Author: Emmy Laybourne
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date: May 28, 2013
Pages: 212
Source: Hardcover/Own
Trapped in a superstore by a series of escalating disasters, including a monster hailstorm and terrifying chemical weapons spill, brothers Dean and Alex learned how to survive and worked together with twelve other kids to build a refuge from the chaos. But then strangers appeared, destroying their fragile peace, and bringing both fresh disaster and a glimmer of hope.
Knowing that the chemical weapons saturating the air outside will turn him into a bloodthirsty rage monster, Dean decides to stay in the safety of the store with Astrid and some of the younger kids. But their sanctuary has already been breached once. . . .
Meanwhile, Alex, determined to find their parents, heads out into the darkness and devastation with Niko and some others in a recently repaired school bus. If they can get to Denver International Airport, they might be evacuated to safety. But the outside world is even worse than they expected. . . .
Review: I really wanted to enjoy this book more than I did. If you read my review of the first book, “Monument 14”, then you know I absolutely loved that book! This book however I feel suffered a little from second book syndrome. Overall, I did enjoy the story in “Sky On Fire”, just not as much as I thought I would.
What I did like: I really enjoyed the two POV’s of Dean and Alex. Since half the story was taking place in the store, and half on the road, I felt like it was very important that we had these two POV’s so that way we kept up with both groups without missing huge chunks. I also liked that we got to see relationships and friendships grow throughout the story. Dean and Astrid had the biggest growth in their relationship seeing as they went from just silently liking each other to actually being together by the end of the book. I liked seeing those two grow closer. We did however see other relationships either come to light that were happening before that no one knew about, or see new ones form between people. Overall, I really enjoyed the fact that all these people thought of each other as family. Even though they all wanted to find their actual families and be reunited with them, they all felt like a family to each other as well. It was good to see everyone be bonded like that. Another thing I liked was finding out what was happening outside the store with the group that left. They learned a lot as to what some of the other effects of the chemicals were on everything besides people and their blood types.
What I didn't like: I felt like most of the things that were happening in this book were way too predictable. People trying to get into the store, people trying to take the bus, encountering bad people etc. None of these things surprised me because you kind of already could feel that it was going to happen. If people see a moving vehicle of course they are going to try and take it. If people were seeing the kids leaving the store or found out about it, of course they were going to try and get into it to get supplies. Also, these kids were way to trusting. You’d think after having someone come in to the store and do bad things in the first book, they would have learned not to trust people right away. But yet both groups did, and ironically, they trusted the same group of people that screwed the other over. I just don’t get why they were so trusting even though they knew bad things were happening. Also, I didn't really like Jake’s reappearance into the story. He just disappeared in the first book when they sent him out then just shows back up at the store days later and acts like nothing happened. Not a fan!
At least by the end of the book we find out why it is titled “Sky On Fire.” Overall, this book wasn't bad, but it wasn't the best sequel I've read either.
What I did like: I really enjoyed the two POV’s of Dean and Alex. Since half the story was taking place in the store, and half on the road, I felt like it was very important that we had these two POV’s so that way we kept up with both groups without missing huge chunks. I also liked that we got to see relationships and friendships grow throughout the story. Dean and Astrid had the biggest growth in their relationship seeing as they went from just silently liking each other to actually being together by the end of the book. I liked seeing those two grow closer. We did however see other relationships either come to light that were happening before that no one knew about, or see new ones form between people. Overall, I really enjoyed the fact that all these people thought of each other as family. Even though they all wanted to find their actual families and be reunited with them, they all felt like a family to each other as well. It was good to see everyone be bonded like that. Another thing I liked was finding out what was happening outside the store with the group that left. They learned a lot as to what some of the other effects of the chemicals were on everything besides people and their blood types.
What I didn't like: I felt like most of the things that were happening in this book were way too predictable. People trying to get into the store, people trying to take the bus, encountering bad people etc. None of these things surprised me because you kind of already could feel that it was going to happen. If people see a moving vehicle of course they are going to try and take it. If people were seeing the kids leaving the store or found out about it, of course they were going to try and get into it to get supplies. Also, these kids were way to trusting. You’d think after having someone come in to the store and do bad things in the first book, they would have learned not to trust people right away. But yet both groups did, and ironically, they trusted the same group of people that screwed the other over. I just don’t get why they were so trusting even though they knew bad things were happening. Also, I didn't really like Jake’s reappearance into the story. He just disappeared in the first book when they sent him out then just shows back up at the store days later and acts like nothing happened. Not a fan!
At least by the end of the book we find out why it is titled “Sky On Fire.” Overall, this book wasn't bad, but it wasn't the best sequel I've read either.
3 1/2 Stars!
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