Plague Land: Reborn

Plague Land #2

by Alex Scarrow

They thought the plague was dead. They were wrong.

Two years ago, a virus hit London, killing thousands of people and driving the rest into hiding. But Leon has somehow survived, making it through two harsh winters. Now he's living on the fragile hope that the freezing snow and ice of the English climate wiped out the virus for good. Word even reaches Leon of a rescue boat on its way.

But all is not as safe as it seems. The virus has been busy...

Genres: Young Adult, Horror, Science Fiction, Fiction, Post Apocalyptic, Apocalyptic, Dystopia

416 pages, Paperback

First published June 27, 2017

About the author

I live a nomadic existence with my wife Frances, and son Jacob. For now we're living in Norwich. I spent the first 10 years out of college in the music business chasing record deals and the next 12 years in the computer games business as a graphic artist and eventually a games designer. For those of you who like their computer games, here's some of the titles I've worked on:
Waterworld, Evolva, The Thing, Spartan, Gates of Troy, Legion Arena
Since signing up as an author with Orion, I seem to spend most of my time hunched over my laptop in various cafes and coffee bars sipping lattes, tapping keys and watching the ebb and flow of shoppers outside on the street. As I write this, I'm awaiting the launch of my next book - the sequel to , LAST LIGHT, and getting ready to find a publisher for the first book in a separate series, ELLIE QUIN. Ahead of me, lies research work for my next thriller, and also some screenplays I'm looking forward to writing. Although I'm glad to be where I am now, I do occasionally kick myself for not having succumbed to the writing bug much earlier. But then we all just muddle along through life, don't we? There's rarely a plan.
-Source: http://www.scarrow.co.uk/page9.html

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plague Land: Reborn by Alex Scarrow is the second book of the science fiction horror Plague Land series. Told from alternating points of view this series is one for the fans of apocalyptic horror or dystopian stories and gives a new twist to the end is near.

In the first book of the series readers met young teens Leon and his sister Grace as the world began getting news of a virus that was quickly spreading around the world. Along with their mother Leon and Grace had fled the city to avoid being infected.

Now the story has jumped two years after the end of the first book as Leon has been surviving by living above a store while the world seems to be recovering from the virus. When hearing a radio broadcast for survivors Leon thinks it’s time to make the trek to see if they can be rescued.

I’ve read and watched a lot of different takes on this type of story over the years anywhere from zombies to viruses or nuclear bombs so honestly when picking up the first book I had just hoped for likable characters and story but not really expected newness. Can I just say I’m glad I was wrong? This series goes another step into the whole infection genre and that was a step onto the creepy train with a thinking mutated virus that stays ahead of the game. After another cliffhanger ending I’m now excited to see what the author could possibly have in store next.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sequel alert! I think when I saw this book, I missed that part, but guess what? Alex Scarrow didn’t make me feel like the new kid at school who has no idea what everyone is talking about!

The post-apocalyptic PLAGUE LAND: REBORN is tense, intelligent and so well-thought out that even someone coming late to the party will grasp the concept that “something” has decimated the world’s population with nary a zombie in sight. Flashbacks between present day events and “The Event” two years prior connects characters and gives this tale that “worldwide” devastation feel as well as the determination and grit it takes to survive against all odds.

The main characters are great, not too worldly, in spite of what they have survived, not too over-the-top “larger than life,” just victims who grew into the world they existed in. The main characters can be fooled, want to believe in the positive, in the near miraculous and need the hope that has been provided.

Meanwhile, there are always those who take advantage of every apocalypse, power-hungry egomaniacs who see an opportunity to gain personal power and grab it. Then there are those who believe their family must be alive and are in a position through Fate or fabulous writing to possibly find their loved ones. Will they?

Hive minds, growing mass-consciousness and evolution will keep this “plague” alive and trust me, it will thrive while humanity is clueless. I loved it. Yes, I will read book one, I’m good with the rest of the story coming a bit late, honest, I am because Alex Scarrow gave me just enough information to understand the past and I have just enough curiosity to want to live next to the survivors, I want to see their ordeal and I want to feel how the past two years carried them forward.

