy piece of wood off a fucking cellar door.
SHE'S SUPPOSED TO BE TOUGH, DAMMIT.
LET HER DO SOMETHING BESIDES SIT THERE AND BITCH ABOUT THINGS.

This seriously upset me, because the one YA heroine I get that's not a Mary Sue is pushed the fuck back by the other characters. The coolest thing she was allowed to do was make explosives, that's it.
THAT'S IT.

Please rewrite this novel, Emily.

Nitpicks:

- Sebastian, what the fuck do you look like? All I know about you that you're European and have funky pupils.
- What happened to Carter being an asshole? I thought he was supposed to be an asshole.
- Carter shouldn't even be in this book.
- Nor should Sebastian.
- Slut shaming. This book reeks of it when Lily is describing the Breeders, let alone McKenna. PEOPLE GETTING PREGGERS?! ON PURPOSE?! OH NOES, DATS WRONG AND MAKES YOU A BABY-KILLING SLAG!
- Lily refusing to give people sympathy for stupid-ass reasons.
- There's more pop culture references in this book than in one 15 minute episode of MAD.
- McKenna is popular, and thus is automatically an asshole.
- When the fuck did Stoner Joe do drugs?
- The bad guys are purposefully laced with shittness to make then sound even more bad. Not only are collabs the dangerous security on the Farm; they're dirty, smelly, fat, lazy, used to be bullies at school, and like to rape people. Not only is the Dean running a place where children are used as livestock and fed to the Ticks when they misbehave, he's a total assholian pig who's too smug for his own good. Yep, the main points weren't a hint, you had to add rapey smugness.
- Lily gets first person POV in her chapters. Mel gets first person POV in her chapters. Carter doesn't get first person POV in his chapters. What the fuck, McKay?
- Uncle Rodney the Elvis fan.
- The action scenes are confusing as fuck.
- My mom's name was Lily. Great way to honor her.

Sure, this book has some good qualities, like Mel and the whole Farm concept, but the only way it could be redeemed is if Emily started the fuck over, got rid of the vampires, made it about two sisters escaping a Farm and fighting for survival an apocalypse of vampires, then maybe, in the second book, something with Carter and the rebels.

There ya go, Emily. I will sit here patiently while you clean up your mess.

[Giselle]

HELLS TO THE YEAH!!
*drool*
MUST HAZ!!

[Kirsty · Rating 1 out of 5]

The time of whiny, incompetent heroines really won't go away and I wish it would. The Farm is another young adult book, in a long line of young adult books, to throw up lead characters who are a terrible fit, yet somehow are inexplicably drawn to one another.

The concept is good (a post-apocalyptic world that is overrun with genetically modified, blood-sucking humans known as Ticks), but poorly executed (inconsistent with a habit of throwing more and more "twists" into the fray to keep the reader of their toes). Teenagers with their tasty hormone-laden blood are stashed away in Farms where they are expected to donate blood until their eighteenth birthday. After that, who knows, but our MC Lily isn't sticking around to find out.

So, here we have two twins, one of them with autism, who are planning to escape from their Farm. Sounds good, but wait, what is this? Poor characterisation. Oh yes.

Lily is obnoxious. She is contrary. She is argumentative. She can't help but hurtle herself head first into danger and although she says everything she does is for Mel, Mel hardly makes an appearance in this book. In fact, most of The Farm is focused on Lily and Carter at the cost of all other characters. Literally, The Farm spends most of its time following them around.

What is really terrible is how Mel is presented like extra baggage that Lily has to lug around. Throughout the whole of The Farm I got the overwhelming sense that Mel was treated like a dog. Sit here and stay. Don't go wandering off. Stay out of danger. She got given instruction after instruction, never got spoken to like an equal or human, never got to have a say in matters, especially ones concerning herself. Sure, create a character with autism if you think you can pull it off. Don't do it if you're going to make them come across as less than human.

So that irked me. So did Carter when he rocked up. Clearly had ulterior motives stamped all over him and was a controlling piece of work. I hate it when one character tries to assert themselves all over another character, regardless of gender, and somehow Carter thought he was better than everyone else and therefore had a right to tell them what to do, even go so far as to physically restrain them or beat the crap out of them. He makes my blood boil. And yet, despite his horrific behaviour, he is meant to be a love interest. Because that's a healthy relationship right there. Lily and Carter could never agree on anything and were constantly fighting each other verbally and physically.

Now for the world. Boy was it bland. Bland and dull. Sure, there are Ticks running around outside, but that's about it. Everywhere is devoid of life, even the Farm seems to have a distinct lack of other people, except during parts meant to endanger Lily. I would have expected more of a system, more of a presence from those in charge, but no, Lily mostly walks around barely glimpsing or hearing from another soul.

It doesn't get better. The world is literally empty with the spotlight only shone on Lily and Carter. When they do escape, two new characters tag along but you would never know it because they never get any air time. At all. And why introduce new characters that far in, especially when they add nothing to the story. What are they even there for?

I could go on about how terrible The Farm was, but I've run out of energy. I might return when my anger is fired up again, but for now all I'll say is avoid this book. It isn't worth your time.

[Gray Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting take on vampires, honestly, I didn't like it very much, but three stars for being original.

