The Buried

by Melissa Grey

A heart-pounding, claustrophobic new story from Melissa Grey, the author of RATED.

Ten years ago, disaster struck the remote town of Indigo Falls. A horrific event drove the residents underground, into shelters that keep them safe from the danger on the surface. No one speaks about what happened that fateful day, but even the youngest still remember the fear and, most of all, the searing pain when sunlight touched their skin.

Now, a handfull of families inhabit this bunker together, guided by a charismatic leader named Dr. Imogen Moran. There are many rules Dr. Moran has instilled to govern life belowground. You must always tell the truth. You must avoid the light of the sun. You must never touch skin to skin.

But the most important rule, the one that was drilled into their heads from the moment the hatch slammed shut all those years ago, was at the very end of the list. It rattled around in their skulls when all was silent, echoing in the quiet, lonely dark.

You must never go outside.

Genres: Horror, Young Adult, Dystopia, Thriller, Fiction, Science Fiction, Mystery

336 pages, Hardcover

First published September 7, 2021

About the author

Melissa Grey penned her first short story at the age of twelve and hasn't stopped writing since. As an undergrad at Yale, she learned how ride a horse and shoot a bow and arrow at the same time. She also has a Masters in Art History but that's a much less useful skill.

She is the author of The Girl at Midnight trilogy, Rated, and the forthcoming The Valiant Ladies of Potosi.

To learn more about Melissa, visit melissa-grey.com and follow her on Twitter @meligrey.

Reviews

[₊ ˚ ale ࿓ ♡ ⋆｡˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

i wasn't expecting some things, but it wasn't bad either.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Note: I received a free copy of this book. In exchange here is my honest review.

I picked up and put back down this book for months!! 😬 I had a really hard time with the pacing, the characters and really short chapters. 😵‍💫

Thank you @goodreads @melissagrey_ and @scholasticinc #goodreadsgiveaway

[Luna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got an ARC for this book from my work! From what I can remember from the movie “10 Cloverfield Lane” this book is VERY similar. Stuck in a bunker while the outside world is too dangerous to go out in. There are 12 people in the bunker instead of the 3 in “10 Cloverfield Lane”. But are they telling the truth when they tell you what’s REALLY going on out there? This book is very creepy and I love it, it certainly held my attention.

I love the characters. The 3 main characters all have very distinct personalities. I wish we could have got to know Sash a little more. While we find out pretty quickly that she is a fearless, strong character, we don’t really find out what her interests are beyond that. Yuna and Gabe have more subdued personalities but strong interests. They all worked so great together.

I do wish there was a longer epilogue though. I want the details of what happened. 10 years spent in a bunker completely isolated from the outside world. Poor Lucas doesn’t even remember what being outside is like. What would it be like to experience the endless world and sky when your whole life has been spent in a small, completely enclosed space with no windows? What exactly ARE the things that are encountered on the outside? Why? How? While things are explained, I wish they were explained MORE.

[Jessica (a GREAT read) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.



Melissa Grey’s latest novel, The Buried had all the makings of dark and creepy story with the possibility of monsters to boot! Though it was a dark story, it wasn’t all I thought it would be. I was hoping for something more with horror and a side of mystery what I got was the opposite, more mystery with a touch of horror. So not the creepy read I was hoping for, but still intriguing enough.

We have three teenagers from three different families all living underground in a bunker of sorts. There was an event seven years ago or so that basically destroyed humanity and it was with luck that these families and their benefactor, Ms. Moran survived. But something is happening, now Sash is beginning to question everything she’s been taught over the years and her friends, Yuna and Gabe are questioning things too, while their families are happy accepting everything at face value.

For whatever reason, everyone stays underground, only Moran goes up…up there to the world that was destroyed, looking for survivors or supplies. There’s only one hazmat suit and she takes on the burden herself. Which honestly, that itself was pretty telling.

Then one day, Gabe uncovers something in the maps he has that details their underground bunker, a tunnel that leads to above, not the one Moran uses on the regular. So the three friends decide to go up and explore and what they find is puzzling and frightening.

