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sam_hartwig's review against another edition
3.0
It's been a while since I read the first book, but I remember really enjoying it. I hadn't read anything like it before and wasn't expecting it to be a cult story.
So, knowing that this time around it took a while to get into the book. But after a while the creepy factor and intrigue ramped up, which kept me interested till the exciting and nail biting finish.
I was really happy to have a few things answered, for example Pioneer's background and why he wanted to form The Community. It was a great follow on from 'Gated' and I'm glad I read it.
So, knowing that this time around it took a while to get into the book. But after a while the creepy factor and intrigue ramped up, which kept me interested till the exciting and nail biting finish.
I was really happy to have a few things answered, for example Pioneer's background and why he wanted to form The Community. It was a great follow on from 'Gated' and I'm glad I read it.
alykat_reads's review
slow-paced
2.5
I love me some cults, but I really feel like I missed a whole lot of context by not reading the first book in this series. I still enjoyed this one, but I felt like I didn't have the full understanding of "The Community", Pioneer, what all went down when she escaped and Pioneer got arrested, and her relationship with other members in the Community. Lyla's actions don't really make a whole lot of sense either, so much of the time I was left confused and/or shaking my head.
beeshep's review against another edition
2.0
Definitely not the worst book I have ever read, but definitely not the best. This put an interesting spin on the YA genre, with a cult and kind of religious following that has gone very wrong. I did not read Gated first and I thought that it really was not a problem - Parker explains the whole previous situation and I actually felt that the book started really strong considering.
The writing style was not great, I felt that Parker could have gone a little bit deeper into some of the details of the whole situation. It was written for a very young audience and I think the language and content of the book really reflects that. The ending was pretty anticlimatic for me and I wish it had been a little better resolved. It kinda just ended on a rather happy note. I think that Parker could have made the story a lot darker and a lot more dramatic given the subject content.
All in all, I will now read Gated and be done with this series, never to open either one of them again.
The writing style was not great, I felt that Parker could have gone a little bit deeper into some of the details of the whole situation. It was written for a very young audience and I think the language and content of the book really reflects that. The ending was pretty anticlimatic for me and I wish it had been a little better resolved. It kinda just ended on a rather happy note. I think that Parker could have made the story a lot darker and a lot more dramatic given the subject content.
All in all, I will now read Gated and be done with this series, never to open either one of them again.
llagtugg's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
kimmmpossible88's review against another edition
dark
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
rebeccahk's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely thrilling, it was just as crazy as the first book! The creepiness of the first person narrator, has always added that sense of eeriness that is definitely needed in this duology. Overall, I had a hard time putting it down.
ajsterkel's review against another edition
3.0
Astray is book #2 in a series. Book #1 is called Gated. This review contains minor spoilers for Gated because I couldn’t figure out how to write the review without them.
The narrator, Lyla, has left the “Community” where she grew up and is living with her boyfriend and his family. Pioneer, the leader of the Community, is in jail, but all of the Community members except for Lyla are still loyal to him. As Lyla adjusts to life as a “regular” teen, the Community members do everything they can to bring her back to them.
I love it when a cult book is so well-researched that I can name the real-life religious groups that the author took the plot from. This novel is twisted and creepy, but it’s not unrealistically twisted and creepy. I always throw a tiny party in my head when authors resist the urge to turn their fictional cults into idiotic Hollywood stereotypes.
I especially appreciate that the author shows religious discrimination and the problems people face when they de-convert from a religion. The parents in the book don’t want Lyla around their children. She used to be part of a dangerous religion, and they don’t trust her. The discrimination is so bad that Lyla considers going back to the Community to escape from the verbal abuse that the townspeople are constantly hurling at her. I’m grateful that the author took the time to make Lyla’s struggle realistic.
I’m a slow reader, but I got through most of this book in a day. Gated is a thriller, and Astray is more of a contemporary novel, but I still found Astray intensely readable. I didn’t want to put it down.
I have a few issues with Astray. All of the characters are underdeveloped, even Lyla. I never felt a connection to any of them because they’re too bland to be realistic. I needed to know more about Cody and Lyla’s relationship to believe it. Why are they together?
I think the characters lack some common sense. For example, Lyla is forced to go to the same public school as the kids from the Community. (I’m not sure why. She’s going to be a witness in Pioneer’s criminal trial. Would she be sent to school with kids who might want to stop her from testifying?) On the first day of school, the principal praises Lyla for putting Pioneer in jail. She’s standing with a bunch of kids who are loyal to Pioneer while he’s praising her. Lyla’s story and the hostility that the Community feels toward her are public knowledge. Doesn’t the principal realize that praising Lyla could put a huge target on her? Lyla’s not safe at this school, and he makes it worse by playing favorites. He insults the religious beliefs of the Community kids. This is not how you welcome new students to your school!