I probably would have liked it more if it wasn't for the makeout scenes, call me a baby, but they were too detailed and made me uncomfortable.

Also, props for a good autism rep!

[Christina (A Reader of Fictions) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally reviewed on A Reader of Fictions.

Like its cover, Emily McKay's The Farm is exceedingly dark and creepy, filled with the kinds of vampires that are never going to make swoon-inducing heroes. The Farm reminded me somewhat of The Passage and of The Immortal Rules, both in tone and vampire-ness.

In The Farm, the world has been overrun by Ticks. No, not the bugs. Humans-turned-monsters that feed on human blood. As is the case in roughly 37% of post-apocalyptic fiction, scientific research intended to help humanity accidentally got loose and turned some of the population into man-eating monsters. Oops! The road to hors d'oeuvres is paved with good intentions, right?

Like in The Passage, the humans have consolidated into walled communities, carefully defended from the monsters roaming the majority of the world. Thankfully, the Ticks are not as clever as the creatures in The Passage. The difference, though, is that the humans are not behind the walls united to fight against the monsters. The people under eighteen were rounded up and stuck into these Farms, ostensibly because young, hormonal people are the most delicious and thus the most endangered. They are fed up, fattened up, and required to go for regular blood draws, this and the crazy, out-of-control vamps outside the city reminded me heavily of The Immortal Rules.

Lily and her twin sister Mel are about to turn eighteen. Unconvinced that what will happen on their birthday will be at all pleasant (nobody knows what becomes of the people who 'graduate' from the Farms), Lily determines that they will escape. She prepares to trade for the final items necessary to complete their withdrawal from the camp. Everything's planned; she can keep Mel safe.

Lily lives her life for Mel, her mother's last words having been an invocation to protect her sister. Mel has autism, which has not been improved by the collapse of the world as it once was. In high school, Mel was relatively high-functioning, but, now, she can no longer speak in anything but nursery rhymes, something she did as a child. Lily's love and care for Mel is powerful and touching, definitely the most powerful aspect of the book for me.

Just when they're about ready to escape, enter the love interest, Carter, the only crush Lily has ever had. He was the typical bad boy and Lily's lab partner. He now seems like he could be their deliverance, if only she could trust him, which she can't do, since he obviously wants something. Though this won't make sense if you haven't read it, I have to state that I'm really not a fan of the abductura angle of the story, especially if this book is a standalone.

McKay uses three perspectives to tell the story: Lily, Carter and Mel. The bulk of the narration is Lily's in first person. She has a powerful voice, and is one of those heroines that manages to be likable but not all that nice. Her sections really worked. Mel's sections, also in first person, were perhaps my favorites and I really wish that they had been longer. Mel has a unique way of perceiving the world that I found utterly beautiful. Unfortunately, she receives only about ten pages. None of her sections are above two pages.

Where things go wonky are Carter's bits. For some reason I cannot even begin to fathom, Carter's sections are told in third person. This threw me out of the story every single time, because everything else was in first person and I expect that to continue. Choose one! As a result, I also didn't have as strong of a sense of Carter's character. Actually, I don't really think it was entirely necessary to have him as a POV. I think The Farm would have worked better as all Lily's narration or a more-balanced narration with just the two sisters.

If you enjoy post-apocalyptic horror novels, The Farm will not disappoint. From what I can tell (aka Goodreads), The Farm is a standalone, but I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that more books are coming. It could really go either way, I think, but there are subjects that have scarcely been touched on, such as the folks orchestrating the Farms (and what precisely happens there) or where all the adults are. I personally hope there's more.

[Novels On The Run · Rating 5 out of 5]

MICHELLE'S REVIEW:

RATING: 5 BRILLIANT , INTENSE STARS!!

This is a most brilliant, intense read. I devoured this book. I am still hungry and want more.

Throw this on your TBR pile and shoot it up near the top. Emily has a unique take on her blood thirsty ‘Ticks’. It works very, very, well. I am not left with a head full of questions.

The world that is built is alarmingly real and frightening.

6 months approximately, since the Tick virus, yes, there are vampires in this story, but it is not another vampire story...... far from it.

This book will take you to many places, throw you about and take you to more places. The plot thickens the deeper you read.

Whahhhhhhh!!!!!!

Mel and Lily are 17yr old twins. They live/survive on The Farm, which was once a college campus. Lily keeps herself and Mel to themselves, getting scanned four times a day for 1st meal, 2nd meal, 3rd meal and 4th meal.

There is no menu.

This campus and the children that occupy it are made up of Collabs, who work for the Dean, human. Greens are the ‘cows’ so to speak, and the Breeders.... they would be the girls who choose to get pregnant.

You will notice things.

Lily and Mel are Greens.

You don't even want to get to your 18th birthday.

Mel is autistic and WOW! WoW! WOW! What Emily has done with Mel’s character. This book is written from three pov’s. When you are in Mel’s head, it is amazing. Mel talks in nursery rhymes. It helps to know your nursery rhymes if you want Mel to respond quick.

“Jack be nimble, Jack be quick.” This translates to , ' Mel, hurry!!'

Mel and her slinky , Sllluuunk, Sllluuunk, Sllluuunk......Mel needs her familiar items.