Brilliant world-building, or is that world-destruction? Fabulous characters, the good, the bad and the mysterious and a sense of tension throughout that is so sharp, I’m surprised I didn’t cut myself turning the Kindle pages!

I received a complimentary ARC edition from Sourcebooks Fire!

Series: Plague Land - Book 2
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire (September 4, 2018)
Publication Date: September 4, 2018
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Print Length: 416 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Karen’s Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic genre for some reason. I have read so many of these types of stories that it's really hard to find something new and "refreshing" that's not the same ole same ole. Plague Land is that story. Picture a scary TV show or movie where you have your hands in front of your face and you're watching by glimpsing between your fingers at the scary parts. Well that was me reading both Plague Land AND Plague Land: Reborn!

I seriously did not think the author could outdo book 1 with the craziest and scariest premise I've ever seen for an apocalypse, but he did!!

PLR starts out with our survivors, Freya and Leon from the first book, having made it through a couple years of PA living thinking the virus that caused the end of the world had disappeared. While scavenging, they come across a broadcast repeating that help is coming and to make their way to a location to be saved. Not sure whether the broadcast is new or was made at the beginning of the end, they decide to make the journey to find out.

What they find is that the virus has been busy.

I sure hope I don't have nightmares now! Be warned that this book does end on a cliffhanger. But, dang it, I need to find out what happens next!!

*Much thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebook Fire for the advance copy!*

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sequel alert! I think when I saw this book, I missed that part, but guess what? Alex Scarrow didn’t make me feel like the new kid at school who has no idea what everyone is talking about!

The post-apocalyptic PLAGUE LAND: REBORN is tense, intelligent and so well-thought out that even someone coming late to the party will grasp the concept that “something” has decimated the world’s population with nary a zombie in sight. Flashbacks between present day events and “The Event” two years prior connects characters and gives this tale that “worldwide” devastation feel as well as the determination and grit it takes to survive against all odds.

The main characters are great, not too worldly, in spite of what they have survived, not too over-the-top “larger than life,” just victims who grew into the world they existed in. The main characters can be fooled, want to believe in the positive, in the near miraculous and need the hope that has been provided.

Meanwhile, there are always those who take advantage of every apocalypse, power-hungry egomaniacs who see an opportunity to gain personal power and grab it. Then there are those who believe their family must be alive and are in a position through Fate or fabulous writing to possibly find their loved ones. Will they?

Hive minds, growing mass-consciousness and evolution will keep this “plague” alive and trust me, it will thrive while humanity is clueless. I loved it. Yes, I will read book one, I’m good with the rest of the story coming a bit late, honest, I am because Alex Scarrow gave me just enough information to understand the past and I have just enough curiosity to want to live next to the survivors, I want to see their ordeal and I want to feel how the past two years carried them forward.

Brilliant world-building, or is that world-destruction? Fabulous characters, the good, the bad and the mysterious and a sense of tension throughout that is so sharp, I’m surprised I didn’t cut myself turning the Kindle pages!

I received a complimentary ARC edition from Sourcebooks Fire!