I guess my first issue with this was that it wasn’t the super scary story I was hoping for! I mean that cover is downright chilling, so I was expecting a story that would chill me to the bones! Sadly, this wasn’t it. The mystery element was still done very well and I was able to figure things out very early on. I mean it was my first suspicion and it proved correct! The whys behind it all were what I had to wait for and they were just as blasé as I expected them to be. I mean when dealing with evil villains do you really expect anything else?

The story alternates between the three friends. They’re all of different cultures and ethnicities which I found to be nice. And there’s a bit of romance going on between Yuna and Sash. Gabe was your odd man out, but he just wanted his friends to be happy together, so that was a nice factor too.

What sort of blew my mind were the harsh rules that Moran put into place. No touching and always wear your gloves were two of the main ones. I guess she wasn’t wanting to help further mankind since they were the only ones left. There was the risk of losing their supplies; food and water and the like. Moran’s family was pretty much prepared for the worst with their bunker, it had me thinking of that old Brendan Fraser movie where he grew up in a bomb shelter and when it opens he finds the world is very different from what his parents talked about.

Parts of the ending are another thing that upset me about this one. Ignoring the lack of monsters and other dark paranormal entities, I found what happened with the teens to be a bit sad when it came to their families. I guess there was a hive mentality going on that superseded family. That’s all I’ll say on that. The ending itself though was about what you would expect it to be once the ball got rolling on the grand finale.

While The Buried wasn’t all I was hoping it to be, it was still a pretty decent read. I just felt like it needed a little more depth and a few more monsters and other dark things wouldn’t have hurt either. Definitely something mystery fans would enjoy as well as this had a richly woven mystery hiding in its layers. It’s a read that will definitely have you questioning certain things about apocalypses and hive-mind mentality too.



Overall Rating 2.5/5 stars



The Buried releases September 7, 2021

[Jenny Staller · Rating 2 out of 5]

This didn’t do it for me. The pacing was weird: not much of anything happens in the first 3/4 of the book, and then a lot happens all at once at the end. The character relationships and personalities felt like rough sketches and weren’t fleshed out enough for me to care about them. The baddie is predictable but also given no characterization or backstory to explain why or how they did what they did. Overall it left too many questions for a book that felt this long.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, wasn't expecting where this book went. Not terrible but not amazing.

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was GREAT! So much darker then I expected. This is a scary YA horror novel that I sped through in 24 hours 😊👍

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trigger warnings: animal death, violence, death of a parent (in the past), death of a grandparent, blood, corporal punishment.

I still can't tell if this is horror or dystopian or dystopian horror, but it was creepy and tense and I really liked the protagonists. It did take me a little while to get into the story and to join the dots on exactly what was going on, but that didn't take away from how compelling and messed up it was. The ending was a liiiiiiiiittle more rushed than I would have liked, and I honestly wasn't sure which of the secondary characters ultimately made it to the end of the book alive, but whatever. Would make a fantastically creepy Netflix movie/series.

[° . d a m i n i . •. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am surprised that i actually had a fun time with this story. Genre - definitely mystery/suspense with a touch of horror. I had very low expectations going in, because of the average rating.. but i really enjoyed the suspense and the friendships. The feeling of claustrophobia was intense. The plot was quite predictable from almost the beginning and some parts were a bit repetitive. I could definitely guess the 'what' of it.. but the 'why' and the 'how' was the actual suspense. And thankfully, it did not read too young although there were YA characters. Over all, a good and quick read.

[Marci Heath · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn’t for me. It’s a nice YA book.

[Joe Holman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book has a great storyline. Very interesting. There were a couple parts that were jarringly implausible which led me to downgrade my rating. One of the characters, Gabe, could have said any number of things that would have prevented something bad to happen to him but the author appeared compelled to force the incident in when it wasn't necessary or plausible.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really, really liked this one! Definitely kept me hooked from the beginning! There were some kind of confusing bits that could have made more sense. Like, how did Moran create the monsters? And why was the Cataclysm even started? So that’s why it’s only four stars.

[BookEater · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got an ARC of this book through Edelweiss Plus, courtesy of Scholastic. Thank you!


I swear I've changed the rating from four starts to three about a thousand times already. So let's just settle at three and a half stars.