Trust is a massive issue for Lily as Mel is her all. She feels responsible and will not let anything hurt Mel.

Survival is key, living in an 8 x 12 storage closet, in a Lab, away from everybody else, every minute living in fear of Mel attracting the Dean’s attention and being drugged and staked to be left out for the Ticks.

Enter Carter, who could ruin everything. He is an awesome guy lead.

Does the boy have secrets!!

The chemistry between Carter and Lily ‘feels’ real. I loved reading Carter and Lily and I loved reading Lily and Mel.

The more you read , the more the twists, and the intense need to grip your book will overcome you. Paperbacks are necessary for gripping comfort.

Sebastian, I really like him , but sadly I don’t know what basket to put him in. Do I trust him ? I know I have to , I have no choice at this stage.

The sub characters, Stoner Joe to name one, are all important to the story.

I really ‘felt’ like I was along for the ride and trying to survive. This book is a 3D experience and it will shake you up in all kinds of way. You may even start sweating and holding your breath.

This book is just the tip of where Emily is going to take us. I can’t wait for more. There is so much I want to say, but then I would be spoiling this awesome read.

Tick Tock. Tick Tock. Tick Tock. Tock. Tock. Tock.



FAVE QUOTES:

‘It’s not like I took Blowin’ Shit Up 101 last year as an elective.’



‘Silly Lily. How can she resist someone who brings gum and sounds like math.’



‘I didn’t give her a chance to answer. I was one “Mary had a little lamb “ away from losing it. ‘


Michelle

[Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

You will find that this story does have teenage characters, a possible love interest and vampires not all in the same context and is told successfully and proved to be an enjoyable read for me.
It starts with the narratives of two sisters told in different chapters in a dystopia setting, there is a need to survive, a care and love for each for other, a possible plan to break free, a journey out of to freedom from The Farm.
The story grabs you from the start you have a feeling of the moment and the dilemma of the twin sisters, from then on the author has you and keeps you successfully in the story in a visceral fashion at times emotional and others thrilling.
Delivered with a well paced momentum in different narratives, first person p.o.v mostly three mainly Lily and her twin sister Mel and Carter the male character who tries to aid and has possible love for one. I found Mel a very interesting character to read of there is only very short narratives from Mel poetic at times shes talks in unconventional ways, she communicates with nursery rhymes and expresses feelings with certain sounds and music.
This novel leaves you with something at the end and definitely wanting more and I feel she’s careful left a lot more to come in the continuation in the next book.

"Four times a day, all the Greens shuffled out from their various hiding places and ambled over to the dining hall, where we were scanned, prodded, and fed. Yeah, we were treated like cows, except cows lived in the blissful oblivion of not knowing their future. We Greens couldn't escape the reminders of what was to come. Not when Collabs took weekly "donations" at the mobile blood bank. Calling it that was their way of making it seem voluntary. It wasn't. And every time we donated blood, they tested it to see how "clean" it was, whether or not it would make good food for the Ticks or if it had too many of the hormones the Ticks seemed to crave. On the Farm, we weren't raising food; we were the food."

Mel
"Places have music, too.
Home always sounded like Beethoven's Ninth. School, like skate punk.
Only holy ground is quiet. "

Also review @ http://more2read.com/review/the-farm-by-emily-mckay/

[Justine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a decent vampire story that gets some extra points for originality. The two main characters are identical twin sisters, Lily and Mel, but Mel is a mid-level functioning autistic. The girls have been living in what is essentially an internment camp called The Farm for six months, ever since the outbreak of a virus that turned a large proportion of the human population into savage, feral versions called Ticks, who kill and feed on human blood.

Lily believes that once she and her sister turn 18, they will no longer be safe at The Farm and so wants nothing more than to escape. When former classmate Carter appears, it seems that he might be the key to their escape, but she isn't sure she can trust him.

While there is a lot of the standard breakout and escape into danger storyline going on here, the thing that made this book interesting for me was the fact that the author made a real effort to integrate a character with autism into the story. The writing was a bit choppy in parts, because the author for some reason decided to change from first person to third person with different POV characters, but even so, there's enough interesting stuff going on that I'm planning to read the next book.

[Bonnie McDaniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took a while to get into this book, and my enthusiasm varied throughout. It reminds me of a summer movie blockbuster that keeps you enthralled while you're in the theater, but after the last credit rolls and you've had time to think about what you've seen, the plot holes grow bigger and bigger.

It's set in the near future, after blood-drinking, genetically engineered monsters known as Ticks have ravaged the U.S. (Exactly where 250 million or more people went is not explained, and our heroes sure aren't stumbling over scads of bodies. If survivors fled to Canada or Mexico, the plague that created the Ticks would be transmitted worldwide--hell, with modern air travel, it would anyway. Yet it doesn't seem to have done that. Also, one would think our allies in Europe and worldwide would be stepping into help, unless they just decided to quarantine the entire country. See, two paragraphs and the plot is turning into Swiss cheese.) They especially like the hormone-laden blood of teenagers, so teenagers are rounded up and confined to concentration camps, where all forms of birth control are promptly confiscated, so the prisoners can...create more teenagers? (Supposedly, the Ticks hate the blood of pregnant women, which leads to a rash of girls in the Farm--prescient name, that--getting pregnant to protect themselves for...just nine months? What happens to the babies after? Do they just kind of vanish and the girls sail forth to get pregnant again? You'd think the boys would get wise to that after a while.)

