Friday, January 4, 2013

THE FARM by Emily McKay

Berkley Publishing, December 2012

Paperback
Obtained via:  publisher
ISBN 978-0-425-25780-7
Young Adult Dystopian

 


Emily McKay’s first attempt at dystopian young adult books, THE FARM, could very well be the next big seller in Young Adult books.

A science breakthrough has gone very wrong and now ticks, human eating creatures that no longer even resemble the humans they once were, are swarming the country.  Their preferred food group, hormone filled teenagers, have been rounded up and put on Farms supposedly for their own protection.  Leaving the “protection” of the Farms means almost certain death.  But remaining beyond your eighteenth birthday is also not allowed.  No one knows for sure what happens then, but it can’t be good.  The Farms don’t grow fruits and vegetables; teens are the food.

Lily and her autistic twin sister Mel have a plan to escape in the days before they turn eighteen.  Just before they have a chance to put their plan in action, Lily’s high school crush Carter, shows up at the Farm offering his help.  Carter knows more than he is telling about what is going on outside the Farms and has been searching for Lily and Mel because he believes Lily might be the secret to saving mankind from the ticks.

LOVED IT!  Absolutely loved it.  Emily McKay’s THE FARM is a dark and scary post-apocalypse romantic horror story that both teens and adults are sure to go crazy for.  The ticks are monsters come to life.  Vampires are real and equally frightening, but at least they have intelligence even if their moral compasses are truly lacking.  The adults are in short supply.  And kids are forced to grow up quickly or end up as food for the monsters.  The setting is bleak and yet there is hope.  Lily is very strong, yet riddled with vulnerabilities.  She is charged with the safety of her autistic twin sister and it is a task the she never loses sight of.  Carter is the hero to Lily’s heroine, strong, capable and a military-schooled man on a mission.  Along with two other teens and a self centered but reluctantly helpful vampire, this group holds readers’ interest completely as the story unfolds in alternating multiple points of view.  The story pace is fast and furious, the plotline multifaceted and there is gore aplenty.  And let’s not forget the romantic aspect of the story.  Like I mentioned before, LOVED IT!

Emily McKay’s move to young adult books is fortuitous for readers.  THE FARM is a spectacularly well written story that fans of horror, romance, urban fantasy, and young adult alike will flock to purchase.  This reader can’t believe she will likely have to wait a whole year for the next release in this proposed trilogy.  It really is just that good.


Reviewed by T. Barringer

"This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book."

 

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