Gone, by Michael Grant

Whoops, it's been a month. Exactly a month in fact...
Anyway, onto the book review.

Suddenly it’s a world without adults and normal has crashed and burned. When life as you know it ends at 15, everything changes. There are no adults, no answers.

Those left must do all they can to survive.

But everyone’s idea of survival is different. Some look after themselves, some look after others, and some will do anything for power . . . Even kill.

For Sam and Astrid, it is a race against time as they try to solve the questions that now dominate their lives . . . What is the mysterious wall that has encircled the town of Perdido Beach and trapped everyone within? Why have some kids developed strange powers? And can they defeat Caine and his gang of bullies before they turn fifteen and disappear too?

It isn't until the world collapses around you that you find out what kind of person you really are.

I decided to read this because I was recommended to read Plague, the fourth in the series. While I enjoyed the concept, I didn't understand the characters or the setting or anything that was happening. But the concept was so fascinating, I decided to have a look at the first.
To be completely honest, I didn't approach it with high hopes. In the fourth book, there seemed to be so many characters, and I fears it would be the same in the first.
I was wrong.

Cover: *****
I love the cover. It stands out, with the black against green (or yellow, depending on the light), and it's ambiguous. It doesn't insist you think the characters look a certain way. I realise that there is another version, with people on the front. But I prefer this one.
Plus, the edges of the pages were bright green.

If all books had coloured edges, I would reorder my bookshelf so it looked like a rainbow. But I digress.

Plot: *****
It was engaging. The problems escalated throughout the book, constantly raising the stakes, and always causing me to ask questions (and thus forcing me to read on). And, even though there were lots of hints and clues, not everything was revealed. And so, obviously, now I have to get the next one.

Characters: ****
They were extremely well developed, especially considering the large cast. I could understand their actions, even when they weren't necessarily for the good. There was some real empathy going on here, even for the lesser characters.
My one problem was that there were so many, which led to head hopping. Sam was the main character, but I often found myself in Astrid, or Quinn's head, which could be a little disorientating.

Writing: ****
This book was extremely well written. Michael Grant has a style that, while urging you to read on, doesn't get in the way of the actual storytelling. It was seamless. The only problem was the occasional head hop, as I mentioned before.

Other:
If you look at the back cover of the book, you'll see a count down. The count down continues at the beginning of each chapter. And you don't find out what it's for until near the end. It was pretty exciting.

Overall, I would give this book five stars. Definitely recommended.