Well, never mind. We can put our brains on hold for a few hours, after all. Our plucky heroine, Lily, is planning to escape from the Farm--even though, as the book makes clear, she has no idea what's really out there and her plan is ill-conceived at best--together with her autistic twin sister, Mel. (There are first-person chapters from Lily and Mel's point of view, and third-person chapters from the POV of Carter, the boy soldier who sneaks into the camp because he's looking for Lily, who he believes to be an abductura, or empath, capable of controlling and influencing the emotions of others. He thinks that's what she is because in ninth grade he met her, took one look, and fell into instant love/obsession. The more I think about that, the creepier it sounds, although the author does do a fairly successful job of selling it. Just remember, don't think about it too much after you turn the last page.) I don't know enough about autism to know if this is an authentic portrayal--Mel does seem to have synthesia as well, that is, experiencing sounds as scents, hearing music in people, and so forth. It is a rather interesting depiction of a completely alien way of thinking.

By the way, there's not only Ticks, which are kind of explained; there are...vampires. Real, non-sparkly vampires. (Although I do resent the author's dragging Twilight into her narrative. Really, must Edward Cullen be woven into everything?) Non-sparkly vampires who apparently invented the Tick infestation in a territorial power grab. The Big Bad has his own abductura, and Carter and his vampiric companion are hunting for another one, hence the search for Lily.

Chases and fights abound; those are well-written, and the author does have a good sense of pace. Lily's and Mel's characterizations are good. What's sadly lacking is a story that makes sense. (One more thing--the United States military, the biggest, baddest army on the planet, is defeated in just a few months? Even with a bunch of Ticks and an abductura? When even your main character remarks on the impossibility of that, you should know you've gone off the rails.)

In the end, this book in eminently skippable, which is sad. This is the bones of a good story. The author just doesn't put any meat on it.

[Kenneth Hursh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Conflict is a good thing in a novel, but The Farm is an example of too much of a good thing. It starts out with a cool dystopian setting, teenagers held captive to give blood to feed vampires who have taken over the U.S.

Lily is one such captive who yearns to free herself and her autistic sister, Mel, from their particular blood farm. Lily loves Mel and wants to protect her, but also feels burdened by her (conflict # 1). Suddenly, Lily’s old high school crush, Carter, appears at the farm and shows a romantic interest in her, but might not be as friendly as he seems (conflict # 2).

There are all sorts of conflicting evil forces—two different types of traditional vampires who don’t get along, a third modern type of vampire with which neither type of traditional vampire gets along, and humans who imprison and bleed teenagers for the various types of vampires, yet who still don’t get along with the vampires (conflicts # 3, 4, and 5).

Lily perhaps has a superpower that will perhaps rescue humanity from all of this dystopia, although she doesn’t want the power (conflict # 6). So, Lily, Mel, Carter, and, among others, a girl Lily doesn’t like (conflict # 7) escape the farm together, bound for vampire-free Canada. Evil forces follow them, of course (conflict # 8), either hoping to kill Lily or kidnap her for her powers, depending on the evil force.

All these conflicts made for a terrific read for about 100 pages. Unfortunately, by page 300, each conflict was still going strong, and I needed the story to boil down. It didn’t happen till page 400 (of 417) when some of the conflicts resolved in hasty “telling” fashion. By then I had grown tired of the unchanging relationships and wasn’t caring much for the characters involved in them. The conflict about which evil force (if any of them) was the true enemy and whether/how Lily could defeat them was never resolved, and this was a major problem with The Farm.

The most compelling conflict was between Carter and Lily—whether he really loved her or was only interested in her power. McKay would have been better off focusing on this storyline from beginning to end and letting other conflicts flare up and die more quickly along the way. The autistic sister part should have been left out completely.

[Once · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really didn’t know what to expect when I first picked this book. The cover seems pretty simple but a little creepy, I think. Well, let me tell you, The Farm was an AMAZING book from start to finish. It has a little bit of everything - romance, suspense, vampires, and a tough cookie for a heroine. Oh, and did I mention a hot guy? Yup, it has it all. The story is told in Lilly, Mel and Carter’s POV. The way that Emily wrote it, makes it really easy to follow. I love reading in Mel’s POV. I think she is my favorite character so far.

The world has changed and 6 months ago, parents sent their kids to “Farms” because the Ticks (zombie like vampires) have taken over. They are a result of an epigenetic experiment that went terribly wrong. Lilly and her twin sister Mel were also sent and are living in an old building on the farm. Lilly has to protect Mel because Mel is autistic and ever since she was sent to the farm, Mel’s condition has worsened. Mel doesn’t really talk she just sings nursery rhymes when she wants to say something. Collabs are the guards and they are there to “protect” the teens/kids from getting attacked by the ticks that are just outside the electric fence that is surrounding the farm. Lilly, Mel and the rest of the teens have to give blood once a week it’s to check their hormone levels. You see, the Ticks are attracted to teens/kids because of their hormones in their blood and therefore make for an easy target. When someone turns 18, they are taken out of the farm, but no one really knows what happens to them after that. They tell them that they get sent back to their family, but Lilly isn’t buying it. Oh, and if you disobey the rules, you are drugged and put outside for the ticks to eat you - pretty gross, right? Lilly is turning 18 soon so she needs to find a way of getting out, but then Carter shows up, a boy she had a huge crush on in the Before, and changes everything.

