Review Detail

Marty is a flawed character in any number of ways, not least of which is his propensity to do what's best for himself even if it's not legal or good for anyone else; in fact, he has been known to actually put others in harm's way. Despite that, he works hard to control his OCD and his ultimate goal is to find his brother. Before the alien attack, Marty was making progress under therapy to manage his OCD but it's much more difficult now without professional help and, of course, medication is no longer available.

Earth is in shambles after the aliens brought monsters and survival is predicated on a strict ban on reflective surfaces because that's how the monsters get through. That ban, quite naturally, created a black market for mirrors and Marty is a player. When he gets caught by another teen, Elliott, both are headed for real trouble, sent into the deadly fog. The two boys are on their own and have to rely on each other, developing a real friendship as they come to know and trust each other.

The plot here is creative and well-planned, keeping me flipping electronic pages to find out what would happen next. The author's characterizations are vivid and appealing and the monsters are just as scary as they should be...almost as much as Elliott's mother. Also, not to repeat myself, it's really refreshing to have a story focused on two boys.