This was a delightfully claustrophobic read. You'll meet our three protagonists, Gabe, Sash and Yuna. They all live in a bunker deep under the earth, governed by someone named Dr Moran.
They've lived there for years, following strict rules: no touching each other; no speaking about the past or what happened to force them to shelter; and, above all, no leaving the bunker.

From the first few pages, the reader can feel that there's something not quite right about that situation. Dr Moran is dangerously strict, the rules weirdly specific, and way too many things are kept secret.
So the three friends decide to investigate.

If this reminds you of Cloverfield Lane, that's because it's quite a lot like it!
The first half of the book was a bit too slow for me; of course, there's a need to show us what's happening, make us feel how claustrophobic life is in the bunker, but still... You can most definitely feel that something is wrong, and with the chapters dragging without any answer, it does make you lose interest just a tiny bit.

It all picks up halfway through, when the three heroes make a big decision and change everything. It's hard to explain what happens without spoiling everything, but suddenly, everything changes very fast, and answers start coming.
It's, quite honestly, pretty easy to figure out what is actually happening and what secrets are being kept from the first few chapters, but it doesn't really spoil the book; you still get the shock factor of the characters finding out what was hidden from them, and how to deal with it.

In addition, there's quite a nice gory factor, for those who like that sort of thing (I do).

All in all, it's a solid horror/thriller novel for young adults, though I feel it could have been made better by making it a bit faster in the first few chapters.

[Kylie! · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was a little slow at first but it got really good after the first hundred pages or so, definitely would have liked a little more background info at the end but i will google and see if i can fill in any gaps lol. but ya it was very interesting i think if it was made into a movie i would enjoy it a lot and to be able to see everything. also i will say its definitely predictable but still interesting

[Abbey · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5*

I listened to this on audiobook and it was a great listen. If I had been physically reading it, I may have gotten a little bored waiting for things to happen. But the narrator kept me interested throughout and I felt it was ultimately paced well-enough.

[K Saju · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought it was a horror book, read like a sci-fi , a couple of chapters more read like a mystery...hope you got the gist.

[Nicole P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great dystopian book for teens. Once the climax begins, the roller coaster of emotions starts!

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Se devo essere sincera, mi aspettavo qualcosa di molto più spaventoso - qualcosa di molto più horror. In fondo, la cover sembrava promettere scintille in quel senso.
E sono anche partita con nella mente le immagini di The 100 della quarta e della quinta stagione nel bunker, quindi sì - un clima post-apocalittico con svariate tensioni interne.

Invece la cosa è stata molto più blanda di quanto mi aspettassi.

I nostri protagonisti sono tre: Sash, Yuna e Gabe.
Appartengono a tre famiglie diverse, ma non sono comunque i più giovani del gruppo - due di loro, Sash e Gabe, hanno una sorella e un fratello più piccoli. A tenere le loro famiglie al sicuro nel bunker da dieci anni dopo il Cataclisma è la dottoressa Moran, colei che li ha salvati e colei che ogni notte si avventura fuori con una tuta hazmat per vedere se ci sono sopravvissuti o cibo.
Già, perché dopo dieci anni nel bunker le risorse alimentari iniziano a scarseggiare, la poca illuminazione che c'è - perché il buio è una benedizione e serve a tenerli al sicuro - salta più spesso di quanto non facesse anni prima e se si dovesse rompere anche il sistema di ventilazione per loro non ci sarebbe scampo: non potrebbero più vivere lì sotto, metri e metri sottoterra, ma non potrebbero neanche vivere fuori - l'aria e la luce li ucciderebbero, così almeno sostiene Moran.

Ma Gabe ha trovato qualcosa di strano nelle planimetrie del bunker, qualcosa che lo incuriosisce e che domanda di essere esplorato - ma provare a salire in superficie è davvero una buona idea? E se Moran avesse ragione, se fossero loro gli unici sopravvissuti sulla Terra? E se Moran invece sbagliasse, se ci fosse qualcun altro - o qualcos'altro - là fuori e il mondo esistesse ancora?