Even though I predicted some of the ending, McKay definitely threw me a curve ball at the very end and had me crying like a baby. The only negative thing about the book is that I have to wait forever for the second book. Ugh! So not fair. But if it's as good as this one, it will be worth the wait.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars: A edge of your seat dystopian with terrifying and original vampires!

Lily stuffs a few more items into her bulging backpack. She mentally goes over the list of things she still needs in order to make her escape. For the last few months, Lilly along with her autistic sister Mel have been living on The Farm. The Farm is a fortified place where teenage kids were sent to protect them from the Ticks. Just a few short months ago, the United States was overrun by Ticks. Ticks are terrifying, blood sucking monsters that were created by a genetically mutated virus. A select few of the population when exposed to the virus mutate and turn into these horrific monsters. A Tick doesn't drink blood like a traditional vampire, it tears out the human heart and sucks down the blood. Back on the farm, the teenagers are forced to give blood donations, supposedly their blood is laced with hormones that attracts the Ticks. Once they turn eighteen, they are fed to the Ticks. Lily and Mel's eighteenth birthdays are just days away. If they don't try and escape, they could be fed to the Ticks. Can Lily and Mel escape The Farm?
What I Liked:
*For months, I have said that I am tired of vampire books, but The Farm with its terrifying, gory and original vampiric creatures has once again kindled my interest. I love that this book brings us something entirely new when it comes to vampires. There are actually two types of vampires in this one. The more traditional type and the new genetically engineered monsters known as Ticks. The Ticks are kind of cross between zombies and vampires. They are created when a select gene is exposed to a scientifically created virus. Once the gene triggers, the human morphs into a grotesque creature with huge arms that are disproportionate to the rest of the body. They are mindless, blood sucking creatures that hunt humans like animals. However, they don't drink the blood through the neck or veins. Instead they bash in the chest cavity, tear out the heart and suck out the blood. Scary, right? There is a more traditional type vampire as well who is a couple thousand years old, he drinks blood and has most of the vampire traits we all know. However, he can be downright vicious and scary when he is in blood lust, and he certainly doesn't sparkle. After countless vampire books that bring the same old same old, I was pleased to discover this creative and original take.
*I love a good dystopian that grabs you and pulls you right into the story. This was the case with The Farm. Immediately, I was sucked into the world of The Farm where the teenagers are herded around like cattle, fattened on junk food and kept for blood donations. A few humans have betrayed the human race. They are called the Collabs short for collaborators and they work with the Dean to maintain the farm. It is a tightly controlled environment where one false move could earn you a trip outside the armed perimeter, where you will be eaten by the bloodthirsty Ticks. I always enjoy stringently controlled environments, add in a few monsters and you have one heck of a tale.
*This book is told through three narratives: Lily, Mel and Carter. I like multi perspectives, usually dual points of view are the best, but I found that I enjoyed all three voices. Mel's narrative was especially different as she is autistic. Her thoughts and actions are not in the normal human parameters. Instead she speaks in music and nursery rhymes. She is able to hear the vibration and music in all things that surround her. While some may not like her viewpoint, I thought it was beautifully written and extremely interesting. Mel's chapters were my favorites even though they are short, they left a big impact.
*What would a good dystopian be without a couple of kick butt characters? Lily is a bit of a struggle and I had hot and cold feelings toward her. On one hand, I admired her fierce tenacity, her courage and her unwavering resolve to protect her sister at all costs. She doesn't back down from anyone or anything when it comes to Mel. Carter is the love interest and I immediately liked him. He is the bad boy who has reformed and changed since the arrival of the Ticks. He is brave and awesome. I especially liked how he treated Mel. Throw in Sebastian, a fierce and deadly vampire, and you have an interesting and entertaining set of kick butt characters.
*This book is a thrill ride from beginning to end. It starts out in the clamped down confines of The Farm, but eventually moves to the outside world where you get a look at the decimation and the Ticks first hand. There is rarely a dull moment. I found it to be entertaining and creative. I liked that there was a frightening motive to the Tick outbreak. It was much more than just a scientific experiment gone wrong. I won't dish it all here, you have to experience it for yourself.
And The Not So Much:
*As I mentioned, Lily was a character I struggled with. I found myself disconnecting with her quite a bit. At first, I liked her steadfast determination and the way she protected her sister. I got that, but as the book wore on, her inability to trust caused me to not like her as much. At times, she is a downright bitch to those who are trying to help her. Her trust issues also cause her act impulsively, and time and time, she puts herself and her friends in dangerous situations because she refuses to be patient. I especially didn't like the way she treated Carter when he poured his heart out. Her overprotective nature prevents her from really seeing and understanding her sister. Even though she thinks she knows her sister and she is doing what is right for her, she isn't because she refuses to listen. By the end of the book, I was hopeful that Lily was moving in a more positive direction. It isn't that I didn't like her, but I had issues with her rash behavior and the way she treated people sometimes. I think she has a lot of room to grow, and I am eager to see her transformation.
*The world building was a tad bit shaky. The whole farm concept never quite clicked with me. I still didn't know exactly where the blood was going. I don't think they were feeding it to the Ticks, so what were they doing with it? The whole hormone thing wasn't quite clear either. Finally, I wished that there was more detail on the whole Tick event and how the government fell and all of that. You get bits and pieces throughout, and I was able to piece together a sketchy idea, but I wanted something more concrete. Overall the world building is good, but I wanted exceptional because I was so enamored with the creativity of the rest of the story. I was eager to know way more about the farms, the deans and how they were being supplied.
*There were a few events that just didn't quite click with me. I didn't understand why the chips weren't dealt with way earlier. There were a couple of opportunities and they didn't do it. That seemed a bit unrealistic especially since they were putting all of them in danger. I struggled with the big event with Mel. I didn't believe that The Dean would be able to pull that off without anyone noticing. Especially in the middle of the mayhem. It didn't work for me. The situation with Joe was strange as well. I don't understand why they would have him head North instead of doubling back to meet up with them once the Ticks were drawn away. I didn't like that his fate was unknown either.
*Sebastian was a cool and terrifying vampire. I liked that about him. None of that glamorous sparkly stuff. He is cold and calculating and vicious in a fight, yet he is someone you want in your corner. I was expecting a bit more detail on his vampiric nature. Why could he be out in sunlight?
*I liked the trio of narratives but I didn't like that Lily and Mel's view points where done in first person while Carter's was in third. I would prefer to have all the view points in first person. I also wished that there was a bit more explanation on what happened to Carter when the Tick's overran the military school and he met up with Sebastian. I love watching a character grow and transform, and it was apparent that Carter had undergone significant changes, but none of that is relayed to the reader.
*The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger. I am just relieved that I already have the next book to tear into.

