Review Detail
4.1 4
Young Adult Fiction
245
Monument 14 (A Room with Books review)
Overall rating
4.3
Plot
N/A
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
Guys, I just can’t even right now. Seriously, how has this book gotten by with so little recognition?
You all know I love me some dystopian, but apocalypse books are basically the next best thing and Monument 14 is definitely one of the best I’ve ever read. Most apocalypse stories surround one main event (zombies attacking, global warming, etc.), but Laybourne just kind of throws everything at you. Yes, everything is pretty much caused by one main thing, but it ripples out into multiple disasters that are just as catastrophic. I don’t want to give too much away since the less you know the more you can immerse yourself in the story.
The writing style took a bit to get used to at first. I think the best way to describe it is stark. There are no extravagant descriptions or anything of the sort but I really think it works for the story’s advantage. It reads almost like a journal and it wouldn’t be as believable if it was written any other way.
I really wasn’t sure if I’d be able to deal with all the whiny little kids and the few (pardon my French) super douchey guys at first. I was kind of afraid it’d turn into a Lord of the Flies thing with kids eating each other or something, but it didn’t. In the end, the kids were all like a little family and I found myself laughing and tearing up right along with them. Those little kids were the best comic relief possible. It wasn’t like throwing a token funny character into the mix. Their young age and innocence made everything that much funnier.
The Nutshell If a survival story about kids trapped in a superstore interests you then go pick up Monument 14 immediately. You’ll get that and so much more. It’s about survival, yes, but it’s also about the bonds that can be formed in crazy situations between the people you’d never expect. Basically, this book is freaking awesome.
Direct Hit
You all know I love me some dystopian, but apocalypse books are basically the next best thing and Monument 14 is definitely one of the best I’ve ever read. Most apocalypse stories surround one main event (zombies attacking, global warming, etc.), but Laybourne just kind of throws everything at you. Yes, everything is pretty much caused by one main thing, but it ripples out into multiple disasters that are just as catastrophic. I don’t want to give too much away since the less you know the more you can immerse yourself in the story.
The writing style took a bit to get used to at first. I think the best way to describe it is stark. There are no extravagant descriptions or anything of the sort but I really think it works for the story’s advantage. It reads almost like a journal and it wouldn’t be as believable if it was written any other way.
I really wasn’t sure if I’d be able to deal with all the whiny little kids and the few (pardon my French) super douchey guys at first. I was kind of afraid it’d turn into a Lord of the Flies thing with kids eating each other or something, but it didn’t. In the end, the kids were all like a little family and I found myself laughing and tearing up right along with them. Those little kids were the best comic relief possible. It wasn’t like throwing a token funny character into the mix. Their young age and innocence made everything that much funnier.
The Nutshell If a survival story about kids trapped in a superstore interests you then go pick up Monument 14 immediately. You’ll get that and so much more. It’s about survival, yes, but it’s also about the bonds that can be formed in crazy situations between the people you’d never expect. Basically, this book is freaking awesome.
Direct Hit
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