Mi aspettavo qualcosa di più spaventoso, qualcosa che mi facesse venire la pelle d'oca - non dico per forza sovrannaturale, ma qualcosa che tenesse alta la tensione fin da subito come il sospetto di non essere più al sicuro nel bunker e di stare per morire da un momento all'altro. Ma la verità è che nel bunker, a parte il solito porridge per colazione e prima che i nostri protagonisti smuovano le acque, la famiglie ci stanno bene: si sono abituate a quella che è la loro routine da dieci anni, ognuno ha i suoi compiti e i più piccoli nemmeno ricordano come fosse la vita fuori prima del Cataclisma.

Ovviamente è chiaro fin da subito chi è il villain della storia e si indovina anche presto quale sia la motivazione che lo spinge - l'ho immaginato fin da subito. Ho apprezzato i tre protagonisti, ognuno di loro coraggioso a modo suo e in modo diverso, ma chi davvero continua a contraddire sempre l'autorità di Moran sono Sash e sua nonna Olga - a quest'ultima ho proprio voluto bene.

Avrei voluto sapere di più del Cataclisma - Sash è l'unica che, oltre a quelle mentali e psicologiche, ne porta anche le cicatrici fisiche sulla pelle e continua ad avere gli incubi, ma per il trauma non ci vuole neanche pensare e quindi scopriamo qualcosa di più solo alla fine quando tutti i segreti vengono alla luce e le bugie crollano. Lì scopriamo cosa è stato il Cataclisma e cosa l'ha causato, ma sempre con troppi pochi dettagli e in maniera alquanto nebulosa - non dico che avrei voluto una descrizione grafica dell'orrore (anche se visto il tipo di storia che il libro voleva raccontare la cosa ci sarebbe stata bene), ma sicuramente qualcosa di più di quello che abbiamo ottenuto.

Ciò che è sopravvissuto al Cataclisma e che sta sopra le loro teste dovrebbe fare paura, ma in qualche modo inquieta soltanto perché anche qui non è mai davvero chiaro di chi o cosa si tratti - ma visti i riferimenti storici che poi vengono fatti lo si può immaginare. A fare davvero paura sono le famiglie dei ragazzi nella seconda metà del romanzo - anni di isolamento da tutto, di convivenza forzata e prossimità inevitabile finiscono con il fomentare sensi di colpa e di risentimento nei confronti di quei membri della famiglia che sono sopravvissuti a scapito di altri e il lutto per chi si è perso si trasforma in odio per chi è sopravvissuto. Inoltre anni di tutto questo, anni di condizionamento, hanno creato una sorta di "mente alveare", dove il pensiero di tutti si uniforma a quello che decide e vuole il loro leader - e i nostri tre ragazzi, che hanno osato sfidare l'autorità, ne pagano le conseguenze peggiori. Davvero l'orrore qui è vedere genitori che voltano le spalle ai loro figli e lasciano che succedano loro cose terribili e ingiustificate - ho odiato tutti con l'intensità di mille soli e un'altra pecca di questo libro è stato non vedere un confronto genitori-figli una volta finito il pericolo. Io personalmente li avrei disconosciuti come tali.

Insomma, mi aspettavo qualcosa di più horror, sia dentro il bunker che fuori e non ci sono abbastanza descrizioni e motivazioni del Cataclisma e di ciò che è avvenuto dopo - nell'epilogo avrei anche voluto avere uno scorcio del mondo restante e di com'era stato per loro. A tenere avvinghiati alla storia è però il legame tra Sash, Yuna e Gabe che farebbero qualunque cosa l'uno per l'altro - e che fanno esattamente ciò che avrebbero dovuto fare i loro genitori, ovvero proteggersi l'un l'altro ed essere sempre leali e fedeli.

Non male, ma mancano troppi dettagli del prima e del dopo questi dieci anni nel bunker.

[Kinsey Breland .: avid_midnight_reader :. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The climax was definitely the best part. The rest simply kept my attention enough to want to finish it. The thing that bothered me the most was that the characters didn’t always seem to be acting appropriately for the circumstances.