The Farm was a surprisingly good dystopian with plenty to like. I especially enjoyed the new form of terrifying vampiric creatures known as the Ticks. I loved the creativity and originality of this one, and I am eager for the next book. I would highly recommend checking out this series. Not since I read Laura Bickle's The Hallowed Ones Series have I been as engrossed in a dystopian. This was one heck of a ride!
Favorite Quotations:
"Most days Lily is the steady drumbeat. The rhythm of my heart. The repeating melody of the music in my head. But not today."
"Silly Lily. How can she resist someone who brings gum and sounds like math?"
"It's not the shape of the building that makes something holy ground. It's the faith of the people who worship there."
"It is the world's worst villains who believe the strongest. They have the most to fear from divine retribution."
"How do I know his definition of 'fine' doesn't include fava beans and a nice Chianti?"

I borrowed this book from the library. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read all my reviews at http://www.flyleafreview.com

4.25/5 Stars

I recently reviewed one of my favorite vampire books, Sunshine by Robin McKinley. One of the things I love most about that book is that the vampires in it aren't the sparkly, vegetarian variety. They are cold, calculating, ruthless, and damn scary. They aren't to be trusted. Yet sometimes it can be a very good thing to have a vampire on your side. Well The Farm is another book that features old school vampires, the dark and dangerous kind, the kind that I love. When I first read the synopsis I knew I had to read tit. And I was not disappointed. The Farm is a great piece of post apocalyptic/ science fiction, vampire horror.

Lily and Mel are twin sisters who have been living the last 6 months of their lives at "The Farm", one of many interment camps set up to protect teenagers since a genetic microbe was accidentally released on the U.S. population resulting in some 2% morphing into bloodthirsty homicidal monsters known as Ticks.

Teenagers are very susceptible because of the hormones they produce. Camps were set up by the government as a way to protect them. Then the government collapsed and it turns out that the real reason teens are being held is to collect their blood. Like Julie Kagawa's The Immortal Rules, humans have become cattle. Corralled together and bled to feed the monsters living outside the compound's walls. There are ways around donating. One is to get pregnant, because the Ticks may love teenage hormones but they can't stand the hormones females produce when pregnant. Another is to turn collaborator, and pledge assistance to help keep all the teens in line. Collabs are basically henchman who are fed a diet of progesterone (the same hormone pregnant women produce) in exchange for doing all the dirty work for the Dean, who oversees the Farm.

Lily and Mel are just a week away from their 18th birthday, the date when protection at the Farm ends. Officials tell the kids that they can leave safely, but Lily believes that turning 18 is really a death sentence. Once you take that trip to the Dean's office for your walking papers, no one ever sees you again.

The overall mood and tone of The Farm is dark and tense. The entire book leaves you on the edge of your seat, always wondering, dreading, what is going to happen next. The first half of the book moves a bit slow as Lily and Mel ready their escape. But once they leave the Farm behind, the action and suspense is non stop. The book kind of had a Red Dawn-ish feel to it. Armed kids on the run against an enemy that has overtaken the country. And this book is a little graphic. It's definitely got some horror elements to it. Nothing too terrible, but there is some blood and gore.

