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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
Maria V. Snyder was right - I stayed up many nights reading this. I love the mash-up of genres and Daybreak-quality; could definitely see this as a film.
I know a lot of people think vampires are played out. I am not one of those people. I have loved vampires and vampire stories for as long as I can remember. Not that this is wholly a vampire story. But there are vampires in it, as well as genetically "enhanced" humans. And there is a dystopian feel to this book, but I don't know that I would classify it as dystopian either. Honestly, I don't think I would classify this book in any specific genre. Yes it is YA... I think maybe the closest would be Urban Fantasy? Although that doesn't sound right to me either. But anyway, classification doesn't matter. What matters is that this book is amazing. Emily McKay writes adult romance. This is as far a cry from adult romance as you can get. The character development is fantastic. I really cared about each and every one of these characters. And the story itself is so well written, I didn't want to put this book down until I was done. Unfortunately, work and sleep and family and real life didn't help me out in that aspect, but when I wasn't reading it, all I wanted to do was read it. I carried this book with me everywhere just on the off chance that I might find a second to read it. The only thing that sucks, is that this book doesn't actually come out until December... which means that any other book in this series will not be out for a LOOOOOOONG time. And I have to wait to find out what happens next. I think it is going to drive me crazy.
Read it here too!
I keep thinking that maybe one day aspiring and published authors alike will run out of ideas on the vampire topic. There’s romance, action, and adventure like no other between the pages of some of my favorite vampire novels, which indeed are judged very harshly in the public eye. There are some authors—an increasing number I hope—who take the new favorite genre, dystopian/post-apocalyptic, and infuse it with vampires characters. Many have never dared try writing it, for fear of rejection mostly. McKay, following Julie Kagawa’s footsteps, writes a beautifully bloody tale of a dystopian world ridden with zombie-like vampires.
Written from the POV of three different people, McKay easily keeps them separate and different. When writing in that view point author tend to have many characters that end up sounding all the same. It makes the story quite boring and unintelligible. McKay’s written characters that are so unique that it’s so easy for them to each have a voice, one that’s loud and clear. Lily is so brave, selfless, courageous, and I have never seen a character similar to her. She doesn’t give a crap about what people think and she takes care of her twin autistic sister, Mel, with a strong, motherly sense. Living on the Farm is hard for them both, having to constantly give blood, and keeping an eye out for the Ticks on the other side of the fence. Bloodthirsty, insane, zombie-like vampires who constantly want more. The Dean, the leader of the farm, suppresses them all. Lily has a plan, though, a plan that couldn’t fall through. Everything goes as planned until she meets Carter, the bad boy from the Before. And soon Lily comes to find out Mel isn’t as hopeless as she once previously thought.
This book was heartbreaking, gory, and action-packed. I would have to stop just to take a breath I was holding it so much. Never have I been that sucked into a novel before. Most teen books don’t have a lot of blood, but The Farm was the goriest book I’ve read to date. That’s one of the many things I really loved about it. I am definitely awaiting the sequel, however inpatient that might be.
I keep thinking that maybe one day aspiring and published authors alike will run out of ideas on the vampire topic. There’s romance, action, and adventure like no other between the pages of some of my favorite vampire novels, which indeed are judged very harshly in the public eye. There are some authors—an increasing number I hope—who take the new favorite genre, dystopian/post-apocalyptic, and infuse it with vampires characters. Many have never dared try writing it, for fear of rejection mostly. McKay, following Julie Kagawa’s footsteps, writes a beautifully bloody tale of a dystopian world ridden with zombie-like vampires.
Written from the POV of three different people, McKay easily keeps them separate and different. When writing in that view point author tend to have many characters that end up sounding all the same. It makes the story quite boring and unintelligible. McKay’s written characters that are so unique that it’s so easy for them to each have a voice, one that’s loud and clear. Lily is so brave, selfless, courageous, and I have never seen a character similar to her. She doesn’t give a crap about what people think and she takes care of her twin autistic sister, Mel, with a strong, motherly sense. Living on the Farm is hard for them both, having to constantly give blood, and keeping an eye out for the Ticks on the other side of the fence. Bloodthirsty, insane, zombie-like vampires who constantly want more. The Dean, the leader of the farm, suppresses them all. Lily has a plan, though, a plan that couldn’t fall through. Everything goes as planned until she meets Carter, the bad boy from the Before. And soon Lily comes to find out Mel isn’t as hopeless as she once previously thought.