Series: Plague Land - Book 2
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire (September 4, 2018)
Publication Date: September 4, 2018
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Print Length: 416 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Malcolm Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll try to keep this spoiler free as best I can, however I may need to address certain points in order to effectively manage expectations for this book. First and foremost, this is not the book Remade, nor is it a lazy rehash of Remade. If you get this book expecting more people dissolving in gruesome detail or a seat-of-your-pants thrill-ride like in the one found in book one you may be disappointed. If you want that story, go and reread Remade. This story, like the virus itself, has been Reborn (see what I did there?). This is how a sequel is supposed to go. Aliens did it following Alien as did The Empire Strikes Back followed A New Hope. They didn't give us more of the same, they continued the story.
Reborn also has that The Day of the Triffids / The Walking Dead vibe, including the 'scavenging for canned goods', 'avoiding the hoards of killing-things' and 'coming across other survivors' tropes we all know and love.
What makes this story stand out is the body-swap aspect which really makes for quite the uncomfortable read. Not uncomfortable as in body horror necessarily but more as in that feeling of impending doom. Usually there's the group of survivors and you know that one of them is not who they seem to be and have the tension come from not knowing which one it is. In this case, we not only know who it is all along, but we also see things from their perspective and what they're doing. This has essentially body-swapped out the expected thriller aspect with a totally different thriller aspect coupled with a big helping of discomfort. You're watching these survivors doing their best to keep it all together, thinking they're as safe as they're can be, but you know better. Instead of the usual sudden but inevitable collapse of safety, you're included in the machinations behind every step of it. If you were watching this, you'd be shouting at the screen at the hapless humans telling them to "Getouttathere!". I found it worked well in heightening the stress, you can see it coming, you know it's coming, you just down know how it's going to go down and to whom. As already mentioned, this makes you feel very uncomfortable as you're as powerless as the characters are to do anything about it (short of shutting the book and leaving them all safe at that point in time).
Some effort has been made to develop the characters more, even the new ones. In the first book, there wasn't the time for the characters to learn more about each other and themselves. This book has the time to do that and every character who is lost, is a real blow. Not just because of who they were to you, but because of who they were to the other characters you also care about.
If you found the first book squeamish, you might find this one more to your tastes. There is a little of that, I'm not saying the book is devoid of melting people, but there's a lot less of it. Some of the later creature manifestations actually reminded me of the non-zombie creatures from Resident Evil (not the films).
Look out for Alex Scarrow's shameless plug for Zombie Last Stands on page 120. It made me laugh. And I say, "Why not?". There are a number of other pop-culture references in this book, might as well add your own as well.
Now for the negatives. These are a little nit-picky as I really enjoyed this book:
As mentioned at the beginning, the story has moved on from the first book. If you manage your expectations, this shouldn't be a problem but I can see some people having issues because of it. It didn't bother me, but I was aware of it.
I did find Leon and Freya's acceptance of -Sorry can't tell you BIG spoiler there- to be a little bit quick. After what they'd seen and been through, I would have thought they'd be very alert for anything remotely hinky. People behaving odd is a big indication of BAD STUFF and it was hard to believe they didn't pick up on it.
It did feel like half a book. This may be down to my having waited for it so long, reading it so quickly and only to finish with those dreaded words "To be continued" and the next book still being written. It doesn't leave on a cliff-hanger as much as there's still a lot left unresolved and yet to be revealed.
This was a solid sequel in a story that's evolved as much as it's content. It the 'last-survivors' type material we have seen before, but with a good body-swap slant to it.

[Clarabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une super série bourrée d'action et de rebondissements ! C'est la suite de ReMade. Ça se dévore, franchement.
http://blogclarabel.canalblog.com/arc...

[Meigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plague Land was my of my favorite reads last year, bringing something new and fresh to post-apocalyptic YA fiction — a plague that has the ability to think. Terrifying, when you think about it, and Plague Land Reborn showed exactly how terrifying it can actually be.

In Plague Land, we last saw Leon and Freya at the spa in the woods in the makeshift sanctuary that’s been set up. After the heartbreaking ending, it’s no wonder they fled, and Plague Land Reborn begins two years after their escape, in a new city, in a sanctuary that includes only the people they can trust — each other. While hunting for supplies, they stumble on an old radio tower that still has electricity and working equipment and they hear a looped recording urging survivors to meet at a certain location on a certain date. With no way of knowing if the transmission is old or new, they take a gamble and decide to follow the instructions. It’s a long journey to get there, made even more complicated by one small little hiccup — the virus they thought was gone is still around, and it’s bigger l, badder, and smarter than ever.

Plague Land Reborn was a fantastic continuation of Leon’s journey and I’ve found there’s only one thing I want for this series: for Leon to survive. So many times, it looks like he’s finally going to go the way so much of humanity has, and my fingers are crossed that Scarrow doesn’t take that away too. I only say ‘too’ because if you like a character, it’s almost a guarantee that Scarrow is going to make sure that character either becomes infected, or bites the big one. Or even both because nothing and no one is sacred in this series.