The Farm is told from multiple POV's, those of Lily, her autistic twin sister Mel, and Carter, a boy from their past who turns up at the Farm. Lily is the primary narrator and she is a pretty awesome character. Lily's only concern is getting her and her sister, who she feels solely responsible for, off the Farm. She's smart, loyal, brave, and trusts no one. She is also VERY stubborn and judgemental. Burn Lily once and she won't ever forget. In other words, she's a flawed character but one with her heart in the right place. So it was easy for me to sympathize with her and cheer her on but at the same time want to shake her senseless for the way she sometimes acted.

Perhaps the most interesting, and unfortunately briefest, of the narratives was Mel, Lily's autistic twin. I am no expert on autism and I have no real personal experience, but I was fascinated with Mel's voice. First off she tends to speak in a broken English interspersed with classic nursery rhymes which was very creepy in itself. But much of her narrative was like deciphering a riddle or reading strange poetry. It was beautiful and eerie and unlike anything I have read before. I really loved her parts in the story and I wish there would have been more.

The last POV was that of Carter. Before I talk about him I have to mention that while Mel and Lily's narrative are first person, Carter's is written in third person. It actually took me a little while to realize this. I'm not really sure why Carter isn't first person, maybe because of the three, Carter is the most unreliable narrator. For much of the story Lily and Mel aren't really sure whether he is being honest with them or not and what his real motivations are. Maybe the author thought writing him in third person POV would keep him more mysterious? It was a bit odd but didn't distract me much.

I like Carter, he definitely has the whole bad boy/ player thing going for him but he is also pretty selfless and brave. The romance between he and Lily was the slow building kind and even though McKay is, according to Goodreads, a successful romance novelist, The Farm is very PG. Some of my favorite parts of the book were the banter between Lily and Carter. And I loved watching Lily learn to trust him, even when her natural survival instinct makes her suspicious of him, and everyone, at the same time.

So in addition to the Ticks, there also regular vampires. It seems funny writing that, but what I mean is there are also the vampires that we all know and recognize. The difference between the two is that Ticks are human's transformed into monsters after coming in contact with a pathogen. Ticks are more like animals, they hunt in packs and aren't very bright. Vampires, on the other hand, are very smart and cunning, and have actually been around forever. Now that the Ticks have overrun the U.S.,vampires have (sort of) come out as well. They are self serving, pretty short tempered, occasionally violent ( read: deadly), and very territorial. And they might play a bigger role than expected in regards to the whole Tick infestation.

I love vampires, always have, so it should come as no great surprise that the vampire we meet in The Farm is one of my favorite characters. His dry sense of humor was awesome and like the rest of the characters I never knew if he was friend or foe. Definitely intriguing and well written. I'm leaving the vampire's name out intentionally, by the way.

In fact there is a quite a bit to the plot that I don't want to get into because I'm afraid of spoiling it. Let's just say that there are plenty of twists and turns. In addition to the whole sci fi aspect mentioned above, there are supernatural/ paranormal elements as well. There is a lot to this story, and escaping The Farm is only a small part of it. I have seen some reviews that say that this book is a standalone, but Goodread's has it listed as the first in a series (The Farm #1). It feels like the first book in a series. A lot of information is thrown out there that feels like a set up for future books. And, again without spoiling, the book ends on a very shocking note. There are some things revealed that I saw coming but a REALLY BIG thing right at the end that I definitely DIDN'T. And I sincerely hope that McKay is not going to leave me hanging because dude! That ending (and especially the final chapter/ epilogue) was a total jaw dropper that had me jonesing for more. If you aren't a fan of cliffhanger endings you might not like how The Farm ends, but I personally thought it was pretty darn cool.

In summation, I really enjoyed The Farm. It was a very unique take on vampires as well as the post apocalyptic genre. I loved the science fiction parts of it and the suspense found throughout it. But I really enjoyed the characters the most. I loved flawed yet heroic Lily and Carter and the strangely beautiful voice of Mel. And I loved the scary vampires too. I sincerely hope that author Emily McKay will continue this story because I would love to learn more. The Farm releases December 4th so be sure to pick it up and let me know what you think!

4.25/5 Stars

[Trisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

"If he is not a Tick, does that make him a Tock?”

I don't know, I'm torn on this one. It's an interesting story - the vampires and the Farms full of people to feed them. Their bare-minimum existence, their life in the building. I liked the sisters. I even liked Carter. I'm not sure I needed all 3 perspectives but it did round out the story.

I just didn't feel a connection here. Or anything new in the story. I thought it was interesting but not enough to keep me really wanting to know what was happening. I wish I'd loved it more.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lily and Mel are twin sisters. They live on a "Farm". The farm is really a college campus that has been converted into an interrement camp for teenagers. They live secluded from everyone else. Choosing to stay in a storage closet in the science building rather than the dorms. Lily takes care of Mel because of her autism. Everything goes smoothly they stay out of the Dean's notice and even have a plan to get out. Well, until Carter comes along and messes everything up.

This book was really, really good. It was dark and full of subtle horror. Living on the Farm was just as dangerous as living outside the Farm and facing the Ticks.



The writing and pacing were perfect. I never lost interest and the author weaves just enough suspense throughout to keep me on the edge of my seat. The MC's Lily, Mel, and Carter face one danger after another. There are twists and turns and betrayls throughout. The ticks are the not the star of the show. We don't even come face to face with one until well into the book.