This book was heartbreaking, gory, and action-packed. I would have to stop just to take a breath I was holding it so much. Never have I been that sucked into a novel before. Most teen books don’t have a lot of blood, but The Farm was the goriest book I’ve read to date. That’s one of the many things I really loved about it. I am definitely awaiting the sequel, however inpatient that might be.
Me:(on my blog:mybookliferead.blogspot.com) Vampires. Ticks. Suspense. That's what I was thinking when I saw this at a book festival and was instantly hooked. I am not a person for the dystopian craze that is going around, but this is a really different take on the whole thing. It is not sparkling vampires falling in love with people they want to drink from, but a surprisingly real and touching story.
Lily is the usual sacrificial main character; it was her sister Mel that really interested me. The book was told from three POVs. Carter's, Lily's and Mel's. But the idea of a girl having autism in a situation like this was so different and refreshing. Carter, on the other hand, annoyed me. He was, in a way, a love interest, but that never developed. He also had too many conflicting emotions, making it hard for him to be believable.
The ending was so perfect and so bad in many ways. But in a general view, I think that it was a really nice read that I would pick up again.
Lily is the usual sacrificial main character; it was her sister Mel that really interested me. The book was told from three POVs. Carter's, Lily's and Mel's. But the idea of a girl having autism in a situation like this was so different and refreshing. Carter, on the other hand, annoyed me. He was, in a way, a love interest, but that never developed. He also had too many conflicting emotions, making it hard for him to be believable.
The ending was so perfect and so bad in many ways. But in a general view, I think that it was a really nice read that I would pick up again.
I thought this would have been so much better. It has a pretty cool concept but it took so long for anything to happen and explain what the mythology meant that I just lost interest. None of the characters were all that likeable (especially the main character) and I really didn't like how it jumped from first person to third person perspectives. There were also just a lot of sentences that stopped. For no apparent reason. Like this. And it was annoying. If the book had been about 100 pages shorter it may have been better. The last 50 pages brought it from a one star to two star review. A spinoff with Sebastian and Mel would be cool since they were the most interesting characters, but I doubt I'd be willing to give it another chance.
Lily and her twin sister, Mel, were shipped off to the Farm about six months ago. Thanks to an outbreak, a huge chunk of the population has become infected with a pathogen that makes them bloodsucking freaks. They call them Ticks. And since the Ticks seems to find teen blood particularly tasty, the Farms were created to keep the teen population safe. Or so they said. They were to wait out a cure but said cure has yet to be found and Lily has discovered that they're all being used as food instead, with multiple blood donations a month and careful tracking of their hormones. What's worse, no one's really sure what happens when you turn eighteen. With their birthday right around the corner, Lily and Mel aren't going to wait around to find out. Lily has planned their escape and is ready to set it in motion when Carter shows up. They were classmates before all this started, at least until Carter was shipped off to military school. Lily isn't sure she can trust Carter but thinks he may be her best shot for getting out. Carter is definitely hiding things and has his own plans, which do include saving Lily and Mel, but to what end?
So it's a post viral outbreak apocalypse story with vampires. Works for me! It has all the great elements of a typical post apocalyptic tale - tension and gruesome baddies, the constant threat that those around you might turn on you either becoming Ticks themselves or stabbing you in the back to save their own skin, and the desperate/desolate post disaster setting that I find so tempting in a tale. And you have a tough as nails heroine in Lily!
McKay alternates chapters between Lily, Carter, and Mel and it's this that makes the book really interesting. Mel is autistic and her chapters are oddly awesome - or awesomely odd. I can't even imagine what kind of headspace McKay had to be in to put together Mel's chapters. There's no way my imagination could reach to those depths! The only other time I've seen an author attempt this - and I'm sure there are more but this is the only one I recall - it was Jonathan Lethem's Motherless Brooklyn and the narrative drove me batty! This time around it worked for a number of reasons, first and foremost because Mel is not the main narrator. But it is a definite unique and appealing aspect with The Farm and McKay does it well.
This is the first in a multi-part story. The sequel, The Lair, is out now. There's also to be a prequel called The Before, which will be out in December according to the official website for the series.