I think at some point Dr. Moran let her position get to her head and she got mad with power. Some of the things she demanded as punishments didn’t make sense for the rules they broke and were brutal. When Sash was 11, she was caught playing hide-and-seek without her gloves off and was sent to spend two days in a room that didn’t allow any light or sound in it. That could drive someone mad, and she was a child. Another example was when Sash broke the rule of never going outside. She brought a book back with her into the bunker (which was how Moran figured out someone had left), and because of this she burnt all of the books that were in the bunker. Books was one of the few entertainments that they had underground, and by doing this Moran punished not just Sash, but everyone. Not to mention the punishment she dished out to Gabe for broadcasting a message over the radio. I don’t even understand why that warranted a punishment. Moran claims that there were no other survivors, but what was the harm in that? And even if there were, Moran was about to cancel the “experiment” and run off anyways. What she did to Gabe had no merit.

Moran was also in a position where she could lie to everyone about what was happening outside. She was the only person that was allowed to break the rule about not going to the surface. She told them things like the earth was a barren desert, they would die if they breathed the air, monsters roamed the earth, and there were no other survivors. When Gabe, Sash, and Yuna went up, not only did all three survive, but Gabe saw another human being, which proved that she was lying about some stuff.

I was so confused why the teenagers were acting so weird whenever they left the bunker to explore the manor. They were acting scared when they saw signs that someone had moved around the place recently and had touched things (no dust in certain places and the photo album was moved), but wouldn’t their first assumption simply be that it was Moran? They knew she went up all the time to check the state of the earth and it’s her home. It makes perfect sense for Moran to walk around when she goes up.

3.5 stars

[Erin Farmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5 stars for this YA Horror read. So much build up for so little to happen at the end. The story was going well, I was invested in the characters but then BOOM, it's over. I would've loved more background on what happened before the book starts. A little more about what happens when the book ends. Can't say I'd recommend it.

[AziaMinor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall Rating : D+

"Nothing was your own except the few cubic centimeters inside your skull."

A testament of my will that was able to find this. So many plot holes and the bland characters.....

A shame, I was really excited to read this.

[Kassea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the book slow, and I also had a hard time understanding the story. It got confusing as it switched between 3 people (Gabe, Sash and Yuma.) I did find the ending more packed and faster paced.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite good. The author did a good job of keeping the suspense going.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this one up to support the local school book fair and as disappointed as I am in many YA dystopias this one was good. 3.5 stars for sure. I never felt any of the teens were in any situation that didn’t feel realistic. Some of this YA place the main characters in danger and they should die and of course they don’t. Not here. The danger and the escape felt accurate, and I haven’t read many like this one so it was interesting.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maze Runner vibes

[Forever Young Adult]

Graded By: Brian
Cover Story: Put Them in the Hole
Drinking Buddy: Recycled Water
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Psychological terror, violence, sexuality)
Talky Talk: Seen it
Bonus Factors: Bunker
Relationship Status: Friend of Necessity

Read the full book report here.

[Mars · Rating 2 out of 5]

dr moran sounds like the average modern day religious adult in power ngl how sad is that

Character Reviews:

Alexandra "Sash" Eremenko - 1.75/5. I hate to give her such a low rating, but it's what she deserves. She was supposed to be the rebellious leader of her trio which I understand and respect but I can't overlook the fact that she was just plain stupid. She asked rebellious questions just for the sake of riling people up, especially Dr. Moran. It never leads her anywhere meaningful. It just makes everything worse for her and everyone she cares about. She never gets any answers, she never feels better, she never has any positive impact. It upsets everyone around her and it only makes Dr. Moran crueler and everyone's relationship with each other worse. I genuinely don't understand what goes through her head when she does these things. Even when I try to see it from the perspective of an emotion fueled teenager who's never had a way to get independence, I still can't see it. I'd just make different choices in her situation. She definitely wasn't entirely useless, though. When they snuck up to the manor the first time as a trio, she had enough common sense to keep herself and Yuna alive when Yuna was panicking. She also typically has good ideas in theory (don't say anything about the manor, say this in order to get more answers about our situation, do this to keep friends safe) but they go wrong almost every time. By the end of the book, her smart, witty, rebellious character had dwindled into nothing more than an emotional and salty teen, at least in my opinion. Honestly, I wouldn't have a problem with that, except for the fact that she was clearly supposed to be the super intelligent and rebellious teen with amazing critical thinking skills that will save everyone. I'd understand being super stressed and making irrational decisions given the circumstances, except she was constantly framed to look like she was doing something super smart and unheard of. The entire point of her character missed me entirely, and it was extremely hard to ignore. I feel like I only liked her when the book was talking about her conflicts with her family or when she was with Yuna. At least she kisses women!