Also, Lyla lives with the sheriff, but she doesn’t tell him that the Community kids are harassing her. Um . . . why?
Finally, the Community members kill someone from Lyla’s school at the end of the book. Again, why? The murder didn’t benefit the Community in any way that I could see.
For me, the realism and readability of this book outweigh the issues. I think Gated and Astray are a solid duology.
The narrator, Lyla, has left the “Community” where she grew up and is living with her boyfriend and his family. Pioneer, the leader of the Community, is in jail, but all of the Community members except for Lyla are still loyal to him. As Lyla adjusts to life as a “regular” teen, the Community members do everything they can to bring her back to them.
I love it when a cult book is so well-researched that I can name the real-life religious groups that the author took the plot from. This novel is twisted and creepy, but it’s not unrealistically twisted and creepy. I always throw a tiny party in my head when authors resist the urge to turn their fictional cults into idiotic Hollywood stereotypes.
I especially appreciate that the author shows religious discrimination and the problems people face when they de-convert from a religion. The parents in the book don’t want Lyla around their children. She used to be part of a dangerous religion, and they don’t trust her. The discrimination is so bad that Lyla considers going back to the Community to escape from the verbal abuse that the townspeople are constantly hurling at her. I’m grateful that the author took the time to make Lyla’s struggle realistic.
I’m a slow reader, but I got through most of this book in a day. Gated is a thriller, and Astray is more of a contemporary novel, but I still found Astray intensely readable. I didn’t want to put it down.
‘“I'm not trying to take your beliefs away from you. Really. All I'm asking is that you consider why you believe them.’ Her eyes rest on me. ‘Questions aren't bad, in fact they're necessary when you're trying to figure out just exactly what you stand for.’” – Astray
I have a few issues with Astray. All of the characters are underdeveloped, even Lyla. I never felt a connection to any of them because they’re too bland to be realistic. I needed to know more about Cody and Lyla’s relationship to believe it. Why are they together?
I think the characters lack some common sense. For example, Lyla is forced to go to the same public school as the kids from the Community. (I’m not sure why. She’s going to be a witness in Pioneer’s criminal trial. Would she be sent to school with kids who might want to stop her from testifying?) On the first day of school, the principal praises Lyla for putting Pioneer in jail. She’s standing with a bunch of kids who are loyal to Pioneer while he’s praising her. Lyla’s story and the hostility that the Community feels toward her are public knowledge. Doesn’t the principal realize that praising Lyla could put a huge target on her? Lyla’s not safe at this school, and he makes it worse by playing favorites. He insults the religious beliefs of the Community kids. This is not how you welcome new students to your school!
Also, Lyla lives with the sheriff, but she doesn’t tell him that the Community kids are harassing her. Um . . . why?
Finally, the Community members kill someone from Lyla’s school at the end of the book. Again, why? The murder didn’t benefit the Community in any way that I could see.
For me, the realism and readability of this book outweigh the issues. I think Gated and Astray are a solid duology.
eviebookish's review against another edition
5.0
Astray, the sequel to Gated, was, in many ways, even more intense and riveting than the first novel. I enjoyed Gated quite a lot, but ultimately, Astray has made an even bigger impression on me. Parts of it were creepy (even downright bone-chilling), other parts really sad and gut-wrenching, and I think it is safe to say that if you read and enjoyed Gated, you should be ordering your copy of Astray ASAP, for it is a beautifully plotted, emotionally gutting gem of a psychological thriller.
One month has passed since the fatal events of Pioneer's "End of the World" and Layla is still dealing with the psychological aftermath of it all. The fear and anxiety are deeply rooted in her soul and she still wakes up screaming, expecting to be dragged away and locked in an underground bunker. Worst of all, she feels lost, confused and completely out of place in the "outside world", still struggling to make sense of everything that happened and second guessing herself. (I don’t know what’s worse, the fact that Past Me was nodding right along with everyone else … or the fact that Present Me still has an inexplicable urge to. My brain feels like it’s split in half and Past Me and Present Me haven’t decided who’s in charge yet.) While she's trying to recover and start a new life, Layla is staying with Cody and his family, separated (temporarily) from her own parents who are still unable to see reason and accept that Pioneer is not, in fact, a messiah, but a violent, twisted, manipulative, power-greedy murderer.