I like Lily as the lead she was strong, steadfast, loyal and stubborn. She isn't afraid to do what she has to do to survive. Carter is the same. Although his loyalty is constantly in question. Mel steals the show. Her chapters while short are the best of the whole book. She sees things that no one else sees and manages to weave a very subtle humor throughout. Her autism only hinders her in that she struggles to convey her message to the others around her.

The POV's in this book do switch. Both Lily and Mel's POV's are in the first person and Carter's are in the third person. I found that strange. But at the same time it kept the reader from really knowing what was going on in Carter's head, which added to the suspense. I spent my time wondering if he was telling the whole truth or just what he thought he needed to share.

The world building is to-die for. It's so creepy. The Farm is a truly terrifying place to find yourself. I don't think anyone there feels truly safe. There seems to be more danger lurking on the inside from the higher ups than from the Ticks. The Ticks seem like vampire/zombie hybrid aka a zompire. They have slightly more vampire characterstics though. How they came into existence is a little vague and I would love to learn more about it and the other supernatural elements going on in this book.

I should warn you that this isn't an in your face action novel. Yes, there is action galore but these characters take the smart road and avoid confrontation with all the baddies if they can. The ending action scene was killer though. So good.

[Shainna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Insipid, ridiculous, aggravating to the nth degree.

If there's a character who encompasses the whole of the allistics out there, it would be Lily. She has to protect her twin sister, her autistic sister. It's such a tragedy that Lily has an autistic sibling and she has to protect them from the vampires and vampire like "Ticks." It must be so hard to be Neurotypical.

Excuse me while I vomit.

According to the book's website, in a FAQ with the author, Mel (the autistic sister) was "In my earliest drafts of the book, Lily was alone at the Farm and Mel didn’t exist at all. That version of Lily was very isolated and in turn, unsympathetic. She needed a sibling. She needed someone to protect. I knew right away that I wanted Mel to be dependent on her, but to also bring a lot to the table also." (see http://www.escapethefarm.com/about/) Mel was brought along to be a sympathy card!!

Mel is really good at math (a stereotype, we are not all math prodigies - lots of us are terrible at math.) She likes gum, rocks which Lily basically calls a hallmark of autism - NTs rock as well, it's not a universal stim for autistics. She has a slinky, which evidently annoys everyone and she speaks in nursery rhymes.

The mother and father desperately want a cure for Mel's autism but no one consults Mel - ever for any part of the book for anything.

At the end, Mel dies and then is turned into a vampire and as she's dying, Lily fights off feelings of being happy with Mel's death. It's supposed to be because Mel wanted the silence and peace of death and was an abductura, but c'mon. We live in a world where people kill off their autistic relations and other people say stuff like, "Oh, yeah...it would be hard to take care of someone like that."

In addition, if Mel really was the abductura, then that makes her guilty of forcing her emotions onto other people! That makes Lily's moral dilemma of having Carter like her Mel's moral dilemma - and it makes Mel a villain! You can't force someone to feel the same way you do, that's taking away their free will!

As a member of the autistic community, this book offended me on so many levels.

Lily was annoying and I've never met a more unlikeable character I was supposed to like. She was also extremely bigoted.

The science and plot had a lot of holes (if they don't like testosterone loaded blood, why do they go after any males as food? And why are teenagers so appealing when males pretty much have testosterone spikes the most because of puberty? Highest times are around early twenties, but still.) And for being "so smart", Lily was pretty dumb most of the time.

[Jessica (Goldenfurpro) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This and other reviews can be found on The Psychotic Nerd

Short and Simple Review
This was a reread because I needed to refresh my memory in order to read book two. My feelings are pretty much the same as the first time I read the book. This book is a dystopian vampire book featuring a society where zombie/vampire creatures are all over the country and teenagers are put into farms for "protection". I think this book has some interesting ideas, but it does read a lot like other dystopian books. This follows three characters, Lily, Mel, and Carter. Lily and Mel are twin sisters living in a farm and Mel is autistic. I really liked Mel's perspectives and how there was an autistic character because that is something I don't often see in YA. I can't say how accurate her portrayal is though. Lily is your typical dystopian protagonist, trying her hardest to survive, to protect her sister, and everyone seems to think she is special. Carter is her love interest. Even though I am kind of tired of dystopian books now, I did like reading this book. I do think there are other books that do a better job of a vampire dystopian (like The Immortal Rules) but I overall did like this book.

[~Tina~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was surprisingly great. A different take on vampire lore which I didn't think was possible at this point. I liked the characters and the writing is really addicting. Can't wait to read the sequel!

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. Had most of it figured out early but there was a twist I wasn't expecting. 4 1/2 stars.

[Konrad · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Farm, which for some reason I keep wanting to call Feed, had a fun dystopian YA premise. I enjoyed the fact the book starts when the story has already begun; there aren’t chapters dedicated to the “before” time where the world is as we currently know it, but smack in the middle of the protagonist’s life on the farm.

Unfortunately Emily McKay fell into the trap of using every dystopian YA trope for this story. Because of that, I found myself losing interest about halfway through. One can likely predict by that point how the story is going to end.