Yuna Shin - 3/5. Her character was...confusing, to say the least. She started off as your typical good girl, obedient and oblivious. She was raised by her family to never question authority and to always abide by social customs, which was evident by her character. She was the bunker's good child, if you will. ("'Don't. You're a good girl. Stay that way.'") However, Sash entering the dark room was her breaking point. Maybe a bit too well. She immediately switched up, suddenly finding the courage to go to the outside world on her own, despite what they saw last time. She was able to murder a creature with pure survival instinct and find proof to destroy Dr. Moran instantly. She became the badass character Sash was supposed to be. I definitely thought her character was better than Sash's, but I can't help but wonder how she switched up so fast. I understand her basically girlfriend being locked away can break a person, but there was no evidence of her breaking point aside from suddenly finding the courage to do everything needed to save everyone in the bunker. She didn't have a crisis, she didn't cry over Sash, she barely thought at all. She just went ahead and did it. She was definitely more logical and sensical than Sash, but her character development confused me. At least she kisses women!

Gabriel "Gabe" Correa - 3/5. Honestly, he was just a guy. He was smart and clever because of the knowledge his father passed down to him, but not much else. He was a good friend? I don't have much to say about him. He was definitely the STEM guy of the trio (Yuna states herself that she doesn't know math or numbers: "Her mind was blank. Math was Gabe's thing. Not hers.") but he didn't serve much else of a purpose. He got them the convenient mechanical solution to their problems and third wheeled when not needed. I wouldn't say he was bad, but again, he was just a dude. I couldn't come up with more comments about him if I tried. At least he probably kisses men!

Dr. Imogen Moran - 0/5 in terms of likability, 1.5/5 in terms of character. She's the villain, so she wasn't exactly the one you were rooting for. However, in terms of her as the villain, she was slightly worse than mediocre. She went on a lot of melodramatic rants that contributed a lot to the very few "scary" parts of the book, framed as being just part of her character in an attempt to fit the poetry amidst the immature perspectives of preteens. She was your standard evil villain who dies at the end. Not much more to say here. She does not believe in kissing!

Book Review:

The main component that allowed me to enjoy this book was the fact that it's fast paced and entertaining. A lot happens at once around the second half of the book and it definitely kept me interested. I would definitely recommend this if you're looking for something entertaining and nostalgic. However, nothing about this was amazing. It was a pretty standard dystopian book sold at Scholastic fairs. Plot holes and 2D characters with fast writing in order to keep attention. I'm not going to shame these type of books when they were what I grew up on, but I have slightly more refined taste nowadays.

There are so many things to be explained. Nothing in the book convinced me that they were in the bunker for a decade before the events in the book took place. It sounded like they just got here. I barely believe that they've been here for a month. Ten years? You're joking. What were they doing for those ten years? Sitting in a corner and staring at a wall? It's just not believable. Additionally, how old are they? How do they know these common sense skills when they haven't had anything normal around them in years? How do they clean? What happens after they're free, when they can see the sun for the first time in years? What would happen to someone like that? The Vitamin D deficiencies? I could go on forever, honestly. There are just too many questions left unanswered. There are also so many things that we learn of that we never revisit. The note passing in the beginning of the book was just unnecessary. Yuna's love for blue plates is never mentioned again. Junsu, Yuna's dead older brother, is only mentioned at the very beginning and the very end. The man who ate the rat is never talked about again after the few chapters after it occurred. Yuna's head injury magically heals. The chicken corpses are never revisited. So many more. There are just so many inconsequential facts thrown at us that definitely didn't need to be there. Those words could've been used to explain more of the plot instead.

One of the things I did enjoy about this book is the family conflicts between obedient and rebellious. The manipulation from Dr. Moran split all the families apart very efficiently to the point of them executing torture on their own blood. It wasn't pleasant to read, but Yuna brings up an interesting point when she yells at Sash for being stupid.