The stakes were high in Plague Land, but the stakes are even higher in Reborn. The virus has always been learning, always experimenting with changing forms and it’s reached its peak in terms of what it can do, and that was truly the best part of this book. This virus is like all the viruses and plagues known to man, combined with the most brilliant of minds all wrapped up in one creepy, ever-changing package. Having a virus that can think is a terrifying concept, but not knowing how to defeat it takes it to an entirely different level of horror. This world is certainly one that feels hopeless and lost, and it’s anyone’s guess if the world can be saved. I’m very interested to see how it ends with the final book of the trilogy, and more importantly, if anyone and anything is left unmolested by the virus. It’ll honestly take a miracle at this point.

Bottom line — this trilogy is quickly becoming one of my favorites, and certainly one that has such a unique concept. Highly recommended and I can’t wait to see what becomes of the characters in the final installment.

*eARC received via NetGalley.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the 2nd book in the series. Leon and Freya have spent the last two years on the run since the virus, evading the creatures it produced. They come across a radio transmission of a rescue ship and decide to try to reach it. On the way they find more survivors and things are good for awhile, living with them. They find Grace (who is infected, although no one knows) and she sets about infecting others. When the place they are all living in burns, they proceed to the place where the ships are to be. There are thousands of people there, and some of they are infected. When attacks occur, people panic and Leon, Freya and Grace are separated and place on different ships. To be continued in book 3.

[Melisande · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://accrocdeslivres.blogspot.com/...

[Saba · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eighteen months have passed since the plague nearly wiped out every living thing across the globe. With no signs of the deadly virus after two harsh winters, Freya and Leon hope to be rescued after hearing a broadcast about a rescue ship arriving off the coast. But the virus has taken its time to learn and evolve in these months. It’s now reborn with the sole mission to wipe out what’s left of the human race.

My top three thoughts on ‘Plague Nation’:
1. I loved how fast paced, mysterious and horrific the first book, Plague Land was. I really didn’t enjoy this follow up book. By the time the ending neared, I didn’t care about what or why anything happens in it. I still don’t understand why this book was even written. Surely, a chapter or two could have covered everything mentioned in the book and made the series a duology instead of the unnecessary trilogy.
2. This book not only managed to kill my interest in the series, it made me dislike an important character that features in the first book. I can see how it was necessary to the plot as there’s no humanity left in this new world. But everything unfolds in the exact same way in every single chapter, especially in tense scenarios. The story got repetitive and boring in its format which took away from the suspense and painfully slowed down the pace of the book.
3. It may be too harsh, but I can say I truly only liked one thing about this book, and that’s the character of Naga (she’s the only reason the rating of this book was raised). She compliments Freya’s bold character perfectly. I especially loved that she highlights gender roles in the aftermath of an apocalypse. In ‘Plague Nation’, women are expected and even forced to don domestic roles as they’re ‘not much use’ elsewhere. This is something that has frequently frustrated and annoyed me as well.

[lu.books07 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5*
Druhý díl moc mile překvapil. Dokonce ho hodnotím lépe než jedničku.
Děj byl velmi svižný a napínavý. Hlavní hrdina za ty dva roky, kam se v příběhu dostáváme, zdá se opravdu dospěl a teď už je i celkem věrohodné jeho chování odpovídající jeho udávanému věku. (Už to není dvanáctileté děcko v těle skoro dospělého kluka.)
Po skončení prvního dílu jsem upřímně netušila, o čem bych v dvojce mohla ještě číst, ale autor mile překvapil a já se rozhodně nenudila. Asi jsem nevěřila, že za ty dva roky po útoku viru bude žít ještě tolik lidí a bude co vyprávět😂.

Krátké kapitoly, několik POV, svižné tempo.
Jsem s knížku spokojená.

[Océane 🌻 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Si le premier tome avait été réellement addictif, j'ai trouvé que celui-ci était bien moins passionnant. J'ai eu l'impression de stagner tout au long de ma lecture et ça m'a fait perdre tout enthousiasme de lire ce second tome. Je lirai le troisième histoire d'avoir une conclusion et j'espère qu' il sera plus actif !

[LeslecturesdeMylene · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://www.leslecturesdemylene.com/20...

