My Rating: 4/5 Stars!
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publish Date: December 1st, 2017
Received: Netgalley provided an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Purchase: Amazon
Synopsis:
In this thrilling young adult horror novel from the author of the TimeRiders series the only thing worse than a virus that can kill is a virus that can think.
The reports start slowly at first: an outbreak in Africa at the end of the evening news, as a headline at the bottom of a website. They’re easy to ignore, and most people do just that. Except for Leon. His mom shakes off the concerns , sure that they shouldn’t be worried about some illness on a distant continent. Until one week later, the virus hits England and chaos ensues, dotting the English countryside with the haunting remains of liquefied victims.
But what scares Leon the most is the way the virus moves- like it’s adapting. Like it has an agenda. If Leon’s going to fight back, he’ll need a plan. But first, he needs to stay alive.
Opening Sentence:
West Africa
“The girl was only ten.”
Musings:
The most horrific thing about Plague Land is that the atrocities it discusses could easily actually happen. Super-viruses, The plague, Black Death, Ebola, all these things have at one time or another caused thousands of deaths and it’s more then fair share of panic.
The Plague of this book deemed Super-Ebola is a monster (pretty much literally). The many instances of grotesque imagery attest to its destructive power. Plague Land is filled with death. A sickness knows no boundaries no matter age, country, species, or any other societal border this thing will kill you. Alex Scarrow does an excellent job of painting that dark and hopeless picture.
As horrific as it is I really enjoyed this book. It made me think about the world and my place in it and how leaving things to the wayside is a great way for things to never happen at all. Honestly, the hopelessness and futility that Plague land made me think about helped me shape my motto for 2018 (along with one other ya novel that I read at the end of the year) to stop saying I’m going to do things and just do them (and so far 1 day in counting it’s been good).
For anyone who loves horror, current day dystopians, conspiracies, or books that shock you at every turn, Plague Land will make you think and wonder some of the most sorrowful “What if’s?” Of all. Fast paced and non-stop fun Plague Land will be there to terrify you during your worst waking nightmares.
Thanks for reading! Let me know your thoughts down in the comments below.
-Till next time!
The Book Raven 
This book sounds utterly terrifyingly awesome. I’m glad you enjoyed it! Dystopians are always a hit or miss for me and I think I’ve grown a bit tired of them, but I may just check out this one yet. Excellent review as always!
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