"I am a miracle. I am the messiah. After seeing what I’ve survived, how could you possibly believe otherwise?
—Pioneer"
The wicked-minded leader of Mandrodage Meadows, Pioneer, has miraculously survived getting shot by Layla and he is now on trial for all the crimes he committed. But even after all he's done, he still has the support of his followers. They still believe in him, still see the Messiah in him and are still willing to sacrifice themselves for him. All except one person: Layla. And that makes her not only an outsider, but a traitor. A sheep that went astray. And even though she has left the Community, she is not free of them, for they will never stop trying to make her come back.
It isn't often that I come across a sequel that is not only equally well written and interesting to read as the first book, but it actually manages to surpass it in many ways. Astray is that kind of book. I feel that Parker's writing - already accomplished and captivating in Gated - got even better in this installment. The story got more depth, the characters - more complexity. The prose was more descriptive, but the plot line was also better paced, and while big part of the mystery was gone, the book was no less disturbing and haunting than the previous one.
Parker is a strong literary voice, and one that obviously has something intelligent to say. She deftly explores issues of family, community, faith, identity and belonging, and she does it with remarkable sensitivity and honesty. I found Astray to be very thoughtful, disquieting and emotionally riveting. I couldn't help but try to put myself in Layla's shoes and see the world from her perspective. What I saw was a scary and lonely place, full of strangers and danger, a world just as welcoming and full of possibilities, as it is judgmental, unforgiving and cruel. Parker did an amazing job evoking Layla's feelings and capturing her thoughts, hopes and fears in all their heartbreaking glory. Her desperate need to belong, to be accepted, to know that what she did was right. Without a doubt, I was more invested in her story than I was while reading the first part.
Again, if you read and enjoyed Gated, don't hesitate to pick up Astray. It is an absolute must read.
One month has passed since the fatal events of Pioneer's "End of the World" and Layla is still dealing with the psychological aftermath of it all. The fear and anxiety are deeply rooted in her soul and she still wakes up screaming, expecting to be dragged away and locked in an underground bunker. Worst of all, she feels lost, confused and completely out of place in the "outside world", still struggling to make sense of everything that happened and second guessing herself. (I don’t know what’s worse, the fact that Past Me was nodding right along with everyone else … or the fact that Present Me still has an inexplicable urge to. My brain feels like it’s split in half and Past Me and Present Me haven’t decided who’s in charge yet.) While she's trying to recover and start a new life, Layla is staying with Cody and his family, separated (temporarily) from her own parents who are still unable to see reason and accept that Pioneer is not, in fact, a messiah, but a violent, twisted, manipulative, power-greedy murderer.
"I am a miracle. I am the messiah. After seeing what I’ve survived, how could you possibly believe otherwise?
—Pioneer"
The wicked-minded leader of Mandrodage Meadows, Pioneer, has miraculously survived getting shot by Layla and he is now on trial for all the crimes he committed. But even after all he's done, he still has the support of his followers. They still believe in him, still see the Messiah in him and are still willing to sacrifice themselves for him. All except one person: Layla. And that makes her not only an outsider, but a traitor. A sheep that went astray. And even though she has left the Community, she is not free of them, for they will never stop trying to make her come back.
It isn't often that I come across a sequel that is not only equally well written and interesting to read as the first book, but it actually manages to surpass it in many ways. Astray is that kind of book. I feel that Parker's writing - already accomplished and captivating in Gated - got even better in this installment. The story got more depth, the characters - more complexity. The prose was more descriptive, but the plot line was also better paced, and while big part of the mystery was gone, the book was no less disturbing and haunting than the previous one.
Parker is a strong literary voice, and one that obviously has something intelligent to say. She deftly explores issues of family, community, faith, identity and belonging, and she does it with remarkable sensitivity and honesty. I found Astray to be very thoughtful, disquieting and emotionally riveting. I couldn't help but try to put myself in Layla's shoes and see the world from her perspective. What I saw was a scary and lonely place, full of strangers and danger, a world just as welcoming and full of possibilities, as it is judgmental, unforgiving and cruel. Parker did an amazing job evoking Layla's feelings and capturing her thoughts, hopes and fears in all their heartbreaking glory. Her desperate need to belong, to be accepted, to know that what she did was right. Without a doubt, I was more invested in her story than I was while reading the first part.
Again, if you read and enjoyed Gated, don't hesitate to pick up Astray. It is an absolute must read.