I really don't want to give away too much for you guys, but if you missed out on The Farm (like I somehow managed to) and you love survivalist post apocalyptic stuff then you'll want to check out the books regardless of how you feel about vampires (psst, these definitely do not sparkle!).
So it's a post viral outbreak apocalypse story with vampires. Works for me! It has all the great elements of a typical post apocalyptic tale - tension and gruesome baddies, the constant threat that those around you might turn on you either becoming Ticks themselves or stabbing you in the back to save their own skin, and the desperate/desolate post disaster setting that I find so tempting in a tale. And you have a tough as nails heroine in Lily!
McKay alternates chapters between Lily, Carter, and Mel and it's this that makes the book really interesting. Mel is autistic and her chapters are oddly awesome - or awesomely odd. I can't even imagine what kind of headspace McKay had to be in to put together Mel's chapters. There's no way my imagination could reach to those depths! The only other time I've seen an author attempt this - and I'm sure there are more but this is the only one I recall - it was Jonathan Lethem's Motherless Brooklyn and the narrative drove me batty! This time around it worked for a number of reasons, first and foremost because Mel is not the main narrator. But it is a definite unique and appealing aspect with The Farm and McKay does it well.
This is the first in a multi-part story. The sequel, The Lair, is out now. There's also to be a prequel called The Before, which will be out in December according to the official website for the series.
I really don't want to give away too much for you guys, but if you missed out on The Farm (like I somehow managed to) and you love survivalist post apocalyptic stuff then you'll want to check out the books regardless of how you feel about vampires (psst, these definitely do not sparkle!).
Ok so at first I didn't even really know what I was reading about not because the book wasn't good but because I just picked it up and started reading it. I was too scared to read it at first because I didn't like scary things as much as I do know (scary movies, books) but I just finished it and I feel a little dumb for thinking it would be too scary for me. Honestly it was a really good book! I loved every minute and I couldn't put it down. I liked the ending and when I first got the book I didn't know it was a series but it is sooo I'm excited to start the next book...:)
Again, I think this was a case of the blurb being deceptive. It gave the impression that Lily knows about Mel's abilities from the get go and that it's part of the reason why she's trying to get them out of the farm. It's not. She doesn't realise until pretty much the end of the book. So I spent at least 3/4 of the book wondering if I'd suddenly skipped 20 very important pages.
In addition to that, for a book about vampires and genetically modified sort-of-vampires, there wasn't really a whole lot of vampire action. There was a lot of suspense and "We have to get out of here because of reasons"-ing. I think it would have been more powerful if we'd gone with Lily to one of her regular blood donations, or if there'd been more made of the fact that sometimes kids who disobeyed orders were left outside the fence for the Ticks.
I think in the end, it was more like a 2.5 star book for me. I liked the idea, and parts of it were well executed - I particularly liked the sections from Mel's point of view - but it just managed to miss the mark overall.
In addition to that, for a book about vampires and genetically modified sort-of-vampires, there wasn't really a whole lot of vampire action. There was a lot of suspense and "We have to get out of here because of reasons"-ing. I think it would have been more powerful if we'd gone with Lily to one of her regular blood donations, or if there'd been more made of the fact that sometimes kids who disobeyed orders were left outside the fence for the Ticks.
I think in the end, it was more like a 2.5 star book for me. I liked the idea, and parts of it were well executed - I particularly liked the sections from Mel's point of view - but it just managed to miss the mark overall.
INITIAL THOUGHTS
A hard dystopian/post apocalyptic world to exist in. Totally original and WOW! A kind sad part near the end though.
MY REVIEW
The cover shows a young female wearing a red hoodie which is a bright colour in total contrast to the barbed wire fencing also on the cover. upon reading the book we also find out that the wire fencing is in fact electrified.
The title stands out in its font style and colour and enhances the cover rather than detracting from it. I also like the byline "Escape is only the beginning"
So would the cover alone make me pick this book up in a bookstore? Truthfully yes just on the strength of looking at the cover I would pick this book up and want to know more about it. then I'd be buying it!