15/20 - Toujours aussi glauque et violent :D

[Delaney ☀️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

.5

[Grace]

DNF 140 pages in. definitely still an engaging writing style, but I don’t think I’m interested enough to read more of this world

[Jade Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

la fin je rage

[Josef Sobotka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tyjo nečekal jsem to zezačátku to bylo docela boring jenom některé pasáže mě zaujali ale nakonec jsem tuhle knížku přečetl neskutečně rychle na mé poměry a byl jsem zní actually nadšený doporučuju

[Veronika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lepší než první díl 3,7⭐

[Galleane · Rating 2 out of 5]

L'auteur a peiné à se renouveler et a été loin de me convaincre avec cette suite. Si je reste curieuse, j'attends le tome 3 avec bien moins d'empressement que pour le tome 2.

Mon avis complet : http://bloggalleane.blogspot.fr/2018/...

[Rinda Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really loved the first book in the series and I so badly wanted to love this one just as much. However I felt as if the pacing of this book was much slower, and some things took way too long to develop (Example, Grace and the virus). I think the book is a good sequel, but for whatever reason I can't really put my finger on why I felt kind of disconnected from it. I liked how the chapters were split between Leon and his father, it was a neat feature getting to see what happened to Leon's dad. However, it got a little confusing whenever Leon's dad would go back and forth referring to his friend Doug Trent. He would go back and forth from Dougie to Trent, sometimes in the same paragraph. My brain would have to pause for a second and realize that he wasn't talking to two different people, it was the same guy. I also just really don't like Doug. Another struggle I had was that in the beginning the way the book explained and wrote out Grace's relationship to the virus and the exact goals of the virus were quite confusing. It took me a while to figure out exactly what Grace was and how she was in the virus, and even now I am still slightly confused by it. The method of delivery of the virus too seems incredibly counterintuitive to what they wanted to do. Choosing such a violent and terrifying way to employ the virus and get people to become a part of them is obviously going to terrify the entire world, but yet they say they want peace and they only want to help people. That doesn't make sense. You would think the virus would have chosen to enact different symptoms and a more peaceful way of becoming part of the virus. Overall I think the book was good, I did enjoy reading it and I will eventually read the third book.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been a bit apprehensive about starting this series and also confused about why it's under two titles. I loved the TimeRiders series by the same author, but have hated all of the previous adult books he's done so far. So I was unsure about starting this series.

The first book I zipped through in a day's reading and while I found it similar to the previous books I've tried, where something happens to the world/population and we enter into an apocalyptic future, this series has something different. It's hard to describe without ruining some of the storyline.

This middle book, doesn't have quite the punch that the first book had, and is slow going than its predecessor. We've stuck to the same formula of telling the story, switching between perspectives, and gradually learning more and more about this virus, and the individuals in the book, Leon, Freya and Grace, with a cast of supporting characters.

What I can see with these books is that they're very well described, but there are some virus sections that I struggled to picture - in a way that I can see this series working well as a film.

There seems to be no rhyme or reason behind why this series suddenly came out under two different names. The first book, I bought under the name Remade, with a completely different cover. Then this second book, is called Plague Land Reborn, and then the third is Plague World. Either stick with the Remade/Reborn title, or stick with the Plague titles.

Overall a good series although not as good as TimeRiders, but better than his adult books.

[Dai Guerra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the first part of this trilogy quite a while ago so I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to remember what had happened but was pleased to find that this book kind of recaps the last book's events. Not only does this book recap events from the previous book but it also adds more to the story. It continues to explain events that occurred between the two years that have passed between book 1 and now.

Something that I liked in this book was being able to hear from multiple perspectives. I enjoyed having the dad's story be included and kind of learning about him alongside hearing from Leon. While I did find it a bit confusing to remember that it was going back and forth not only in perspectives but also in time, once I kept that in mind it was a great addition.

Something that I wasn't too fond of in this book was that it was much more about relationships between people and things that happened during the virus and not much about the virus. Seeing as I am someone who reads a book about pandemics/contagions for the virus portion I was a bit dissapointed in this sequel. I understand why this was done because the virus was planning during most of the book so you don't see much of it until later on but I think the virus is much too complex for my liking. It didn't seem like a virus by the end of this book but more like commentary on artificial intelligence.

[Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title: Plague Land: Reborn
Author: Alex Scarrow
Genre: Dystopian
Rating: 3 out of 5

They thought it was dead. They were wrong.