"'Would your mom stop her? Would Misha?'" She brings up the fact that her own mother and brother would not save her in favour of being obedient to Dr. Moran. She is later proven to be correct when her brother willingly drags her to the dark room for punishment and her mother allows it to happen without protest. It's an interesting topic seen constantly throughout the book on how easy it can be to turn anyone against anyone. "Even a beast will turn on its master when the pain is bad enough."

"You think you know what an explosion will feel like.
You've read enough comic books, ingested enough science fiction, enough adventure, enough fantasy.
You think you know what the concussive force will feel like.
You think you know how hot it'll be.
How loud.
How terrifying.
You are wrong."

Overall, I did enjoy it, as seeing the diversity in race and orientation in such a classic book setting made me feel like I was finally getting the representation I so desired as a very young child. I read many such books in my earlier life, so I can't deny that I did feel some form of nostalgia reading this. It was not remarkable, but enjoyable enough. The writing style and fast plot was acceptable enough to keep me distracted from my real world responsibilities for a period of time, which is a blessing I will not take for granted in our day and age. 2.25/5.

[daisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was such a fun and easy read ! although the plot twist was predictable it was still thrilling and i was hooked. it was a perfect YA dystopian for me and i read it in two days. i’ve seen a lot of people thinking it was slow which i don’t agree with - i feel like there was a good amount of build up and a lot of fast paced action. the writing was great and i liked how we caught a glimpse into the thoughts of each protagonist. the only problem i have with the writing is that sometimes it felt repetitive , but i think that was done on purpose because you’re supposed to feel what the characters are feeling with the mundaneness of their every day. also the repetition of their thoughts reinforces that they’re always on edge and fearful of how much longer they can survive in that environment. one of the best bits of this story was the relationship between yuna and sash. we don’t usually have relationships between main characters , most YA stories have one main character and then a love interest. i liked that the author combined the two elements , creating two main characters who act as each other’s love interest. this is great because i often feel like love interests are one-dimensional as they’re often used as plot devices , but here we see the build up of their feelings for one another and we can feel the history and conflict between them. the protagonists and antagonist are developed to some extent but the other characters felt flat. seeing as we spend so much time in the bunker they could’ve been fully fleshed out , and the protagonists don’t seem to spend much time with the other characters which doesn’t add up considering that they’re all stuck with one another. i also would’ve liked more of an explanation to why and how the antagonist did what they did. we don’t find out more about why and how she causes the cataclysm and how she created the monsters. however , i thought that the glimpse we had of dr moran’s leadership and control ( especially over misha ) and the part where gabe lost his fingers was really thrilling and a part of the story that i did not expect. however this story doesn’t feel complete in some places and not enough detail was given. it really feels like there is more of the story to be told. i’m not disappointed with the ending , in fact i found it quite heartwarming , but i really feel like this needs a follow-up / sequel of some sort where they investigate more into the reasons behind dr moran’s experiments and how she conducted them. i think that would also be a great opportunity for world building now that they can survive outside.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you liked the show the 100, and the post apocalyptic books this is for you.

Ten years ago, there was a terrible disaster that caused people to seek shelter underground. After ten years they've learned that they should always be truthful so that fights don't start. Don't touch skin to skin. But more than anything do not go above ground.

This novel follows three children who have spent the majority of their lives in the bunker after the disaster hit Indigo Falls. The Doctor who brought them into their bunker has helped them stay alive, teach the children, but more than anything she has made the children afraid to live life like normal kids.

The revolts that started once all the people from the 100 were on the ground closely resembles this novel. I found myself wanting to know what "the incident" was that drove them underground and how they had been surviving that long and what exactly would happen when all of their supplies are depleted.

I never saw the twist coming and honestly was hooked in at the end and needed to know exactly how it ended. I would 100% recommend this for those who are not wild about Thrillers but want a bit of mystery and would encourage those who like a bit of dystopian flair to give this a go.

[Dakoda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book really interesting because they all think they're the only people left on earth. It makes you want to read more because you don't know whose telling the truth and whose not.