Bound To Stay Bound

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Booklist - 02/01/2013 *Starred Review* The Monstrumologist series set a bar for YA horror nearly impossible to match. Can Yancey do the same for sci-fi? He makes a hell of an effort with this ambitious series starter set in the aftermath of a crushing alien invasion in which the aliens themselves never appeared. Seven billion humans have died in the months following the appearance of a giant mother ship. Wave 1: an electromagnetic pulse rendering all machines useless. Wave 2: tsunamis wiping out coastal cities. Wave 3: the Red Death, a deadly plague carried by birds. Wave 4: Silencers, humans who were implanted with alien intelligence as fetuses. We don’t even want to know about Wave 5—do we? Monstrumologist fans will be surprised to discover that Yancey grounds his multiperspective survivalist thriller in two fairly conventional YA voices: Cassie, 16, whose grim solitary existence changes when she is rescued by hunky but mysterious Evan; and Zombie, 17, ex–sports star thrown into a brutal boot camp to train as an alien killer. Yancey’s heartfelt, violent, paranoid epic, filled with big heroics and bigger surprises, is part War of the Worlds, part Starship Troopers, part Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and part The Stand, but just close enough to dystopic trends to make this a sure thing for reviewers and readers alike. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Hype has been heavy since a big preempt sale and an announced 500,000 first printing. Film rights are sold, tours are planned, ads will be omnipresent—need we say more? - Copyright 2013 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 04/01/2013 Gr 9 Up—Cassie travels with just the essentials. First on the list: Luger, M-16, ammo, Bowie knife. Incidentals like food, water, sleeping bag, and nail clippers come further down. A nondescript 16-year-old, she is one of the very few people left alive on Earth. Aliens sent waves of destructive forces to eradicate humans: Cassie's family survived the 1st and 2nd Waves. Her mother died in the 3rd Wave (Pestilence) and her father in the 4th (Silencers). Her little brother may still be alive; he may even be safe in a military compound, as Cassie deals with the 5th Wave- a carefully orchestrated survival dance of kill or be killed. The aliens are never described in detail, and their reasons for wanting the humans gone are not clear. But they are ruthless and determined, and their methods for gaining control mean readers will never again see owls as the friendly, mail-delivering avians portrayed in the world of Harry Potter. The compelling story is told from the viewpoints of Cassie and Ben, who is now a soldier known as Zombie. Cassie crushed on Ben at school, but he never particularly noticed her. Now he has transformed from handsome high school sports star to focused paramilitary killer. Yancey's story is full of violent twists and turns, but character development continues along with nonstop action. Cassie and Ben grow out of high school self-centeredness and find leadership qualities. Cassie's interactions with an alien elevate him from a one-dimensional "bad guy" role. While the big body counts (billions die) happen largely offscreen, there are numerous more personal instances in which teens are both killers and killed. The ending has enough planned loose ends to practically guarantee a sequel.—Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX - Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Bulletin for the Center... - 09/01/2013 Eking out survival in the wake of the fourth wave of an alien invasion that has wiped out most of the earth’s population, sixteen-year-old Cassie is simply glad to have her father and brother with her in the refugee camp. She’s forced to run for her life, though, when the military arrives on a seeming rescue mission and kills her father and abducts her brother. Critically wounded by a Silencer, an alien hunter disguised as a human, she is saved from the brink of death by a mysterious fellow survivor, Evan Walker. Cassie falls in love with Evan, until she discovers a terrible secret that could doom them both. At the same time, Cassie’s longtime crush Ben Parish has also survived the fourth wave and has been taken in by the local military base, where he is trained to fight in the coming alien war. When Ben uncovers the truth behind the base’s mission, however, he has to free himself and decide how many of his fellow humans he can save. An intriguing reimagining of the alien invasion story that is reminiscent of Stephenie Meyer’s The Host, this novel will draw readers in with its intense, emotionally wrought narrative and leave them thinking about its deeper implications long after they are finished. The overall impact lessens somewhat when the focus moves away from Cassie’s perspective, but Cassie still carries the novel: a captivating heroine, she’s part hardcore, M16-wielding fighter willing to do anything to rescue her brother, part teenage girl indulging in flashbacks to a simpler time and wishing that she didn’t have to be responsible for anything. Ultimately a page-turner that is at times heart-wrenching, tough, and tender, this multi-threaded first volume in a series is a solid summertime thrill. AM - Copyright 2013 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

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