Two years ago, the virus hit London, wiping out most of the population. Leon has made it through two winters since then, and no one has seen the virus since. He lost his father, his mother, and his sister to the virus, and most of his hope as well. Until he finds a message about a rescue boat and sets out to see if the rest of the world has survived. But that’s not all he needs to worry about.

Okay, this probably wasn’t the best pick for me. Sometimes I can pick up a series book without having read the previous books in the series and be fine. Sometimes I can’t. This was one of the latter times. I didn’t have any problems following what was going on…I just had a problem caring. I didn’t have any emotional connection with the characters, so it was hard for me to get into reading this. Interesting premise with the virus, though.

(Galley provided by Sourcebooks Fire in exchange for an honest review.)

More reviews at Tomorrow is Another Day

[Melissa Stickney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely an interesting read and a really different take on all of the virus books that I've read in the past.

Leon and his fellow survivors are losing hope. Hope that the virus is finally gone and hope that there is anyone left to rescue them. That hope is regained when they hear a radio transmission claiming that help is on the way. The only way to determine if it's true? Gather the courage to make the trip there, despite the fact that the virus is still alive and thriving more than they even know.

Leon and his band decide to make the journey, knowing that nothing is for certain and that danger lurks around every corner. Keeping him going is the hope that not only help is on the way, but also the small hope that his father may still be alive.

A harrowing story of family and survival.

[Missy · Rating 3 out of 5]

****I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley****
I really enjoyed the first half of Reborn. The plot seemed intriguing, the characters interesting, and the prose easy to read. And then it became so utterly predictable and cliche that I started skipping sections/pages and I didn’t miss anything. The ending was supposed to be a cliffhanger, but I feel as though we already know what is coming in the next book. This book reminds me a lot of The Host only with a virus instead of aliens. This type of book is my go-to genre right now and this read was a disappointment.

[David V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started 2-12-24. Finished the next day 2-13-24. The plot continues. The virus is still very active--it's growing, multiplying, conjoining with its other parts, and now it's creating other life forms like humans!!!! Reminds me of the Borg from Star Trek: resistance is futile; "join the crowd"!!! We still don't know where the "virus" came from. But I'm hoping the 3rd book at least ends on a hopeful note.

Skimmed this book just to refresh my memory.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Plague Land: Reborn" continues the YA horror that began in the first book with a devastating virus which infected everyone quickly and killed off most of the population. It then began creating creatures to attack those that survived the initial waves. As we learned in the first book, those that survived were those with illnesses which required medications that make it hard for the virus to take root in their systems. At the end of the first book, Grace was burnt alive for fear of the virus and Leon and Freya kicked out.

This book follows Leon/Freya, Grace, and now their father Tom back in time and towards the present. Leon and Freya are surviving alone when they find a light at a radio station and soon discover a message which says they can go to Southampton and be rescued by American ships. Deciding to take a risk that the message is still good, they make their way until a savage attack by the virus leads to being saved and brought to an organized group in a castle. They soon learn that the virus can be identified by its intolerance to salt water and both pass the test. As time continues, their camp finds Grace- and nothing will remain the same.

On the other side of things, we follow Grace and Leon's father, Tom, right after the virus struck and how he has survived and what has been happening there along the timeline of the previous and current books. These sections felt a little disconnected because we are flipping back and forth in time between the different people. However, it's interesting to hear about other human strongholds that survived the initial attacks.

This second book is an intense continuation of the first and does a pretty good job of recapping the previous events throughout so that you don't need to read them back to back to remember what is going on. However, I will say that this one also ends with a cliffhanger, so I am expecting another book to come from this series. These books are definitely better suited for older audiences as there is a lot of violence and gore, plus some frightening situations. They also pose some interesting questions about humanity and our morality.

