Review: Fear by Michael Grant

Fear: Michael Grant

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)

Published: April 3, 2012

Pages: 509

It's been one year since all the adults disappeared. 

Gone.

Despite the hunger and the lies, even despite the plague, the kids of Perdido Beach are determined to survive. Creeping into the tenuous new world they've built, though, is perhaps the worst incarnation yet of the enemy known as the Darkness: fear.

Within the FAYZ, life breaks down while the Darkness takes over, literally--turning the dome-world of the FAYZ entirely black. In darkness, the worst fears of all emerge, and the cruelest of intentions are carried out. But even in their darkest moments, the inhabitants of the FAYZ maintain a will to survive and a desire to take care of the others in their ravaged band that endures, no matter what the cost.

Fear, Michael Grant's fifth book in the bestselling dystopian Gone series, will thrill readers. . . even as it terrifies them.

Before I delve into my review, I'd like to say a few things. 1) Before you read Fear, read the books that precede it in the series: Gone, Hunger, Lies, and Plague. (Notice how they were so coolly interlaced in the synopsis?) 2. If you haven't read Fear yet, go to a library or bookstore and get it.

I liked this book. It wasn't my favorite in the series, but it certainly had its moments of OMG and WTF (excuse my text lingo; it gets the point across). Fear had everything and anything: romance, action, death, happiness, and fear. The best part of the book--and the series, really--is that none of that is really centralized. For example, romance. It is present in all the books, but the books are not about romance. It's just an aspect in the book. Sam and Astrid have it (and I absolutely love that they do) and so do Caine and Diana...well, sort of. Grant manages to take myriad themes and place them throughout his books, making phenomenal stories.

Michael Grant does not play nice in the Gone series, Fear included. The death count isn't as high in this book as it is in the others, but enough people die to make in impact, including some major characters. However, some characters come to life, too, and not just by actual birth. I feel like Quinn became a bigger part of the FAYZ, and so did Penny. Penny, by the way, is not my favorite character. She's a horrible, sick, crazy person who is absolutely evil. (Her and Drake would make such a great couple.) Speaking of Drake, or Whip Hand, he shows up, too. In fact, pretty much everybody shows up, including people that were never expected. I really like the characters in the series; each one brings something different, whether it's important or evil, to the table.

The other thing about this book that was enticing was all the twists and turns and surprises. Some character's injuries and fatalities were nothing to compared to the shockers this book had. I won't give away any spoilers, but I will say these shockers are composed of Caine, Diana, Jack, and the dome, among others. The biggest "wow" moment would have to be the ending, which leaves you extremely thirsty for the next installment in the series. 

I liked how Fear bounced back and forth to different characters, some of which we've never heard from before. It was nice to be able to see what life was like outside the dome, even if it was for just a little bit. I was intrigued that Fear gave me actual fear. I was able to place myself in the book, imagining myself in the FAYZ. Let me tell you: it wasn't pretty. It really got me when the idea was presented that the whole dome could go completely dark, as in blackout, no light, nothing. I'll be honest: it totally freaked me out. But it was great that Grant could make readers feel like that.

There you go, folks: my review of Fear. If you have any doubts, just read the series, staring with Gone. I'm new to the whole book blogging, reviewing gig, so I may not have adequately presented the book to you. But it wouldn't hurt to try and read it: it's a great dystopian novel that is seriously compelling and interesting and totally likable. Plus, Stephen King blurbed it. Stephen King, as in the Stephen King. That means something, right? So get off the computer and go check out Michael Grant's books!

Memorable Quote

But something fundamental had changed. . . Because she no longer belonged with them. She was no longer theirs.

She was his.

And he was hers.

And this was their world.

Rating: 4/5

For more information on Fear or Michael Grant, click here.