So down to the book now, Life has changed drastically, these "things" called ticks exist and they seem to me to be a vampire/zombie cross. they eat humans and their blood. These ticks prefer young, teenage blood, so the government have set up "The Farms where all teenagers are taken for "their own safety". Only the farms aren't that "safe" and they are more like prison camps, where normal teenagers are called "greens" and then theirs those teenagers that turn on the "greens" and become spies for the Dean and are commonly known "Collabs".
So Lily and Mel have been sent to a camp as their parents obviously trust in the government. Lily and Mel are twins. Though Lily acts as though she is the older sister, as Mel is autistic and tends to speak in nursery rhymes, which makes the book even more interesting and at times quite ironic and humorous at times. So Lily and Mel have been keeping to themselves and Lily only trusts one other person on the farm other than Mel and that is Joe. Joe can "acquire" almost anything you want, so Lily has been trading items for the things she needs to escape from the farm with her sister. Other than for meals Lily and Mel keep away from everyone.
Then one day a face from the past appears at the farm, Carter, the guy from "Before" that Lily crushed on at school. Carter wants to be around Lily and Mel but can Lily trust him. What is Carter really doing at the farm and who is the strange guy Sebastian?
Mel self comforts herself with a slinky, in the "Before" she used to chew bubbly gum. Mel can't sleep without her cuddly squirrel. Mel doesn't usually speak to other people other than her sister but when Carter comes along she accepts him so easily and communicates with him too.
At one point in the book Lily,Mel and Carter are together then they get split up, Carter disappears and Mel communicates with Lily by reciting "Little Bo Peep lost her sheep"
I really loved Mel's way of communicating and the musical references, as everyone has a "sound/music" to her except for Sebastian who is silent.
I really don't want to tell you anymore of this story and I have purposely not mentioned some of the plot details. This book is really well written, the pace starts fairly slowly and then gathers speed. The Chapters are initially just from Lily and Mel's POV until Carter arrives at the scene and then we have Chapters from his POV. There is plenty of action and drama, some lies told for good reasons but still cause trust issues. Nearer the end of the book is the saddest part, I really had a lump in my throat and was full of sympathy for Lily. I began by sharing Lily's view of McKenna and felt her hate for her and Joe and their betrayal at the outset of the escape from the farm. However I went on to become quite attached to both of them as characters and felt McKenna's loss when Joe makes his grand gesture and sacrifice. I loved the interaction between Lily and Carter but at times felt like slapping and shaking them both! I really wanted them to get it together for each other but that isn't totally resolved even at the end of the book. I know this probably sound so gushy but I also love Mel's character, you really did have the impression she was a very wise girl and I'd say she saw and heard a lot of things as people thought her odd or even backward in some way. Her ways of offering comfort to Lily were at time heart wrenching and I readily admit to my eyes brimming a time or two. I loved it when she would give Lily the slinky to try and soothe her, or she'd give her the toy squirrel to hug. I suppose I really should be wrapping this review up now as I have seemed to go on and on, as there feels so much that I haven't covered, I mean I haven't covered the escape, or what Carter and Sebastian think that Lily is an abductora, or even what an abductura is! It really is action packed and lots and lots happens in this book.
The book did end at a kind of cliffhanger in that I had so many questions that I want, no need answering in the next book such as Will Lily & Carter make it as a couple? How will Mel cope with her "new lifestyle?" What will happen to her and Sebatian? Did Joe make it? Will McKenna & Joe by reunited? I'm seriously looking forward to reading The Lair.
So did I enjoy the book? I loved it! Would I recommend it? Yes, I would go so far as to call it a MUST read. Would I read a Bk#2? Yes please I intend to read and review Bk#2 as soon as I can, though I have some blog tour reviews I'm committed to first. Would I read other books by Emily McKay? Definitely I loved her style of writing, she made the book so easy to read! Not so easy to put down but that's a really good thing isn't it!
Did The Farm remind me of any other books I've read? The vampire/zombies crossed creatures reminded me of the awful creatures that exist in the Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle.
A hard dystopian/post apocalyptic world to exist in. Totally original and WOW! A kind sad part near the end though.
MY REVIEW
The cover shows a young female wearing a red hoodie which is a bright colour in total contrast to the barbed wire fencing also on the cover. upon reading the book we also find out that the wire fencing is in fact electrified.
