Terrific book!

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dana Avatar

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I finished the book last night, and I'm still processing. My first thoughts were "There has to be a sequel! I don't have all the answers!"

I'd love a sequel, but I'm finding that I'm okay without one. The premise of the book doesn't guarantee a neat ending wrapped in a bow, and I'm choosing to believe what I want about what happens after the author ends her story.

It is not Lord of the Flies, but I see the connection - a group of adolescent girls abandoned on an island, quarantined because of a mysterious Tox that is wreaking havoc on their bodies and the entire ecosystem. Two adults left, who may or may not be allies of the girls. A mysterious CDC/Navy operation keeping the girls alive, with unknown motives.

Told from the perspective of two of the three main characters, this novel is unlike anything I would have read in high school. The focus on an almost completely female cast of characters, the bit of lesbian romance, the commentary on the establishment and what we are doing to our planet...I'd say it was a refreshing change if the novel weren't so dark. That isn't a criticism; the author manages to find the glimmers of humanity in circumstances worthy of a horror movie.

I thoroughly enjoyed this suspenseful, fast-paced read!