Overall, it's a fast-paced, at times horrifying, and intriguing look at what another life form might be like and the consequences for humanity. Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

[Casey Hildenbrand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine a world where a virus doesn't just kill, it involves and adapts to society. In this book Plague Land: Reborn by Alex Scarrow it gives us a post apocalyptic feel of how their society was good until in a split second it was not. We follow Leon and Grace, who are siblings, throughout their whole journey to survive a global pandemic which is caused by a horrifyingly intelligent virus. This story unfolds with intense action, survival tactics, and takes us through many emotions as the characters interact with both human and non-human threats. I chose this book because I read the summary of the book on the back and it interested me so I got it and decided to give it a read. I also saw how there is another book before this one so I will be reading that next!
Now, there are a couple of similar reads to this book. Reading Plague Land: Reborn it reminded me of The Maze Runner series which I also love. They are similar due to the mix between science fiction, lots of action, and how dangerous the world can be for young protagonists. This book meets genre expectations by mixing thrill and science fiction perfectly together and will leave you on cliffhangers each chapter. I also really liked the author's writing style on how he puts a lot of information and detail into these pages and still throughout how much is going on he doesn't shy away from the intense moments. Scarrow also handles the theme of how humanity versus a growing evolving threat like this virus could be so dangerous, which kept me engaged throughout the story. Also the topic of this book might remind you of back when covid first hit but this is more intense, if covid got worse it would've been this.
I would recommend Plague Land: Reborn to readers who enjoy science fiction and or thriller novels. Especially if you have read the first book in this series you will want to read this one too. This book also shows how our society might collapse because of unstoppable change, which makes this story even more action packed. Overall, it's a well written story with plenty of suspense for anybody's likings. Definitely worth reading this!

[Nannette Demmler · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC provided by Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley for an honest review.
This is the second book in the awesome series and it will also be a hard one to review, simply because it will be hard to talk about without giving major spoilers. I reviewed the first book here. There maybe some minor spoilers of the first book here, although I will try really hard not to do anything major.

This one picks up about a year after the first book ended. Leon and Freya have been on their own surviving through a very harsh winter. Leon has managed to pick up the pieces after what happened to his sister and has gotten stronger because of it. Both Freya and Leon have trouble trusting people, with good reason. Both of these characters are well developed and continue to grow through out this book as well as the face the harsh realities of surviving.

In the first book, we only really learn about what is happening where Leon is, because of course there is no longer any communication systems set up. In this book we find out what has been happening through out the world through Leon’s dad. It was good to learn that there were other survivors out there and what else was going on with the virus in other parts of the world. We do continue to get chapters told through the ‘voice’ of the virus which continues to give me chills.

The plot of this book was just as good as the first. Lots of twist and turns and some horrific scenes having to do with the virus, but also some horrible things that humans do as well. It is so hard to talk about without giving stuff away. But it will keep you wanting more. The ending was not exactly a cliff hanger, but definitely will keep you wondering what will happen next and will the humans continue to survive.

Even if you are not into apocalypse/dystopian books right now, you should think about reading this one. I have never read anything quite like it. It will get you thinking about things and how even the smallest thing can take over the world if given the chance. I am really eager for the next book to see if humanity survives, I’m not sure we will.
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[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The passageway beyond was crammed with a seething mixture of navy personnel and government civilians. Everyone seemed to be clasping clipboards or the flapping sheets of freshly printed and hurriedly stapled printer paper to their chest as they squeezed past each other.

He could guess what they were: hastily authored and printed-off procedure documents. Tom knew the CDC and FEMA had a thick dossier of emergency procedures to follow in the event of a wide spectrum of emergency situations. Today's crisis, however, wasn't in either of their playbooks. He was pretty certain of that. He looked around at the harried faces; everyone appeared to be doing their best to pretend there was some semblance of order here. That someone, somewhere, knew what the plan of action was." Ripped from today's headlines? Nope, just a 2017 YA novel - the second in the trilogy - that explores what happens when a virus wipes out a bunch of the existing social structures and takes out much of the world's population. Scarrow does something really cool with the virus itself, which makes it not so scary to read in light of COVID-19, and works on the reader's sense of what it means to be human and encourages an exploration of the collective vs the individual in terms of consciousness. It is a fun read: fast-paced, likeable characters, and just the right amount of "oh, that's really gross" moments. As a how to survive a viral pandemic guide, I would say it is follows the CDC guidelines: avoid crowds, have lots of supplies on hand, and build a moat. So, I gotta go get a shovel now, as well as locate the third book.