The title stands out in its font style and colour and enhances the cover rather than detracting from it. I also like the byline "Escape is only the beginning"
So would the cover alone make me pick this book up in a bookstore? Truthfully yes just on the strength of looking at the cover I would pick this book up and want to know more about it. then I'd be buying it!
So down to the book now, Life has changed drastically, these "things" called ticks exist and they seem to me to be a vampire/zombie cross. they eat humans and their blood. These ticks prefer young, teenage blood, so the government have set up "The Farms where all teenagers are taken for "their own safety". Only the farms aren't that "safe" and they are more like prison camps, where normal teenagers are called "greens" and then theirs those teenagers that turn on the "greens" and become spies for the Dean and are commonly known "Collabs".
So Lily and Mel have been sent to a camp as their parents obviously trust in the government. Lily and Mel are twins. Though Lily acts as though she is the older sister, as Mel is autistic and tends to speak in nursery rhymes, which makes the book even more interesting and at times quite ironic and humorous at times. So Lily and Mel have been keeping to themselves and Lily only trusts one other person on the farm other than Mel and that is Joe. Joe can "acquire" almost anything you want, so Lily has been trading items for the things she needs to escape from the farm with her sister. Other than for meals Lily and Mel keep away from everyone.
Then one day a face from the past appears at the farm, Carter, the guy from "Before" that Lily crushed on at school. Carter wants to be around Lily and Mel but can Lily trust him. What is Carter really doing at the farm and who is the strange guy Sebastian?
Mel self comforts herself with a slinky, in the "Before" she used to chew bubbly gum. Mel can't sleep without her cuddly squirrel. Mel doesn't usually speak to other people other than her sister but when Carter comes along she accepts him so easily and communicates with him too.
At one point in the book Lily,Mel and Carter are together then they get split up, Carter disappears and Mel communicates with Lily by reciting "Little Bo Peep lost her sheep"
I really loved Mel's way of communicating and the musical references, as everyone has a "sound/music" to her except for Sebastian who is silent.
I really don't want to tell you anymore of this story and I have purposely not mentioned some of the plot details. This book is really well written, the pace starts fairly slowly and then gathers speed. The Chapters are initially just from Lily and Mel's POV until Carter arrives at the scene and then we have Chapters from his POV. There is plenty of action and drama, some lies told for good reasons but still cause trust issues. Nearer the end of the book is the saddest part, I really had a lump in my throat and was full of sympathy for Lily. I began by sharing Lily's view of McKenna and felt her hate for her and Joe and their betrayal at the outset of the escape from the farm. However I went on to become quite attached to both of them as characters and felt McKenna's loss when Joe makes his grand gesture and sacrifice. I loved the interaction between Lily and Carter but at times felt like slapping and shaking them both! I really wanted them to get it together for each other but that isn't totally resolved even at the end of the book. I know this probably sound so gushy but I also love Mel's character, you really did have the impression she was a very wise girl and I'd say she saw and heard a lot of things as people thought her odd or even backward in some way. Her ways of offering comfort to Lily were at time heart wrenching and I readily admit to my eyes brimming a time or two. I loved it when she would give Lily the slinky to try and soothe her, or she'd give her the toy squirrel to hug. I suppose I really should be wrapping this review up now as I have seemed to go on and on, as there feels so much that I haven't covered, I mean I haven't covered the escape, or what Carter and Sebastian think that Lily is an abductora, or even what an abductura is! It really is action packed and lots and lots happens in this book.
The book did end at a kind of cliffhanger in that I had so many questions that I want, no need answering in the next book such as Will Lily & Carter make it as a couple? How will Mel cope with her "new lifestyle?" What will happen to her and Sebatian? Did Joe make it? Will McKenna & Joe by reunited? I'm seriously looking forward to reading The Lair.
So did I enjoy the book? I loved it! Would I recommend it? Yes, I would go so far as to call it a MUST read. Would I read a Bk#2? Yes please I intend to read and review Bk#2 as soon as I can, though I have some blog tour reviews I'm committed to first. Would I read other books by Emily McKay? Definitely I loved her style of writing, she made the book so easy to read! Not so easy to put down but that's a really good thing isn't it!
Did The Farm remind me of any other books I've read? The vampire/zombies crossed creatures reminded me of the awful creatures that exist in the Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle.
A very good book! Will keep you guessing until the very end!